I have been reading most of the 3G / HSDPA and Huawei stuff on these forums for some months now, after having joined Vodacom from Telkom dsl back in april. Thanks to all for much help, and especially V3G for his ability to handle all the pressure (!)
I dual boot vista business and xp pro (for games) and have arrived at the best solution that works for me, and may help others. It has in fact sorted all the problems out for a friend in nearby Knysna.
Don't load the software - not VMC, not Huawei - nothing - (they are all buggy, IMHO). Install it, sure, but stop it from loading each time windows starts. Turn off autoplay on the modem, create a dial up connection called whatever you want using *99***16# as the number. Use your sim # and pin as credentials and that's all. I have no init string in the advanced properties of the modem - blank. This is the KISS solution - keep it simple. I consistently get 1400 / 300 mbps and better in the Vodacom speed test, full strength signal at all times (it helps that I can see the tower from my desk!) no disconnects - EVER - and overall a very stress-free, fast and reliable internet connection whether I'm using Vista or XP. If I want to SMS I load Mobile partner, send, then exit Mobile Partner.
I'm in Sedgefield on the Garden Route, between George and Knysna. Sometimes I think I'm the only 3G user around these parts, the network is so fast...!
BTW, the purpose of this post is not to be smug, but rather to maybe help others who are desperately seeking an alternative to all the hassles that seem to be associated with the E220 and it's various flavours of soft- and firmware. Hope it helps someone.
I dual boot vista business and xp pro (for games) and have arrived at the best solution that works for me, and may help others. It has in fact sorted all the problems out for a friend in nearby Knysna.
Don't load the software - not VMC, not Huawei - nothing - (they are all buggy, IMHO). Install it, sure, but stop it from loading each time windows starts. Turn off autoplay on the modem, create a dial up connection called whatever you want using *99***16# as the number. Use your sim # and pin as credentials and that's all. I have no init string in the advanced properties of the modem - blank. This is the KISS solution - keep it simple. I consistently get 1400 / 300 mbps and better in the Vodacom speed test, full strength signal at all times (it helps that I can see the tower from my desk!) no disconnects - EVER - and overall a very stress-free, fast and reliable internet connection whether I'm using Vista or XP. If I want to SMS I load Mobile partner, send, then exit Mobile Partner.
I'm in Sedgefield on the Garden Route, between George and Knysna. Sometimes I think I'm the only 3G user around these parts, the network is so fast...!
BTW, the purpose of this post is not to be smug, but rather to maybe help others who are desperately seeking an alternative to all the hassles that seem to be associated with the E220 and it's various flavours of soft- and firmware. Hope it helps someone.
