Mobile Internet Connection.

[chang35baht]

Hi guys. I brought with me from the UK my Vodaphone USB plug-in mobile int. unit. Basicaly it`sabout the size of a mouse, flat and plugs in to a USB port. It means I can connect to the net almost any where in the UK.

When I tried it over here I found that there were four networks available. TH-GSM 2G, TH-DTAC 2G, TH-TRUE 2G andTH-GSM1800 2G.

I could connect to all except the True network TH-GSM connected at 236kbps and the others at 53kbps.

Illegal or not I was able to connect wherever I went in Chiang Rai. Now after about a month I am getting a "you are not allowed to connect to this network" message on all the networks I could connect to before.

Do you think they somehow discovered that I was connecting and somehow have now blocked me?

Just curious.

C35b

P.S. I have adsl at home already.

[kenjin]

What exactly is this decvice? is it a GPRS modem? It use to allow you to dial-in to telco networks for free???

[chang35baht]

It`s just a small modem type thingy that picks up it`s signal from mobile phone towers I presume. I pay 30 quid per month for it and I connect @3.6Meg virtually wherever I go. It`s from Vodaphone. It`s 3G and GPRS.

No dialling involved. Just plug it in and it automaticaly connects to the Vodaphone network. But when over here, in the tools menu, I was able to check for available networks and there were 4.

Edited November 24, 2007 by chang35baht

[Guest Reimar]

I do believe that you need to sign up for an Service because the Vodaphone service isn't available in Thailand.

And it would be fine if you post the spec of that device otherwise no one realy know what is it and can't answer your question!

[chang35baht]

I was just curious because I was able to connect to 3 different networks without having signed up. I guess they just got wise to me.

Thanks anyway guys.

C35b.

[monty]

I think most probably Vodafone has a roaming contract with the Thai providers allowing you to connect here.

Most probably, when abroad, the connection costs will not be covered under your 30 quid/month plan, so it's very well possible you have a huge bill waiting for you back home, and your service will remain cut off until the bill gets settled!

[chang35baht]

Definitely not Monty. I checked with Vodaphone already regarding this.

I personally think that I was able to connect because this type of device is not yet available here and once they realised that I was somehow connecting they found a way to block it.

Nice try in scaring me though.

[kenjin]

Definitely not Monty. I checked with Vodaphone already regarding this.

I personally think that I was able to connect because this type of device is not yet available here and once they realised that I was somehow connecting they found a way to block it.

Nice try in scaring me though.

Do you put a sim card in it? if so then it defo is a GPRS Modem, they are widely available here and have been for a few years.I have a Soloman one you can drop any sim card in as long as its in credit or on contract. If you are paying for a subscription, then I would imagine that it is roaming, about the bill....if you say its ok then it must be...I guess

[kenjin]

Definitely not Monty. I checked with Vodaphone already regarding this.

I personally think that I was able to connect because this type of device is not yet available here and once they realised that I was somehow connecting they found a way to block it.

Nice try in scaring me though.

Do you put a sim card in it? if so then it defo is a GPRS Modem, they are widely available here and have been for a few years.I have a Soloman one you can drop any sim card in as long as its in credit or on contract. If you are paying for a subscription, then I would imagine that it is roaming, about the bill....if you say its ok then it must be...I guess

[chang35baht]

No sim card required. here`s a picture. It has a small LED. When the signal is weak it flashes gren. WhenIt`s aGPRS signai it`s constant deep blue. When it`s an 3G signal It`s more of a turquoise colour

[kenjin]

Hi Chang35, you got me intrigued about this but have a look on Vodafone website I still think its a GPRS modem. Any way, what you may be interested in is the tariff as follows:

How much does it cost?

Choose your contract duration: 18 months 12 months

3G USB Modem

Price Costs when in the UK Costs when abroad

1st month free FREE £25 per month £8.50 per 24 hours in selected countries, £4.25 per MB in other countries

Mobile Broadband Travel

1st month free FREE £95 per month 200MB per month included on any network,£4.25 per MB after this

Don’t want to sign up to a contract? Just pay for the data you use with Mobile Broadband 24:

Mobile Broadband 24

Ideal for occasional users £120.00 £8.50 per 24 hours £4.25 per MB in all countries

http://www.vodafonebusinessshop.co.uk/inde...=EBU_DEST_WOR_1

[chang35baht]

Hi Kenjin.

Well I`ve been blocked from connecting to any network over here now, so My guess is Vodaphone have done this because I haven`t signed up for the overseas usage. I,m UK only.

My next Direct Debit of 30 pounds comes off on the 8th next month. I`ll see if any extra comes off.

FYI it`s agreat piece of kit @ only 1 pound per day in the UK.

P.S It`s 3G and GPRS.

Edited November 25, 2007 by chang35baht

[Farma]

It’s good to know they work in Thailand. Does anyone know what Thai providers charge for access using these devices?

I believe these Huawei E220 HSPDA USB modems are available in Pantip etc.

I’m using one outside Thailand and very impressed with it.

[chang35baht]

How much does it cost?

I got the unit for free. Signed up for 18 months.

I`m on the road all the time when I`m in the UK so it`s spot on for my needs.

It`s as the website says 25Quid per month + VAT so around 30Quid.

[Farma]

Thanks Chang, I was wondering if a Thai provider offers this service and how much they charge. It would be nice to set one up in Thailand for when i'm home.

[chang35baht]

I don`t know if these are available here yet. See Kenjins post above using a sim card. I imagine that`s using a PCMCIIA( spelling) card with a slot for a sim card.

[zzSleepyJohn]

It's good to know they work in Thailand. Does anyone know what Thai providers charge for access using these devices?

I believe these Huawei E220 HSPDA USB modems are available in Pantip etc.

I'm using one outside Thailand and very impressed with it.

This is an old thread, but I'd like to see if I can resurrect it because I've also got myself one of these Huawei E220 GPRS/3G/HSDPA USB modems recently from "Three" in UK (it cost me £50 as a pay-as-you-go user), and I'm wondering if it will work in Thailand.

I'm still in UK at the moment but hoping to be able to use it later this month on my DTAC 99baht/month GPRS/EDGE service by removing its "Three" simcard and substituting my DTAC simcard, and reprogramming it to dial *99***1# instead of *99#.

Has anyone else tried changing the simcard and reprogramming one of these Huawei E220 units to work on a Thai network? Of course I'm not expecting to get HSDPA or 3G connectivity, but what about 2G or EDGE?

[monty]

zzSleepyJohn, do you have another sim card from another UK mobile phone provider (maybe borrow from a friend)?

If so, try popping that in and see if the device accepts that sim card. If it accepts the sim card, then it will also accept the Dtac sim card! Some providers lock their devices so that it can only use sim cards from that provider, especially as you have a pay as you go sim, which means they couldn't snare you with a 2 year contract...

If the device is locked to the Three sim card, then it will work perfectly fine for Dtac, it probably even works without changing the number to dial (mine works perfectly dialing *99#, as by the way my AIS one2call sim does.

Unfortunately it does only 3G on 2100 Mhz, which means you won't get this till late 2009 at the earliest. Dtac is deploying HSDPA 3G as we are writing this, but on the 850 Mhz band, which will go commercial in Phuket, Chonburi and Bangkok in the nexr few months...

Edge will work normally of course, and is actually quite usable for browsing and e-mails, even streaming radio comes in pretty much flawlessly, up to 96 kbps bitrate...

[zzSleepyJohn]

Thanks for your useful and relevant comments, Monty. Sorry for my delay in replying.

zzSleepyJohn, do you have another sim card from another UK mobile phone provider (maybe borrow from a friend)?

If so, try popping that in and see if the device accepts that sim card. If it accepts the sim card, then it will also accept the Dtac sim card! Some providers lock their devices so that it can only use sim cards from that provider, especially as you have a pay as you go sim, which means they couldn't snare you with a 2 year contract...

I've now tried my E220 with two other simcards, one a UK Virginmobile PAYG, and I've also brought it back to Thailand where I've tried my DTAC simcard in it. It would not accept either card, so unfortunately it does appear to be locked to 'Three'.

If the device is locked to the Three sim card, then it will work perfectly fine for Dtac, it probably even works without changing the number to dial (mine works perfectly dialing *99#, as by the way my AIS one2call sim does.

I'm sure you meant to say "If the device is *not* locked....", but now my question is can I and should I try to unlock it in Thailand? I see there's now a new thread http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Q-Usb-35g-Mo...tml&hl=E220 running on this topic, with some reference to unlocking instructions, so I'll go over there and post again.

Unfortunately it does only 3G on 2100 Mhz, which means you won't get this till late 2009 at the earliest. Dtac is deploying HSDPA 3G as we are writing this, but on the 850 Mhz band, which will go commercial in Phuket, Chonburi and Bangkok in the nexr few months...

Edge will work normally of course, and is actually quite usable for browsing and e-mails, even streaming radio comes in pretty much flawlessly, up to 96 kbps bitrate...

I would be happy with Edge for the time being. I see my E220 - Three simcard combination detects a signal as GPRS TH GSM ® which I suppose might be its way of describing Edge.