Help choosing/finding a good data stick

PhotoJim · **Help choosing/finding a good data stick -** 12-07-2009, 18:15

Hi all,

I currently have a Novatel Ovation MC950D data stick with Rogers in Canada (that I've SIM-unlocked). I have a separate data subscription on a separate SIM from my voice SIM. In 3G coverage it works great but I'm having significant issues with it in 2G coverage. Unfortunately, at my cottage all I have is GPRS and EDGE, and no 3G. At home I have HSUPA and can get over 5 megabits per second, which is very good!

The issues involve significant packet loss and unreliability. For example, web pages never finish loading unless they are very simple. The problem makes the data card essentially unusable. I'm not sure if the issue is 1900 MHz service (3G is at 850 MHz here) or if the data stick is just not that good at doing 2G. It may even be a driver issue.

I know the network is not a problem because iPhone tethering works fine. Right now I'm doing Bluetooth tethering using a RAZR V3 on GPRS... slow but perfectly reliable. The cell site is very close; I have very strong signal strength.

So... I'm assuming that I should just get another data device since GPRS is annoyingly slow and I don't want to use my iPhone to tether (voice calls interrupt the connection).

I'd ideally like a device that supports quad-band 2.5G GPRS/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900) and tri-band HSDPA/HSUPA (850/1900/2100) but since my existing data stick already supports all of those bands, a non-3G device that supported EDGE would do the trick if it worked well.

I need this to be a USB device because I use the stick on several different computers, one of which is an Acer Aspire One netbook that only has USB ports, no PC Card or Expresscard slots.

Any advice? I'm okay with buying a used device if it's relatively easy to find and can be had in unlocked state. I also want the device to work with Linux if at all possible.

Thanks,
Jim

Stu · 13-07-2009, 00:51

I bought an unlocked Sierra 881u off E-bay for $60. It was ATT branded, but if you download the Sierra 3g watcher software from the Sierra site, it works good with everyone. I've used it on ATT, TMobile, Etisilat, and 3uk. It is triband HSUPA plus EDGE and GPRS. I've used it on EDGE many times and it performs well. It also picks up a signal better than most.

Check out this link for a good offer I found:

http://cgi.ebay.com/SIERRA-WIRELESS-...3A1%7C294%3A50

I also carry a long USB cable similar to this one:

http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/22...all_cable.html

so that I don't wind up having to sit on a toilet (or worse) surfing because it is the only place in the house that has a signal. I also own a Cradlepoint router which I sometimes carry with me and highly recommend.

PhotoJim · 13-07-2009, 04:35

Sounds like a promising lead - thanks! I'll check it out.

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	(#1)
PhotoJim (Offline) Senior Member Prepaid Expert Posts: 389 Join Date: 10 Dec 2006 Location: Regina, SK, CA Country:	Help choosing/finding a good data stick - 12-07-2009, 18:15 Hi all, I currently have a Novatel Ovation MC950D data stick with Rogers in Canada (that I've SIM-unlocked). I have a separate data subscription on a separate SIM from my voice SIM. In 3G coverage it works great but I'm having significant issues with it in 2G coverage. Unfortunately, at my cottage all I have is GPRS and EDGE, and no 3G. At home I have HSUPA and can get over 5 megabits per second, which is very good! The issues involve significant packet loss and unreliability. For example, web pages never finish loading unless they are very simple. The problem makes the data card essentially unusable. I'm not sure if the issue is 1900 MHz service (3G is at 850 MHz here) or if the data stick is just not that good at doing 2G. It may even be a driver issue. I know the network is not a problem because iPhone tethering works fine. Right now I'm doing Bluetooth tethering using a RAZR V3 on GPRS... slow but perfectly reliable. The cell site is very close; I have very strong signal strength. So... I'm assuming that I should just get another data device since GPRS is annoyingly slow and I don't want to use my iPhone to tether (voice calls interrupt the connection). I'd ideally like a device that supports quad-band 2.5G GPRS/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900) and tri-band HSDPA/HSUPA (850/1900/2100) but since my existing data stick already supports all of those bands, a non-3G device that supported EDGE would do the trick if it worked well. I need this to be a USB device because I use the stick on several different computers, one of which is an Acer Aspire One netbook that only has USB ports, no PC Card or Expresscard slots. Any advice? I'm okay with buying a used device if it's relatively easy to find and can be had in unlocked state. I also want the device to work with Linux if at all possible. Thanks, Jim CA: SaskTel, Wind postpaid; Rogers, Bell postpaid iPad flex plans; US: T-Mobile postpaid data, prepaid voice; PureTalk (AT&T MVNO) prepaid voice/data; AT&T prepaid iPad plan Hardware: Too much but notably iPhone 5, iPad Mini Retina LTE, Moto G LTE (N.A. version), iPhone 4. All unlocked.

	(#2)
Stu (Offline) Senior Member Prepaid Guru Posts: 1,091 Join Date: 11 Feb 2004 Location: Detroit (formerly Dubai) Country:	13-07-2009, 00:51 I bought an unlocked Sierra 881u off E-bay for $60. It was ATT branded, but if you download the Sierra 3g watcher software from the Sierra site, it works good with everyone. I've used it on ATT, TMobile, Etisilat, and 3uk. It is triband HSUPA plus EDGE and GPRS. I've used it on EDGE many times and it performs well. It also picks up a signal better than most. Check out this link for a good offer I found: http://cgi.ebay.com/SIERRA-WIRELESS-...3A1%7C294%3A50 I also carry a long USB cable similar to this one: http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/22...all_cable.html so that I don't wind up having to sit on a toilet (or worse) surfing because it is the only place in the house that has a signal. I also own a Cradlepoint router which I sometimes carry with me and highly recommend. Last edited by Stu; 13-07-2009 at 00:58..

	(#3)
PhotoJim (Offline) Senior Member Prepaid Expert Posts: 389 Join Date: 10 Dec 2006 Location: Regina, SK, CA Country:	13-07-2009, 04:35 Sounds like a promising lead - thanks! I'll check it out. CA: SaskTel, Wind postpaid; Rogers, Bell postpaid iPad flex plans; US: T-Mobile postpaid data, prepaid voice; PureTalk (AT&T MVNO) prepaid voice/data; AT&T prepaid iPad plan Hardware: Too much but notably iPhone 5, iPad Mini Retina LTE, Moto G LTE (N.A. version), iPhone 4. All unlocked.