Using the 3G ZTE MF10 WiFi router to solve a broadband problem
Sunday, January 22, 2012 at 9:00AM Its a good job that I like trying to solve problems....because I seem to do a lot of it. Latest problem...find a cheaper alternative to my father's current broadband setup. His current ADSL connection is only running at 800kbps due to the old copper phone lines on his street. It also disconnects regularly due to interference on the line. He is a very light internet user so data caps and limits are not a concern...but I'd like him to have enough allowance to download security and operating system updates to his PC without concern. This sounds like an easy enough problem to solve....except for the conditions.
1) No software or drivers must be required on his PC..because it runs Ubuntu and attempting to troubleshoot Linux is my idea of hell. So an Ethernet connection is required.
2) It should 'just work' - requiring no additional connection steps by the user.
3) Avoid using his old rusty crackling phone lines.
Well, luckily for me, Three Mobile stores in the UK have recently started selling the ZTE MF10 home 3G Wifi and Ethernet router. This was the piece of the puzzle that enables me to slot all the other pieces into place. So in theory I can now use 3G Broadband in the home, in the same way that a normal wired ADSL connection was used previously.
So the question is, does is work and is it as simple to set up as just plugging all the pieces together and turning it on? Watch my short demonstration video to find out.
....If you've seen the clip above, you'll see that it does work and it works well. Of course all this relies upon having a good strong 3G signal. Assuming that you do, and your usage falls within the limits there are some other reasons why you might want to go down this route rather than the traditional wired alternative.
Firstly there is no need for a monthly telephone line rental, you could disconnect your phone entirely. There is no 'installation fee' there is no need to wait in all day for an engineer to turn up in a van. You can relocate it in seconds (within the UK) and you aren't tied into long agreements....etc etc.
Now of course prices could go up in the future, but they could also go down. However I think it's more likely that as the average user consumes more and more data per month, the low data user will benefit from cheaper costs per GB.
Anyway, I hope this has given you something to think about. I still need my 50 meg connection. But for those people who just want to stay connected at a low cost and with minimal fuss, this seems like a good option.
Reader Comments (11)
You know what will happen now... the faster connection your father has will encourage him to use the internet more and he'll use his 12Gb up in the first month!
What an outstanding solution...... I just had another idea...... I do not know the location of your Farther.... Could BT FON been another solution...
@Carl...FON hadn't really crossed my mind, and I'll be honest that I know very little about it, but from what I understand by sharing your home BT broadband over WiFi, you get access to other people's Wi-Fi. This isn't not much use in my dad's case as his Broadband is slow and expensive, but it could be handy for some people.
50 meg! oh I wish. Still my BT 1.6 meg broadband service isn't too bad since I live 6.4 km from the BT exchange. All copper wires would be nice, but don't believe what you read or are told by the broadband service providers. There are still aluminium cables still in service in the BT network. Copper & aluminium don't exactly get on with each other especially as the frequency's get higher as the bandwith increases and the cables get older. Most of the broadband low speed trouble & disconnections/dropouts are conductor connections problems be they anywhere in the network & especially where copper meets aluminium, I still work for BT that's how I know.
Iv'e still got to buffer your excellent video reviews in order to watch them. But as usual it's well worth the wait. I don't believe it! 50 meg ahhhhh nurvana.
Regarding FON, if I'm correct I think you will find that since FON is provided in most cases unwittingly by BT customers broadband routers be that with either the Home Hub 2's or more recently Home Hub 3's. Unless your father lives next door to a BT broadband customer he may not get any worth while signal strength plus I think you will find that FON is limited to 0.5 meg download speed anyway.
Thanks for the review as always.
Regards, Tony.
Check out ebay. You can currently get the 12gb 12 month sim on 3 network for £34.99. Alternatively there are 90 day 3gb limit ones also available.
@Phil Many thanks for the tip...I've no idea how they can do this, but I've ordered one anyway.
Looks like your 'crispy fingers' issue is getting worse. Stop gnawing on your fingers, Techmoan! Oh, and try to limit your bare-handed use of sulfuric acid – not so good for your paws.
Regarding FON, if I'm correct I think you will find that since FON is provided in most cases unwittingly by BT customers broadband routers be that with either the Home Hub 2's or more recently Home Hub 3's. Unless your father lives next door to a BT broadband customer he may not get any worth while signal strength plus I think you will find that FON is limited to 0.5 meg download speed anyway.
Thanks for the review as always.
Thanks , that is pretty much the set up I am looking for , including an Ubuntu desktop without wi fi
can you confirm that the Ubuntu worked fine using a LAN cable ?
Thanks
Also, cant't see any ZTE MF10 on the 3 website, and they are like nens teeth on ebay.
Have they been updated/ superceeded ?
Yes it worked fine with my fathers Ubuntu setup via ethernet. The ZTE MF10 is only readily available in the UK through Three's high street stores. There are alternatives that work with other 3G dongles like the TP link TL-MR3020.
Just wanted to confirm that everything worked fine for me, no hiccups at all, everything worked first time straight out of the box, including the Ubuntu ethernet connection, and I am getting higher download rates than i am with my BT ADSL.
One tip, you can pick up the 12Gb prepaid dongles a bit cheaper on ebay if you are cost conscious.
I paid about £63 inc P&P with next day delivery/
Didn't find any deals on the MF 10 though, but £40 well spent.
Thanks for the tip, much appreciated