unlocked 3G modem - query.

[dabster]

I am looking at buying at a 3G unocked modem - there are ones from iball and micromax which ae unlocked, But i saw some idea netsetter and reliance netconnect 3G dongle being sold as unlocked. Can somebody confirm that these operation unlocked modem will be in warranty or will be considered void warranty since unlocked.

something like this : *www.ebay.in/itm/280938531198?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649#ht_4450wt_976

also 3G is a better option or buying a reliance/tata - evdo/cdma dongles are better ?
if 3G which sim/operator has better coverage and faster network in bangalore.

 

[whitestar_999]

i can tell you this.zte elite MF668A 3g usb modem(21.7mbps netconnect dongle) by reliance is the best i have seen so far quality wise.as you know the biggest issue in 3g usb modems is heating issue(huwaei is specially notorious in this regard) & people have got melted sims(yes!!that's right again in many cases huwaei) after 2-3 hours of continuous 3g usage.i have downloaded continuously for 8-9 hours using MF668A at ~4mbps & uploaded at ~2mbps with just about average heating & no issues.if you are buying unlocked then go for reliance dongle since these are made by ZTE & based on my experience with MF668A i would say they are good.of course warranty will be void for such company(reliance,airtel,idea etc) branded unlocked modems.btw rs.1270 is too much for 7.2mbps unlocked reliance.here in Delhi you can get this at ~700 if you know where to look.

 

[dabster]

^ Thanks a lot, that is exactly the info I was looking for.
Seeing that model to available but very pricey.
Buy Online Reliance 21.6 Mbps 3G USB Modem (MF668A). Shop from tradus.com NSWM97LNAEHZSGGL

Any possibility of finding this(or any other zte device) cheap and if locally any recomendaton for shops in SP road ?

 

[Pratul_09]

again remember heating issue is related to network signal you receive in your datacard. The less the signal the more the datacard will spend energy to receive signals and in return dissipate more heat. I would suggest a datacard with crc9 port for external antenna in case you are not able to receive signals in your area.

better buy a unlocked one from ebay than any network locked datacard and pay for it for unlocking which will void the warranty. ebay seller provide 6 month seller warranty.

Brand New Unlocked HUAWEI E353 21.6Mbps 3G USB Modem Data Card | eBay

 

[dabster]

And simple asking what is wrong with just using tethering from a 3G phone. I am just reading some things that battery life is reduced and phone can get hotter. What else ? That is on my list of solutions.

 

[whitestar_999]

do not buy huwaei 3g usb modem.it has a bad reputation regarding heating issues.also i used MF668A at 3-4 bars of signal strength(info shows 13 & best reception place in my home shows strength ~20) & even then it heated only marginally i have no idea about bangalore but in Delhi you can get 7.2mbps reliance 3g dongle(slightly used but perfectly fine) for ~700.also unlocking reliance is very easy & can be done by you(no need to pay to someone else to do it).if you do not use 3g for extended periods then even a phone will do the job.

 

[dabster]

if you do not use 3g for extended periods then even a phone will do the job.

Much Thanks - What really the problem with this if used for long hours. Battery Thing I can leave the phone on charge if i use it overnight..

 

[whitestar_999]

this will result in increased wear & tear to the phone battery.occasionally using overnight(say 2-3 nights a week) is alright but if you plan to use it daily then it could be a problem.

 

[Pratul_09]

Some Huawei modems had heating issues like UMG1831 that were phased out by Huawei and stopped being manufactured. If you need a solid device i would suggest go for Huawei K4505(Vodafone), that retails for around 2.9K. It supports upto 28 Mbps speeds and is one of the best devices available in the market. This is the reason vodafone has introduced it recently in India. This also supports routers after a small firmware upgrade. Only go for ZTE brand if you want a cheaper device. You will get a fair idea once you visit vodafone store and you will see same model numbers but with different device manufacturers. This can be identified by the last character in the model. The Zte is always cheaper compared to Huawei counterpart.

I'm against ZTE modems because the dashboard software of zte leaves a lot be desired. Both ZTE and Huawei being competitor in 3G/4G devices, i still claim that Huawei has a upper hand in 3G/4G devices whereas Zte is more known for CDMA/EVDO devices. The same in applicable in unlocking. Huawei 3G modems are easily unlockable and Zte CDMA modems are easily unlockable. The problem comes up when the dashboard is customized by service provider like vodafone or idea and will not allow you to input custom apn settings. You can get more info about unlocking @ dc-unlocker.com.

Coming to your question if you use USB tethering then the battery would be affected minimally as whenever we charge battery we use up a charge-discharge cycle. IMO your battery will lose one charge-discharge cycle. Whereas if you use WiFi Hotspot then the battery will drain quickly and this cycle will only be faster. so its better to usb tether compared to WiFi tethering.

 

[whitestar_999]

^^i don't want to get into huwaei vs zte issue.if you read my previous post then you should know that when all is said & done it is the experience in real world which matters most.if you have personally used this K4505 with an average signal strength(below good & slightly above bad) continuously for 8-9 hours downloading at ~3-4mbps average speed with no over heating issues or disconnections then no problem.if not then i stand by my point of zte being better than huwaei.
P.S.it took my cousin a few minutes to unlock reliance ZTE MF668A & the default reliance dashboard has the custom APN setting.

 

[Pratul_09]

I'm writing this using my vodafone K4505 unlocked Huawei device and there isn't any heating issue. Earlier i used T-Mobile Huawei UMG1831 Webconnect rocket that had a heating issue. Maybe that it is easier to unlock that particular model that does not means all devices are a few minutes job. Unlocking device voids any warranty and unlocking involves certain risk, search google you will find many lost their imei in unlocking process and bricked their device. Better to a buy unlocked device!

 

[whitestar_999]

if K4505 has no heating issues then good but i would have preferred a more rigorous testing like i did but then not everybody has a 1 month unlimited 3g usage with no fair policy,just don't ask how

 

[Pratul_09]

Thanks, I'm using MTNL 3G 1GB 7 days 76 rupees plan. I use about 2-3 hrs per day. Earlier i was using 2G plans on this for about than a year. I have used Airtel, Aircel, Uninor & Reliance with this and must say this is one of the best devices. One thing that i miss is voice calling on this device. If it contained voice calling then it would be the best device available in market.

 

[whitestar_999]

i got MF668A device only to make use of the 1 month unlimited 3g.used it daily for ~12 hours downloading ~10-15gb & uploading ~7-8gb daily.

 

[Pratul_09]

i got MF668A device only to make use of the 1 month unlimited 3g.used it daily for ~12 hours downloading ~10-15gb & uploading ~7-8gb daily.

what plan are you using?

 

[whitestar_999]

not an official one that's why i said "don't ask".anyway its over now.downloaded some 250-300gb then ran out of things to download not to mention hard disk space.one thing i do want to say is to truly utilize a high speed unlimited plan you must have some kind of premium access if you know what i mean.i managed to get it free of charge of course(lots of experience in this regard)

 

[dabster]

I tried searching on data cards locally. couldn't find anybody selling reliance 3g data card(ZTE). SP road seemingly had all alcatel huawei unlocked devices and pretty costly ~1400 and above. maybe since reliance 3g isn't there in Karnataka hence no data card. Tried looking on locked versions of devices found huawei k3770 vodafone device being sold Rs895 etc. Not going for this option at all. Wondering why locked versions are so costly on ebay.
Will use it from phone itself for sometime.

Talking on 3G plans - vodafone seems to have less options. Rs450 - 2gb, and Rs1500 - 10GB.
But nothing like 4GB and 6GB plans i wonder why.

 

[whitestar_999]

using phone is alright just make sure to use it with usb cable instead of wifi(see Pratul_09 post above for explanation).also it is better to buy unlocked ZTE modem now because it seems that newest version of MF190(7.2 mbps reliance) are harder to unlock than the older version.as for 3g plans i think airtel is the most economical & seems to have lots of options compared to others.

 

[izzikio_rage]

Hey everyone, am also looking to buy an unlocked 3g modem. Currently using Vodafone net cruise which has been giving me pathetic net speeds of 10~15 kbps. I could only find the ZTE MF190 3G usb modem Data Card 7.2Mbps @ Rs. 1270, are there any better options available under Rs. 1500

Also could you please suggest a good unlimited internet plan, will be using this in Orissa

 

[whitestar_999]

unlocked ZTE MF190 is the best option under 1500.also there are no truly unlimited 3g plans except the Rs.1650 unlimited from mtnl which should work anywhere in india with bsnl roaming(still confirm it) but speed is low(still ~2mbps) unlike 6-7mbps in airtel/idea/vodaphone/reliance etc.no idea about bsnl network in orissa so you may get more than 2mbps.