Dongle thanks and more advice?

[Woollymishka]

Thanks everyone for the advice following my OP re dongle extensions - superb help.

One additional issue - have bought a 3 dongle but 3 say none of their dongles take an aerial? So - Scooby suggests I swop the sim card (is this in the dongle?) and buy a dongle off ebay which takes an aerial - now somewhat confused?

Any help would be appreciated

Tim

[DaveP]

Yes the sim card is located in the dongle - there's a small tray located just above the usb plug, it will have a nail indentation in it and slides out over the plug.

 

They've changed they model line-up since I got mine (several years ago). Look on ebay for 'braodband dongle', there's loads. Then ensure that 1) it's either unlocked or locked on '3' and 2) that it is a model that takes an external aerial. Should cost 10-20.

[Scooby]

Yes the sim card is located in the dongle - there's a small tray located just above the usb plug, it will have a nail indentation in it and slides out over the plug.

 

They've changed they model line-up since I got mine (several years ago). Look on ebay for 'braodband dongle', there's loads. Then ensure that 1) it's either unlocked or locked on '3' and 2) that it is a model that takes an external aerial. Should cost 10-20.

 

 

Thats right, you have the 3 simcard now you just need a dongle with aeriel socket, there is a few, mine is the e122.

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/3-Huawei-E122-Internet-Dongle-/280665801519?pt=UK_Computing_Networking_SM&hash=item4158fc432f

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/3-HUAWEI-E160G-MOBILE-BROADBAND-DONGLE-BRAND-NEW-/110677133268?pt=UK_Computing_Networking_SM&hash=item19c4df07d4

 

------------------------------------

Get aeriel from here, this is what i got

 

Mini Mag Antenna with an Adapter (4m Cable)

 

http://boatersphone.com/onlineshop.html

 

+ Huawei

USB 3G

Adapter

 

--------------------------

if your getting the router as well thats from maplin and u can get 12v cig adapter as well.

 

the one at £55, shows white dongle,(it doesnt come with it as appears)

 

Thats right, you have the 3 simcard now you just need a dongle with aeriel socket, there is a few, mine is the e122.

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/3-Huawei-E122-Internet-Dongle-/280665801519?pt=UK_Computing_Networking_SM&hash=item4158fc432f

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/3-HUAWEI-E160G-MOBILE-BROADBAND-DONGLE-BRAND-NEW-/110677133268?pt=UK_Computing_Networking_SM&hash=item19c4df07d4

 

------------------------------------

Get aeriel from here, this is what i got

 

Mini Mag Antenna with an Adapter (4m Cable)

 

http://boatersphone.com/onlineshop.html

 

+ Huawei

USB 3G

Adapter

 

--------------------------

if your getting the router as well thats from maplin and u can get 12v cig adapter as well.

 

the one at £55, shows white dongle,(it doesnt come with it as appears)

----------------

 

if you do get the router dont forget to password it up, otherwise your wifi is open for others to use, if you need any help in doing it i can guide ya through it.

[adam1uk]

Like I said in the other thread, you don't actually need an antenna socket in your dongle. You can buy a strap adaptor that wraps round the dongle. Ours works really well.

 

 

They sell them here (the second one along).

[bottle]

Dongles with, dongles without,strap ons. (I have a 9 db gain aerial with a strap on.)

 

90% of the time I get a better signal with just the dongle hung in the cratch but at the moment the dongle is up a pole 8 feet above the cabin top and I still only just get a 3g signal.

 

Wish I had not bothered with the aerial.

[alan_fincher]

With a bit of radio training, it seems almost a "no brainer" to me that a plug in antenna will work better and more consistently than a "Velcro strap on", that relies on some kind of inductive coupling, (presumably?).

 

Though I acknowledge that some report success with "strap ons", others say they don't work for them.

 

A used Huawei dongle with an antenna can be picked up on e-bay for (typically) £7 to £15, depending on your patience, (but watch how unreasonable postage charges can inflate this).

 

Models that have the socket certainly include E156 and E169, (possibly with a "G" on the end of these numbers) - I have both and each seems to perform similarly - the differences seem cosmetic.

 

ZTE branded modems are cheaper, but the only ZTE I tried was inferior to Huawei, and I prefer the latter.

 

If you know you want "3" it will probably be cheaper to buy a dongle still locked down to "3", than an unlocked one, although the latter would allow you to use SIMs from other networks.

[ditchcrawler]

Thats right, you have the 3 simcard now you just need a dongle with aeriel socket, there is a few, mine is the e122.

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/3-Huawei-E122-Internet-Dongle-/280665801519?pt=UK_Computing_Networking_SM&hash=item4158fc432f

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/3-HUAWEI-E160G-MOBILE-BROADBAND-DONGLE-BRAND-NEW-/110677133268?pt=UK_Computing_Networking_SM&hash=item19c4df07d4

 

 

Do these have aerial sockets?

[Justme]

Do these have aerial sockets?

 

The 160g does, you can see it clearly in this link

 

linky

 

We use that one with a directional antenna.

 

The 122g I dont know.

[alan_fincher]

Do these have aerial sockets?

The E169G definitely does - or at least mine has!

 

Scooby says he has an E122, and that has.....

 

So, "yes to both", I'd say.

 

Some e-Bay advertisers descriptions actually say that the ones they are selling do, but why not ask it as a buyer question, if any doubt ?

[nb Innisfree]

Dongles with, dongles without,strap ons. (I have a 9 db gain aerial with a strap on.)

 

90% of the time I get a better signal with just the dongle hung in the cratch but at the moment the dongle is up a pole 8 feet above the cabin top and I still only just get a 3g signal.

 

Wish I had not bothered with the aerial.

 

We have the same aerial plugged into a dongle in a router but we decided on this setup for convenience as much as anything, we could probably match the reception by sticking the dongle on top of poles etc but with a roof aerial we just open up the laptop and surf away anywhere on the boat, I like to lay in bed and surf, even on the toilet!

[bottle]

90% of the time I get a better signal with just the dongle

 

I agree that the aerial is more convenient but the point I wished to make is in bold

Edited April 29, 2011 by bottle