Should I buy a USB HSDPA modem?

Maybe?

The below comes from my own experience of the "three" option of USB modem and that of my colleague.

I have had no problems at all, not once have I plugged it in and found that it didn't work. I have had decent speeds and always found it simple to use, both with mac and pc laptops and even on my pc desktop when my "proper" broadband was down.

However, my colleague has had some real problems with his very similar but not identical modem. We went for a pitch meeting in Central London and found that the unit would connect fine but were sorely disappointed by the speed. So much so that we ended up using our emergency CAT5 cable and stealing internet from the client. Very embaressing.

For those interested we still won the pitch, perhaps more by luck than judgement! The only other thing I would say is that even though 'three' are one of the cheapest, I really wouldn't advise going with them purely for their customer service which is at best poor and worst non-existent. Although my experience is good from what I have read since my early-adoption of the technology it seems to be the case that the service is patchy at best and although it will generally always be better than a 56k modem. Perhaps it might be worth holding on and seeing if the service settles down and one provider emerges with a reputation for a reliable service.

Hope this helps!

Checklist

USB modem's are an excellent next generation move from classic PCMCIA or ExpressCard datacard's however:

Ensure any specific locations you require coverage are checked before taking out a contract, providers do not guarantee coverage

Just because the area has coverage does not guarantee service... 3G coverage is susceptible to shrinkage additionally busy hours can result in loss of service or degradation due to congestion. 3G is not an always on technology!

USB devices that control or initiate network connections can be very hard to configure in rare cases, anti-virus or specific hardware issue can be a bugger... these things are not fault free!

3G is fine and so is HSDPA. However try and acquire a HSUPA device to achieve increased upload speeds when released (1.8Mbps HSUPA will be arriving soon on Vodafone UK). Wikipedia or similar has info on HSDPA/HSUPA

Dominic:

Your reported speeds of 4.2Mbps down and 40Kbps up sounds like a 7.2Mbps device. Most 7.2Mbps sites generally peak down speeds about 5Mb and the 40K up will just be 3G as HSDPA only provides downlink. Although I’m not sure if Three are using 3.2Mbps or higher currently so can’t confirm.

watch that battery!

Watch that battery usage! If your laptop's battery life is of a concern to you, a mobile phone that supports HSDPA will have its own battery, which will allow you to work longer on the move.

Get one that can be charged over USB and it'll still work if you forget to charge the phone - plus you have a spare phone to use. :)

Train

Just to echo the point that it's worth checking coverage where you plan to use it first. Most trains lack the coverage while moving!

Voda

I have the latest Vodafone one, the one that resembles a Flash drive and it's fantastic.... incredibly fast, £15 a month for 5Gb transfer and i've yet to find an area where coverage is anything but 3G

I've not tried the "3" ones but if the modem service is anything like their phones i'd personally steer clear.

O2 i'd avoid like nobody's business, they may be improving their 3G network in view of the new iPhone, but as it is at the moment is way behind the others.