T-Mobile’s Web’n’Walk tariffs were some of the finest available when they first offered unlimited access to mobile phone owners. Now it’s laptops hopping on board with the help of this dinky USB stick. And it doesn’t disappoint.
Plugged into a Windows PC, the T-Mobile stick modem was a dream to use. We were online in minutes, and enjoying good speeds from a surprisingly strong T-Mobile signal.
Thanks to the network’s HSDPA service, pages loaded in less than two seconds, and although there was a visible slowness across heavier sites, it’s no slower than our 4 megabit landline broadband.
Best of all, the experience was consistent, even as we moved around.
But things turned nasty when we took the E170 for a spin on a Mac. T-Mobile’s connection manager refused to run, and we were forced to add the network’s dial-up information into the OS X System panel by hand.
Once we’d surmounted that rather nasty hurdle, things went well. The modem could be yanked out and re-connected without the need to be set up again, and T-Mobile’s software even sprang into life once a connection had been established, showing connection speeds as if there’d never been an issue.
However, it’s a warning for Mac users. Either be prepared for a hairy start to proceedings, or seek out a tech-savy friend to perform the initial set-up for you.
Externally, the E170 is a neat little device. Glossy and slick, it’s even packaged with a fabric carry strap.
However, its looks struck us as more than a little feminine too. It’s almost overly polished, looking more like an item of make-up than a high-tech surfing machine.
That said, there’s no knocking the T-Mobile stick’s performance. It’s at least on par with that of 3’s E169G, also made by Huawei, and with tariffs starting at £15 it’s definitely worth serious consideration, at least if you’re using a PC.
Verdict
Prettier than most USB modems, but with a nasty surprise for Mac users.
Best features
Slick design
Simple PC set-up
Fast HSDPA speeds
Not so good
Problems with Mac set-up
Might be too girly for some
Closest rival
3 E169G USB Stick Mobile Broadband Modem
Serving up similar speeds to the T-Mobile modem stick, but without the polished exterior, and with more reliable performance on a Mac, it’s a serious threat to the network’s offering.
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