I've been a long time fan of mobile broadband services. Like regular, in-home broadband I think I was one of the earliest adopters amongst my friends and peers. However, the hardware I've used for connection has been largely determined by my service provider and the specific modems they offer with the particular deal. What that's meant is that my hardware decision has been out of my hands.

The market has changed recently with many carriers, at least in Australia, letting customers mix and match their hardware and data needs. I've tested three different mobile broadband modems. All the tests were carried out in exactly the same location, on the same computer with the same carrier. the only thing that has changed is the modem.

The Test Environment

I've chosen three different modems. They are

1. Novatel Wireless XU870 Express Card


2. Huawei E220 USB


3. Huawei E169G

Testing mobile broadband services can be a little tricky. For that reason I've chosen to use SpeedTest.Net. I know that it's not perfect but it's an easy way to do a controlled test where the only variable changing is the hardware.

All testing was done using an Apple MacBook Pro running OS X 10.5.4

Outcomes - the Numbers

I must say that the outcomes of my testing were a little surprising. I expected that the ExpressCard product would offer the best performance but that honour went to the Huawei E169G - branded as the Internet Key by Three. It was able to consistently deliver downloads of about 1000 kbps and uploads around the 320 kbps mark.

The Huawei E220, probably the most most popular 3G modem on the planet, delivered similar upload speed but slightly lower download performance with speeds consistently around the 900 kbps mark.

Coming in at around the 800 kbps mark was the Novatel XU870. Consistently, my testing rated this the slowest at downloads but the equal of its rivals in uploads. I'm at a bit of a loss as to why this might be so I'm putting it down to some sort of software anomaly. Given that signal strength atmy test location, in Melbourne's CBD, was very similar with each device I don't think that my finding is due to signal reception.

Outcomes - Ease of Use

One of the factors to consider when buying your mobile modem is its form factor. This is where the XU870 and E169G stand apart from the E220. The E220 requires a USB cable to connect to your computer - the others either slide into an ExpressCard slot or connect directly to the USB port.

However, one of the great things about the E220 is its ubiquity - it'll work with just about any computer and operating system. I've even got it running with my Asus Eee PC. The E169G is also very easy to use as it ships with Windows and Mac drivers on the flash memory within the modem. that means it can be installed to a new system in minutes without the need to carry a CD of drivers.

The XU870 offers convenience through its form factor. It only protrudes from the computer's ExpressCard slot but a couple of centimetres making it great for working in confined spaces such as on public transport. However, installation requires drivers that need to be loaded from a CD or some other media.

Which would I buy?

If I had to buy one of these units today, it'd would be a toss-up between the E220 and the E169G (I actually own a XU870) as they offer the greatest flexibility. Every computer has at least one USB port whereas ExpressCard slots are still a little thin on the ground.

The e220 has the annoying "dangling off the side" thing happening but it'll work on practically any computer. The E169G doesn't need a driver CD or extra cable but I worry that it could be bent or snapped when plugged into the side of a notebook.

My final decision is the Huawei E220 - but only just.

 3G • E169G • E220 • Huawei • Modem • XU870