[ajumani]

Hello,

This is my first post of Talk3g, Basically 3 months a go I moved into a new apartment which I was told by BT that there is no line from the Exchange to my apartment, therefore I looked into alternative ways to get broadband and found the WRT54G3G (3G HSDPA Broadband router) was the perfect solution however this product appeared to be affiliated with Vodafone which was my dilemma and after countless searches on the internet I got it working with Web n' walk Pay as you go. Once I had everything sorted out I found the internet to be a little faster than a modem connection however I assumed this was due to my card being only 3G compliant and not HSDPA so I decided last week to obtain a HSDPA Merlin U740. After installing the card I found the internet to be just as slow so I phoned T-Mobile and to my horror they don't provide HSDPA on Pay as you go and even the current service I don't find that as fact as you would expect!.. Has anyone else had similar experiences etc? I guess the only alternative would to sign a contract with T-Mobile Web n' Walk which I've considered however I'm only in this apartment till July.

Thanks in advance
Aaron.:)

[Hands0n]

Hello Aaron, welcome to Talk3G and thank you for sharing your experiences.

Yup - exactly the same issue I experienced with a WNW PAYG SIM in a 3G data card for a Sony Vaio. The card came with a Contract SIM but in my wisdom :D I suggested we try a PAYG instead, as the boss didn't want t take up a Contract. Sure enough, data speeds of somewhere around the 28Kbps were the max - even though the card had locked onto a 3G signal. They must be doing packet shaping for the PAYG customers.

When I popped in my own personal Contract Flext35+WNWPlus it flew along at some 920Kbps on a speedtest - proper HSDPA speeds (by default WNWPlus is HSDPA, the cheaper WNW is plain 3G or about 380Kbps).

So it seems that we cannot "cheat" with T-Mobile, they make a good offering but it is tightly controlled.

Have you considered taking on a Flext+WNWPlus with a HSDPA handset and use that as a modem when at home? Or do you need the additional flexibility that the Linksys provides?

How did you get the Linksys working with the T-Mobile network - as you say, it is affiliated with Vodafone in the UK (not in other countries). Others here have done this but I'm wondering if you found something new or more recent.

[ajumani]

Hi Thanks for your message. I think I would consider T-Mobile contract primarily because I'm really sick of this monopoly with BT or Virgin and plus it gives me the added flexibility when moving house. The reason I have the WRT54G3G is for the added flexiblity of Wifi so my media center PC can update it's EPG and I can surf the internet. Ideally the WRT54G3G comes configured as a Vodafone ready router but once you start to customise the APN for T-Mobile it works immediately just make sure you have a Unlocked Vodafone card ;) since I have one 3g and another HSDPA I seem to have too many at home now :).

Regards,
Aaron

[Hands0n]

It rather sounds like you could probably do with the lowest tariff Flext with the Web N Walk Plus add-on to use the USIM permanently in your WRT54G3G - of course the voice/text/MMS would go to waste, but you'd have 3GB to play with each month, completely wireless.

Alternatively, go for T-Mobile's Web N Walk with data card/USB dongle [see here (http://www.t-mobile.co.uk/eshop/personal/internet-on-the-move/data-plans.do)] (yup, another one!) and just use the USIM in your already working/unlocked Vodafone 3G card. Thats £29 a month, more expensive than fixed line, but the extra [at this time] would represent the flexibility you need.