[Gllug] experiences with mobile broadband devices?

[Jason Clifford]

On Fri, 2009-06-26 at 08:06 +0100, Magnus Leuthner wrote:
> I'm thinking about getting mobile broadband as a replacement of
> "normal" wired broadband. Does anybody know whether these devices work
> with GNU/Linux? E.g. does the device that comes with the T-Mobile plan
> work with Linux, are there drivers? How stable are they?

I've used mobile broadband quite a bit, using both a dongle and my N95
as a modem. I use 3 for the network.

Generally it works OK. It's not a viable replacement for real broadband
as the speeds are not very high and latency can be horrible.

If all you want is email and web browsing and you don't care about
latency you could use it instead of a fixed line broadband service.

If, however, you need decent latency and speed and it's important to you
that the connection doesn't drop out when the mobile network gets busy
in your area (happens too often in my view) then get fixed line
broadband.

Also be aware the coverage is VERY variable. In some areas it's great.
In others it is non-existent. Also mobile services depend upon the
building you are in not causing signal loss. As I mainly use it when on
holiday that has been a problem for me as has the fact that none of the
mobile services seem to offer decent coverage along the coast -
particularly the south-east coastal region.

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