Features
T-Mobile
Huawei E170
Maximum speed achieved:
2.1Mb/sec
Average speed achieved in London:
2Mb/sec
Average speed achieved out of London: T-Mobile's service was consistently the fastest of any of the UK networks - and the only one to record an average speed of 2Mb/sec or more in London. It's no slouch on the uploads either, with consistent 300Kb/sec speeds. It rivalled Vodafone's consistency on our Sussex to London commute, too. We were impressed by the Web'n'Walk software that came
964Kb/sec
with the stick. A scrolling graph provides a handy visual guide to both download and upload speeds, allowing you to see immediately if you've got a problem and need to reconnect. Daily, monthly and yearly download data is also presented cleanly in a stats sidebar. Better still, there's free Wi-Fi from any of T-Mobile's nationwide hotspots to fall back on, should you fail to get a decent 3G connection.
The only problem with T-Mobile is its cack-handed approach to image compression. Set as default, if you want to stop web images looking like they've been through the carwash, you have to download a separate application called Web'n'Walk Accelerator to run alongside the modem's normal software. Why the Accelerator couldn't have been integrated into the same package is anyone's guess.
Nevertheless, if you want a fast, reliable and reasonably priced service, you won't go far wrong with T-Mobile.
Rating: 5/6

