Introduction
People who travel a lot and look for internet connection on the go can opt for USB 3g modem which provides wireless internet connection at a very high speed anywhere you go. USB 3g modem is basically known as wireless modem which provides wireless internet access through 3g mobile network. The USB 3g modem can be connected to any network enabled devices such as laptop, desktop or tablet computers. These modems have a standard 2.0 USB plug which can be connected to any computer with a standard 2.0 USB port. Some of the 3g USB modems available in market are Detna HSDPA USB Modem K124, Lava 3G Data Card 720G, Huawei E122 3G USB modem, Cricket ZTE AC3781 USB 3G Modem and Visiontek 3G USB Modem. Some of the application areas of the USB modem can be at corporate offices, residences, exhibitions, events and in commercial places.
All the USB 3g modem support High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) protocol which consists of mobile telephony protocols such as High Speed Packet Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) and High Speed Upload Packet Access (HSUPA). These protocols are basically used for establishing communication with the network. The HSDPA supports down-link speeds of 1.8, 3.6, 7.2 and 14 Mbps while the HSUPA supports up-link speeds up to 5.76 Mbps. The download speed through HSDPA and Upload speed through HSUPA depends on the internet speed provided by the service provider. The speed of the internet can also vary due to physical conditions such as the network coverage in the area, the distance of the network antenna from the users building, the number of people nearby using the service at the same time and change in climatic conditions.
The USB 3g modem is a plug and play device which can be connected to any computer with installation of driver software provided with the modem. It also has a SIM card slot where you can insert SIM of any service provider. There are some 3g service providers such as Vodafone who provide their own software locked 3g stick which works only on their network. Most of the USB 3g modems are compatible with all the operating systems such as Microsoft Windows XP, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows 7, Mac OS X v10.2.6 Jaguar or higher, Linux 2.6.20 or higher and with other flavors of Linux such as Debian, Suse, Fedore and Mandriva.
Tips and comments
When choosing your USB 3g modem, you should look for unlocked modem which can be used with any service provider. The USB 3g modem should also have the latest HSDPA and HSUPA network protocols which are as per your required internet service. One should also check for its hardware and software compatibility requirements. Newer models of USB 3g modem have the necessary software already stored on them and when you plug in the device the software is automatically installed on the system and the device is ready to use. Some of the network providers also provide free network-locked 3g USB modem on contract with special attractive yearly internet service packages.
