Solving the 3G mobility problem for my HPC

Hi guys!
I am happy to have found today a solution to solve on-the-go the 3G internet acces problem for my Jornada 728 and NEC 900c (actually for any HPC): I purchased a Huawei E5830 3G Router (Mobile Wi-Fi) which gives 3G access to internet and also generates a wireless connection on a 10m radius for 5 different users (HPCs). It is not bulky at all and now I can leave the wireless pc card permanently inserted in the HPC. Just pressing 2 buttons and I am connected. The download speed is pretty good - it depends on the signal strength of course from HSDPA down to GPRS. I am more than satisfied. Great thing this 3G wireless router.

I've been looking for some time now at the idea of a mobile wireless 3G router, but there are a few things I'm not clear about. Do you just insert your 3G SIM card in it, or is it a built-in 3G receiver? If the latter, wouldn't it require monthly subscription fees to a carrier?

Obviously it would require a 3G data plan CE Geek! But it seems the model only has 2100 Mhz 3G so you might be limited to GPRS speeds if you tried to use it in North America.

I did the leg work and found the official website here:
http://www.huaweidevice.com/worldwide/productFeatures.do?pinfoId=26...

Here's a review:
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/review/1567051/mifi-huawei-e583...

A bit disappointing that claimed battery life is 5 hrs and the reviewers only got 3 hrs of heavy usage. Well if you have a USB port on your HPC maybe it can provide enough power to run the router (btw review also says the router cannot be charged by USB while turned on).

And if you have a cellphone that can do the same you don't really need yet another gadget in your bag :/

Yes, apparently my LG can act as a router for 3g. Or maybe I need to run an extra program...

In any case, thanks for reminding us we can use our hpcs if we have another local device routing for them.

takwu, I'm not sure whether you answered my question. If it uses my SIM card, then obviously I can use the data plan I already have. But if the 3G receiver is built in, then I'd need still another data plan to get access. That's what I'm wondering.

The only problem with leaving my SIM card in my phone and using the phone as a modem is that I can't do it with my CE 5 or 6 netbooks, because none of them support USB IR or Bluetooth (or SIM card) adapters AFAIK. (Maybe when I get hold of one of those 10" CE 6 netbooks, I'll be able to do it.)

Hi All

Actually, you can use an iPhone (or a Palm Pre, maybe other smart phones too) as a mobile wifi hotspot. Its not cheap, costs about £15/month on O2 in the UK (but is a one-off as you want it payment, not a 12 month commitment). Of course, you can alway jailbreak the iPhone, buy the MyWi app from the Cydia store for $20 and have a WifFi hotspot that way. Works on my J720 but you have to use WEP encryption as few if any HPC-compatible WiFi cards can do WPA.

I'm with nicmalone on this.

Most phone OSs have third-party apps that make the phone a hot spot. Or one can simply tether through a bluetooth connection (granted, that maybe be difficult with older devices). Nokia Symbian S-60 has a $10 app, and WinMo has a free one.

Any diminishment of speed would not be noticeable, since the CPU of older devices can't reach the true velocity of 3G anyway.

But I may be missing the point, which I've been known to do...

Jake

CE Geek, I only inserted a data SIM card that I withdraw from another 3G USB modem and it worked fine (after doing all the settings). Because the Huawei mobile wireless 3G router is unlocked I could play with several operators data SIM card with subscription or prepaid. What do you mean by 3G receiver? I guess every modem has a built-in receiver.

Fact is that this mobile wireless 3G router is very comfortable to me, it is of the size of a small mobile phone and after setting it up it works independently of any other equipment, operated only from its own buttons. But it also can be wired to the USB of a netbook should you need that, in which case the wireless operation is stopped (I've been told, but I did not test it yet) - I've chosen especially this option to go stealth as opposite to the next-up 5832 Huawei model.

Btw, for US there are other models available, look for Huawei and for Novatel MiFi - Intelligent Mobile Hotspot. I preferred in Europe Huawei E5830 to Novatel MiFi 2352.

Using such a mobile wireless 3G router leaves your mobile phone (and battery) free for calls and conversations at the price of having to carry with you another device.

The speed gain with Jornada and Nec MobilePro (as opposed to GPRS/EDGE) is noticeable. Actually anybody can simulate that by checking the internet speed while using the indoor wireless network in his home, where the HPC speed is limited mainly by the HPC processor capability.
Practically the mobile wireless 3G router gives the same thing, only that it is mobile.

Using a dedicated software to turn the wireless mobile phone as 3G hotspot or tethering via bluetooth have the same price of keeping your phone busy for the HPC internet access. In both cases the battery is eaten-up with increased speed. I am not convinced that in case of the BT modem the speed is not limited to the speed of the serial port (as in case of PCMCIA 3G cards), I did not test that yet.

Edited by arlex 2011-02-05 6:40 PM

That sounds like what I want, arlex. Thanx for the info. Think I'll start looking again.

CE Geek, I see what you mean now. This is a UMTS device, therefore it will always use a SIM card. By "built-in 3G" you probably mean other technologies such as CDMA which do not use SIM cards.

I had one of those new "4G" mobile routers sent to me in the mail a couple of weeks ago. It had it's own battery and would allow any wifi enabled devices to connect to it. (Max 5 @ 2mbps each.) Cost about $40 a month (which is cheapish here), but I didn't really need it and 10mbps isn't really 4G. Sent it back, but I liked the idea!

Hi Solidus, yes, that's about the devive I'm talking about. For costs reasons my data plan is limited to 3.6Mbps and 4GB trafic per month @15Eur, but for 39Eur per month subscription I could get 21.6Mbps DL with 5.6Mbps UL and 16Gb trafic. Yet not sure if with the same device. Of course the bandwith is split between the wifi users if working at the same time.
Anyway I liked the idea and the mobility. And it works out of the box with my HPCs, which is great.

I have a friend in Bucharest

Anyways, yeah the 4G mobile modem works like any wifi hotspot. So any device with Wifi can automatically connect to it. I'm starting to reconsider it. I usually carry around a messenger bag. Inside there's a small zipped pocket which would be ideal to store the device in. How great wouldn't it be to just whip out the palmtop computer and use the net? But I think I'll wait until real 4G speeds come before I lay down any cash on such a router.

Please note that my Huawei E5830 gets charged though from the usb port if connected by cable. I also forgot to mention that there is slot for a micro-SD card for storing network files, etc.

You might also want to look for the Novatel MiFi models, I could choose the MiFi 2352 as well. For the US market you should look for MiFi 2372. Just follow
http://www.novatelwireless.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=ca...
It is larger though than my Huawei and gets warmer I've been told.

Considering the long history on this forum and the hobby for HPCs, yes, you certaily do. Are you working in Romania?

Edited by arlex 2011-02-06 10:16 PM