3G Modem vs 4G Modem

Posted by on May 9, 2012 Comments Off

First of all, lets clarify what we mean by 4G Modem and 4G Router.

4G Modem

We classify a 4G Modem as a USB device that connects directly to the USB port a a PC to provide 3G  connectivity to the internet for the PC that it is connected to.

4G Router

We call a 4G Router as a router that connects multiple PC’s or devices using wired (Ethernet) and Wireless (WiFi) connections and the 4G technology is embedded inside the router.  There are many manufacturers on non embedded routers with a USB port that you then need to connect a 4G Modem in order to turn the basic router into a 4G Router.  For the purposes of this comparison we will deal with this type of router within the general contect of the report as required.

4G Modem vs 4G Router

A 4G Modem using HSPA+ technology and connected to a HSPA+ Network such as three mobile in the UK will deliver mobile broadband internet speeds in the region of 14mbps.  The fastest download speed we achieved using a 4G Modem (Option ICON 711 21Mbps Modem) was 14.2Mpbs in a good location about 50m away from the mast.  This is great and using a 4G USB modem connected to a PC or Laptop will provide high speed mobile broadband internet connectivity for that single PC.  Of course if you want to share this connection you could connect the USB 4G Modem into the USB port of a router that supports 4G USB Modem connectivity and share your connection.  In doing so this will provide a low cost solution for users that have received their HSPA+ Modem with their SIM card becuase they are only paying for the cost of the additional router which is generally in the £40 – £90 price mark.  However if you need to purchase a 4G USB Modem and a compatible router then the price will rise dramatically.  The typical cost of a 4G USB Modem is around £90 – £120 and when you add the cost of a router then this brings the typical price up to around £140.00

This all sounds like a good solution for the 4G USB Modem and a compatible router to share the connection, however if you are attempting to use your 4G USB modem in a location with a poor network signal then your options are more limited compared to a 4G Router becuase you would probably want to connect a 3G Antenna to your modem to help improve signal reception.  Many 4G Modems do not have an external antenna connection and those that do, will have a small antenna connector, typically TS9 or CRC9 puch in type connectors that require an antenna adapter and any additional in-line adapters will redude the effectiveness of using a high gain 3G external antenna.

This is where using an embedded 4G Router comes into it’s own.  An embedded 4G Router will typically have a robust screw type antenna connector (usually SMA) and will not require an antenna adapter.  an embedded 4G router will also not have compatibility issues with the 4G USB Modem that is sometimes encountered when using a combination of 4G Modem and USB Router.

The biggest advantage of using an embedded 4G Router, especially when it comes to applications that require a reliable connection is the ability of embedded 4G Routers to stay connected to the 4G network.  A USB 4G Modem is typically designed to connect to a single PC or laptop and as such is regularly powered on and off so users might not notice so much the inconvenience of the 4G network provider disconnecting the 4G network connection.  Users of 4G modems installed in the USB port of a router might notice the problem of being disconnected more often becuase they tend to leave the router and USB modem permanently on becuase it is being shared by several users.  Many users of a router and 4G modem combination regularly have to reboot the router to get the 4G modem to reconnect.  In an office or home environment this is probably just a small inconvenience, but when the 4G mobile broadband connection os being used at a remote location for an M2M (Machine to Machine) application such as remote connection to a CCTV DVR over 4G then this can be quite a problem becuase a 200 mile round trip to reboot a router so it will reconnect to the 4G network is very expensive and frustrating.  This is where most 4G embedded routers win hands down becuase the manufacturers recognise the fact that the 4G networks disconnect devices and they build into the router services that will provide a reliable and permanent 4G network connection.  Some of the ways that 4G Router manufacturers provide this is a Ping Reboot feature that pings an IP address on the internet at set intervals and if the router does not receive a response it will assume it has been disconnected from the 4G Network and will automatically reboot and re-establish the 4G network connection.  Some 4G router manufacturers go a step further and will include additional features, for example, the Zalip CDG561WE 21Mbps Router includes the ability for the owner to send an SMS message to reboot the router, providing an extra layer of functionality to ensure peace of mind for companies that want a high speed, reliable 4G router for their remote access and monitoring application.

3G Modem / 4G Modem Disconnection Issues

Posted by on May 9, 2012 Comments Off

Many users of 3G modems and 4G modems complain that when they leave their modem plugged into their PC or laptop and come back after a while, the 3G internet connection has been dropped.  This problem is even more common when users have plugged their 3G modem / 4G modem into the USB port of a router that supports USB modem connection to share internet access between several computers.  In this scenario the 3G / 4G USB Modem is never disconnected from the router or powered down and users notice that when they try to use the mobile broadband connection the next day it has become disconnected and they have to reboot or power cycle the router to get the mobile broadband connection working again.

Why does this 3G / 4G internet disconnection happen?

Many mobile broadband internet service providers use an idle disconnect feature. If there is no internet activity from user side for particular time period, the ISP auto disconnects that user modem and the only way to get the modem to reconnect is to unplug it from your PC/Laptop or 3G Router and plug it in again to re-establish the connection.

What is the solution to 3G / 4G modem internet disconnection?

If you use the 3G or 4G modem in your laptop or PC then it is simply a case of unplugging the modem and plugging it back in.

If you use the 3G / 4G Modem in a 3G / 4G Router then you could connect the router to a timer plug that turns off the power to the router every evening for example.  This way at least the modem gets disconnected for a period of time and when the router is powered back on it will re-establish the connection and hopefully remain active until you are ready to use it.

For both of the above types of connection you could also run some sort of streaming application to permanently keep traffic frowing from the mobile broadband network, but the downside to this is that it will be using up your bandwidth allowance.

If you use your 3G / 4G Modem in a router then you could also consider upgrading to an embedded 3G / 4G Router that you insert the SIM card directly into and the 3G / 4G technology is inside the router.  The reason that we suggest this embedded 4G router solution is that many 4G Router manufacturers are aware of this 3G and 4G mobile broadband idle disconnection problem and have built-in keep alive features into their routers to ensure that they stay connected.  Many embedded 3G Routers and 4G routers are used for remote connectivity for applications such as CCTV over 3G and Machine to Machine solutions so central control centres need to be confident that the equipment at the remote end has not been disconnected by the 3G or 4G network.  A common feature included in many of these 3G and 4G routers is called PING REBOOT.  This ping reboot feature sends a ping to an ip address on the internet at set time intervals, maybe every 3, 5 or 10 minutes and if it does not receive a response the router will assume that the mobile network has disconnected and will then automatically reboot the router and therefore re-establish a connection.

3G routers that inlcude this ping reboot feature include the Teltonika RUT105, Telecom FM Dataroute Voice, Zalip CDG561WE and the Geneko GWR352.  All of these 3G routers will provide a reliable 3G mobile broadband connection.  The Geneko GWR352 also features a second SIM card slot so you can insert a second SIM card from a different network providing extra resilience for critical applications.  This type of Dual SIM Router is increasingly being used by businesses who are integrating 3G mobile broadband connectivity into their long term connectivity plan.

4G Modem and WiFi Hotspot from Option – XYfi 4G Modem 14.4Mbps – Smallest Wireless Hotspot

Posted by on May 9, 2012 Comments Off

The XYfi 4G Modem from Option is due to launch in Europe in March / April 2012.  The XYfi 4G Modem looks like a normal USB 4G Modem but features a built-in WiFi Hotspot so that the high speed 4G mobile broadband connection can be shared between multiple users.

 

The XYfi 4G Modem is a HSPA+ Modem that offers download speeds up to 14.4Mbps and can also connect to existing WiFi networks and create a Wireless Hotspot for up to 8 users.  The ability to use other WiFi hotspots for broadband connection and failover to 3G/4G mobile broadband services makes this a great all rounder for mobile internet users who want a simple way to connect their wireless devices to the best available mobile broadband service.  The Option iCON XYfi 4G Modem is sure to be a winner in the 4G Travel Router Marketplace in the coming years.

The Option iCON XYfi 4G Modem also features a TS9 Antenna Connector so that you can use an external 3G Antenna to help improve your signal reception in poorer signal areas.

CRC9 Antenna Adapter

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Do you want to improve the signal reception of your 4G Modem?

Many 4G Modems, wifi wireless hotspots and travel routers have an external antenna adapter that enables you to connect a 3G antenna or 4g antenna.

The most common antenna connector found on many 4G modem and 4G USB modem sticks is the CRC9 connection.  You can either purchase a CRC9 Antenna or purchase a CRC9 Adapter which will provide an SMA Antenna connection so you have a wider choice of antenna to use.

HSPA+ Modem – Option iCON 711 21Mbps USB 4G Modem

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The iCON 711 is a HSPA+ Modem that offers up to 21Mbps download speeds and 5.76Mbps upload speed.

 

HSPA+ USB Modem – High Performance Wireless Broadband – High speed (21.1 Mbps)** – External Antenna Connector – Micro-SD card slot for data storage – Zero-CD Plug ‘n Play technology – Option’s uCAN® Connect Option ICON 711 – Specifications 3G (WCDMA) – Dual band: 900/2100 MHz – Diversity on 900/2100 MHz band – Release 7 compliant – HSUPA 5.76 Mbps (Category 6) – HSDPA 21.1 Mbps (Category 14)** – UE Power Class 3 Terminal Equipment Interfaces – USB 2.0 High speed (1.1 compatible) – Drivers: Windows® XP SP3 32-bit, Windows® XP SP2 64-bit, Windows Vista® 32 & 64-bit, Windows® 7, Mac OS® (version 10.4 or later,Intel-based laptops only) E-GPRS – 850/900/1800/1900 MHz – GSM Power Class 4 (2W) for 850/900 bands – GSM Power Class 1 (1W) for 1800/1900 bands – EDGE/GPRS air interface – 3GPP Rel99 with selected Rel4 features – EDGE 8PSK class E2 – GPRS/EGPRS Multislot Class 12 – GPRS/EDGE Class B Type 1 MT – EDGE data throughput (peak): 247Kbps – EDGE data throughput (average): 200Kbps uplink and 215Kbps downlink Hardware – Multicolor LED – Size: 88.5 x 26.8 x 11,6 mm – 30g* – SIM-ME interface as specified in 3GPP – External Antenna (MIMO) Connector (TS9) – Micro-SD Card reader for files and media storage Environmental – Operating Temperature: 0ºC to +40ºC – RoHS Compliant ** Subject to HSPA+ Network Availability

LM021 4G Modem from LM Technologies Turns Your Laptop Into a 4G WiFi Hotspot

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The LM Technologies LM021 is die for launch in the UK in April 2012.  The LM021 is a HSPA+ USB 4G Modem that will be supplied with new Connection Manager software that will turn your computer or laptop into a WiFi Hotspot so your can share your 4G Modem connection with 5 other users.

The LM021 has a maximum download speed up to 21Mbps and maximum upload speed of up to 5.76 Mbps upload speed.  The LM021 will also feature a CRC9 antenna port so that an external 4G booster antenna can be connected to help with 4G signal reception and improve speed and reliability.

 

LM021 Features

  • Unlocked High Speed Mobile Broadband Modem
  • CRC9 port for external antenna usage – upto 25% signal boost with the LM256
  • Quad-Band Class 12 GSM / GPRS / EDGE Wireless Mobile Broadband Modem
  • High Speed Download – up to 21.6 Mbps and High Speed Upload up to 5.76 Mbps
  • Supports – GSM bands 850Mhz / 900Mhz / 1800Mhz / 1900MHz
  • Supports – HSUPA UMTS bands 2100MHz   – 3GPP TS 27.005 / 3GPP TS 27.007 supported
  • Full USB v2.0 compatible device
  • Micro SD Card Slot (16 GB max)
  • Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7, and Mac OS 10.4.9 -10.6

The LM Technologies LM021 will also feature the new connection manager software to turn your USB 4G Modem and PC / Laptop into a wireless hotspot to share your high speed 4G mobile broadband connection.

ZTE MF60 4G Modem

Posted by on May 9, 2012 No comments

The ZTE MF60 is a brand new 4G Modem offering super fast 21Mbps download speeds when used with a HSPA+ high speed mobile broadband SIM card.

The ZTE MF60 Wireless Hotspot Router creates a WiFi network to enable the connection of multiple PC’s, mobile phones or tablets such as the iPad to share the high speed mobile broadband service.  using the latest HSPA+ network technology the ZTE MF60 MiFi unit can provide download speeds up to 21Mbps.

The ZTE MF60 has a 4 hour battery life and is easily recharged using a standard USB cable.