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Maybe it’s time to rip out that LAN line. Presenting the tiny, shiny device that promises to get you on the web, no matter where you are. Well as long as you’re not on a Mac.
Maybe it’s time to rip out that LAN line. Presenting the tiny, shiny device that promises to get you on the web, no matter where you are. Well as long as you’re not on a Mac.
Three Mobile are becoming a pretty well recognised provider of 3G mobile plans and basically of anything that’s mobile. This is one of their latest offerings and it’s designed for someone who wants a simple, fast, and relatively inexpensive Internet connection.
The modem that comes with your plan is made by a Chinese manufacturer called Huawei. This company are quickly becoming a mainstream technology provider due to their low cost products. The modem feels really solid and looks stylish in its glossy white finish which is reminiscent of an Ipod.
The modem has been badged with a big Three logo and comes with two USB cables, an installation CD, manual, and sim card to get you connected. Interestingly the primary USB cable has a total of three connectors. This allows you to draw extra power into the modem for a smoother connection. This is the philosophy but you probably won’t notice any difference.
The sim card is really easy to install and if you own a mobile phone then you already know the drill. You connect the cables, read the tiny manual, but then we come to the tricky part.
In the end this is a viable option if you’re the kind of person who just checks their emails and occasionally browses the web. It’s also a good alternative for the student who’s on a budget and wants Internet access without phone line rental. Unfortunately if you don’t sign up to any other Three services then you can’t take advantage of the best deal, and that poses the big question on whether you want to be locked into one company.
Pros
- Excellent speed thanks to HSDPA
- USB Modem is stylish and small
Cons
- Driver installation
- Confusing contracts
Product:3 Mobile Broadband
RRP:Check plans for existing or non existing customers
Website: Three
Reviewed by Michael Stark
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The drivers are where everything falls apart. On a PC it is relatively painless: you might need the install CD, then again you might not. To be completely honest, we had different outcomes on numerous PC’s. Adding insult to injury we couldn’t work out how to get the Three modem running on a Mac. I’m sure this will all be rectified very quickly; however the bottom line is that 3 should have made the installation more user friendly.</p>
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When you get connected to Three you will be placed in the almost fast lane of mobile broadband.<br />
Three is running its broadband on a HSDPA enabled network which gives you excellent speeds for mobile broadband. I had the chance to test this out in North Sydney and the Eastern Suburbs and both times we were connected at 3.6 megabits per second. This means you can download a song in about twenty seconds or less.<br />
You should note the ADSL2 is currently superior and can peak at over four times faster, but then again it’s about as mobile as a laptop from the early nineties.</p>
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Unfortunately the download limits are tight on the Three plans. The cheapest plan is $29 a month with 1 gigabyte of downloads. Once you go over you get charged 10cents which equals to $100.00 per gigabyte. So if you plan on downloading until you drop you should opt for a larger limit or go for a fixed line, this is the common problem of most wireless plans.</p>
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Ultimately this offering would be a dream come true if the plans were simplified. However, Three tend to blur the lines a little bit. For example existing customers don’t pay for the modem, plus they get a half price deal for the first 6 months. It’s not as if we’re complaining about these discounts but they make it difficult to work out where the best value lies. And finally most of the plans are 24 months long, this is pretty lengthy for such a booming technology.</p>
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