Mobile internet at home or on the move (O2 USB Modem E160)

Member Name: sandemp

Product:	O2 USB Modem E160
Date:	15/07/09 (282 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Easy to install . Broadband without a phone line

Disadvantages: Connection speed dependent on O2 signal strength

Due to circumstances beyond my control I was unable to persuade BT to supply me with a standard home phone line and am unable to receive any form of broadband through the 'Pay & Call' line that they would allow, but I still wanted to be able to access the internet. So I spent a little while looking through my options and decided that Pay As You Go mobile broadband through O2 was the best solution. In order to access the mobile broadband I had to purchase a suitable modem and this, the E160 was on sale in Phones 4 U at a pretty reasonable price of £24.99 (it's also available free on the pay monthly option).
For under £25 I received a fairly small box containing the modem itself, a USB lead, quick start guide, terms and conditions and SIM card. I was surprised that there was no driver disc or user manual but soon discovered that both are on the actual modem and that drivers are automatically installed as soon as the modem is plugged into the computer's USB port. But I'm getting ahead of myself, the instructions in the quick start guide were easy to follow, and the only preparation needed was to fit the SIM card into the modem which was a little fiddly, but no harder than it would have been to place it in a phone. As soon as the SIM was in place all that was needed was to plug the modem into the USB port and the drivers and O2 connection manager were installed automatically. Installation took a matter of minutes and connection occurred a few minutes after that. I will say that the system resources required for this modem to work are quite high (1GB RAM) and this does mean that older computer systems may struggle, but it works just fine on mine as long as I don't have too many other programs running.

Although the modem looks fairly smart and modern, I do think it's quite large and I don't like simply plugging it into the front of the computer, but lucky enough the supplied USB lead allows me to place it on my computer desk where it is far more unobtrusive. This 'extension' lead also allows me to try and improve signal strength, not that I really need to where I live. Talking of reception, this modem works using the O2 mobile network and as such if you get a poor O2 signal then you won't get a very fast or consistent connection. I actual get a signal that ranges from 'good' to 'excellent' but is normally reported as 'very good'. This means that I get a reasonably stable connection with an available bandwidth of up to 3.6MB. This is not the fastest connection possible, and I occasionally lose connection, but I'm satisfied as I'm really only using the internet for browsing and downloading the occasional utility.
As well as being a modem the E160 is able to house a Micro SD card, and this means that as well as being simple to use to connect any computer to the internet it can also be used to transfer files between different computers.

While being satisfied with the E160's performance, I was a little put out that it didn't come with any free access, but topping the account up is a fairly simple exercise, as long as you have access to a credit or debit card. I also occasionally find the signal drops at inconvenient times, but overall this is a good option for those, who like me, find themselves without any other means of accessing the internet. It is simplicity itself to install, does what it's supposed to and has allowed me to once more keep in touch with my friends across the globe. Of course how well it works for you will depend on a number of factors, such as mobile signal strength and how much downloading you want to do. But I'm quite happy to recommend this modem and as such I'm giving it four stars out of five.

Summary: Pay as You Go broadband on the O2 mobile network

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