For those of you with a 3 dongle

[jelunga]

I unlocked our Vodafone mifi - it seems to get a better signal than our 3 mifi. So I use the 3 sim in that. But 3 is a really flakey connection at our mooring, I wish it was better because Vodafone is so expensive!

I agree. We have a 3 mifi Huey thingy. We always seem to get a good signal strength indicated sometimes 3G and sonetimes HSDPA thing or wgatever. But the speed is absolute crap 90% of the time down to under 100 bps send. Tkme gor a moan again I think. Never will have 3 again.

[Lady Muck]

3 seems to throttle the connection and we're convinced that Vodafone doubles the usage for uploading. So annoying!

[Rich]

Hi Rich,

 

Try EBay search with Huawei E5332 Mifi dongle.

 

 

I think I found the guy, damn good price but I cannot find anywhere to obtain a male FME/female TS9 pigtail to connect it to my antenna.

 

Any polite suggestions welcome. (Now, there's optimism )

[arpeeuk]

I agree. We have a 3 mifi Huey thingy. We always seem to get a good signal strength indicated sometimes 3G and sonetimes HSDPA thing or wgatever. But the speed is absolute crap 90% of the time down to under 100 bps send. Tkme gor a moan again I think. Never will have 3 again.

 

Have you reported this speed to 3? I was having a similar problem and reported it, they. Said they knew they had a problem but it would take a while to fix. About 6-8 weeks later things began to improve and now I get a download speed of 6-9 Mb/s.

 

Rik

[Rusty Shackleford]

I have an Orange Dongle and had really poor speeds on it. The 2G signal was stronger so always chose that over a faster 3G (or 3G+) signal. Since I've changed the settings to 3G only, it's been so much faster.

[ReggieRareBreed]

Cheers Gary,

 

We'll have a go at trying to get that.

 

We have recently changed our Huawei Mi-Fi dongle from the E586 to the E5332 that has a TS9 external antenna connection. The improvement in reception is brilliant now that we've hooked it up to an antenna.

 

Mike

 

Hi Mike,

We have a Three 586 Wi-Fi, is the E5332 that much better?

If so mucka, by how much, as our reception lately has been quite intermittent?

Peace, Love n Laughter Reg

[Doorman]

I think I found the guy, damn good price but I cannot find anywhere to obtain a male FME/female TS9 pigtail to connect it to my antenna.

 

Any polite suggestions welcome. (Now, there's optimism )

 

Hi again,

 

Try one of the electronics on line outlets like RS or Maplins, they might have a solution. Or failing that, simply buy an antenna with a TS9 plug on it. We bought one off EBay for £18 and it works a treat.

 

Mike

 

Hi Mike,

We have a Three 586 Wi-Fi, is the E5332 that much better?

If so mucka, by how much, as our reception lately has been quite intermittent?

Peace, Love n Laughter Reg

 

Hi Reg,

 

Sorry for not replying sooner but I couldn't get a decent signal!

 

Joking of course.

 

We find that the upgrade to the E5332 is worthwhile primarily because of the external antenna socket. The 'dashboard' is superior too. The fact that we can lay the dongle flat on the table next to a socket outlet rather than dangling it as near to the top of a window as possible, to optimise the signal is a big advantage, more discreet too. Although the external aerial is a give away really.

 

Our E586 eventually sold for £37 on EBay and there was a lot of interest, so if you wished to upgrade to the E5332 at a minimal cost then that's the way to go.

 

Mike

Edited February 21, 2013 by Doorman

[bigcol]

I am curently using a e367 dongle with a zte 3 router.

 

but ordered a mifi the new e5151, which is newer than the e5332, and has only just been released

(dont know what the diference is lol)

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00B4AYPLU/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

I also buy my sim cards from ebay 2 x 12gb £65!! a lot cheaper

 

hopefully the mifi will be faster and it comes unlocked

 

col

Edited February 21, 2013 by bigcol

[Doorman]

I am curently using a e367 dongle with a zte 3 router.

 

but ordered a mifi the new e5151, which is newer than the e5332, and has only just been released

(dont know what the diference is lol)

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00B4AYPLU/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

I also buy my sim cards from ebay 2 x 12gb £65!! a lot cheaper

 

hopefully the mifi will be faster and it comes unlocked

 

col

 

Hi Col,

 

this looks identical to the E5332 but has an ethernet port included. Couldn't see any external antenna socket though and this is a must for us.

 

Mike

[bigcol]

Hi Mike

 

serves me right, I thought it being new, it would be better, maybe faster, paid a bit more for it as well.

why would one use a ethernet port anyway? I googled ethenet port afther your post, just as confused.

I thought that be for the arial!

my old dads saying comes to mind

just because its newer model, and more expensive dosent make it better

 

hopefully will find it has a external arial

 

col

Edited February 21, 2013 by bigcol

[Teakbank12]

This ebay item 280959980320

NEW BLACK**UNLOCKED** HUAWEI E5331 21.1 MBPS 3G HSPA MIFI WIFI MODEM - UK SELLER

CHOICE OF FREE UK/EU/USA PLUG + FAST INT TRACKED POST

 

At present i have a 5gb monthly contract (out of contract) Huawei E160G dongle, paying £8-27 p/m.

I rarely use this dongle now, just keep it when we're away from home but don't think it's worth ending the service with it being a good deal that i got when 3 launched the 5gb per month & only costs me £8-27.

Can i take the sim out & put it straight into one of these new MiFi boxes, this would make it easier than plugging my 5m usb extension lead in between the dongle & netbook.

Even if i plug the dongle straight into the netbook i worry about snapping it when it's on my lap.

[Doorman]

 

Can i take the sim out & put it straight into one of these new MiFi boxes, this would make it easier than plugging my 5m usb extension lead in between the dongle & netbook.

Even if i plug the dongle straight into the netbook i worry about snapping it when it's on my lap.

 

I'm no expert in these matters but I believe that you can. We used to have the ordinary 3 Mobile dongle - the type that gets soaking wet when you wrap some polythene around it and place it on the roof of your boat to improve the poor signal - and we simply placed the sim from that into the new Mifi dongle and away it went merrily.

 

Until we bought the external antenna, if a boat passed us by on the cut we would usually lose the signal.

 

No doubt, something of a relief to many on here when it happened at regular intervals!

[Rich]

Hi again,

 

Try one of the electronics on line outlets like RS or Maplins, they might have a solution. Or failing that, simply buy an antenna with a TS9 plug on it. We bought one off EBay for £18 and it works a treat.

 

I looked at everything I could find that was likely and could only come up with a source in China, with a long delivery due to shipping. Then, in one of those blinding flashes of inspiration (gave me a headache), I realised that if I temporarily put it under the cratch when using it, or in a window if suitable, it would beam its signal down to me until the cable arrived. So cable and mifi ordered.

 

Thanks for assistance.

 

Rich

[bottle]

I have an Orange Dongle and had really poor speeds on it. The 2G signal was stronger so always chose that over a faster 3G (or 3G+) signal. Since I've changed the settings to 3G only, it's been so much faster.

 

 

You could also try going to 'manual network selection' wait a few seconds and all networks in your area will show, you will not be able to connect to all of them but if T-Mobile UK is there try selecting that.

 

No extra costs, have checked, did this recently and went from 5 Kbs to 900Kbs.

 

I used this site http://sitefinder.ofcom.org.uk/search (given by another forum member) to check which antenna (Orange or T-mobile) was closest.

[bigcol]

This ebay item 280959980320

NEW BLACK**UNLOCKED** HUAWEI E5331 21.1 MBPS 3G HSPA MIFI WIFI MODEM - UK SELLER

CHOICE OF FREE UK/EU/USA PLUG + FAST INT TRACKED POST

 

At present i have a 5gb monthly contract (out of contract) Huawei E160G dongle, paying £8-27 p/m.

I rarely use this dongle now, just keep it when we're away from home but don't think it's worth ending the service with it being a good deal that i got when 3 launched the 5gb per month & only costs me £8-27.

Can i take the sim out & put it straight into one of these new MiFi boxes, this would make it easier than plugging my 5m usb extension lead in between the dongle & netbook.

Even if i plug the dongle straight into the netbook i worry about snapping it when it's on my lap.

 

Hi there yes you can, in fact thats what im doing. A sim card is simply a sim card

I put the sim card in one of the earlier dongals, then 12 months later just put it in the faster later e367 dongle and as soon as I get my mifi it will be going in there

if you have a 3 sim then it has to go in a 3 or unlocked device

like wise to any other network

all the best

 

 

also have a look at link below, mentioned earlier in post, dont know how they do it but £100 of credit 3 sim card £44 quid !

 

col

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/theitwizard/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=&_trksid=p3686

Edited February 22, 2013 by bigcol

[Teakbank12]

Hi there yes you can, in fact thats what im doing. A sim card is simply a sim card

I put the sim card in one of the earlier dongals, then 12 months later just put it in the faster later e367 dongle and as soon as I get my mifi it will be going in there

if you have a 3 sim then it has to go in a 3 or unlocked device

like wise to any other network

all the best

 

 

also have a look at link below, mentioned earlier in post, dont know how they do it but £100 of credit 3 sim card £44 quid !

 

col

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/theitwizard/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=&_trksid=p3686

 

Many thanks for your feedback, i've just ordered a Unlocked Three Black Huawei E5331 High Speed 3G MiFi 21.1 Mbps HSPA+ MOBILE BROADBAND from Amazon £46-95.

[ditchcrawler]

Hi there yes you can, in fact thats what im doing. A sim card is simply a sim card

I put the sim card in one of the earlier dongals, then 12 months later just put it in the faster later e367 dongle and as soon as I get my mifi it will be going in there

if you have a 3 sim then it has to go in a 3 or unlocked device

like wise to any other network

all the best

 

 

also have a look at link below, mentioned earlier in post, dont know how they do it but £100 of credit 3 sim card £44 quid !

 

col

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/theitwizard/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=&_trksid=p3686

I posted a link the other day on how they do it but now can't find it. Basically they are bought via a cash back company like http://www.quidco.com/ but not them.

[bigcol]

well today got my e5151 3 mifi

 

I have to say this is the first day ever that I havent lossed internet

its a neat thing easy to set up

perched on the window seal and its just grrrrrreat!!!!!

 

compared to my e357 dongle and zte 3 router which use to have download speed of nothing

and the old e367 dongle and 3 router will be up on ebay tomorrow, frightning that under 2 years ago this was a super fast dongle but didnt work for me

 

I done a speed test and got 9.6 on my new mifi

 

and yes it did take my old sim card

maybe lots of you have fastterdownload but for me this is really good and not loosing a signal is just grrrrreeaaattttttttt!!

 

col

Edited February 22, 2013 by bigcol

[bigcol]

hi

 

speedtest done this morning,

 

 

http://www.speedtest.net/result/2528428096.png