£10 for O2 mobile broadband pay and go

[Hands0n]

The prices for these USB sticks has fallen through the floor! Culled from another thread on this forum I re-visited Littlewoods catalog website and note that they are offering the O2 mobile broadband pay and go USB stick (http://www.littlewoodsdirect.com/rf/lxd/p.do/mobile-broadband-pay-and-go?Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&SNtt=o2&groupId=573891305&Nu=this_product&SNtk=littlewoods_search&Np=1&SN=101+85&Ntt=573891305&D=573891305&Ntk=group_search&Dx=mode%2bmatchall&thisprod=573891305&N=101+85&Nty=1&Mis_item_id=15&Mis_item_loc_id=1&product=573891305) for the princely sum of £10.

This is for an Huawei E160 rated at a maximum 3.6Mbps that supports HSDPA, UMTS, EDGE, GPRS, GSM. It also includes a non-SDHC MicroSD memory card slot so it can also be used as memory stick.

Interestingly, the USB stick includes "unlimited" WiFi from Cloud hotspots - although the reviewers seemed to have trouble making it work.


From £2 per day. Internet on the move. Unlimited Wi-Fi from over 6100 Cloud hotspots. Includes USB Modem, USB cable and SIM card. Easy to set-up on a PC or Mac. Minimum system requirements; XP Service Pack 1-3, Vista (32 bit) Service Pack 1, Mac OS X: 10.4 or higher.

The O2 tariff for Mobile Broadband is as follows:-
£2 for 500MB + unlimited WiFi Daily
£7.50 for 1GB + unlimited WiFi Weekly
£15.00 for 3GB + unlimited WiFi Monthly

For temporary or occasional use this would seem to be as good an offer as any - particularly at £10 for the dongle itself. That also sports WiFi and

O2's website shop has the same device (http://shop.o2.co.uk/promo/o2mobilebroadband/tab/Pay_and_Go) on sale for £29.35

[miffed]

I thought these were good at £30 , but at that price I have just ordered a couple (and had to be restrained from ordering more !! )

Wonder if my iPhone sim will work in it ?

[Hands0n]

I can't see why an iPhone SIM won't go in one of these - at worst they'll be SIM-locked to O2. O2 may get a bit fed up if they see gigabytes of usage though. I do think the PAYG rates are not too bad to have one lurking in the bottom of the laptop bag for the occasional use daily or weekly if out and about. The £15/3GB is fairly bog standard for that kind of data capacity on contract, but a bit cheap for PAYG.

The only let down for HSPA use is going to be O2's somewhat "quaint" 3G network availability. I suspect many will be stuck on good old fashioned 2G/GPRS speeds - with maybe EDGE if they're fortunate.

That said, I'm ordering one up myself :) for daughter to take with her laptop - and trying to locate the unlocking software, which I believe is a full firmware install. If anyone else comes up trumps first do post the link please :D

[miffed]

Well I've got one for me and one for the stepdaughter ordered - As said the PAYG options do look pretty good if you ask me ! - £2 for half a gig sounds pretty ideal for the suit of "occasional" use I have in mind !

Now , here is the (potentially) interesting bit , I have just bought a generic o2 PAYG sim for my old iPhone . when setting up the o2 Web bolt on , I was offered the "unlimited" for £7.50 (FUP of 200mb :( ) or , the iPhone specific plan for £10 , which gives TRULY unlimited data and Wifi

I suspect setting up such a SIM in an iPhone, then moving it across to the Dongle would mean these treats would be available to the Dongle , I am not even sure the "system" can tell if you are on an iPhone anyway !

..... Only one way to find out !! , even if it doesn't work ... the rates offered are fine IMO , can't be any worse than Three's offering for performance !

[Hands0n]

Yes, I can get on fine with the rates also.

Eldest lad who has that "free" 3 dongle has not yet used up all the 1GB for £10 that I put on it ... much to my utter surprise! I can't understand why not ... he's sharing the laptop with his other half and they're both avid FB users ... I think he said to me the other day that he had some 800MB left after a week's use. 200MB in a week on FB? Can that be possible? Oh well ... plenty left on the credit for that SIM, and then there's the other to burn up also :D

Back to O2 - I think the £2/500MB is not too bad at all for the average user - providing they just use it for browsing, email, IM and some social networking. I'll warn daughter against downloading the entire Internet using it ;)

[3GScottishUser]

Fair enough but I hate this restrictive nonsense.

For all its faults (and there are too many to mention) 3 have the right idea with a £5 dongle deal with 1GB for a month for existing handset users.

Vodafone has to be the next best deal with 1GB at £15 but it lasts for as long as you stay within the limit. Perfect for low users.

£2 a day is not a good deal as a quick browse is expensive and if you want a weekly or monthly deal the rate is similar to a contract with less data allowance.

As with all offers the dongle giveaway game is frought with hurdles. 02's is not much better than any others I think.

[solo12002]

"and if you want a weekly or monthly deal the rate is similar to a contract with less data allowance"

Sorry did I miss something. O2 charge £15 for 3GB on PAYG thats same as all the networks on contract for that amount, were do I get less data.

If you look at vodafones offer I agree its better as it does not run out untill you look at the small print and it states about you have to use it every 180 days. On the other hand its 315 a GB ffs not £15 for 3 so it realy costs 345 pounds for 3GB!

[Hands0n]

As far as I can tell, right now, the O2 PAYG £15/3GB is unique. At that price it matches Contract Mobile Broadband from the likes of Vodafone (£15/3GB, T-Mobile £15/3GB, Orange £14.68, or 3 £15/15GB!). This is based upon a quick scan of the above mobile network operators websites.

Traditionally PAYG Mobile Broadband has been more expensive in terms of getting [much] less data allowance for a given amount of spend. O2 appear to have broken that particular mould with their PAYG tariff.

At the lesser amounts such as Daily or Weekly the amount of data per £1 is significantly less, and that is understandably so given the current state of mobile data tariffs. But again, these can be attractive for the occasional user - or those who do not want to commit to the bigger spend each month.

I think this is all heading in the right direction, that being downwards in terms of £/MB or £/GB. It also is beginning to show that the mobile network oeprators are, albeit slowly, developing a sense of confidence that they really can run mobile broadband across their networks without us all going crazy downloading the entire Internet each day!

More please :)

[miffed]

http://www.speedtest.net/result/486703839.png


hmmm :rolleyes:

Although the numbers look bad , it all seems to be working well , and nipping between pages seems as quick as my 6MB line at home - all sites seem to work properly and I can log into any websites I need to ,which is more than I can say for the Three product !
The set up (mac) was simple and quick , buying credit was quick for me , but it seems you can only pay by card (not so great for the daughter ! or me by default :( ) But nice to see the mac is supported fully now , when I set up my e220 there was no official mac software and a step by step guide on Three's site - which simply used the e220 as a dial up modem like any other - at least now it is all on an installer , and you are able to monitor usage
Despite the crap reported speeds , I am quite pleased with the product TBH.

[Hands0n]

Damn - I haven't got time to play tonight My pair arrived today. I'll be setting up daughter on her Vista laptop - she'll have to fund it herself once the original few quid I'll put on it has gone :)

That speedtest is never going to show up too well - there are dedicated mobile broadband tests you can run which will be more reflective of what you are actually getting. But for some reason (Ben once explained, I've since forgotten) Speedtest.net gives a bum result for all mobile BB experiences.

Are you getting HSDPA where you are? I'm not anticipating better than EDGE here, unless I can get daughter to nip down the road 200m to where we are more in line of sight of the nearest 3G mast!

[miffed]

Yes , full signal of glorious HSDPA - judging by comments of others, I understand I am pretty lucky , as I seem to get strong 3G signals pretty much everywhere I go with the iphone , the only place I get a 2G signal is at a local shopping centre ! - I think this perhaps "rose tints" my opnion of o2 and their coverage , as I don't hear a lot of people on here reporting similar findings.

I have to be honest , I'll happily take a 384kbps connection , or even en EDGE connection over an HSDPA connection that doesn;t work properly , Like Three's shambles ! - nothing more frustrating than having a fuill HSDPA sgnal and still getting crap performance , along with an internet service that picks and chooses what sites it will let you access properly !!:(

[Hands0n]

I could get a full-on 3G/HSPA signal if I were to wander up the road about 200m towards the only O2/3G mast in my immediate area. But where I am sitting right now the very best that I can get is a rather meagre 2G signal, no EDGE, just boring old GPRS :)

I have to say that my experience with the data stick tonight has been a breeze. I found daughter slumped on the settee and so decided to disturb her evening of chillin. It had to be done :D

The laptop is a budget HP Centrino with 1GB of RAM, plenty of HDD and running Windows Vista Home. The documentation for the O2 USB mobile BB stick says that it is compatible with the Vista 32 bit OS. There is no software CD in the box, it is all contained on the USB stick itself which is a superb idea.

Installing in Vista was a breeze - the installer prompts you [in Vista] to unplug the USB stick, turn off User Account Control from the Control Panel and then exits. Having done this, you will need to plug the USB stick back into the PC to restart the installer from scratch.

The USB drivers load first, then the O2 Connection Manager software. Within a few minutes the job is done and the Connection Manager starts, connects to the O2 mobile data network and pops up your default browser to take you to the O2 Mobile Broadband homepage where you can purchase your choice of one of three options as described at the beginning of this thread.

The whole process is very straightforward, not entirely intuitive as there is nothing that tells you to plug the USB stick back in again after editing the Control Panel and re-booting the PC. But it all works very refreshingly well.

Thats daughter all set up to bugger off to Uni fully equipped to do the on-line thing no matter where she is.

[miffed]

Ah , thats a little better ! (broadbandgenie)


Detailed Results
Date 03/06/09 13:04:19
Download speed 2107.46 Kbps (2.06 Mbps)
Upload speed 326.07 Kbps (0.32 Mbps)
Server Port 80 (tcp)

[Hands0n]

That a very respectable HSDPA capped at 3.2Mbps - I wouldn't argue with that :)

[Hands0n]

Hmmm, interesting ...

I had a devil of a job getting the O2 USB stick to work with my Macbook Pro. All solved with a re-boot. How very odd.

1) Plugging in the USB stick should bring up a CD image with the installer and a PDF manual. All I got was a flash of the CD image finder window which promptly disappeared. Each time I plugged the USB stick in it did the same thing.
2) After a re-boot of the Macbook Pro the CD image appeared and remained, allowing me to run the installer DMG file.
3) Having done that I started up the O2 Connection Manager for Mac - yuk! Its awful!
4) I created a new profile in Connection Manager which promptly overwrote the Voafone E172 settings in the Mac . I tested the connection which worked okay.
5) Time to repair the settings - In System Preferences, Settings, I created a new connector (I called it O2 3G) and set up the necessary details and used the "modem status in menu bar" to connect the Macbook Pro to O2's mobile broadband network.

I really don't know why the Mac software is always a poor second, but courtesy of the Internet it didn't take long to find out what to do.

Interestingly, I am getting occasional 3G and HSPA, but then drops back to 2G - damn transmitter too far away ...


Edit:
My O2 Mobile Broadband speed in 3G/HSPA (according to the blue/turquoise light) is as follows
03/06/09 22:20:30
Download speed 457.51 Kbps (0.45 Mbps)
Upload speed 322.04 Kbps (0.31 Mbps)
Server Port 8095 (tcp)

Not great for downloading the entire Internet, but sufficient to do stuff with.

[Hands0n]

This just gets better ... The O2 E160 USB stick is unlocked!

I have been going nuts trying to find out how to unlock one of these without buying special software/hardware or a unlock code (expensive, around £25 as far as I can tell). Then I bumped into a discussion on one of the unlocker forums where one lad suggested that these USB sticks are not locked. I popped in a 3 SIM and sure enough, I was able to connect to the 3 mobile broadband network, go to My3 and generally surf around 3's intranet (free). But the point is, this was entirely via the 3 SIM in the O2 USB stick.

At £10 plus postage the O2 E160 PAYG USB mobile data stick becomes a superb value piece of kit seeing as it ships unlocked to any network! What a bargain!

Mobilebroadbandgenie speed test result on Vodafone network
Date 06/06/09 22:18:15
Download speed 1030.85 Kbps (1.01 Mbps)
Upload speed 269.44 Kbps (0.26 Mbps)
Server Port 8095 (tcp)

[getti]

Mine came about 4 days ago.... still not even opened the box lol. Will do now

[Hands0n]

Go for it :) I've just used an O2, 3 and Vodafone SIM in the beastie - its unlocked alright :D I still can barely believe it!!

I might just have to pick up a couple more to punt out on eBay ;) They're going for > £35 each + P&P on there!!!

[Hands0n]

Bummer! Just went back to the website, these USB sticks are now £15 - still good value though.

[getti]

Mine was £15 but i chose to pay over 52 weeks lol. Cancelling my T-Mobile one due to poor signal, then its this or the Vodafone 30 day Business one i have.

Thing is on Voda i pay £18 a month for 5GB and if i go over its just slower no extra charge.

You can have my one for £15 if you want with delivery included so modem is £10?

[Hands0n]

It makes me wonder why they've suddenly gone up 50% in price? For ages they have been £10, and then all of a sudden they sell four (me and miffed) and the price jumps.

Thanks for the offer of yours getti, I'll not take you up on it. I really don't need another right now. Maybe it would be an idea for you to hang on to it as a spare in case your Voda dongle blows up out of warranty - the O2 E160 is unlocked :) and so could be substituted.

[miffed]

It makes me wonder why they've suddenly gone up 50% in price? For ages they have been £10, and then all of a sudden they sell four (me and miffed) and the price jumps.

Thanks for the offer of yours getti, I'll not take you up on it. I really don't need another right now. Maybe it would be an idea for you to hang on to it as a spare in case your Voda dongle blows up out of warranty - the O2 E160 is unlocked :) and so could be substituted.

Ah , I see whats happened here !

There are two sites , both identical - Littlewoods.com & LittlewoodsDirect.com
The former is the traditional "catlogue" (i.e. pay over 20/52 weeks) where you have an account and get your mates to order off your account for 12.5% commision etc ) whereas the latter is a simple shopping website where you pay by credit card etc.
The latter has a mark-up on everything (think of this as an interest charge for your deferred payment)

Simples !

[miffed]

I have not gotten around to trying the iPhone SIM in the dongle yet , but on set up I noted that the APN details were very specific and different to the usual ones
Now , this wouldn't be a problem on the mac as you have to configure that stuff manually anyway - but I am not so sure about using it with windows ?

I know that o2 seem quite fussy about this stuff , and using the wrong APN can result in problems - at best this would be no connection , but at worst this could mean charges theoretically !?

[Hands0n]

Ah , I see whats happened here !

There are two sites , both identical - Littlewoods.com & LittlewoodsDirect.com
The former is the traditional "catlogue" (i.e. pay over 20/52 weeks) where you have an account and get your mates to order off your account for 12.5% commision etc ) whereas the latter is a simple shopping website where you pay by credit card etc.
The latter has a mark-up on everything (think of this as an interest charge for your deferred payment)

Simples !


Confusion reigns ...

Littlewoods.com (http://www.littlewoods.com/rf/p.do/mobile-broadband-pay-and-go?Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&SNtt=O2&groupId=573891305&Nu=this_product&SNtk=littlewoods_search&Np=1&SN=103+85&Ntt=573891305&D=573891305&Ntk=group_search&Dx=mode%2bmatchall&thisprod=573891305&N=103+85&Nty=1&Mis_item_id=15&Mis_item_loc_id=1&product=573891305) has the O2 USB dongle for £20

Littlewoodsdirect.com (http://www.littlewoodsdirect.com/rf/lxd/p.do/mobile-broadband-pay-and-go?Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&SNtt=o2&groupId=573891305&Nu=this_product&SNtk=littlewoods_search&Np=1&SN=101+85&Ntt=573891305&D=573891305&Ntk=group_search&Dx=mode%2bmatchall&thisprod=573891305&N=101+85&Nty=1&Mis_item_id=15&Mis_item_loc_id=1&product=573891305) has it for £15

Its all very odd really ...:confused::confused:

[Hands0n]

I have not gotten around to trying the iPhone SIM in the dongle yet , but on set up I noted that the APN details were very specific and different to the usual ones
Now , this wouldn't be a problem on the mac as you have to configure that stuff manually anyway - but I am not so sure about using it with windows ?

I know that o2 seem quite fussy about this stuff , and using the wrong APN can result in problems - at best this would be no connection , but at worst this could mean charges theoretically !?

You can create new Connections in the Connection Manager software that allows you to set up APN, userid and password ..

[miffed]

OK . Now it is clear that O2 are going to charge additional Mobile Broadband charges to iPhone customers that use "Tethering" on their iPhones , I have decided that putting my iPhone SIM in the Dongle is FAR to risky and almost certain to incur charges

I am a a bit sad about this TBH , I have been a pretty vocal in support of o2 , but this is a bit too much if you ask me !!

http://shop.o2.co.uk/update/internet.html

[solo12002]

OK . Now it is clear that O2 are going to charge additional Mobile Broadband charges to iPhone customers that use "Tethering" on their iPhones , I have decided that putting my iPhone SIM in the Dongle is FAR to risky and almost certain to incur charges

I am a a bit sad about this TBH , I have been a pretty vocal in support of o2 , but this is a bit too much if you ask me !!

http://shop.o2.co.uk/update/internet.html

Why surely this is to stop ppl who were riping the ass out of it. Was the iphone not limited to using it for web access on the handset ony in the first place and not as a moden.

I cant blame o2 for going down this route, I think the ppl to blame here are the silly B's that broke the rules, on the other hand I think o2 could of cut the price of this blot on to say a £5 .

[miffed]

Exactly my thoughts ! - I can see why they'd want to charge , but I think "full priced" mobile BB is a little excessive , maybe (as you say) a £5- 7.50 bolt on would be more appropriate !!

I am glad I bought my Dongle now , as it simply doesn't make sense to "tie up" the iPhone if I have to pay seperately for Mobile BB

[gorilla]

This month I've used over 600 meg on my iPhone, mostly streaming radio. If I was to tether, it would only be to get a better experience i.e. bigger screen. It would not be my primary ISP. I really cannot understand O2's stance here. One way or another, people are going to use them for data. As the iPhone gets more sophisticated, we're going to be able to do more and more on that platform, and at what point will iPhone users have to pay for additional data?

[MadBob]

If you download the Generic Firmware upgrade for the HUAWEI E160 (http://www.dc-unlocker.com/downloads/get/udV8IjE) and install it, this removes the O2 software and replaces it with Mobile Partner. Easy to configure once you figure out the settings (http://www.filesaveas.com/gprs.html). BTW the firmware file is called E160_Dashboard_WIN_UTPS11.030.01.04.03.B409.ZIP

I have managed to get it working with my work vodafone broadband sim (pay monthly) Hope this info is of use to someone.

My question is which sim should I buy to give me Broadband access from Northern France?

[Hands0n]

Hi there MadBob - welcome to Talk3G and thanks very much for the links. No doubt these will be very useful.

The O2 dongles on sale from the linked site in my original post arrive already unlocked to any SIM. I've checked out Vodafone and T-Mobile SIMs in these Huawei E160 dongles and they work fine. I was quite surprised ...

[MadBob]

@Handson

Thanks, the firmware upgrade doesn't unlock it simply removes the O2 branding and adds generic software.

[jenhenry]

O2 PAYG internet broadband - i have no allowance less but i'm still browsing the net!?
am i going to be charged when i top up again???

im confused because my 30 day limit has well and truly ended but i'm still able to browse the web!

[Hands0n]

@jenhenry - welcome to Talk3G.

Thats very interesting - it sounds like O2 have somehow not accounted for your usage. Have you registered for an account on the O2 portal so you can see on-line what your PAYG usage and remaining allowance is? Perhaps a rich uncle has donated some huge top-up LOL :D

I don't think O2 will charge you retrospectively the next time you top up. There are no words in their Ts&Cs to say that they'll let you run free until the next top up. Besides which, such practise would be seen as liable to induce excessive usage and thereby charges to the customer that would be unreasonable.