So why can't using regular phones compare to using a separate USB modem or router? First, you need to consider the capabilities of cellular networks. Yes, when you connect to the Internet via a mobile terminal supporting the HSDPA standard, you will see a message on the screen about the speed of 7.2 Mb / s, which, in fact, is almost equal to 1 Mb / s, and this is already quite enough for comfortable downloading of "heavy" files. But is it really so? Not always.
Secondly, even if the phone supports operation in third-generation networks, only Utel, owned by Ukrtelecom, has a license to provide services in 3G. Thus, for fast Internet you need to be a subscriber of a single operator, and this imposes certain inconveniences in cases where the SIM card serves not only for accessing the Network, but also for other purposes: voice communication, messaging, etc.
And thirdly, the use of a mobile device as an access point is not always justified for a number of reasons:
• the modem driver for your phone model must be installed on your PC;
• a special cable is required to connect the phone and PC, which in turn limits freedom of movement.
For owners of modern models with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, the situation is somewhat more favorable than with a cable connection. But even in this case, when accessing the Internet, you must be within the range of the wireless module and take into account that in addition to the speed of the mobile network, the speed of data transmission via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi is limited. Yes, with the advent of Android smartphones, accessing the Internet via Wi-Fi has become much easier, but we must not forget about the restrictions due to the wireless means of communication.
Therefore, despite the support of increasingly higher speeds with modern phones, it is best to use a separate USB modem to access the Web through a computer. What are the advantages here, you can read below.
Features of mobile Internet from national operators
At the moment, all existing mobile operators in Ukraine (Kyiv-Star, MTS, life :), Utel) offer their modems and special tariffs for Internet access. In addition, subscribers can also use the services of one of the companies specializing in data transmission (CDMA, Intertelecom, Giraffe (formerly intellecom). Freshtel).
Fun fact: almost all tested modems are made by Huawei, and the differences between them are often limited solely to design and, in cases with CDMA, operating frequency. Almost all modems have extended functionality in the form of a slot for microSD memory cards, which makes them useful not only as devices for accessing the Internet, but also as flash drives.
Huawei E1550
Since all modems (except for the WiMAX / Wi-Fi router provided by the Freshtel operator) are connected via USB, there should be no problems with setting up access to the Network. In fact, it is this part of the preparation that causes the greatest difficulties, even among trained users.In theory, in order to simplify the installation of drivers and setting up the access point as much as possible, it is enough to equip the modem with a minimum amount of memory to create an automatic installation of the necessary drivers for different operating systems and a program for accessing the Internet. Oddly enough, but not all operators considered it necessary to make life easier for their subscribers by equipping the modem with autostart. Instead, you will have to take the old-fashioned printout on an A4 sheet with a description of the access point setting for MS Windows XP / Vista. We recommend setting up your laptop or tablet directly at the point of sale, even if the seller assures you of the ease of this process.
After completing all the above operations, it is enough to launch the application and click the "Connect" button to access the World Wide Web. But even at this stage there are certain nuances. Programs for accessing the Network have a data transfer counter, which is very useful for those who have a tariff with a limited traffic volume. But it is useless to present such data to the operator as proof, since this information is provided solely for information purposes and does not have "legal force", unlike, say, the indicators of water or electricity meters. Only on the website of the operators can you find out exactly how the used traffic is calculated. For example, during the last Internet session, the computer received 8 MB and sent 3.2 MB of information. It is logical to assume that the total amount is 11.2 MB. however, each operator rounds up traffic differently. In addition, the tariffs of all operators are indicated excluding the 7.5% Pension Fund tax. And most importantly, the purchase of a modem and the amount of traffic used also affect the final cost of certain packages.
It would seem that now everything is quite transparent and understandable. It remains to choose a suitable tariff and ... successful browsing! But in reality, everything is not as simple as we would like. The main thing to pay attention to before buying a modem is the coverage area of the mobile network. It is this factor that often negatively affects the satisfaction from the choice of a suitable operator and tariff. After all, if in material terms you have already clearly decided on this, then you can find out about the quality of the coverage / signal at the point where the Internet access will take place, only by visiting it. The actual baud rate may vary even in the same location. To avoid the influence of random factors, before each new connection, we rebooted the laptop, reactivated the modem and carried out three speed measurements on each of the sites. As a result, the speed of the first and last connection often differed by more than two times, which in numbers ranged from 200 to 500 Kb / s, depending on the operator.
"So what is the way out of the situation?" - you ask. First, you need to initially clarify at the point of sale the probability of returning the modem in case you are not satisfied with the speed. Secondly, you can use the services of a special service, whose employees go with modems of all existing operators to the address you specified and test the speed in front of your eyes, after which, having evaluated the real picture, you have the right to purchase a modem or refuse it altogether. Of course, this service costs money, but you will surely be sure that you are not buying a pig in a poke.
Internet usage patterns
So, we found out all the nuances associated with buying, setting up and connecting to the Internet using a modem. Now it's time to decide what you need access to the Network for, because for some operators its speed and traffic volume depend on the package used. However, despite the fact that sometimes the real access speed allows you to watch and download films, the percentage of people who will do this via a mobile modem is small. Therefore, it is necessary to estimate how much information will pass through it monthly or daily.
To do this, we divided users into three virtual groups according to the intended application model:
• study;
• Work;
• entertainment.
Let's try to describe the scheme of using the Internet for each of the categories.
Study
The days when students entered the Web solely to search for an essay, term paper or "interesting" site are long gone. Now at least they still download tracks / albums of their favorite artist, chat in chats and sometimes watch videos. The most suitable time for this is night, from 00:00 to 07:59, while everyone else is asleep. The daily volume of traffic with this scheme of use should not exceed 50-100 MB, or 3000 MB per month.
Work
By this model of using the mobile Internet, we mean correspondence by mail, ICQ, Skype, sending and receiving files, visiting news and other sites necessary for the work. Most often, this scheme is used on business trips or on vacation, where there is no wired Internet. Accordingly, there is no need for daily access to it. Suppose that the approximate number of days per week in this package will not exceed two days, which after a month will be no more than 8 or 104 per year. The most optimal working time for this group is from 9:00 to 18:00.
Entertainment
This scheme assumes the maximum possible amount of traffic consumption / generation. Here, the user does not limit himself in this and does exactly the same as at home, including watching movies online and working with torrents. That is, this is a person who maintains an active correspondence on social networks, communicates on Skype, listens to online radio or music, and visits a large number of sites. Such a user needs access to the Internet at any time of the day and any day of the week.
Ukrtelecom
The mobile operator Ukrtelecom offers tariff plans that are beneficial for a wide range of subscribers both with and without a contract for a year. The first and main difference between a contract and an advance Internet access scheme comes down to the cost of the modem. For advance tariff plans, its price is 399 UAH, regardless of the package chosen, which is 200 or 300 UAH higher than the cost of a similar device when concluding an annual contract. Thus, the use of the "Ukrtelecom" modem with a short-term, albeit daily, access to the Network for one or several months is inappropriate. The second advantage of a contract connection is the amount of free traffic, but the main thing is to achieve 1 kopeck per megabyte, as advertised now, is possible only with a contract tariff and only when choosing an additional connection "Internet package 5 GB", where for a fee of 50 UAH the subscriber receives 5120 MB of traffic. Which, in fact, is even less than a penny per megabyte! But for such a manna from heaven, you need to use any of the tariffs available for contract subscribers for a year. The minimum is “OGO! Mobile Light ", with a monthly fee of 60 UAH. You can order the “Internet package 5 GB” only if you have exhausted the 2048 MB provided in “OGO! Mobile Light ". That is, by paying 110 hryvnia, you get 7168 MB per month. To this amount you should add a modem for 199 UAH and do not forget that all these megabytes are "included" only when the subscriber is in the network coverage area. Otherwise, you can count on 350 MB of data roaming. The rest of the megabytes, please, - 0.06 kopecks each.
Thus, on the one hand, being the “cheapest” operator providing access to the World Wide Web (less than 1 kopeck per megabyte), Ukrtelecom, like the others, has both pluses and minuses. After all, it's no secret that Ukrtelecom's 3G network coverage is far from the same as that of other operators, and the cost of a megabyte of traffic in roaming for prepaid subscribers is more than six times more expensive than contractual ones. Which once again emphasizes that the use of Ukrtelecom's services for one or two months is simply inexpedient, besides, in order to achieve the most acceptable price for access to the Internet for the whole day, we had to combine tariffs with additional service packages.
Having told about the minuses, we should not forget about the pluses. Firstly, this is the availability of free 1000 minutes for calls within the network or fixed numbers in Ukraine for any tariff plan, regardless of the type of connection. Secondly, working, albeit not at the speed available for HSDPA, in roaming of the Kyivstar operator, is actually a 100% guarantee that access to the network will be practically throughout Ukraine.
Ukrtelecom's tariffs are one of the highest, and the OGO! Package turned out to be the most optimal for both contractual and prepaid service users. Mobile Standard ". The difference between the contract and the regular tariff is in the cost of the modem - UAH 99 versus UAH 399, the amount of traffic and the ability to combine the contract tariff with various Internet packages. The only scheme in which the OGO! Package became the leader. Mobile Start ”is“ Study ”for prepaid Internet subscribers, but if you know that all or most of the time you will be in roaming, you better choose“ OGO! Mobile Light ", since the difference between it and" OGO! Mobile Start "is about 10 UAH per day. As for the scheme of using "Entertainment", here is the most optimal "OGO! Mobile Standard "+" Internet package 5 GB ". If you plan to constantly use the Internet in the Ukrtelecom network, then it makes sense to choose this combination for Study, as it is more expensive by only 1.5 hryvnia per day, but at the same time you get an additional 5120 MB of traffic, which is twice as much. than in “OGO! Mobile Standard ".
CDMA Ukraine
As the name suggests, this operator provides services in the CDMA range at 800 MHz. The access speed is limited to 144 Kb / s in the CDMA2000 1x EV-DO coverage area and 3.1 Mb / s in the CDMA2000 1x EV-DO Rev.A coverage area, which belongs to the 3G network standards.
At first glance, CDMAua tariffs are the most favorable among all offers. Judge for yourself, access to the Network for one day for 1 hryvnia or buying a modem for 90 kopecks, subject to the signing of an annual contract. But, having figured it out (and thus "breaking the brain"), comes an understanding of how ambiguous everything is. For example, on one page the cost of a 3G modem is 349 UAH, and by default the tariff “O” is already set in it. You can choose any existing package for the modem, including "3G -1 kopeck", "3G -2 kopecks", "3G - 3 kopecks", at a price of 80.40 or 20 UAH, respectively, and in the case of a contractual connection, the same modem will cost only in 1 hryvnia! But, looking at another page, it is clear that along with the mentioned tariffs it is proposed to purchase a modem at a special price of 199 UAH, but subject to the conclusion of the same annual contract and an advance payment of 250 UAH to the account. "No logic!" - you might think. Digging the CDMA UA web pages even deeper, it turns out that a modem for 1 hryvnia is available only with a contractual agreement, which is quite normal, but these devices are not available, and if there were, such a price takes place only upon signing an additional agreement, information about which we could not find!
In total, there are three different types of connection: no monthly fee, no contract and contractual!
Therefore, to calculate the real cost of tariffs for each scheme of use, we had to stock up on a lot of time, five A4 sheets, patience and a few cups of coffee.
The results clearly show that seemingly beneficial tariffs are not always the case in reality. The best option for the schemes "Study" and "Work" is the tariff "1 hryvnia", both when used during the year and one month. But the conclusion of a contract for 12 months and "special" conditions for contract subscribers are justified only under the "Entertainment" scheme, and only then you can purchase a modem for 90 kopecks (for the "3G 150" tariff) or 199 hryvnia (for the "3G -1 kopeck "), as indicated on the website. It is surprising that there were no pitfalls in the tariffs "3G -1 kopeck", "3G -2 kopecks" and "3G - 3 kopecks".The description for them says that the more information you plan to download from the Internet, the cheaper, based on the name, you need to choose a tariff. Of course, the operator went for a trick, setting a monthly fee for the first megabytes of traffic, depending on the tariff plan, 80.40 or 20, in the amount of 1 hryvnia.
"MTS"
Mobile operator MTS is the only one that provides Internet access services in two bands at once: CDMA and UMTS. At any of the frequencies, be it 450 MHz or 2100 MHz, the maximum speed is 3.1 Mb / s, which corresponds to most of similar proposals (naturally, if we do not take into account wiMAX operators and Ukrtelecom). MTS is also unique in that it is the only one with which it is possible to conclude an agreement for one year and, upon signing an additional agreement for another 12 months, receive a modem for 1 hryvnia. In other cases, regardless of the type of connection (contract or prepayment), the minimum cost of a modem is 399 hryvnia. There is a postscript to each of the contract tariffs, where it is indicated that the amount of traffic provided in any of the plans is evenly distributed over the number of active days. What does it mean? That upon activation / activation of the "New MTS Connect 50" tariff on September 17, 1000 free megabytes will be calculated as follows: 1000/30 (30-17). That is, their number is divided by the number of days in the month, after which the number of days remaining until the end of the month is calculated and multiplied by the first value. Thus, by the end of September, 433.33 MB will be credited. But that's not all! The monthly fee for "New MTS Connect 50" is 50 UAH, and to connect it you need to make 100 UAH in advance and pay the cost of the modem - 399 UAH. As with the number of free megabytes, the same formula is used with the amount of payment, for example 50/30 (30-17). It turns out that for a day of access to the Internet (regardless of the actual number of active days), the subscriber pays 1.66 UAH. Until the end of the month there are 13 days left at 1.66 hryvnia, which is equal to 21.58. But since services for contract subscribers are paid monthly from the 1st to the 5th day, this amount will be charged at the beginning of October in parallel with the payment for October - 50 UAH / month. To dot the "i" s, we present the final calculation of payment for services, at the beginning of October, 21.58 hryvnias for September and 50 hryvnias for October will be withdrawn from the subscriber's personal account, where at the conclusion of the contract 100 hryvnias of advance payment was made. Thus, if the subscriber did not use up the 433.33 megabyte limit in September and did not use additional traffic, charged at 10 kopecks per megabyte, he will have 28.42 hryvnia. This amount can be spent to pay for the next month or in case of exceeding the limit, i.e. 1000 MB. Now that all the nuances have been clarified, it's time to remind you that for each tariff payment, for example UAH 21.58 for September and UAH 50 for October, you need to add 7.5% of the Pension Fund tax!
It is interesting that the advice that we gave at the beginning of the article about checking the speed of Internet access at the point from which the connection will most often be made is clearly spelled out on the MTS website, but in the form of an additional service called the Try & Buy Service. It involves testing the modem within 14 days from the date of purchase and, if you are not satisfied with certain conditions, its return if it is not damaged and in working order. In this case, you will be refunded the unused amount made as an advance, minus the above deductions. Yes, on the one hand, this proposal looks like speculation in laws, but it’s better that way than through the Society for the Protection of Consumer Rights.
It turns out that the more actively you use the Internet, the more profitable the tariff that provides more free traffic. For contract subscribers under the "Entertainment" scheme, the "Unlimited" package with 10 240 MB of free traffic and 0.01 UAH / MB in case of its overrun is optimal. For the models "Study" and "Work", the plans "New MTS Connect 100" and "New MTS Connect 50" will be profitable, respectively.
In the case of prepaid access to services, the "UNLIMITED WITHOUT contract" tariff turned out to be the most acceptable for the two schemes of application "Study" and "Entertainment", in which fees are charged only for the days when you use the Internet. Well, for the “Work” model, MTS Simple Connect is best suited, where the subscriber pays only for the amount of consumed traffic at the rate of 0.09 UAH / MB.
Kyivstar
The leader among operators of the mobile market provides wireless Internet services in a 3G network (considered a niche in the Kyivstar portfolio) at a frequency of 2100 MHz (in the national roaming of Ukrtelecom) with a maximum speed of 3.6 Mb / s. Not so long ago new Internet packages "Search", "Communication", "Entertainment", "Unlimited Internet" and "Free Internet Night" were introduced. It will not be difficult to find a suitable one among them, but like other operators, the real cost does not include the 7.5% tax to the Pension Fund and the price of the modem - 199 hryvnia, in addition. Kyivstar offers another package - Internet 3G, which is divided into two tariffs: Internet 3G 600 and Internet 3G 3000, for UAH 50 and 139, respectively. We draw your attention to that. that the maximum speed of access to the global network of 3.6 Mb / s is provided only with it. It is on this basis that you can conclude a contract for 12 months, however, the subscriber will not receive any discounts. In addition to the obvious advantage in the form of increased data transfer speed, this package has a number of specific features. First, you need to be in a 3G network coverage area. Second, even if you are in it, when connecting in the settings, you should select the appropriate profile, otherwise you simply will not have access to the Network. It's funny that the operator offers an “invaluable” service for users of Android-smartphones who cannot understand why their money is constantly disappearing from their account. Indeed, in order to disable the exchange of information, many resort to the help of applications that change the APN, that is, the access point. And here you have to wonder how useful the function can be for some and impractical for others. The point is that to simplify the settings for accessing the network, Kyivstar automatically substitutes the “correct” APN, thereby withdrawing 7 hryvnia per day for using the “Mobile Internet XL” tariff. And most importantly, the cost of a megabyte of traffic after the exhaustion of 600 or 3000 MB provided in the plan costs 1 hryvnia if you are outside the 3G coverage area and use the Kyivstar settings profile. This is true for all, except for "Unlimited Internet" (0.01 UAH / MB), tariffs. That is, if you know that there is no 3G network coverage in the place where Internet access will most often be made, buying a modem with the Internet 3G package is unprofitable, and exceeding the limit may result in simply getting an astronomical bill for services.
As you can see, the purchase of a modem for 299 hryvnia and, accordingly, the choice of the "Internet 3G 600" tariff is rational only in two cases: when using the "Study" scheme and connecting the additional "Free Internet Night" package, or simply when you need a faster Internet connection. In all other situations, including those with the “Internet 3G 3000” tariff, buying a modem for UAH 299 is inappropriate. The most optimal for the models "Study", "Work" and "Entertainment" were the plans "Free Internet Night", "Communication" and "Unlimited Internet". They can be activated at any time, it is enough to have the required amount in the account and send a USSD request. It may seem strange to someone that we did not say anything about the “Mobile Internet XL” tariff, the activation of which will cost 7 hryvnia, and as a result you get unlimited Internet access. But it makes sense to use it with the peak speed for EDGE networks only in isolated cases.
life :)
Mobile services operator life :) offers USB modems and a maximum theoretical speed of 3.6 Mb / s in the 3G network at 2100 MHz.You can buy a modem for 299 hryvnia, while the subscriber receives a SIM card and, within six months, 10 GB of traffic for the first two months and 100 MB for the next. It looks quite tempting, especially considering the cost of modems from other operators and the absence of any free traffic when purchasing. But life :) can boast of quite democratic prices even with a contract subscription for a year. In this case, the modem costs 1 hryvnia, but the subscriber must add at least 69 hryvnia to its cost per month, for which he receives 1500 MB of free traffic. You only need to be careful when you have exhausted the monthly limit, since each next megabyte will cost you 50 kopecks, which in the end, if you take the Study scheme as an example, will result in UAH 150, excluding 69 UAH of the monthly fee. Therefore, those users who are not enough 1500 MB per month should take care of purchasing additional volume, for example, one of the eight “life :) Internet” tariffs (this is not prohibited by the terms of the contract).
For the “Study” application model, it is most advantageous to use the conclusion of a contract and the purchase of a modem for 1 hryvnia. The same is true for prepaid services with an agreement of at least 12 months. The most reasonable investment of money would be buying a modem for one month, and this conclusion is true for all groups. For other parameters, when using any of the schemes during the year and signing a contact or without it, the difference between the cost of one day is less than 2 UAH / day for each application model. All this became possible thanks to a tariff suitable for the requirements of the "Study" scheme, the cost of which is only 49 hryvnia, while the subscriber receives 10,240 MB of free traffic for a month with the condition that it will be used from 00:00 to 7:59 hours. Well, for "Entertainment" the maximum was "New Unlimited Internet", where an unlimited amount of traffic is provided for 125 hryvnia per month.
Intertelecom
The most controversial among all was the first Ukrainian CDMA operator - Intertelecom. On the one hand, it not only has the largest 3G coverage, but also the only one that provides Internet access according to the CDMA2000 1x EV-DO Rev.B + standard at speeds up to 14.7 Mb / s. Moreover, Rev.B + is supported in 20 regional centers and nearby cities. Thus, Intertelecom gets the title of the fastest operator in Ukraine. And let the cost of a modem that allows you to work at speeds up to 14.7 Mb / s. slightly higher than the rest, but apart from it, the list of available equipment is pleasantly impressive. But all this is nothing compared to when an ordinary person, tuned in to buy a modem from this operator, begins to choose a suitable tariff plan. Frankly speaking, it is even difficult for us to imagine what kind of knowledge base a seller of Intertelecom services should have, because their list includes 24 tariff plans! Moreover, "3G Turbo" and "3G Adrenaline" can be combined with 5 and 6 additional packages, respectively. In terms of the number of variations, Intertelecom can easily compete with premium brands engaged in manual car assembly. We apologize, but we didn't have enough energy to calculate the optimal rate based on the usage pattern. Therefore, we propose a slightly different approach to the CDMA operator. The first thing to pay attention to is the so-called "Super Unlimited IT" and "Super Unlimited +" unlimited plans. Yes, yes, as you can see, with the operator's imagination, too, everything is not so simple. The answer to the question of why we have allocated these packages is quite simple. With all the advantages of unlimited access to the Network, starting from 8:00 and ending 00:00, its speed will be limited by the capabilities of CDMA2000 1x, that is, not more than 153 Kb / s, and only from 00:00 to 07:59 the operator brings it up to 3.1 Mb / s. "But other operators have similar conditions, and some of them provide unlimited access exclusively at night!" - you object.And indeed it is! But you just need to take into account the cost of tariffs, which is 130 hryvnia per month, and a modem, as well as a huge selection of them. But that's not all! We were simply captivated by the "3G User" package, which can only be used by subscribers aged 16 to 25! In addition to a dozen tariffs for various services within it, interest is attracted by the fee for 1 MB in excess of the 1400 provided. It is 0.04, 0.03 or 0.02 kopecks. depending on the amount of used traffic (up to 100, 300 or more). We can say one thing for sure, for those who have enough free time and patience, Intertelecom will suit like no other. After all, it still has the largest coverage and the fastest 3G-Internet in Ukraine!
FreshtTel
One of the youngest operators in Ukraine provides its services for the most demanding users in terms of speed and volume of traffic. If not for the limited coverage area, it could be safely recommended to anyone who needs a really fast Internet. However, this is far from the only problem, because, as a rule, the operator's tariffs provide for access to the Network for downloading huge, by our standards, volumes of information - from 20 to 80 GB of traffic, which in terms of conversion turns into UAH 0.004-0.008 / MB. "One can only dream about it!" -you will think. But, firstly, do not forget about coverage, and secondly, to get access to the Internet, you need a special modem, the total cost of which will be from 499 UAH, or only 5 UAH upon signing a contract for 18 months. Thus, the tariffs and services of the FreshTel operator are both pleasing and sad at the same time. In order not to end on this note, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with the additional service "FreshNight Unlimited", which is available only after activating any of the three packages, be it FreshHome, FreshFamily or FreshPremium. As you might guess from the name, this plan provides a discounted rate for Internet access at night. With it, you get night access to the World Wide Web with unlimited traffic and maximum speed for the duration of the basic tariff. That is, if you activated the FreshHome package on September 17, and connected FreshNight Unlimited on the same day, then the term of the latter will expire at the end of the month (for contract clients) or at the end of 30 days from the moment of connection (for prepaid clients). And for each day you need to pay UAH 1.99! Note that you can use the services of the FreshTel operator not only in Kiev, but also in Dnepropetrovsk, Lviv and Donetsk, subject to the availability of an Outdoor-modem (from UAH 1099 upon signing a subscription agreement).
Finally, it is worth noting that at the moment the real speed of Internet access provided by mobile operators is quite capable of providing a comfortable working environment, comparable to that of a wired connection. Of course, if you do not need to download large amounts of data, we recommend that you pay attention to the unlimited tariffs of Intertelecom or Kyivstar. For the “Jobs” scheme, the best offer is offered by Kyivstar with the “3G 150” tariff, and the best offer for the “Entertainment” model is life :) with the “Night Unlimited Internet” plan.
