BOOT CAMP 548 (28/10/08) – Mobile Broadband, part 4
If
you think Wi-Fi is a rather nifty way of hooking up to the Internet when you
are on your travels, just wait until you log on using 3G mobile broadband! It
is the future and once you’ve tried it you won’t want to go back to Wi-Fi, with
its range limitations and all the faffing around, hunting down and logging on
to hotspots.
3G
mobile broadband can be very quick indeed, HSPDA download speeds can
theoretically up to 14.4Mbits/sec, though in the UK speeds of 1.8, 3.6 and
occasionally 7.2Mbits/sec are far more likely. However, the real point is that
it is genuinely mobile and I still get a kick out of logging on to the Internet
and watching streamed video or listening to an Internet radio station whilst on
a moving train, or in a car.
Well,
that’s the rosy view, and also the one you’ll get from those selling the
technology. The reality, however, can be quite different. The service is still
being rolled out and outside of large towns and cities and transport corridors
coverage can be very patchy, or non-existent. If you are not careful it can be
quite expensive, and don’t even think of using it abroad unless someone else is
picking up the bill, though we’ll come to ways of cutting the cost of overseas
roaming later on.
3G
technology involves a lot of acronyms but all you really need to know is that a
connection to the Internet is through the 3G mobile phone network and to
achieve that you will need a widget called a 3G mobile modem or ’dongle’, or
have a laptop with a 3G modem built in and from next year this will become an
increasingly common feature.
You
can also connect a PC to some 3G mobile phones and connect to the phone network
that way but this is still a comparatively rare option and in some cases quite
difficult to set up, so we’ll stick to the more straightforward dongle method.
A
typical 3G dongle looks a bit like an oversize USB memory stick and it’s
basically a 3G mobile phone, but without the display, keypad, speaker,
microphone, battery and all of the other gubbins. The only familiar feature is
the SIM card, which fits inside, though it has to be a 3G ‘data-enabled’ type,
ordinary ‘2G’ GSM mobile phone SIMs don’t usually work. The only other features
of note are a USB plug or socket, and a LED status indicator, and that’s about
it.
Most
3G dongles, bought as part of a mobile broadband package, are ready to run
straight out of the box on Windows PCs. They usually carry their own drivers
and utility software on an internal flash memory, so all you have to do is plug
it in to one of your laptop’s USB ports, wait a few moments for it to be
recognised and install the drivers and control panel or ‘dashboard’ program.
Many dongles will run on Linux PCs as the driver and control software is
included in recent distributions; Apple MACs are usually no problem either,
though you may have to load the software from an installation disc supplied
with some dongles.
You
only have to do this once, thereafter all you have to do plug in your dongle,
wait for it to power up, open the dashboard or control utility, make sure the
signal strength is okay and the network name is displayed, then click the
Connect button. After a few seconds you’ll be online and you can surf the web
and receive emails as normal – see part 2 for information about sending emails.
Of
course there’s nothing to stop you going it alone and buying your 3G dongle and
a data-enabled SIM card separately – see also this week’s Top Tip. Most dongles
are ‘locked’ to a network but like mobile phones, they can usually be
‘unlocked’ by websites and mobile phone dealers, so they work on any network.
You can make some serious savings too, especially on overseas roaming. Some
very recent dongles can be tricky or costly to unlock so check with the
manufacturer or vendor before you part with your money. The Huawei E220, used
by many UK mobile broadband providers, is a popular choice as it is relatively
cheap -- prices start at under £40 – and easily unlocked.
With
an unlocked dongle you can switch networks and search out the best tariffs. For
occasional users and travellers there are some very good pay-as-you-go (PAYG)
deals. For example, data-enabled SIM cards for the Three network cost from
around £10, and a Three PAYG £10 Top-Up buys you 1Gb worth of data (it has to
be used within 30 days). That may not sound much to a serious music or video
downloader but it’s enough to view tens of thousands of web pages, and download
over 100,000 emails!
The
cost of 3G mobile data rises exponentially if you take your dongle abroad and
connect through a UK based service provider. However, with an unlocked dongle
you are free to buy a PAYG SIM and data bundle at your destination. Prices and
coverage varies widely so you should do some homework before you go. Many
overseas mobile phone company websites have English versions, or someone you
can contact for advice. It’s difficult to generalise but in mainland Europe,
where 3G services are available, prices are broadly similar to the UK.
Next Week – Make do and Mend
JARGON FILTER
DASHBOARD
Control panel for 3G mobile broadband connections
HSPDA
High-Speed Download Packet Access – data communications protocol
used on over 100 3G mobile phone networks in more than 55 countries
SIM
Subscriber Identity Module – tiny data card carrying the user’s
phone number and personal data, used by all GSM and 3G mobile phones
TOP TIP
Manually installing an
unlocked 3G dongle only takes a minute or two. It’s a good idea to use generic
dashboard software, downloaded from the dongle manufacturer’s website as this
will usually allow you to set up several ‘profiles’ for different networks.
Once it has been installed you have to enter the network name, the network
dialling code (normally something like #99*), and the Access Point Name or APN,
which looks like a web address and usually contains the service provider’s name
(e.g. pp.vodafone.co.uk, three.co.uk, general.t-mobile.uk etc.).
Don't forget, there's a
full archive of previous Boot Camp Top Tips at www.pctoptips.co.uk
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© R. Maybury 2008, 1009
Part 1 2 3
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