Phone versus Data card.

[HowTo]

Hi all,

Could someone please inform me on the above topic.
Please dont move this thread to another folder where nobody see this.

I would like to find out from the die-hard's from their own experiance.
Is a data card the money worth, you buy it for.

Is browsing etc faster or not.

 

[AirWolf]

Hi all,

Could someone please inform me on the above topic.
Please dont move this thread to another folder where nobody see this.

I would like to find out from the die-hard's from their own experiance.
Is a data card the money worth, you buy it for.

Is browsing etc faster or not.

If you use something like the E220 or E272 [both are usb modems] then you have the advantage of moving it around [with a long enough cable of course] to find the best signal strength. But better signal stregth by itself doesn't necessarily equate to better speeds as a more important factor is signal quality.

With the data cards such as the E620 you can't move around [unless using a laptop] because the card itself slots into the laptop/pc. Haven't used these so can't comment on speeds etc but the principal remains the same as above.

In my experience the E220 performed better than any cellphones I have used. But others might have experienced otherwise.

 

[ic]

With the data cards such as the E620 you can't move around [unless using a laptop] because the card itself slots into the laptop/pc.

Another disadvantage of data card modems, in notebooks, is that they tend to get very hot - notebook manufacturers don't seem to think about designing notebooks in such a way that the PCMCIA &| PCI Express slots are somehow ventilated with cool air - some actually poor hot air from the notebook's CPU heatsink onto these slots.

 

[Iam3G]

Hi all,

Could someone please inform me on the above topic.
Please dont move this thread to another folder where nobody see this.

I would like to find out from the die-hard's from their own experiance.
Is a data card the money worth, you buy it for.

Is browsing etc faster or not.

Location Location Location

 

[HowTo]

Hi All,

Remember this is forum.
Need info loots of it.

Is their forum that benchmark these devices.
I'm not convinced that a data modem is superior over a phone.
I'm trying to convince myself is the cost the worth it.

If I go to then next step it will be USB data device. I have to weigh up the cost factor against superior performance.
Where are all the guru's that knows the ins and out of these devices.
Looking at the Vodacom map, Vodacom has done loots to improve 3g in our area.
3G on my phone is permanently on.

1) What is browsing like with a data modem???.

2) Down loading on my phone varies between 50 to +100Kb/sec.
Which I think is ok.

Regards
PS I does not help to speak to any sale consultant, they just want to make a sale. I will not take out a data contract.

 

[AirWolf]

The E220 is what I'm using and is an excellent device. The native device (HSDPA) can do 384 kbps up and 3.6Mbps down. A firmware upgrade makes the device 7.2 Mbps capable.

The E272 is an HSUPA device. Uploads are in excess of 1Mbps and downloads are 7.2 Mbps.

Vodacom's standard data network offers a max of 1.8 Mbps download speeds and with a R50 subscription you'll have access to a max of 3.6 Mbps.

As Iam3g mentioned location is very important, so my suggestion would be to borrow a device and test at you location before buying.

 

[killat]

Well, I use my phone (Nokia 6120) as a modem over bluetooth on Mtn and often get download speeds of 107-120 KB/s in fact im posting this from it in Opera Mini 4!

 

[Artagra]

Personally, it depends on how much you use it.

My experience is that the performance of data cards / USB modems / phone over USB is all very similar, but that the phone drops the connection much more often. If you use it only occasionally, this shouldn't be too much of a problem. If you use it every day? Then I would say pay extra for the modem.

 

[AirWolf]

Well, I use my phone (Nokia 6120) as a modem over bluetooth on Mtn and often get download speeds of 107-120 KB/s in fact im posting this from it in Opera Mini 4!

Using Opera Mini on your phone doesn't give a true reflection of speed because Opera Mini uses compression to make pages much smaller than when viewed on a normal browser on a pc.

 

[Terencek]

If you are in a VERY poor signal area there is another factor to consider. If it turns out you need a dedicated antenna (from a firm like Poynting) as many of us who have very marginal signals do for serious data work, then if I'm not mistaken the majority of the USB modems have no input for an antenna cable -- unlike the PCMCIA data cards which slot into your laptop. Though apparently adding a USB extension cable helps the USB modems, and I think one of the new ones does have an antenna socket.

If you're in a high signal area none of the above is a factor. But if you are thinking of upgrading your notebook, remember that not all new models have a PCMCIA slot for a data card.

 

[HowTo]

Hi All,

At present I jumped into it an bought on.
Signal at 3 bar saying "signal-good".

Regards