Huawei E583c Portable Wireless Modem

Because I want to be connected anywhere I go I tried this Huawei E5 E583c portable wireless modem. I have four devices all connecting to 3G so I decided to have something that will power all those gadgets and I am happy to tell you that Huawei gave me all convenience.

Huawei E5 E583c Wireless Modem. Photo courtesy of Jaypee David of enjayneer.com

The box comes with the device itself and a manual. The manual is not BIG in terms of configuring which internet provider you connect to but it seems that it recognizes Smart telecom pretty automatically. Sun and Globe need special configuring from the people in the store where I bought the item. I actually bought Smart Bro Plug-It a few days back where it comes with 5 days free trial. On the 6th day, I tried it in Huawei, registered unlisurf and boom it didn’t work. Smart Bro people were no help so I decided to switch to Sun Wireless Broadband. I just bought a SIM with them and it worked pretty well until this day.

The device has a simple display which shows you the following:

• signal bars
• the wifi icon showing number of devices connected to the wi-fi
• envelope icon for SMS messages (this tells you how many unread messages you have for that SIM)
• the world icon which tells you that there is internet signal
• battery icon giving you an idea as to how much energy it left before it runs out of power.

Plug and Play

Huawei E583c portable wireless modem can support up to 4 devices (actually up to five with anchored to a laptop or a device with USB port). But tried it one time and it worked all on 5 wireless devices with no problem at all. If you’re not as tech savvy as I am I’d suggest that you have the device configured with the people you buy the device from. I bought this in CompLink and they were kind enough to do it for me so that it would work either in Globe, Sun, or Smart.

The speed is OK where you could send and receive email, download pictures and documents but not much into watching videos. If you’ve tried those internet dongles before I guess you know what I mean.

Price and Signal

For only PhP5,900 you can play with your iPad, iPhone/iPod, and other wireless devices even when you’re travelling. Ironically, the signal becomes better when you’re you’re inside a moving vehicle!

I’m a computer addict so being able to connect to the internet, read news, send email, and update my social networking accounts while in a bus or car is such a big deal to me. I happen to use it while on my way to Manila from Angeles and I found myself with a big grin upon disembarking in Manila terminal. I mean, I love being connected.

In Angeles City where I live the signal is cool and never fails to work. The only place this thing wont’ work is when I’m inside Ayala Marquee Mall, probably because they own Globe and they’re blocking Sun’s signal, or just because the signal won’t enter the building? The device gets a good signal in SM Clark.

In Manila and along NLEX, the device works well with my Sun SIM. SUn has a really good internet package where you can get 3 days of unlimited internet for PhP100 although you can get the PhP50 card for one day unlimited internet. As far as I know you can’t get to register internet surfing on your mobile device with Sun by using your regular load. You need to buy those special Sun wireless broadband card. It’s convenient with Smart and Globe though because you can use your regular load and just hit some keyword and send to a special 4 digit number and you’re done. The only problem though is that the signal is not good in my area and support is quite bad. So I recommend Sun at this time.

Battery Life

The Battery is pretty OK with 4-5 hours battery life (continued use) after that you need to connect it to a laptop or a power outlet to charge. If you’re concerned about giving it additional power while on the road, you can buy a battery pack which helps extend it’s battery life for up to 6 additional hours. The Apple battery pack are better.

Conclusion

It’s a great buy and I encourage people to buy it, too especially for are always on the go. For those who work online and planning to go mobile, this is a great choice better than the internet dongles you see being sold in the market today.