Huawei B970/B970b HSPA Router

notinthisworld said:
i tried normal usb printer cable. it does not work. it does not even turn on. btw, my power adapter indicates 5v 2amps. but the usb port of a PC is only 500mah right? thanks
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Perhaps you need to use the power adapter as well?
 
yes. tried with diff PCs, diff OS too

btw, sorry to ask. have you tried using it wth regular printer cable? i am not sure if the one provided is a customized one.

TIA
 
notinthisworld said:
yes. tried with diff PCs, diff OS too

btw, sorry to ask. have you tried using it wth regular printer cable? i am not sure if the one provided is a customized one.

TIA
Click to expand...

Pretty sure I have, but will give it a go and let you know.
 
Normal A to B USB cable works for me.

On the flipside after I did this and went back to router mode, all my settings went missing again. So alas as posted by someone else SP4 does not fix this problem.
 
hmmm. really odd... i can't seem it make it work as usb mode.. maybe it is disabled in the firmware....
 
morkhans said:
Normal A to B USB cable works for me.

On the flipside after I did this and went back to router mode, all my settings went missing again. So alas as posted by someone else SP4 does not fix this problem.
Click to expand...

I have also noticed this. SP4 did not fix this issue of the settings being restored to default. After unable to connect on 3G and then rebooting the router, it sometimes looses it's settings. So I dunno....will have to wait for the next fix.
 
Howzit guys,

I am wondering if any if you guys can help me. My dad has a B970 from Vodacom. He just got ADSL so he wants to use it for his ADSL router, but it is pre-coded with all the Vodacom settings which cant be changed.

Is there like a firmware upgrade that I can install that will remove the Vodacom 'locking'?
Thanks
 
lol. Schwartz, this is a 3G modem, not an adsl modem. the telephone line port on it is for connecting a fax machine or a telkom handset. so that when you pick up the handset, you can hear a dialtone (which would be a vodacom line in your case)

short answer... you can't

you can however buy a adsl modem for about R400 and some ADSL isps include a wifi router /modem with their service. look at something like cybersmart or mweb
 
hi all,

is the B970 the best 3g wirelss modem/router available now? Are there any products on the market that I must look out for, or is there something else in the pipline from VC/MTN? With VC saying that their network speeds are now up to 14.4 Mbps (yeah right) which modem/router would be the best to get looking to the future? Really not keen on spending R2.5k on a router that will soon be out of fashion...I'm currently on a VC Data package add-on on my VC cellphone (Currently using a K3765 USB modem but getting Wifi in the house has become a necessity). Telkom is not an option.. (been waiting for 14 months for an ADSL line in a new complex and no telkom wireless coverage).

Thought all you clever folks would be able to give me the good 'gen' as not all the sales people in the shops seem to be up to date with things that matter.

Thanks

Padawan
 
Padawan, go to a telkom outlet in a shopping mall and buy one for under R1000. I travel all over the country. I'm on MTN... they seriously suck in some areas, and a friend of mine who works with me, also with a B970 is on Vodacom, basically they also suck, just in different areas than MTN...

Still the best thing out there as far as i'm concerned. I just wish i can get the switch/airport working without having to use the power supply it comes with.

Oh and dyndns only works on vodacom, as mtn blocks it... which is why they've removed it from the web interface.
 
atmosphere said:
lol. Schwartz, this is a 3G modem, not an adsl modem. the telephone line port on it is for connecting a fax machine or a telkom handset. so that when you pick up the handset, you can hear a dialtone (which would be a vodacom line in your case)

short answer... you can't

you can however buy a adsl modem for about R400 and some ADSL isps include a wifi router /modem with their service. look at something like cybersmart or mweb
Click to expand...

ok thanks
 
Padawan Learner said:
hi all,

is the B970 the best 3g wirelss modem/router available now? Are there any products on the market that I must look out for, or is there something else in the pipline from VC/MTN? With VC saying that their network speeds are now up to 14.4 Mbps (yeah right) which modem/router would be the best to get looking to the future? Really not keen on spending R2.5k on a router that will soon be out of fashion...I'm currently on a VC Data package add-on on my VC cellphone (Currently using a K3765 USB modem but getting Wifi in the house has become a necessity). Telkom is not an option.. (been waiting for 14 months for an ADSL line in a new complex and no telkom wireless coverage).

Thought all you clever folks would be able to give me the good 'gen' as not all the sales people in the shops seem to be up to date with things that matter.

Thanks

Padawan
Click to expand...

The device atmosphere is referring to from Telkom is the E960. The main difference is that it only supports 384k upload, so if upload is important to you then get the B970. With regards to speed: 3.6 is already pretty quick. Vodacom have turned on 7.2 and now 14.4. The E960 and B970 will both do 7.2. Honestly I think this will still be fine. The actual speed you get will depend on your coverage and backhaul capacity of your tower. Some areas are good, others not so good. You will notice this if you tend to travel. Test your speed at speed.vodacom.co.za and speedtest.net. Unfortunately the wifi footprint of the B970 is not that big and I assume the E960 will be the same. If you have a large house you want to cover then maybe it will be best to go with the cheaper E960 and buy a wifi repeater or additional AP.
 
Thanks morkhans and atmosphere!

The B970 would pretty much be stationary in the single story townhouse so I would assume the wifi coverage should be sufficient? The coverage at home with the current K3765 USB is good with descent speeds (using speedtest.net) and would use that if i travel.. (which i do alot yes). The speeds are sufficient for my needs anyway.

Just wanted to make sure there isnt gonna be a product in our market (with a wifi capability) with a 14.4 speed capability soon. 'Cause as far as I understand VC doesnt have anything available? Is this correct?

Thanks very much
 
It should be able to cover that sort of area. The 14.4 devices are on their way, but finding a 14.4 enabled tower is a whole other story. Get a 7.2 device, it will be fine.
 
morkhans said:
The B970 has 2 modes. In router mode it will make the connection and provide WiFi. You can connect to a web interface to mange things like DynDNS and the basic firewall. If you attach to the router via USB it acts like any other USB 3G card. Your OS makes the connection and thus the OS needs to provide firewalling etc. The web interface and WiFi will not be available in this mode. It does not have VPN feature. So something behind it will need to do the work. If you want built in VPN look at something like the Draytek Vigor range which has a USB port for attaching 3G modems. It has VPN support and more advanced firewalling options.

Can't you roll your own with a 3G modem and smoothwall? ;)
Click to expand...

I remember Willie (our beloved Vodacom3G user) said once that the router is actually not that big when taking it with you....does not look as sexy as one of the stick modems, but fits perfectly in my notebook bag. So you have the best of both worlds. A router + a 3G modem, all rolled into one.

The only niggle I have with this router is that you cannot do custom port forwarding with it, but other than that, very happy with my B970 router that I've now had for almost a year.
 
kingrob said:
The only niggle I have with this router is that you cannot do custom port forwarding with it, but other than that, very happy with my B970 router that I've now had for almost a year.
Click to expand...

What do you mean by custom port forwarding? I can forward ports to devices inside my network.
 
morkhans said:
What do you mean by custom port forwarding? I can forward ports to devices inside my network.
Click to expand...

Yes, I know you can....but just some basic ports. Hauwei calls it "Virtual Server" - guess the buzzword now is "virtualization" and Hauwei wanted in on the action.

Try to forward with port 443, which is SQL Server's default port, or 5080, which Bugzilla likes to use. ;)
 
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