3 Mobile Broadband
Mobile BB
Stop Press: From May 2010,
the price of the 15Gb service
is reduced by 50%.
Overview of the ZTE MF112
Yes, 3 have done it again.
They are by far the leading 3G network provider in
the UK, and have always been serious about
providing the best deals on mobile phones. We
have several of them. Unlike a lot of High Street
shops, they actually own the network the phones
are being used on, and they are currently involved
in a rapid expansion program to keep it at the
forefront. They were the first to give us Skype on
our phones so we could contact people for free,
even if we are out of contract!
Now, they're increasingly doing their bit for people
with computers who want to stay in touch with the
world. If you're sitting at home and have an
internet connection, then that's fine. But what if
you are out and about with your laptop? What do
you do then?
Soon, the number of people buying laptops will
exceed the number buying desktop computers.
And they all need to connect to the internet. In our
not very humble opinion, 3 is the way to go.
We've used various broadband networks and
modems, and have had this one for a couple of
months now. We can confirm it's the best
we've used yet.
This is the modem. The ZTE MF112. Most
older modems can only work at a
maximum speed of 3.6Mb/s, which is fine
for old and slow networks. But 3 have
recently doubled the speed of their 3G
network to 7.2Mb/s, and in order to make
full use of this speed upgrade this is the
modem you need.
It also has much newer technology than
the old ones, making it more sensitive. And it has
a built in slot to take a microSD card of up to 8Gb
in size, so you can use it as an ordinary memory
stick as well. Since this modem would normally
cost around £100, that means you've saved
around £125 or so from the word go. Can't be bad!
And finally - an area where most modems fail - the
software that comes with it is a very big cut above
the rest. You just plug in the modem and it installs
itself. Then you use it. That's it! It has excellent
monitoring software, so if you want to keep an eye
on the amount of downloading you are doing, it's
all there for you. All of which is just another way of
saying that we can't recommend it highly enough.
Why would you want a broadband modem?
This is a question that always baffles us. To us it's a
question of why wouldn't you! If you have a laptop,
and you never take it out of the home, and if you
have a home internet connection......then you don't.
But then you're just using your laptop to save space,
which is fair enough. But we would be completely
stuffed without our little dongles (no sniggering at
the back!) When we go to customers' houses we
always have our laptops with us so we can install
software or whatever we need to correct the fault the
customer has. Sometimes they don't have an internet
connection, or they have a broken one. So we plug
in our trusty little dongle and away we go. We've
used it on and in most forms of transport to great
effect. Wherever you can get a phone signal, you can
use this modem.
Not just for Laptops!
And there’s more. Yes, we think this is great, in fact,
essential for laptops. But, if your download needs
aren't too great, then why not use this for your
desktop machine? All you have to do is plug it into
your desktop, and it installs just like on the laptop.
Think of the economies:- you're paying for this,
which you can use anywhere, on any machine, and
you're also paying for your home setup, which you
can only use there. For people who don't have a
heavy net usage we really think you could use this
for both - after all, you can't be in two places at
once, can you?!
You can also use it as a backup: if your landline
connection goes down for any reason, just plug in the
dongle and you're away. In one case where we
supplied one recently, the download speed of the
dongle was actually 1Mb/s faster than the customer
was getting on his landline!
On our Top Products page you’ll find links to the
laptop we have fallen in love with. It's the Samsung
R730. This computer comes in several forms, to suit
different needs. You really must get the modem. But
also, if you're in the market for a new / first laptop
as well, then we can't recommend the R730 highly
enough! You can also find there a link to a memory
card that will be ideal for this dongle.
So here are the links to the various modem download
allowances. Don't forget: You are getting a free
dongle, which can also work as an ordinary memory
stick, and a monthly download limit as detailed
below, all for incredibly low prices. If you get around,
and you take your laptop around with you, you'll
wonder how you ever did without the 3 dongle!
Now the dongle’s this cheap you’ve got the
excuse you were waiting for!
Don’t forget to visit the rest of the site while you’re here, to see the services we offer or use our search page.
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