Mini Review of
Huawei K4505 28 Mbps Usb HSPA+ Modem
Purchased this modem from
eBay for Rs. 3300 free delivery. Unlocked but Vodafone branded. The delivery was fast.
Installation in OSX Lion was a breeze. Installed Mobile partner Italia Version 15 and it installed required drivers. I then changed the language to English.
The software is heavily branded with Vodafone. But in OSX, I can create a custom APN profile without launching the Mobile Partner software.
The V15 has a bad habit of not saving APN profiles in OSX Lion. So whenever I want to send a text to check data usage, it resets all my 3G settings.
Now the real deal: I firmly believe that K4505 holds signal better than my previous Huawei E169G. The longest time I got uninterrupted connection was 18 hrs which is an achievement while using MTNL 3G.
Download speed is constant 2.20 Mbps as expected. On an average, I still do get disconnected every 5-6 hrs even if there is full signal in my house all the time. The signal strength in diagnostics is always between -69 and -84 dbm which is excellent. (Lower the number, better the signal as it is a negative value)
Check auto reconnect option and you should be good to go. (Need to re check this option after launching Mobile Partner V 15 as it resets these settings at least in OSX)
There is a socket for adding external antenna which will boost it's performance once our 3G networks are upgraded.
This modem is 28 Mbps HSPA+. I believe here in India, we don't have any network with speeds exceeding 21 Mbps so this modem is quite future proof.
Looks wise, it feels solidly made and the LED circle around the Vodafone logo turns blue once connection is established. Looks very posh.
Installation in
Windows 7 X64:
While installing drivers, I got a BSOD. That is because previous Huawei drivers refused to uninstall. But I did manage to install Mobile partner V 16 after a reboot/chkdisk and it worked like a dream.
Similar experience in Windows. It also runs on MDMA once you have drivers correctly installed.
Overall, I am quite pleased with this modem. Buy it if you can manage a good deal.
