Huawei E220 Modem

[Gaby]

Hi,

I have a Huawei E220 Modem. Initially, the signal strength was very bad and the modem cut out every 10 minutes or so. By using the double USB cable with two additional longer USB cables, I was able to improve the signal slightly. It displays two bars now, is more stable and does not disconnect itself so often.

I am happy with the up and download capacities of the modem. If I used a 3G Generic adapter cable and a Cellular Blade Antenna (1.5m cable), which is advertised by www.poynting.co.za, would that make a considerable improvement on the signal quality, because I need Skype a lot and the picture quality is not satisfactory/stable? Unfortunately, I cannot install any outdoor antennae or equipment.

 

[JimM]

It should give you a much better signal.

Using more than one length of USB cable is not good because you'll lose (DC) power to the modem. Better to bring the signal to the modem than the modem to the signal!

 

[morkhans]

The blade is only a 1.5 dBi gain, which is not *that* much. Does your E220 not work with the single cable connector? Some forumites have mentioned better signal using a single 5m USB cable and then positioning the modem near as possible to a window and higher up. You should also get MDMA (sticky in the MTN forum) to give you an accurate reading of your signal strength. Fire it up and take a walk through your place to see where you have the best signal.

 

[ginggs]

Better to bring the signal to the modem than the modem to the signal!

How so? The signals in a USB cable are digital.

You do get active 5m USB extenders, and you can again up to 5 of then together.

 

[ginggs]

chain not again
How do you submit an edited post in the mobile mybb? There doesn't seem to be a post button.

 

[JimM]

How so? The signals in a USB cable are digital.

You do get active 5m USB extenders, and you can again up to 5 of then together.

Not quite so, you have power also!

Power (current) loss in USB cables is considerable, one should avoid USB cables in excess of 1m if the device in use consumes more than a few milli-amps!

So if you have a long cable and lets assume that your modem requires 500mA and after 5m of cable you have only 450mA then you are going to get problems! This is the reason the supplied USB cable has two plugs at the PC end in an effort to ensure enough current.

It is possible to use 5m USB cables but usually only with items like printers because they have their own local power.

To use a E220 on a USB cable in excess of 2m at maximum would boarder on stupidity.

Extenders powered or otherwise are not recommended unless you are willing to put up with unexplained errors. If there is some form of power insertion one must ensure that it has twice the capacity that you require and that it has over voltage/current protection... you don't want your E220 "fried" by a cheap and nasty power supply do you?

 

[AirWolf]

Not quite so, you have power also!

Power (current) loss in USB cables is considerable, one should avoid USB cables in excess of 1m if the device in use consumes more than a few milli-amps!

So if you have a long cable and lets assume that your modem requires 500mA and after 5m of cable you have only 450mA then you are going to get problems! This is the reason the supplied USB cable has two plugs at the PC end in an effort to ensure enough current.

It is possible to use 5m USB cables but usually only with items like printers because they have their own local power.

To use a E220 on a USB cable in excess of 2m at maximum would boarder on stupidity.

Extenders powered or otherwise are not recommended unless you are willing to put up with unexplained errors. If there is some form of power insertion one must ensure that it has twice the capacity that you require and that it has over voltage/current protection... you don't want your E220 "fried" by a cheap and nasty power supply do you?

I've been using an E220 on a 5m USB extension for almost two years without any problems. A longer cable gives you the opportunity to find the ideal placement for your E220 in your location.

NB: You do not need any power supplies.

 

[JimM]

I've been using an E220 on a 5m USB extension for almost two years without any problems. A longer cable gives you the opportunity to find the ideal placement for your E220 in your location.

NB: You do not need any power supplies.

You do not need any power supplies PROVIDED your PC has enough current!

Something else to take into consideration is just how many USB devices are currently in use in the setup.

I've carried out a number of tests and there is no hard and fast rule to say if a long USB cable will work without problems. These tests were at various locations with various equipment using around 30 USB modems of which 16 were E220's.

Problems noted:

Modem not found - Unplugging and replugging fixes this.
No Data Throughput - Connects but no upload or download data.
Dropped Connection - Constantly needing to reconnect even at quiet times.

In all cases replacing the USB with a shorter one eliminated the problem for good although five setups required an external antenna.

You really can not make bold statements saying that a 5m cable will work and no additional power will be required UNTIL you have tried the modem in any given setup!

 

[morkhans]

So if you have a long cable and lets assume that your modem requires 500mA and after 5m of cable you have only 450mA then you are going to get problems! This is the reason the supplied USB cable has two plugs at the PC end in an effort to ensure enough current.

As far as I am aware the two plug connector is for those machines where the USB port does not provide enough power. So as long as your USB port supplies enough power you can use the single port connector.

There are very few machines where I had to resort to using the 2 plug connector and in most cases they were rather old.

 

[JimM]

As far as I am aware the two plug connector is for those machines where the USB port does not provide enough power. So as long as your USB port supplies enough power you can use the single port connector.

There are very few machines where I had to resort to using the 2 plug connector and in most cases they were rather old.

Indeed most machines have enough power for one POWERED device. Add several devices hows the power then? It's not a case of a PC being old, new or pink!

 

[AirWolf]

You do not need any power supplies PROVIDED your PC has enough current!

Something else to take into consideration is just how many USB devices are currently in use in the setup.

I've carried out a number of tests and there is no hard and fast rule to say if a long USB cable will work without problems. These tests were at various locations with various equipment using around 30 USB modems of which 16 were E220's.

Problems noted:

Modem not found - Unplugging and replugging fixes this.
No Data Throughput - Connects but no upload or download data.
Dropped Connection - Constantly needing to reconnect even at quiet times.

In all cases replacing the USB with a shorter one eliminated the problem for good although five setups required an external antenna.

You really can not make bold statements saying that a 5m cable will work and no additional power will be required UNTIL you have tried the modem in any given setup!

If you bothered to check the link I posted, I'm not using a standard mA-fA USB extension [which you will definitely have power issues beyond 3m], but one with a little box at the end for power boost.

As morkhans mentioned above, only very old machines might have a power problem. I've use the 5m cable on my laptop, and it still works 100% when running on batteries.

Additionally, some USB issues may be caused by issues in the BIOS, which an update may solve.

 

[JimM]

Now I recall why I stopped coming to myBB. You are all so super qualified in every subject under the sun and seem to know so much more that those who are actually qualified in their field.

Let me take you back to school you'll remember physics? Volts and Amps to be exact. If you lack current at the end of the line you can't just magic it there! You can NOT get a power boost, unless of course you plug power into it using an additional power supply its that simple, but hey may be it's solar powered?

If you have low current at the end of a 5m cable, that little box can not just magic up a few extra milliamps. It might provide some equalization for the additional line length but generate its own power? I think not!

This will come as a shock but the bit on the box that says something like "with power booster" was written buy a guy in the sales department not the technical staff!

Right I'm off to see some clients with exactly the same knowledge level as has been shown here. I will of course provide what they insist on having despite my advice to the contrary, then I'll bank the money and wait for their call to buy the items I suggested at the outset.

 

[AirWolf]

You are all so super qualified in every subject under the sun and seem to know so much more that those who are actually qualified in their field.

Man, you sure are modest. Just because I don't do this for a living, but have two years experience using an E220 on a 5m extension on various laptops and pcs, I am a pc illiterate idiot?

Let me take you back to school you'll remember physics? Volts and Amps to be exact. If you lack current at the end of the line you can't just magic it there! You can NOT get a power boost, unless of course you plug power into it using an additional power supply its that simple, but hey may be it's solar powered?

If you have low current at the end of a 5m cable, that little box can not just magic up a few extra milliamps. It might provide some equalization for the additional line length but generate its own power? I think not!

This will come as a shock but the bit on the box that says something like "with power booster" was written buy a guy in the sales department not the technical staff!

Ok, I'll admit my wording was incorrect, and equalisation is what I meant.

Right I'm off to see some clients with exactly the same knowledge level as has been shown here. I will of course provide what they insist on having despite my advice to the contrary, then I'll bank the money and wait for their call to buy the items I suggested at the outset.

As much as you might believe you are some technical genius, I hate to have to break it to you that you are not. What exactly is so hard for you to understand that the power issue on an extension cable is a problem a very small percentage of machines will experience? A lot of people on here have been using their E220s with extensions for a very long time. Some have even gone with multiple extensions as ginggs mentioned.

To use a E220 on a USB cable in excess of 2m at maximum would boarder on stupidity.

More of that modesty coming through there. If you do some research on here, you will note that even the Vodacom rep [V3g], advises an extension as a quick cheap fix to signal problems, which was the problem stated in the OP, and not power problems on a USB port.

Now I recall why I stopped coming to myBB.

Whether you decide to stay or not is completely up to you. This is the real world man, people disagree on every issue under the sun everyday. Your attempt to dismiss a workable solution, was met with contrary comments from people who were using the exact method you were writing off. So what do you expect us to do?

 

[vodacom3g]

............. you will note that even the Vodacom rep [V3g], advises an extension as a quick cheap fix to signal problems, which was the problem stated in the OP, and not power problems on a USB port.

Before I got a 3G repeater installed, my E220 was permanently dangling of a 5m USB cable driven of one single USB port on a tiny Sony Vaio notebook. Never had power problems at all.

Don't know if there are different USB power specs, probably are, but in the setups I saw, the extension cable worked well. Lifting the modem makes a huge difference in certain environments.