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switching from vodafone to o2 mobile

  • 16-05-2008 3:07pm
    #1
    croo
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 1,336 Mod ✭✭✭✭


    I'm considering moving from vodafone 3g to o2.

    I'm in a remote area surrounded by trees but can get a fairly consistent vodafone connection using a SLP17 external/directional antenna with a huawei E620 card from vodafone and a linksys router WRT54G3G.

    I live in an old cottage with nearly 3 foot walls so an external antenna is a must... I can use the new E270 I got from o2 near a window with fair results but it's an awkward spot.
    So I'd hoped I could continue using the same setup (kit) I had with vodafone. I understood the E620 would not give me a 7.2Mb connection (even in theory :)) but would mean been limited to the 1.2 (or was 1.8) max of that card but I'm okay with that. I think the o2 price & deal is better so would be happy to put up with that and if I needed faster speeds I could always use the E270 in that not so convenient position for short periods.

    So I put the o2 sim in the vodafone e620 pc card and first just put the card in the notebook, connect the slp17 antennas and using a map & compass directed the antenna to what looked to be the closest mast on the map. Using the “e620 tool” I did managed to connect to o2. But only with the edge protocol (if that's the correct term) ... I can receive a 3g signal at this spot I was with the e270 so I expected the SLP17 would greatly improve this but it wasn't the case. In fact it seemed to make no difference at all. Can anyone with a technical understanding of this technology explain why not? The SLP17 specs say it will work with frequencies from 1700-2500Mhz which I thought the o2 services used.
    http://www.thiecom.de/slp17.htm

    I noticed too, using the “e620 tool”, that the vodafone service uses GPRS/3G/HSDPA
    But with windows o2 software the signal type is referred to as EDGE/HSPA/HSUPA/WCDMA
    so are vodafone& o2 using two fundamentally different systems? Is there no way the vodafone kit I have can work with the o2 service?
    In which case is there 1) a router someone could recommend which I could use with the o2 e270, and 2) anyway of boosting the e270 signal? I see no way of using an external antenna with it so that's out but perhaps there are other options?

    all information & advice welcomed. I 'm about a week into my 30 day trial so I would like to be able to decide what to do before that expires.

    thx all

    ps. is it my imagination or are the leaves on the trees causing connectivity issues?
    during the winter month my vodafone signal was constant and strong – now it's become very patchy and it seemed to have been around the time of trees “blooming”!?


Comments

  • #2
    croo
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 1,336 Mod ✭✭✭✭croo


    scrap that previous post - it is possible to use the vodafone E620 & vodafone branded linksys wrt54g3g router with an o2 sim.
    Obnvious using this old kit my max speeds are limited but it works. Maybe I'll upgrade to a hsupa pccard for my linksys. For now I'm happy enough to get a stable connection.
    Sorry for wasting people's time...


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