Vodafone Retools Wireless Broadband Modem for Extra Speed
Written by Anonymous on 1:50 AMVodafone’s Vodem drew mixed reviews when initially released. Now the wireless broadband modem on a USB stick is back, and the new version is clocking true broadband speed in NBR tests.
Colloquially known as the “Vodem Stick” and officially as the Vodafone Mobile Connect USB Stick, the new Vodem sells for $199 on a Broadband Everyday 1GB plan (from $49/month) or $99 on a Broadband Pro, which offers three gigabytes (GB) of data a month, plus $10 for an additional gigabyte if you bust your cap.
Logging on from Auckland’s CBD, the Vodem Stick handily outpaces Telecom’s T-Stick when used in range of Vodafone’s 3G Broadband (aka HSDPA), clocking a DSL-like 1.7Mbit/s, and just edges out the T-stick outside 3G Broadband coverage area, where both devices hover around the 600Kbit/s mark.
Beyond its pumped up speed, the new Vodem features it’s own SIM card slot, plus software that lets you txt one or more contacts from your PC screen, plus a slot for an SD Micro card.
Although latency (wireless data lag) issues mean a Vodem Stick won’t suit online gamers, and mobile data pricing will dissuade huge file downloaders, your correspondent had no problem with streaming video. YouTube and tvnzondemand clips load with no caching, with both sound and pictures playing smoothly.
Vodafone’s 3G Broadband coverage area is currently contained to a thin strip of the Auckland CBD, narrowing the Vodem Stick’s immediate appeal (outside 3G Broadband coverage, the Vodem steps down to regular 3G). But its keen speed results show that in the near future, Telecom’s fast internet threat may not be the ongoing government regulation of its landline business, but broadband delivered through the air.
By Chris Keall
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