reason for slow speed

One FAQ from USB Modem users is., Why USB Internet is slow sometimes or often?
When you go for USB-Modem, you need to ask your service provider..
whether your city has wireless broadband tower installed?
If its been installed, ensure that you have it installed near by your residence.
People will have the tendency to think that why the modem is not performing with the speed that has been promised at the time of purchase.
Its quite simple, the USB Internet is an emerging technology in India. The major service providers have their wireless broadband towers installed in metro cities.In metrocities it delivers onthe promised speed of 3.1 mbps. The broadband technology has EVDO,EDGE connections to make the data flow through the RF signals.
The other cities have only CDMA,GPRS towers installed and using this we can get only dial-up speed upto 153.6 kbps.
Its wise option for travellers who do most of their business online.
Perhaps, it'll take a couple of months for this thing to be installed all-over India.

WiMAX

WiMAX(Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access), is a technology that can potentially revolutionize the way internet is being accessed. Wi max can be used for mobile internet and offers high speed,wireless access to the internet anywhere within the WiMAX network. It provides a uplink speed of 35 mbps and downlink speed of 144 mbps. The cost of using wi max is cheaper than the USB internet that uses the EDGE or the EVDO technology.But on the other hand the initial cost of installing wi-max networks is huge.Wi-max has just made its mark in India. Recently companies in India like TATA BSNL and Reliance have made investments to create wi-max networks in India.A problem with WiMAX is that it is prone to interference with frequency bands that are used for ground to satellite communication when common channels are used for both.Tests have also found that WiMAX can deliver only one of the two promised advantages,high bitrates over large distances.The bit error rate ncreases as distance is more leading to lower bitrates but the bitrate becomes high if the distance is reduced.There are two sides to a coin.. and despite all the cons, the advantages are plenty in using WiMAX and all indcations point to WiMAX replacing other wireless technologies in the future if companies are willing to invest in it.

TARIFF

	Modem Cost in Rs.	Rate Plans cost/month
BSNL	3500	500
Reliance	3500	visit site http://www.rcom.co.in/ Communications/rcom/RNetconnect/ netconnect_broadband_tariff.html
TATA	2800	http://www.tataindicom.com/ hsia-usb-tariff-personal.aspx
Airtel	2999	http://airtel.in/wps/wcm/connect/ airtel.in/Airtel.In/Home/ForYou/ Wireless+Internet/USB+Modem/Tariff/
IDEA	2490	http://www.ideacellular.com/IDEA.portal ?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=IDEA_Page_GPRS
Virgin Mobile	2100	http://www.virginmobile.in/ plan_special_offers_vlink-usb.html

FEATURES

	Speed in mbits/sec	Technology
BSNL	upto 2.4	EVDO
Reliance	upto 2.4	1xRTT & EVDO
TATA	3.1	EVDO
Airtel	GSM/GPRS/EDGE:850/900/1800/1900 MHz	EDGE Class 12, GPRS Class 12
IDEA	GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850 MHz/900 MHz/1800 MHz/1900 MHz	GRPS/EDGE Class1~Class12
Virgin Mobile	2.4	EVDO

TECHNOLOGY USED.

EVDO(Evolution Data Optimized or Evolution Data Only) is a standard technology used for high speed wireless internet broadband services. It is also known as CDMA2000. It is a 3G wireless standard. EVDO was developed by Qualcomm to overcome the problem of lack of bandwidth. In EVDO the data to be sent is broken down into smaller packets. Each packet is transmitted separately. This allows the same bandwidth to be used by different users at different time intervals. EVDO uses the same broadcast frequencies of existing CDMA networks thus proving to be advantageous. EVDO offers speeds of upto 3.1 Mbit/s for wireless internet connection.

EDGE(Enhanced Data GSM Environment) is an improvement on the 2G GSM technology.EDGE offers an increase in data speed by doing an improvisation in the coding.EDGE uses higher order phase shift keying in addition to GMSK(Gaussian Minimum Shift Keying). The data transfer rate is three times more than that of normal GSM technology thus making it much better than GSM. EDGE has replaced other wireless technology like GPRS as it offers greater speed and can handle much more traffic than GPRS.

A LOOK AT THE OPTIONS.....

Airtel Data Card is the PC Data Card solution which delivers wireless internet capabilities to laptops and notebooks, by providing EDGE and GPRS technologies in a single PC Card package. On an EDGE network, Airtel Data Card enables connection to the Internet using EGPRS. In areas where EDGE services are not available, the Airtel Data Card still enables reliable and secure data connections over GPRS. Airtel Data Card can be used for enabling Internet, Email, and Office applications with real-time secure VPN access to corporate applications whilst on the move.

Features of the data card:

It provides a Quad-band radio card suitable for use on EGRPS/GPRS/GSM networks worldwide PTCRB compliant. The data card is compatible with most notebooks providing a Type II PC-Card slot and utilizing Microsoft Windows Operating Systems. It supports IPSec client software for end-to-end secure corporate data exchange and synchronization over VP. It is also NDIS compatible.

Features of usb modems:

Just like data card the usb modem also provides the Quad band. It is based on the EDGE or the EGPRS technology. it also has the Plug & Play feature. It is suitable for EDGE/ GPRS/GSM(SMS) and for Notebooks and PCs. International roaming becomes easy with this modem. Moreover its fully customised. There are also various SMS facilities.It can also be used for a USB PORT.

Another company that provides us with the facility of USB internet is Reliance Communications.

The Reliance Netconnect broadband provides the following features...

Reliance wireless broadband ia available for laptop and desktop. This connection provides speed upto 3.1Mbps in Reliance Broadband cum Network. Uploads take place at a speed of upto 1.8 Mbps.The usb internet is downward compatible with Reliance High Speed 1X network.It connects across 20000 towns & 5 lakh villages in India. It also provides connectivity along major highways, railway routes, airport lounges and remote locations in India .Rich media and heavy applications such as video conferencing, video streaming, electronic surveillance, online multiplayer gaming and heavy file transfers can be run using this service. It also has plug & play feature.

The TATA Indicom photon that provides us with wireless internet across the TATA Indicom network guarantees speed upto 153.6 kbps..

It has the following advantages.

The Internet Advantage

Data transfer and access is done using the The Plug 2 Surf / Vdata card of the Tata Indicom photon at high speed. Just switch on your PC / laptop and get connected, so you dont miss out on any critical information even while you are on the move. It requires minimal user steps and fastest network registration connect directly to the Tata Indicom network .

The Voice Advantage

Voice calls can ba made and received without any hassles. Plug 2 Surf / Vdata card has a earphone jack. Connect to this provision for voice calls. It also has the facility of caller Id. Voice calls rates are also attractive.

The SMS Advantage

It provides two way messaging facility available on both devices. Send messages while you are connected on your voice call or internet mode. It is very useful for being online, and being able to send and receive message.

HAVING THE EDGE

USB modem is a cutting edge technology entering the market. It promises to be a quicker, easier and a better way of connecting to the internet. The technology used in the USB modem is generally EDGE/GSM/GPRS.

The obvious advantage of this is portability that is the net can be accessed from anywhere with the help of just the USB. It is very simple to use as well. All that needs to be done is to simply plug in the USB to access the net. Connecting through this modem offers high speed and accessibility from anywhere being wireless. Thus it offers a perfect marriage of the advantages of LAN and Wi-Fi. In addition there are lesser security concerns than those in WiFi. The major providers of this service include Reliance, Vodafone, Airtel and Tata Indicom. The modems are available for rent or purchase. The pricing too is pretty reasonable considering the advantages it offers.There are various tariff plans available for the customer to choose from.

Another factor to be considered while opting for this service is connectivity. Internet accessibility is restricted to the coverage area of the service provider. Signals recieved should be strong for proper connectivity(similar to cell phone).This will not pose a huge problem as networks cover huge areas nowadays. The speed too may vary according to the number of users, time of the day etc and so is not consistent throughout.

Learn more about the products from the reviews.