wireless router for 3 data card

slemons

hi i have a laptop and i was thinking about getting either the 3 usb modem or the pcmcia modem
http://www.three.ie/handsets_new/datacards_e630_features.htm

i was wondering how i could go about wireless routing either of these around the house?

here is something that will do it but its very expensive.
http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/23/phoebus-3g-router-converts-pcmcia-data-card-into-wifi/
any other options?
I could probably get the usb modem and plug it into an always on desktop and then share that out thru my belkin standard wireless router but wouldnt that be over kill (having a pc on 24-7)

thanks

BobTheBeat

It seems that the usb modem coupled with internet connection sharing is the most likely of the two. If you're worried about having your main pc on all the time, you could buy an older machine and have it as a gateway of sorts.

Marlow

Mikrotik RouterOS supports the PCMCIA card. I've got it working here.

With that you can convert an old laptop or PC to an accesspoint/router.

Example can be found on the Wan Wiki.

Well, or you just share it out with Windows Connection Sharing on one PC.

/Martin

long_b

I'd like to do the same thing but I don't get how the last two posters's solution would be wireless ?

Is it like USB Modem in PC, PC attached to Wireless Router ?

I thought Internet connection sharing was just over a wired network ?

Marlow

long_b wrote:

I thought Internet connection sharing was just over a wired network ?

Correct, but if you have a wireless accesspoint (or a wireless router, where you disable the router interface), that would just be a bridge between your wireless and your wired network.

An AP connected via wire to a PC with the modem shared out would be enough.

You could also just share the connection out on a wireless interface in ad-hoc mode or if you use Linux, put your wireless interface into AP mode.

There is no difference to network interfaces beyond the missing wire

/Martin

Urban Weigl

Linksys make a 3G router that it sold in Ireland for about €160 (try elara.ie) and works great with the 3 data card, the Huawei E630 they sell. I've tried it. Even though it is Vodafone branded. All you have to do is change the APN on it from vodafone to "3ireland.ie", which takes five seconds to do.

Urban Weigl

Re my previous post, here's the link:
http://elara.ie/products/detailsfull.asp?productcode=ECE1121637&productID=S3025899

Again I have confirmed that it works. There is also a D-Link 3G router available from http://elara.ie/products/detailsfull.asp?productcode=MME5842307&productID=S3983055 -- but I have not confirmed weather it works with the Huawei E630 card that 3 supplies. You'd want to confirm that with D-Link first. It's only five quid cheaper, so you might as well just get he Linksys 3G router, which I have tested with 3.

Duiske

I'm considering this one, but its new so can't find any reviews for it.

Urban Weigl

Duiske_Lad wrote:

I'm considering this one, but its new so can't find any reviews for it.

Is that cheaper than the Linksys router?

ianblyth

linksys router works a treat... covers the house... and the 4 acre garden...

watty

Anyone using OpenWRT on the Linksys with 3G or HSDPA card?

kaizersoze

Urban Weigl wrote:

Linksys make a 3G router that it sold in Ireland for about €160 (try elara.ie) and works great with the 3 data card, the Huawei E630 they sell. I've tried it. Even though it is Vodafone branded. All you have to do is change the APN on it from vodafone to "3ireland.ie", which takes five seconds to do.

Just got one of these today, 176 euro delivered, no datacard yet though. I was poking around it tonight and changed the APN to 3ireland.ie. Is that all I need to do? Underneath the APN entry there is a username/password ('web' looks to be entered in both by default). Anything need to be entered there?

Urban Weigl

Leave the username/password fields blank, all you need is the APN "3ireland.ie". If there's anything already in there, delete it.

Finally make sure you've got the latest firmware installed. You can get the latest from www.linksys.com/vodafone/

Urban Weigl

By the way, here's the complete list of supported cards: http://www-uk.linksys.com/servlet/Satellite?blobcol=urldata&blobheadername1=Content-Type&blobheadername2=Content-Disposition&blobheadervalue1=application%2Fpdf&blobheadervalue2=inline%3B+filename%3DPublic-release%2Bnotes%2Bwrt54g3g%2BFirmware%2B2.01%2BBR.pdf&blobkey=id&blobtable=MungoBlobs&blobwhere=1130865135163&ssbinary=true&lid=9979158422B05

As you can see, the Huawei E618, E630 and E620 are all on there and are officially supported.

kaizersoze

Urban Weigl wrote:

Leave the username/password fields blank, all you need is the APN "3ireland.ie". If there's anything already in there, delete it.

Finally make sure you've got the latest firmware installed. You can get the latest from www.linksys.com/vodafone/

Thanks for that.

Patrickof

Anyone know where to get a Huawei E620 or E630? I want to upgrade the card we already have from Vodafone (its only a Colt card, maxes out at about 400K I think)

watty

Any mailorder/web phone shop. Google. Or try the phone operator

Diarmuid

Can anyone confirm that you need Windows to setup the linksys router? Usually these routers are managed using a web browser and hence are os independent but on the specs for the Linksys one of the requirements is Windows. ( I have a mac)

thebman

There is a setup wizard that runs in wizard to configure the router. It probably only works in Windows

You can do it all from the web interface though. Just use 192.168.1.1 to login to the router and password is administrator default with no user name.

watty

The Linksys router needs no SW installed. You just need a Web browser.