Moving From 3G CDMA to 3G+ HSPA In Canada

We just picked up a Sierra Wireless 306 USB HSPA (SW 306) 3G+ cellular modem that runs on the CDMA carrier’s networks here in Canada.

Now, with the Sierra Wireless 598 3G modem, there was no real worry about hitting the 1GB data plan’s soft limit as the modem rarely gave us over 20KB/sec despite the 3Mb connection claim it made when it connected to the Internet.

This is definitely _not_ the case when it comes to the SW 306. While no speed claims are made when the connection to the Internet completes, we have already seen the need to do some downloading of drivers and other software packages using the new modem.

Thus, we have a very practical view of just how fast this thing is . . . and it is _really_ fast!

One Microsoft download came down at close to 1MB/Sec.

This morning, as a test, we downloaded IE8 for Windows XP:

In the above screenshot the SW 306 3G+ cellular modem is on par with our close to the Central Office ADSL 6Mb connection that runs closer to 7.5Mb.

So, what does that mean for us? It means that we need to be aware of our RDP settings when connecting to remote systems for the day. 32bit colour depth is not necessary, nor is full screen on a larger high definition laptop screen.

We will need to keep an eye on our usage via our provider’s online portal that allows us to do so.

It also means that our Canadian cellular data providers will be needing to restructure their data plans that span 500MB to 5GB per month. Obviously, even the 5GB soft limit will not be enough for bandwidth intensive users.

Though, with little competition between the providers up here, there is really not a lot of incentive to do that.

We have clients that have one of the provider’s early unlimited data plans. The provider has a policy of taking away great plans and replacing them with whatever is current, and more restrictive, than the previous plan. So, we are going to encourage our clients to hold onto that plan and their current SW 598 modems as long as possible.

And one more thing. We are required to pay an extra $5/Mth per device that requires any form of PPTP/L2TP VPN access. VPN connections are not allowed out of the box.

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

*All Mac on SBS posts will not be written on a Mac until we replace our now missing iMac! (previous blog post)

Windows Live Writer

Mobile High Speed Internet – 3G Cellular Modem

We are in the process of equipping all of our technician laptops with a 3G modem.

This enables us to have a laptop at a client site and not need to plug into the client’s network where there are dedicated remote desktops available. We can remote in via RWW and work on the network that way.

We have not completed any tests of Network Access Protection on our SBS 2008 networks yet, so, we do not plug our laptops into any client network unless it is absolutely necessary whether SBS 2003 or SBS 2008 based.

The unit is a Sierra Wireless USB 598. It has a built-in flash drive that kicks in when the unit is plugged in that allows us to install the modem software and drivers via AutoPlay.

If the software and drivers are already on the laptop, the modem initializes and becomes available for connection to the Internet when plugged in to the USB port.

The connection speed was 3.1Mb/Sec (Megabits not Megabytes) during our first test on an old Toshiba running Windows 7 RC x86.

We did not sign into any long term contracts since the main CDMA players here in Canada are promising to have their new HSPA 4G networks available in time for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

The new network will be cross compatible with Rodger’s current network structures giving us access to the iPhone and other high speed goodies when this happens. :)

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

*All Mac on SBS posts will not be written on a Mac until we replace our now missing iMac! (previous blog post)

Windows Live Writer