Mobile Broadband Group Test
I've heard a few rumors recently from various sources that performance of the latest data cards varies considerably from vendor to vendor, so I've decided to put it to the test. I've got my mits on Voda's three latest data devices:
- Option GlobeTrotter Express ('Etna')
- Huawei E870 ExpressCard
- Huawei E270 USB Modem
They're all 7.2Mbps/HSUPA capable devices, all sharing the same Qualcomm 7200 chipset. My test setup consisted of the following:
- 17" MacBook Pro, running:
- Transmit - an FTP client
- Safari - web browser
- Net Monitor - bandwidth monitor
I'm running the tests from my desk at home, in central Oxford. The signal here is reasonable - my Palm Treo's showing 2 bars of 3G coverage. In order to run the tests, I started up an FTP download, then two HTTP downloads (linux distros again proving handy here) - I then used Net Monitor's stopwatch feature to track the average and peak throughput for a fixed file size. I had to use multiple concurrent downloads in order to get the throughput up - downloading a single file rarely gave results over 800Kbps. Here's a screenshot of Net Monitor in action:
The results
| Device | Download (avg/peak) | Upload (avg/peak) |
|---|---|---|
| Option GlobeTrotter | 1.3Mbps / 1.4Mbps | 367Kbps / 425Kbps |
| Huawei E870 | 1.3Mbps / 1.4Mbps | 367Kbps / 402Kbps |
| Huawei E270 | 1.3Mbps / 1.3Mbps | 366Kbps / 380Kbps |
So all in all, pretty close to say the least! The E270 seems to have lost out marginally on peak data rates, but with all devices pushing 1.3Mbps average download speed, there's not much in it. I'm running these tests on a network that's not yet been upgraded to 7.2Mbps - stay tuned - once I track down some coverage I'll repeat the tests.
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Comments
MobileBroadbandRocks commented on Tue, 2007-11-20 07:18:
Sorry Jorgen, I didn't.
Which network are you using - is it Vodafone in the UK or another country?
Sebke (not verified) commented on Tue, 2007-12-11 16:58:
Hello,
Could you please tell me where did you find the Mac OS drivers for the e270?
I'm currently using the e220 drivers because the e270 I found fail to install on Mac OS 10.4.11 (tested on a MacBook and a Brand New iMac)
I can connect with the e220 but it is way too limited compared with the Windows software, and the Mobile Connect utility wont work. I have to use the Mac Dialer and CheetahWatch to get by.
Any help will be appreciated.
Sebke (not verified) commented on Tue, 2007-12-11 17:03:
I forgot to add, I'm in Argentina so I'n mot using Vodafone but a different carrier (CTI)
nick (not verified) commented on Sat, 2008-03-29 10:13:
Hi
I have a Vodafone Huawei E870 express card for my MacBook Pro running 10.5.2. I am running the very latest Vodafone Mobile Connect software. I cannot get uploads any quicker than 8 - 11 kbps, even when I am in a 7.2 area. Am I doing something really stupid? Or are these E870 modems a bit on the S*** side? I recently went into the Vodafone shop and tried the new USB stick alongside my E870 and the USB stick was flying at 100+kbps... Why would this be? Are the drivers/firmware different? I am pulling what little hair I have left out trying to figure this one out! Please can someone help me. Warm regards
Nick
rino hakem (not verified) commented on Thu, 2009-03-26 15:00:
can somebody help me with setting for huawei e160e on macbook.really need help now
Did you by any chance test Cisco VPN on these cards from a MacBook Pro? Since I upgraded to my Etna expresscard the Cisco VPN client no longer connects.