Product Reviews

Wifi hotspots are useful things, but either because you find yourself at one operated by a provider with whom you don't have an account or because you're working on a train or elsewhere that just doesn't have a hotspot, you might often find yourself without an easy way of getting online. Vodafone aims to solve this problem with its newest 3G modem.

The Mobile Connect USB Modem is 3G, so you're promised broadband-like speeds of 1.4Mbits/sec where there's coverage, and because it's USB, you can use it in a wide range of notebooks - you don't need a laptop with a PC Card slot.

3G coverage in the UK remains centred around major urban areas - you can check coverage at maps.vodafone.co.uk/coverageviewer/web/default.aspx; the site doesn't support Safari - but we found the modem handled the switch down to the slower but much more widespread GPRS with grace and elegance. Similarly, as soon as it could reliably lock on to a 3G signal - say, when moving from a basement meeting room to the ground floor, or when on a train - it switched seamlessly. There are two levels of 3G service available in the UK - 384Kbits/sec and 1.4Mbits/sec - and that the fastest is even more tightly urban-centred,

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although Vodafone hopes to contend with this over the next six months.

Setup is relatively easy. Windows installers are contained on the device itself, but we Mac users aren't afforded this convenience. The manual walks you through the CD install process, but it doesn't demonstrate best practice such as creating a separate network location or recommend PPP options. It also confusingly creates multiple network ports.

The bundled utility makes it easy to configure the modem, and provides troubleshooting information such as firmware version to help support lines get to the bottom of any problems. We were delighted with how easy it was to use internationally; switching to a US network was a simple matter of running the configuration utility.

Once up and running, the modem gives good service. A colour-coded light tells you to which level of service you're connected, and on the fastest connection we were happily videoconferencing over Skype. (We couldn't get iChat video to work, however.)

Of course, video chatting burns bandwidth, and it's true that the cost of data remains high enough mostly to limit this modem's appeal to business users. Note that even with the Unlimited price plans, you're subject to a 1GB a month 'fair use' allowance. This is fair enough if you're mostly office-based, using the modem on relatively infrequent field trips, but it wouldn't be wise to treat this as anything like your main Internet connection.

The Vodafone Mobile Connect USB Modem is just too expensive for mass-market appeal, but it's relatively easy to install and a doddle to use. Its appeal will only increase as Vodafone continues its aggressive 3G rollout. Note, however, that you may already have a 3G mobile that could be configured to do the same job over Bluetooth; the only thing you might need to add is a 3G data price plan.