Vodafone Mobile Connect & T-Mobile USB Stick III 7.2Mbit/s mobile broadband modems

It’s only been a couple of weeks since we last looked at mobile broadband deals , but a few providers have already changed their tariffs in the meantime. O2 has finally introduced two consumer-friendly deals (more details in the original feature), and both Vodafone and T-Mobile have rolled out new modems in readiness for their 7.2Mbit/s HSDPA services. So, we’ve taken a look at both.

The tariffs may differ, but both Vodafone and T-Mobile use the same Huawei HSDPA USB Stick modem, albeit in different liveries. It’s a little chunkier than a typical USB flash drive, but still highly pocketable.

Both the Vodafone Mobile Connect and T-Mobile Web ‘n’ Walk Stick III put the SIM card in a slot just above the USB plug. It clips securely in place, but its placement also means that it can’t pop out when the cap is on, or the modem plugged into a USB port. The Vodafone modem’s cap is also tethered to the modem by a short length of string – a neat touch that should stop the cap from getting lost.

Installation of both modems is both quick and easy – the drivers are stored in on-board flash memory and installation begins as soon as the modem is plugged in. MacOS X 10.3.X drivers are included for both modems too, and both even come with a USB extender cable so that they can be plugged into the Apple MacBook Air’s fiddly USB port.

Software installed, both modems then automatically trigger the mobile connection application when they’re plugged in. Vodafone's application, Mobile Connect Lite, is pretty lightweight and it just provides a thumbnail view of key bits of information.

The main window shows only data use for that particular online session, but there is a separate usage screen that shows a cumulative total. Vodafone’s mobile broadband tariff’s all have a 3Gb monthly limit, but you’ll need to manually configure the Vodafone Mobile Connect Lite application to reflect this.

Unfortunately, the cumulative data figure is reset when the application exits (which happens whenever the modem is disconnected), so there’s no easy to monitor data usage. This is a particular problem with Vodafone as not only is its excess use charge is £15 per gigabyte, but it also bills by the byte – so you’ll pay £15 even if you download just one extra byte at 23:59:59 on the last day of the month.

T-Mobile’s Web ‘n’ Walk Stick Manager is rather more comprehensive in its data monitoring and while it lacks an option to warn when you approach a certain download amount (not much of an issue, since T-Mobile doesn’t charge for excess data), it does remember figures between sessions.

In theory, HSDPA networks are capable of delivering download speeds of anything up to 7.2Mbit/s, but it should come as no surprise to learn that all manner of factors can adversely affect this theoretical maximum. In fact, a better way of thinking about mobile broadband speeds is that the higher the figure quoted by the provider in their marketing materials, the less likely you are to achieve it.

T-Mobile wisely sticks to “high speed internet” for the USB Stick III and makes no mention of an actual download speed – though you might be led to expect 7.2Mbit/s by its use of “HSDPA” on the modem’s information page. In reality, T-Mobile’s 7.2Mbit/s network won’t be up and running until June at the earliest and when pressed, it stated that 3.6Mbit/s would be the best users could expect until then – though this figure isn’t  mentioned anywhere online.

Vodafone, on the other hand, boldly states that its mobile broadband network offers “up to 7.2Mbit/s" download speeds – as long as you’re in one of the few areas the network currently covers. Otherwise, you’re stuck with 1.8Mbit/s.

We tested the Vodafone Mobile Connect and T-Mobile Web ‘n’ Walk USB Stick III by plugging them into a laptop as we sat on the roof of the Mobile Computer offices – a six-floor building in central London, in the shadow of the BT Tower. According to the providers’ respective coverage maps, this area was covered by both Vodafone and T-Mobile’s high-speed data networks.

The T-Mobile modem locked onto the HSDPA network immediately and maintained a strong signal throughout our tests. Vodafone, on the other hand, hovered around the 50% mark and flickered between “3G” and “3G+”.

Not that this made much difference to each modem’s performance, however, and it’s fair to say that both failed to live up to the claims of their respective providers. All tests were performed using Dan Elwell's Broadband Speed Test software.

The Vodafone Mobile Connect fared particularly badly, with an average download speed of 400Kbit/s – just 6% of the speed Vodafone claims its network is capable of. A stronger, more consistent signal would obviously help here, but we were hard-pressed to find a better spot in a heavily built-up area than a high rooftop.

T-Mobile fared better with an average of 714Kbit/s, but that’s still only 20% of its claimed 3.6Mbit/s network maximum.

Upload speeds were better for both, though. HSDPA offers ‘up to’ 384Kbit/s uploads – Vodafone managed 284Kbit/s (69%), T-Mobile 253Kbit/s (66%).

Ping times – the time it takes for a web server to respond to a request for data – were much slower than you’d get with a Wi-Fi connection, though that’s hardly a surprise. The T-Mobile modem was a little snappier in its responses, but if you’re interested in online gaming via mobile broadband, either modem should suffice as long as you have a strong signal and stick to UK-based game servers.

In conclusion

So, given that neither modem performs anywhere the maximum claimed by their respective manufacturers, is 7.2Mbit/s mobile broadband a scam? Well, both providers have a get-out clause for poor performance with the words “up to” when it comes to maximum download speeds, but even so, Vodafone’s 402Kbit/s is pretty pathetic for a 7.2Mbit/s network.

Of course fast download speeds are obviously only useful when you’re downloading large files and given the penalties for excess data use, that’s something that's ill-suited to mobile broadband. When browsing the web, on other hand, blisteringly quick broadband isn’t much of an asset and all things being equal, it just means a web page may open a few seconds faster.

Vodafone charges £15 a month for its 7.2Mbit/s service and the modem costs either £40 or £80, depending on whether you sign up for a 24 month or 18 month contract. There’s a 3Gb monthly download limit and as we mentioned, download anything between one byte and one gigabyte above this and you’re charged another £15.

T-Mobile’s tariffs range from £15 to £44 a month, depending on the length of contract and notional download limit (3Gb or 10Gb), while the modem costs anything between nothing and £20.

Since it has the edge in performance and offers better value tariffs, T-Mobile clearly comes out on top here, but neither provider can be recommended for a 7.2Mbit/s deal at the moment. In fact "7.2Mbit/s" seems to be more about marketing than technical reality, so you’re better off sticking with a slower tariff until the networks get their acts together.

Out of curiosity, we tested 3’s old 1.8Mbit/s mobile broadband modem under the same conditions and guess what? Despite using a slower HSPDA network, it gave an average download speed of 808Kbit/s – faster than the two “faster” networks (though still only 45% of the theoretical maximum). Upload speeds were much worse at 58Kbit/s mind, and ping times rather sluggish (299ms for UK servers), but for web browsing and email, who cares? 3’s cheapest mobile broadband tariff is £10 a month with a 1Gb download limit, making it the best deal for mobile web browsing and email.You can see these results on the charts above.

So, the advice for now is not to be tempted by 7.2Mbit/s mobile broadband until the networks have demonstrably improved. Stick with a slower modem and a cheaper tariff in the meantime and you won’t be missing a thing..

Vodafone Mobile Connect USB Stick

T-Mobile Web 'n' Walk USB Stick III