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Review of Virgin Mobile Broadband2Go USB Modem

Kristofer Brozio — Mon, 17 May 2010 15:01:52 +0000

I’ve taken a look at a few cell phones lately from Verizon and AT&T, today we have a new company joining us which is Virgin Mobile, but it’s not a cell phone, though it does use their services.

Today for review I’ve got the Virgin Mobile Broadband2Go USB Modem that works on the Virgin Mobile wireless network offering you the ability to stay connected quickly and easily by just plugging in what resembles USB thumbdrive into you laptop or netbook. It’s very simple to use, it’s plug and play really, and the Modem doubles as a microSD card reader so you can transport data with you or even read the card from you phone. The speeds I got are decent, but not blazingly fast, then again I’m accustomed to 20/30 FIOS, so pretty much everything seems slow to me, but they’re what you’d expect from a wireless cell phone provider in terms of speed. So read on to learn more..

So it comes in a box, and inside that box is another plastic box.

Inside that plastic box you’ll find a lanyard and the USB modem itself. it looks just like a UBS thumbdrive, maybe a little bit bigger than average though, but not much.

I should note also that on the back you’ll find a microSD slot, so you can pop a card in there and use it for extra storage as well, or actually as a USB drive or microSD card reader basically.

Specifications:

Broadband2Go

It’s 3G Nationwide Wireless Internet Without A Contract

Get 3G web access from your laptop. Just connect a Broadband2Go device, choose a plan, and you’re good to go.

GREAT NEW BROADBAND2GO RATES: Most plans now include even more MBs for no extra cost.

-Connect without Wi-Fi or hotspots
-Pay As You Go with no monthly bills
-Use cash (Top-Up), credit, or debit
-Plans start at just $10

Key Features:
-Plug and play with automatic installation
-Built-in usage meter lets you know how many megabytes you have left in your Broadband2Go Plan
-”EVDO REV A” technology for fast transfers
-Doubles as a flash drive with microSDTM reader (microSD card sold separately)

What’s Included:
-Broadband2Go USB Device (Ovation MC760 by Novatel Wireless)
-Quick Start Guide
-Preloaded Novatel Wireless Software & User Guide
-Lanyard

Pricing & Service Details
Virgin Mobile USA’s customers have access to broadband service on the Nationwide Sprint Network reaching more than 280 million people. Customers also have access to high speed broadband service with average downlink data speeds between 600 and 1400 Kbps. High speed broadband service not available in all areas.

Data usage per activity is based on an average. Bandwidth varies by website, video, email and other Internet applications.

Price: $99.99

The Broadband2Go USB modem is just like a USB thumbdrive, plug it in and you’re ready to go really. You will of course have to install the software that’s already on it to access the Virgin Mobile network, but that takes only a minute of so.

I used this with my Acer Aspire One D250 netbook running Windows 7 and I had no issues with the installation of it.

The interface is a small box that appears on your screen and gives you signal strength, along with connected time and data used and there’s a Connect/Disconnect button as well.

There are also some other options that you can select from the drop down menus.

When you first start up your browser you’ll be taken to your account page where you can see how much data you have and information about your plan with options to renew of course.

As far as speeds go, to me it seemed slow, but I’m accustomed to 20/30 FIOS, and wireless G as well on there. Obviously 3G speeds are slower, so it’s going to feel slower to me.

I went to SpeedTest.net and DSLReports.com with both FireFox and internet Explorer. The reason I use both browsers is because I’ve come to realize that they both report different speeds for almost the same distances.

Here’s FireFox:

..and here’s Internet Explorer results:

As you can see for the DSLResports test there’s quite a big difference in the browsers. On SpeedTest.net though we have similar upload speeds but the download speed vary quite a bit, almost halved..

Here’s the rates for this service:

Now at first I was thinking that it’s a bit expensive, but then I started browsing a bit, for over an hour actually and found I didn’t even really use that much of the 300mb I was allotted for this review. I honestly didn’t think that 300mb was going to really give me the 15 hours of web browsing that it claimed to. I used about 30mb in an hour just browsing around sites like Digg, Engadget, TestFreaks and many other sites and I was surprised when I checked the balance. Granted some of these sites I visited were picture heavy, but most sites are these days.

If you add it up and I averaged close to 30mb per hour, that gives us about 10 hours of browsing which is close to what’s stated, sort of. Of course it all depends what kind of browsing you do as to how much data you’ll use for any given time period, so I think in the end it might all average out to very close to 15 hours of web browsing as stated. I can’t exactly test the whole 25,000 emails statement, but I think it’s fair to say that’s more than enough email for anyone. As far as video, that 300mb supposedly gives you one hour of video and that isn’t worth it at all, personally I wouldn’t waste the broadband time on watching videos. 300Mb costs $20, which means essentially you’re paying $20 for one hour of videos, that’s not even enough for a full movie. It’s truly not worthwhile to use this service for watching videos, at least I personally wouldn’t use something like this in that way…

It’s not bad, but the speeds vary, and the signal strength does too. It was fairly clear and sunny day when I tested the Broadband2Go modem so there shouldn’t have been any interference. According to the map for the Pittsburgh Are where I am I should have very good coverage through Virgin Mobile.

Here’s both coverage maps, regular and high speed for my area:

According to the maps I should have very good speeds and signal strength, and for the most part speeds and signals were good, but as I said they varied at time.

If you looked closely at the screen shots of the interface you may have noticed one said that I was on EVDO and the other said I was using 1RXTT, which means I went from 3G to 2G or 2.5G essentially somewhere along the way.. What I’m trying to say is that it switched yes, but I didn’t even notice the difference at all until I actually looked at it and saw I was not on EVDO.

One small complaint I could have about this product is that the data comes in 30day or 10day allotments and whatever you don’t use won’t roll-over so you’ll lose it. From what I read if you buy more before you use what you have you’ll lose them as well, so if you have a few MBs left when you refill you lose them and they’re not added to the total, and the cycle begins anew.

Conclusion:

The Virgin Mobile Brandband2Go USB Modem is not a bad choice if you need internet access on the go, it’s simple and easy to use and seems to offer decent speeds overall. The speeds are comparable to those you’d get on your phone, but you’ll be able to use your laptop or netbook and have a nice big screen. What’s nice is that it’s not a contract, you’re not stuck paying a monthly bill, and you can use it whenever you need to basically after you buy it.

It’s great for just browsing the web and email, but I wouldn’t use it for watching videos as there it becomes quite costly.

I had no issues with connectivity, in a few seconds I was online and browsing the web and I never lost connection either.

I don’t like the fact that there is no roll over and the fact that if you refill before you run out you’ll lose your remaining minutes. That just doesn’t sit right with me at all. Personally I would want to refill before I ran out, but if you do that you’ll lose money essentially…

Pros:
+Easy usage and installation
+Small and portable
+Includes microSD slot for storage / card reader
+Worthwhile for email and web browsing

Cons:
-Speeds and signal can vary
-Cost for video use is expensive

Grades:
Overall
Design
Performance

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Review of Virgin Mobile Broadband2Go USB Modem is a post from: Testfreaks | The Blog

Wi-Fire Wi-Fi Adapter

Kristofer Brozio — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 14:11:15 +0000

Wireless networks are everywhere these days, they’ve pretty much become the standard for easy internet access, but they’re still limited range. The built-in adapters of our netbooks and laptops sometimes just can’t get the job done, especially if you’re in an area with limited access points, so we sometimes we need a way to extend our range. Sure, we’ve finally got 801.11n officially, but it’s still not widely in use, so we’re stuck with ‘g’ for now as the standard and that’s what we’ve got to work with.

The product I’ve got for review today claims to extend your wireless range by up to 1000 Feet, if true it could be a very valuable tool for many people. The product is called the Wi-Fire, it consists of a wedge shaped directional antenna that connects to your PC via the USB port. It includes software to help you get connected and it’s also compatible with Windows, Linux and Mac right out of the box.

The Wi-Fire comes in a brightly colored box, with a bit of information on it:

Opening it up we find the Wi-Fire itself, software/drive CD, USB cable and user manual.

The Wi-Fire consists of a rather large wedge shape antenna on a base that can attach to the top of the display on your laptop or netbook.

The Wi-Fire connected to your computer via a USB port that is located on the bottom of it.

To give you an idea of the size of the Wi-Fire, here’s a picture of it with a standard 3.5” hard drive:

Specifications:

Wi-Fire

How It Works
The Wi-Fire uses a powerful directional antenna, highly sensitive receiver and proprietary software to find and enhance normal WiFi signals.

With it, you can connect wirelessly to the Internet faster and with a stronger signal than an internal wireless adapter can achieve.

Technical Specifications:

Wireless Specifications:
* Average Maximum Power (EIRP): 27+ dBm
* Minimum Receive Power: -96 dBm
* IEEE 802.11 b/g protocols
* Frequency Range: 2.421 Ghz–2.4835 Ghz
* Security: WEP, WPA, WPAPSK, WPA2, WPA2PSK
* Media Access Control: CSMA/CA with ACK
* Certification: FCC, IC, CE (CE only when so labeled)
* Channels:
–North America –11 channels
–Rest of World–13 channels

Operating Systems Supported:
* Windows XP and Vista
* Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) and 10.5 (Leopard)
* Linux (with kernel 2.6.24 and forward)

Physical Specifications:
* 2.8 ounces (80g)
* 4 x 0.55 (average) x 2.25 inches (102 x 14 (average) x 57 mm)
* USB 2.0
* 5V DC (from USB port)

Package Contents:
* Wi-Fire Wireless Adapter with Universal Mount Attached
* USB 2.0 Cable (about 4 feet or 120 cm)
* Quick Setup Guide
* Wi-Fire Connection Manager CD (including drivers)
* License and Limited Warranty

Price: $59.00

Installation is easy, just attach to your monitor, plug it into an available USB port and then install the software.

I did run into a small problem with the Wi-Fire, it wouldn’t stay on my netbook, apparently the monitor is just to thin for it to get a good grip on it. I really had to stay perfectly still of the Wi-Fire would just fall off. That’s fine if you’ve got it sitting on a desk, but if you’ve got it balanced on your lap, every time you move you’ll need to readjust the Wi-Fire when you move.

Connecting to a network is done with the included software, it’s very easy to use. The software will scan for networks, then you just need to select one and connect to it.

When I was connected to my home network I was thinking the Wi-Fire would boost the signal, but even 15 feet away from my router I got 98% signal strength. Yes that’s very good, but I was expecting 100%. I’m not saying this in a bad way though, so don’t take it like that please, it’s more of just an observation and my expectations.

The Wi-Fire is made to extend the range so to test that you’ve got to move away from the source and that’s what I did. I live on a hill, so it’s rather hard to get line of sight with my router, and that’s really what you need to get a good signal. I first tried using the built-in wireless of my netbook, then I used the Wi-Fire to see how much of a difference there was, and yes there is a huge difference in signal quality and strength. I could easily get much farther from my router than I could with the built-in adapter.

Don’t expect a signal boost through walls etc, that’s not going to happen, it’s not the fault of the Wi-Fire, it’s just that Wi-Fi signals don’t transmit well though solid objects. Again, you’ll need to make sure the Wi-Fire is pointed at the source of the Wi-Fi connection to get the best quality signal.

Conclusion:
If you’re looking for an easy way to extend your range then you can’t go wrong with the Wi-Fire, it really does work. When you plug it in you might find that you’ve got more access points listed.

The Wi-Fire can easily give you multiple choices for connecting to the internet, but that doesn’t mean you should illegally access them, make sure you’ve got permission please…

It is line of sight, so you’ll need to adjust the adapter to be pointing at the source to get the best signal quality or strength, but that’s easy to do, just turn it a little.

The Wi-Fire is rather large and bulky, you’ll have it hanging off of your monitor looking kind of odd. On my netbook the Wi-Fire didn’t attach very well, I found that if I moved around just a little it would fall off, so depending on the thickness of your screen you may have the same problem.

Pros:
+Works on multiple operating systems
+Easy installation
+Really does extend range

Cons:
-Large
-Doesn’t stay in place well on thin screen

Grades:
Overall
Design
Performance

Wi-Fire Wi-Fi Adapter is a post from: Testfreaks | The Blog

InternetVue 2020 Wireless PC2TV Receiver

Kristofer Brozio — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 04:00:27 +0000

HTPCs or Home Theater Personal Computers are a great things, they allow us to use the big screens of our televisions for everything we can do on a computer, and as the name suggests specifically they allow us to create a theater experience with a PC. Creating and owning an HTPC of course requires building another computer, which means more expenses including the electric to run it. What if there was an easier way to get the PC experience on your TV?

Today for review I’ve got the InternetVue 2020 Wireless PC2TV Receiver, it’s an interesting little box that looks just like a wireless router, but it has a more specific job, which is to receive whatever is on your PC and play it on your television wirelessly. The InternetVue 2020 virtually eliminates the need for an HTPC in the home as your regular PC becomes the HTPC, no matter where it is in the house. As the name suggests you can also hook the InternetVue 2020 directly to the internet and enjoy streaming videos and more though the built in browser without having to even turn on your computer.

Included with the InternetVue 2020 is a remote control as well that will allow you to control your PC through it, so it really is just like having an HTPC, but without the need for a whole other computer in your living room. The InternetVue 202o is small and discrete, so it can be placed out of the way and out of view but yet you still have full access to it’s features.

So continue on to check out this great little gadget…

Of course first thing for you to see is the video unboxing of the InternetVue 2020:

Specifications:

InternetVue 2020 Wireless PC2TV Receiver
(P/N:IV-2020-RC)
Features:
Send computer video wirelessly to TV, monitors, projectors, or other video displays
Connects to the component or composite port of the TV or display
Plug-and-play installation with driver installed from CD
IV-2020-RC includes IR remote control for mouse pointer movement, mouse button clicking, basic text entry, and other keyboard functions
Compatible with Intel-based Macs (requires installation of Apple Boot Camp and Windows XP)

Supported Video:
Duplication mode (mirrors the computer’s screen)
Extended mode (Windows XP and 2000 only)
Up to 720p in Photo Mode
Up to 480p in Video Mode
Up to 30 fps frame rate in Video Mode
Up to 24-bit color depth
Up to 75Hz frequency

Contents:
-IR remote control (IV-2020-RC only)
-1 set of component video outputs
-1 composite video output (NTSC and PAL)
-1 3.5mm stereo audio output
-1 Ethernet (RJ45) socket
-Component Video cables, audio cable, and Ethernet cable included
Price: $234.99

Installation is fairly easy, but I really wasn’t paying attention to this device and what it could do, I was thinking that I could hook it to my network wirelessly and stream from my PC to it, but that’s not quite how it works. You’ll need to have a wireless enabled computer to link to the InternetVue 2020 or you’ll have to use an ethernet cable to connect PC to box. Luckily I had a wireless USB dongle that I used for the connection so I didn’t have to run any wires.

So the InternetVue 2020 really has two parts to its wireless connection, one to the PC and one to your wireless router to be able to access the internet. So obviously you’ll have to have both of these things to make this product work with all of its features. On the other end of the connection you have your audio and video outputs which are just like any other AV device, just hook them up to your TV and you’re ready to go.

Included with the main program is a media player as well that can be used specifically to play videos on your TV, it has a feature that will output the video to the TV and you can still work with your computer without the video playing on it.

The main interface has several options on it, but most are mainly for information purposes, it tells you what kind of TV your connected to, how it’s connected, the network settings and you can adjust the quality settings as well.

So after you’ve got it installed your desktop will appear on your TV and you can navigate using the remote control. The remote has a pad on it with which to control the cursor, and it’s not the greatest, there’s quite a bit of lag, but it works.. There are two mouse buttons, left click, right click, located top right and top left of the control pad. On the remote you’ve also got basic multimedia functions as well, play, stop, pause, FF and RW, along with page up/page down, a globe to signify the world wide web, along with a few other buttons specific to multimedia uses.

I found the included media player to work well, it’s very basic, but as I mentioned it can send the video/audio only to your TV while leaving the PC free for you to do whatever else you need to do. So someone can be watching a movie while you’re working and you won’t be bothered by them or them by you, I happen to like this little feature quite a bit and think it’s very useful.

There’s really not that much to this product, it takes whatever is on your PC and sends it to your TV, plain and simple and it works. of course you’ll have to have a wireless enabled PC to do this or you’ll be running ethernet wires all around your house. With the popularity of HTPCs on the rise, this little box might make them obsolete before they’ve really got a chance to take a hold in the market.

Of course if you enable the internet access on the InternetVue 2020 you can use the included browser to browse the web, it works for basic browsing where you can point and click, but don’t expect to use it for email or any such thing where typing is involved.

Conclusion:
The InternetVue 2020 is a great little product that will allow you to send whatever is on your PC to your television wirelessly, so you have no need for a separate home theater computer really.

The InternetVue 2020 works and it works well, it’s easy to setup, and easy to use, the included remote makes life much easier as well.

The price is a bit high though, coming in at well over $200, I’m not sure if it’s quite worth that much money for the convenience it gives the user, and considering most desktops are not wireless, you’ll end up spending more for another piece of hardware as well. If you buy the USB wireless dongle from AddLogix for $35, then your total price will be very close, if not over $300 shipped for the InternetVue 2020.

Then again if all you’ve got is a laptop then you’ll be set…

Pros:
Small and discrete
Easy to use
Wirelessly transmit everything to TV
Works great

Cons:
Must have wireless enabled PC or you have to use ethernet cable
Remote isn’t the greatest for PC cursor control, quite a bit of lag
Expensive

Grades:
Overall
Design
Performance

InternetVue 2020 Wireless PC2TV Receiver is a post from: Testfreaks | The Blog