Compare USB Modem Stick Deals

The media is bombarding us with adverts for mobile internet services and the promise of “broadband on the move”. In fact, it is very simple: plug in a USB adapter – or modem stick – into the laptop or other mobile device. The vital “handshake” that takes place between the devices or the device and a LAN is, these days, almost invariably done automatically. If not, the stick comes with the necessary drivers on an accompanying CD.

Now you can be on-line virtually 24/7 with the Huawei Technologies E169 USB modem. It delivers mobile broadband that is easy to use and frees you both from wires and hotspot-only working, delivering Internet access at excellent speeds.

The compact E169 USB Stick Modem plugs into a USB port - all the necessary drivers are include in the modem itself. It also has a MicroSD memory card slot and the memory card and modem can be used simultaneously.

The E169 offers up to 1.8 Mbps HSDPA connection; it works at up to 384kbps in 3G coverage areas and is compatible with both Macs and PCs.

As for speed, a number of 3G networks use a technology called HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) which offers breakthrough data speeds - up to five times (10 Mbps) higher than is possible in conventional 3G networks - as well as two-fold base station capacity. The new modulation method of HSDPA greatly improves the peak data rate and throughput, which enhances spectral efficiency. In addition to these benefits, users will perceive faster connections to services through shorter round trip times.

In central London - covered by Vodafone's HSDPA network, for example, you could expect to achieve between 1.8 Mbps and 2.2 Mbps. In real terms, that would allow you to download a 56 MB file in five minutes. Where 3G is unavailable, the USB stick reverts to GPRS (2.5G).