Vodafone E660 Card

Patrickof

Hi,

Just got my hands on the new Huawei E660 card for vodafone 3G.

Does anyone know if this will work with the Linksys 3G router before I open the packaging? It is not listed as a supported card on the linksys website but that may be just that its out of date.

Patrickof

Just answering my own question in case anyone searches for the same.

The E660 works in the Linksys, with firmware 2.00.22 (didn't try it with any other), worked straight away, no problems.

croo

Patrick,
how is that E660 working out?
can I ask where did you get the E660 & how much?
I'm still using the E220 @ 1.8Mb ... does the upgrade make a real difference?

I too use the linksys 3g router and I also need to use an external antenna. Even still it often to drops back to GPRS. I know I can enforce 3g only but then I just loose the signal altogether. I seem to be right in the middle of 3 antenna but on the edge off their coverage... I guess the "3g breathing" people talk of means when the cells are busy I fall out of the 3g coverage range? but I don't know much about this technology so don't know for sure if that is the reason. But I do know if I point the directional antenna in the direction of one of the other two masts I sometimes manage to reconnect at 3g speeds.

One thing I've wonder about, does anyone know... when an external antenna (I have a SLP17) is used does the sending of data happen via this antenna or is it still coming from the card. I suspect it works through the card still as the location or linksys router does seem to have a bearing on whether I connect or not. But maybe it's just my imagination ...

Any info appreciated

godskitchen

Hey guys, Patrickof, first off any info you could give us would be great, as I said here, http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055161779, The e660 is the only option for me as voda never did the e630, I have the e620 (which i also assume croo has, not the e220 as he said) so can only connect at a max of 1.8Mb.

So I guess my questions are,
How much did it cost you?
Was it on upgrade?
Did you go in and ask for it or are they advertising it somewhere?
Does it have a hole for the antenna?

As I said any Info would be great!

croo............I have pretty much the same set up as you, but I have the SLP11, which I assume is not as strong as your model, the numbers referring to the dB of the antenna. I live 12Km form the 3G mast I connect to, with no line of sight, its in a pretty small village so I dont think there are many users on the same cell. I get pretty constant speeds most times of the day, sometimes dropping back to 3G from HSDPA.

In answer to your upload question, yes it uses the antenna to upload and download.

Now here is the important part and I hope it helps you, if you have access to a laptop download "e620 tool" its a bit of software that gives you a far more accurate read out of signal strength than either the router or the vodafone crapwear on a laptop.

Its been the difference of me getting 1bar (vodafone software) (fair signal with router page)or around 110dbi of signal strength as indicated in e620 tool (Really just hanging on by fingertips with that kind of signal!) and getting a solid two bar (voda) good signal (router) and 101-99dbi with e620 tool! It’s the difference between having the breathing effect through you off the cell and not.

The e620 tool does not improve your signal, but what it does do is allow you to fine the best position for the antenna, i have a 10 meter cable so am quite limited as to where I can put the thing, what I will say is, with the e620 tool I have been able to fine the optimum place to mount the antenna and from that experience I would advise get it as high as possible!

30cm either way and it can make or break a good signal, the direction its pointing is even more sensitive as is the angel of elevation. its well worth spending a few hours messing around, I for example have my antenna mounted to a ladder on top of a wall, tied to a tree! It took me hours to get right but I now get a good 120Kbs download most of the time, not bad when connecting with the e620, right next to the mast I dont get much more and as I said I am 12Km away!

I hope some of this is a help and if you want to know anymore then PM me, its maybe something that’s more simple to explain over skype or something.

Just out of interest how far are you from the Mast? And what signal strength does the status page at 192.168.1.1 give you when connected to 3g?

Patrickof

Hi, I had an upgrade available and they charged me €125 as far as I remember, and had to commit to a further 12 months. There was no option, they just gave me the E660.

Incidentally, anyone using thbe Linksys WRT54g3g router, there's a new firmware just released in the last few days (2.10.17) which now supports the E660. Haven't the link here but its on the downloads section of www.linksys.ie

I haven't noticed much speed increase since the new firmware update, but there is a big difference between the E660 and my previous card, a Quad card (non-HSDPA).

Sponge Bob

Funny that . The Huawei E660 DOES support 7.2mbit download but does not support HSUPA ...1-2mbit upload speeds.

Voda have launched just such a card ( its not a Huawei I think) in Germany and in the UK where they have nice pics of all the different modems on their site...but not the E660 ( not like here with an oul e220 pic only)and in Portugal although its an express card which may not fit in the linksys 3g router . Linksys will eventually have to launch a 3g router which is slot compatible with the express interface.

A company called Option makes a lot of 3g cards and may make a PCMCIA card which supports HSUPA and which WILL fit in the Linksys. You may see whats available ( at full price c €300) here

What we really need linksys or someone else to do is produce a 3g router version 2 with all of pcmcia and express and usb slots .

watty

Express cards not supported by any router yet. They are all PCMCIA or USB or both.

croo

thank you for the feedback Patrick. appreciated.
And thanks SpongeBob for the info on buying cards.

And a very big thank you godskitchen...
I'm only 4 miles from the closest mast! and in the linksys admin page it normally only reports a fair connection. So I feel very confident that if you can get a good signal at 12km then with your tips I can improve my connection. Certainly, just briefly experimenting today with the E620 tool you suggested (and yes it is an E620 not E220 card I have!) I have found that the smallest movement (perhaps just millimetres) can result in an improved signal... the SLP17 is a directional antenna so maybe it's more sensitive than others?
Previously I had driven around to the various masts in my area to find out which were 3g, then I simply mapped them out on a ordinance survey map and used a compass to point the antenna in the correct direction. Also I had the antenna just stuck outside the window, but I've noted your comment on the height being very big factor and will attempt to test from as high as I can manage. Thank you again for the invaluable info.

re: the express cards in routers...
there are converter pc cards that allow express cards to work in pcmcia slots... aren't there?

Sponge Bob

These cards exist , the following is not for tech n00bs really .

1. you can install a huawei E220 or an E270 usb modem in a linksys with this

http://sewelldirect.com/PCMCIA-USB-2-Card-2-Port.asp

2 you can install an express card into the linksys with this

http://sewelldirect.com/Express-Card-to-PCMCIA-Adapter.asp

3. HOWEVER you should first check if the Linksys has firmware capable of 'finding' the modem once its plugged in .

Linksys do update firmware to stay relevant , ask them maybe ??

godskitchen

croo wrote: »

And a very big thank you godskitchen...
I'm only 4 miles from the closest mast! and in the linksys admin page it normally only reports a fair connection. So I feel very confident that if you can get a good signal at 12km then with your tips I can improve my connection. Certainly, just briefly experimenting today with the E620 tool you suggested (and yes it is an E620 not E220 card I have!) I have found that the smallest movement (perhaps just millimetres) can result in an improved signal... the SLP17 is a directional antenna so maybe it's more sensitive than others?

4 Miles is nothing really with a antenna set up correctly, depending of course on how busy/popular the mast/cell you are connecting to is. The "Fair" report on the Admin page is misleading, it can report "Fair" where as in fact the connection is only visible, not connectible.

The problem is "fair" covers to wide a spectrum to be that useful.

As for the e620 tool, I found it so useful, the only dig I would have at it is, it takes a little while to adjust the signal strength, it says its instant but its not, now this could be a problem with the network but I dont think so. I found closing the program and reopening it would give the best results.

croo wrote: »

Previously I had driven around to the various masts in my area to find out which were 3g, then I simply mapped them out on a ordinance survey map and used a compass to point the antenna in the correct direction. Also I had the antenna just stuck outside the window, but I've noted your comment on the height being very big factor and will attempt to test from as high as I can manage. Thank you again for the invaluable info.

Get the antenna as high as you can, use anything you can, a ladder, brush handle, bit of scaffold! it will give it more of a chance of finding a good 3G signal if its not hampered by trees/hills, My signal drops out when the antenna is put behind a tree. To be honest a bit of a bush in the way and the signal is pants!

I dont think the SLP17 is more senstive than mine for example, I think if anything it should be better at getting a signal over a wider range, someone might be able to correct me on that though.

Let us know how you get on!

watty

croo wrote: »

re: the express cards in routers...
there are converter pc cards that allow express cards to work in pcmcia slots... aren't there?

No. Not exactly.
There are two kinds of interface on the the Express Card (no matter if is small or large express card). One is USB and the other PCI Express essentially. An adaptor that needs no software driver will work with USB-> Express Card (it only converts 5V to 3.3V and connects the D+ and D- signals direct) , but only if the Express Card Modem is actually USB (most are). Most PCMCIA to Express card adaptors actually are PCMCIA USB adaptors, and thus need a PCMCIA -USB bridge driver, so won't work on any Router.

Actual PCI Express interface is essentially impossible to support on PCMCIA.

Secondly ANY PCMCIA adaptor of any kind would need a Driver installed. You can't install Windows/Mac drivers into a Router.

This allows PCMCIA cards to work in Express Slots. (The Opposite to what you want!)
http://www.duel-systemsadapters.com/?productid=DP-0001

It will only work on Windows / Mac, not an Express card Router as it needs a PCI to PCMCIA bridge driver installed. So no use either.

Summary
On existing non-Express card routers the only possible use of Express card is:
:: The Express Card Modem is really only using USB pins of bus
:: The Router has a USB Host connector
:: The Express Card works with exact same SW as USB model listed on the Router
:: You have a Physical USB to Express Card adaptor (that only works with USB based Express Cards).

The Gadgets Sponge Bob posted will only work on a PC. The Express Card /PCMCIA is only for New XP/Vista OSX laptop Express card slots and old PCMCIA Cards. The opposite way round to what a Netgear, Dovado, Dlink or Linksys PCMCIA router slot needs.

croo

very informative post watty.

watty wrote: »

You can't install Windows/Mac drivers into a Router.

ah yes of course ... good point!
so thank you watty too!
[I had mistakenly left you off my last thank you post sorry ]

croo

on the topic of using express cards with the linksys wrt54g3g by way of an adapter... I see there is a new(ish) firmware released and its release notes its says

New datacards: Support for Huawei E660A (HSDPA 7.2) and Option Globetrotter Express HSUPA E (HSDPA 7.2/HSUPA). The Express format datacards are only supported with the vendor’s own PC converter caddy. See ‘Known Issues’ below for detailed compatibility info.

the known issues referred to is

Option Globetrotter Express HSUPA E datacard (GE0301, ETNA) is offered by local markets with one of 2 distinct interfaces enabled. The modem interface (used with Windows RAS) is the same interface used in previous datacards and is supported by this firmware release. The ‘light packet’ interface (used with Windows NDIS) specification was not fully available in time for this release and is not supported. Unfortunately, there is no external indication or other easy method to determine which interface is active – contact your Vodafone or partner network customer care for further information.

so it looks like a move to express cards may now be possible without having to replace the linksys 3g router! or have I misunderstood it ? (again)

Gavinman

Folks,

I recently bought a WRT54G3G and Novatel U740 DSDPA card. I get stuck in the wizard as it says that the card I'm using(the Novatel one) is not on the supported list, despite the fact that the brochure clearly states that this is a supported card.

I've upgraded to the latest and greatest wizard and firmware which was on the linksys.co.uk site. This did not help the problem.

I spoke to Vodafone about it and they said that I need to use a Vodafone/Huawai 3G PCMCIA card on their network. Could this be true that they restrict which card is permitted? I've obviously heard of them locking their branded equipment so it can't be used on other networks, but this is the reverse of that....

The problem I have is that I was also told they only give the Vodafone PCMCIA 3G cards to Business customers (thouse who have 3 or more business lines. )However I'm a residential customer and so per their support folks, am supposedly not entitled to buy one? Does this make any sense? Why would they care what I use - as I have a 5Gig limit on my contract per month?

How do I get beyond all these hurdles and get the WRT54G3G to work on Vodafone Ireland? How do I get my hands on a vodafone 3G card and what kind of contract do I have to have with them?


Any and all insight greatly appreciated. Sorry for all the questions.

watty

It's not a Vodaphone problem if card not recognised by Router.

AFAIK as long as a modem is not locked to a different operator, it will work with any 3G SIM.

Google the card you have to see is it actually the same card as a different card on the list. They are all similar, so a different one may work anyway.

watty

croo wrote: »

so it looks like a move to express cards may now be possible without having to replace the linksys 3g router! or have I misunderstood it ? (again)

Many of the Express Card Modems don't actually use a PCI express bus. They use USB. The USB implements a USB serial device. So Generic PCMCIA to USB converter with ExpressCard slot instead of USB host will work with a suitable driver.

True ExpressCard support (PCI express) is not technically possible via a PCMCIA /Cardbus host as it is far too slow and would be problematical from point of view of driver support.

With the USB on PCMCIA approach, the drivers "see" a USB port via PCMCIA / USB bridge driver and thus the existing express card (that only uses USB pins of the socket) works with its existing driver as it is really a USB (i.e. Serial) Modem.

Some USB Mobile Modems & Express Cards use USB in the RNDIS or similar mode which is more like an ethernet port via USB. Drivers for this are more complex. These are not usually supported by retail sold routers and not usually 3G/HSDPA systems.

Most of the Routers run Linux and almost all 3G/GRPS/EDGE/HSDPA USB modems look like USB accessed serial dialup modems. (In reality this is true also on XP/Vista/OS X but just "hidden" more in the specific driver).

niallb

Take a look at the alternative firmwares.
I had lots of problems with my WRT54G3G with the linksys firmware.
I installed the X-WRT version of openwrt and it solved a lot of problems and increased my upload speed dramatically on a Huawei E630.

Before you do that though, try ignoring the wizard completely.
Can you install the Novatel card in a laptop and get it working first.
Then it's an easy job for the router to bring it back up, as all the defaults
will be right.
Just go straight to the web page on the router and try to configure it.
You'll see from there at least whether the card is recognised or not.

watty

You should disable "request for PIN" security when installed in the PC or it may never work on Router.

Noviceman

very interesting discussion here guys...

Can someone clarify for me: (as I'm a bit confused with all the details in this thread)

I'm getting the Linksys router and the E620 card. Can I put the card into the router, then connect my laptop to the router via ethernet (can i do this wirelessly) and install the relevant software, or do I even need to connect the laptop to router?