Jul
02
While I have used and tested a number of 3G broadband access devices for laptop computers over the years, they have all worked on the EV-DO CDMA technologies used by companies like Verizon and Sprint. I’ve certainly used a number of UMTS/HSDPA phones as well, and have tethered a laptop or two to such a device a number of times, but I’ve never had a dedicated USB or PC card UMTS 3G modem to try. Until AT&T launched the new USBConnect 881 by Sierra Wireless, that is.
Specs and Design
My first impressions of the device were twofold: it is a fairly large, but has a nice physical design. For starters, I really like how the USB connector gets tucked away in the back of the modem, and how snaps into a number of different angled positions. But considering the fact that the entire 93mm x 39mm x 20mm (3.7″ x 1.5″ x .8″) body of the modem sits outside of a laptop when in use, connected to a free USB port, it is easy to see some of the inherent advantages of a PC card solution. While the 881 is quite light, at 53g (2.1oz), it has to be unplugged and separately stowed before its host laptop can be safely tossed into a laptop case, something that isn’t true of most PC card solutions. On the other hand, such a design as the USBConnect 881 has provides more room for engineers to include additional features.
For example, the 881 supports all four GSM/EDGE bands and the 850, 1900, and 2100MHz UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA bands for true world roaming. The 881 also has its own battery that can be used when an extra power boost is needed in weak signal areas. My favorite feature, though, is the built-in flash storage on the 881 that stores all of the needed drivers for a Windows based machine. Just plug the device into a free USB port, and the software gets installed automatically. A Mac driver is freely available from the
Performance
While the USBConnect 881 should have plenty of room for adequate internal antennas, I didn’t find it to be a stellar performer in terms of reception - even when compared with AT&T’s own 3G mobile phones like the Tilt and the Pantech Duo. In my office, where reception is a bit of an issue, most AT&T 3G phones have little or no trouble finding a 3G signal and putting in pretty consistently fast HSDPA performances. The 881, however, was unable to maintain consistent HSDPA connections even when it was in a static position. While most of the time I had HSDPA download speeds, often the modem would fall back to UMTS, or even, upon a few rare occasions, EDGE.
HSDPA download speeds generally ranged from 900 to 1200Kbps, which is very fast indeed. Upload speeds generally ranged from 200 to 350Kbps in most cases, showing that we lack HSUPA support in this part of the Philadelphia area. When I was in an area with reasonably strong AT&T coverage, data speeds were pretty consistent, but I still can’t help but feel that the USBConnect 881 is being held back somewhat by its antenna.
The other issue I had with the 881 was that it failed to work for me when I was in Amsterdam for a Microsoft event. One of the biggest feathers in the 881’s cap is its ability to roam onto networks in most of the world’s markets. While the modem definitely saw a number of available Dutch networks in Amsterdam, it was unable to register on any of them so that I could get a data connection. This was due to my not having called AT&T ahead of time to have international roaming added to the account. So keep that in mind before you head across the Atlantic.
Conclusion
If your mobile bandwidth needs require both HSUPA and HSDPA access, the ability to roam internationally, and you prefer USB devices to PC card or ExpressCards, then the USBConnect 881 from AT&T might well best suit your needs. At US$49.99 when purchased on AT&T’s website, it’s a pretty reasonable buy, too. While it isn’t the best 3G modem I have used, it still works acceptably well and earns itself a “Recommended” rating.
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