In these recent years, with 3G and 3. 5G being accepted as a common and popular mobile network, HSPA (High-Speed Packet Access) becomes very crucial for PG SLOT road warriors, as they are much faster than GPRS network and easy to use.
A person will need a 3G or 3. 5G-enabled devices to use this high-speed network (of course, this service is dependent on the Telecommunication Company of the country). It can be in-built in the devices already or it can be in an external unit.
HuaWei’s latest USB stick modem is much smaller than its predecessor (E160). Technically, this USB stick modem is actually a modem, an USB flash, a virtual CD-ROM drive.
The package from Starhub comes in only white colour with a Starhub logo. It is packaged into a DVD size cover with the modem itself and an extended cable. The major difference between E160 (the predecessor) and this E170 is that E170 itself has already a USB connection point. In normal operation, you will not need to use the extended cable. In the operation manual, it states that this cable may be used to enhance the signal. You will need to purchase the SIM Card separately for this modem. Or you can use your existing SIM Card on it. Starhub bundled this package with an unlimited Data SIM Card that is easy to install onto the device.
The modem is very light and the finishing is of high quality. The size is slightly bigger than a convention thumb drive. The Dimensions is 80. 5mm long by 24. 1 mm on the width and 11. 8 mm thick. It is glossy white in color and extremely well made. The USB connection is hidden with a cover that is quite sturdy. The cover comes with a silver hinge for you to hang this device around. Near to the USB connection port is the SIM Card holder. It is carefully hidden and flushed with the overall design. I wouldn’t be too sure about that as the device may drop off if it is being pulled (and you are left with a cover only).
As mentioned previously, this modem is a virtual CD-ROM drive. Reason being that the software is flashed into it and it is detected as a CD-ROM drive when plugged in. A Dell laptop was used for this connection check. It took about 5 minutes to setup the modem automatically. You will be prompt for the first time to install the software into the computer. It is a compulsory step. After the installation, the Starhub connection panel will show up and you just need to click on the connect icon. Starhub connection is based on HSDPA/HSUPA/UMTS/EDGE/GPRS/GSM.
On the main panel itself, you can switch to the statistics page to see the upload and download speed with a nice graph. There is also the text and phone book page that i did not explore. Basically, according to Starhub, the SIM Card is a data card that could not be used for calling. However, basic text messaging is possible. As for the phone book, it is the contacts storage of the SIM card. For this bundle, there are 500 contact slots.
This little device is best for Road Warriors to download emails and surf the internet. As the form factor is small, it can be easily carried around. With an unlimited Data plan, this unit can be connected to the internet all day without worrying about the bills.