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Does anyone know which 3g usb routers will work with my Huawei E173 modem data stick in Costa Rica? We want to be able to use more than one computer wirelessly at a time. We receive internet by way of our 3g data stick and that is our only option for internet since we live out in the mountains. I have been searching the internet for a 3g usb router to buy and I find it very confusing. I have found some to be compatible with the Huawei E173 card but I am still not sure if they are compatible with the Kolbi 3g internet service. Thanks for any help or first hand experience. Rosie
Have been using a D-Link router and my huawei stick with great success..had a pro set the wifi network for me.
What particular model of D-Link router are you using. Do you think any one would work if it has a USB plug-in and works as a 3g wireless router?
Can you stream movies and videos with that system? i am very unhappy with my internet service and was thinking that the 3g stick would be more reliable but only if i can get enough speed to stream over the internet. isn’t ICE giving out those modems for free now?
I doubt that the 3g stick would be more reliable. The speed depends on internet traffic at any particular time. ICE seems to have oversold its capacity.
There certain times of the day (after 5PM) and certain days of the week (particularly Sunday) that we can not even get on the internet because the speed keeps dropping to 0 and goes very little above that. This seems to correspond to the times that the kids are not in school.
I don’t know if ICE has taken any steps to correct this situation by increasing traffic capacity at the towers. I have complained about the poor service every time I have had to go to their office.
We even once subscribed to the most expensive service they offer and it made no difference. The speed that we got never even got to 1/2 of what we were paying for and then it was only for a few seconds at a time. I don’t know if people closer to the tower have this same level of trouble that we have.
Unfortunately, 3g is our only option for internet since we live out in the mountains and are lucky enough to be in line sight of the 3g tower about 2 miles away so that we can have both phone and internet. We get our internet business done during the day when the kids are in school but this is also the same time that we do work on the farm. I doubt that we would be able to stream video.
We even have trouble with Yahoo Talk that we use to call the US because the service keeps cutting out and that interupts the call.
A lot might depend on how the 3g signal is received by your immediate neighbors. We have no close neighbors and our closest neighbor can’t receive this signal because they are down the hill from us and not within line sight of the tower.
ICE may offer the modem in conjunction with the interent/cell phone service. It is not really free. The cost per month is higher than if you already own the stick.
In the end, I think you end up paying more for the stick than if you bought it outright. At least that is the way it was as of last May.
You can get more insight on that by visiting the ICE website which is http://www.grupoICE.com
I think I am going to try the Zoom 4501 router with my 3g data stick. The Zoom campatibility list says this model is compatible with the Huawei E173 data stick. Has anyone had experience using a Zoom router in Costa Rica?
[quote=”rosiemaji”]I think I am going to try the Zoom 4501 router with my 3g data stick. The Zoom campatibility list says this model is compatible with the Huawei E173 data stick. Has anyone had experience using a Zoom router in Costa Rica?[/quote]
Not in Costa Rica, but I know someone who has had success with that router in the statesDoes anyone know if you can buy a Sim card at the San Jose airport for the Huawei E173 data stick in the same way you can buy a Sim card for an unlocked cell phone? I am sort of new to this so I am looking for advice since I am torn between buying/bring a netbook with me or just buying a international unlocked cell as backup to my trying to use the WiFi iGoogle features on my T-Mobile with my SKYPE account for this trip.
Any thoughts or comments?
Thanks,
Tom
Portland, Oregon[quote=”cancertomnpdx”]Does anyone know if you can buy a Sim card at the San Jose airport for the Huawei E173 data stick in the same way you can buy a Sim card for an unlocked cell phone? I am sort of new to this so I am looking for advice since I am torn between buying/bring a netbook with me or just buying a international unlocked cell as backup to my trying to use the WiFi iGoogle features on my T-Mobile with my SKYPE account for this trip.
Any thoughts or comments?
Thanks,
Tom
Portland, Oregon[/quote]I recently tried to buy the Huwaei Data Stick at the airport – they don’t have them. ICE often doesn’t even have them either – although some Internet Cafes may have them in stock. I finally managed to get one, after several weeks of searching, through my property manager who had an extra on hand returned from a departing customer.
The good news is, you can now, finally, get 3G Data using your prepaid ICE SIM phone card – it’s very easy to buy a data plan by sending a text message from your phone. You can buy by the hour, the day, the week or the month and the cost will be debited from your prepaid balance. Just ask for details when you buy the SIM card.
Be careful trying to use T-Mobile down here for non-Wifi use. My sister and I had ZERO success connecting to the ICE network using a T-Mobile phone (my sister’s) or prepaid T-Mobile SIM (mine). T-Mobile customer service in the US said it “was” possible to make calls in Costa Rica, but the reality for us was that it did not work so I question whether they actually DO have a peering agreement with ICE or not. Of course if you’re in range of an open WIFI network to use Skype or whatever else, that’s different, and many restaurants & bars have WIFI for their customers.
[quote=”rosiemaji”]I think I am going to try the Zoom 4501 router with my 3g data stick. The Zoom campatibility list says this model is compatible with the Huawei E173 data stick. Has anyone had experience using a Zoom router in Costa Rica?[/quote]
Yes, I have used a ZOOM router for over a year. Works great, no problems at all.
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