racoma.com.phJ. Angelo Racoma on technology, economics, writing, problogging, and getting things done

I’ve been on the lookout for a contingency connection for those times that my main Bayan DSL account lets me down (which is oftentimes these days). I do have a 3.5G (HSDPA) enabled mobile phone, which I can use as a modem via BlueTooth, but somehow I have found that option to be cumbersome. First, it causes my mobile phone battery to drain quickly, and so it’s not exactly an elegant solution as I would have to worry about notebook/netbook batteries and mobile phone batteries discharging. Also, it’s a bit expensive when used heavily, at PhP 5 per 15 minutes on the Globe network. Sure that’s cheap enough for on the go browsing, but when you’re using your internet connection the whole day, you end up spending more.

Smart recently announced the availability of an unlimited plan that comes with a USB HSDPA modem for PhP 1,500 per month (about $30 per month) and so I decided to visit a nearby Smart Wireless center to inquire and possibly apply. As I submitted my application form I was told that the modem that came with postpaid plans was still the old white Huawei-supplied one, and this reportedly had many connectivity, compatibility and reliability issues. And I was told approval would take two to three days.

I decided to pick up a prepaid kit for the meantime, to evaluate Smart’s service. I’m primarily a Globe user, and so my 3.5G-enabled mobile phone runs on the Globe network. Best try out Smart’s service this time.

Great things about the prepaid kit are:

• It came with the newer, black USB modem that looks just like a pen drive. This means no dongles to mess up your otherwise wireless set-up.
• It’s cheap at PhP 2,800 net (you have to pay PhP 2,500 for the modem, which includes the SIM card and PhP 100 prepaid load, then you have to purchase a PhP 300 prepaid card).
• It’s prepaid, so there is no need for contracts, lock-ins, or proof of identity/income, as is usual with postpaid plans.
• If you have an existing Smart prepaid or postpaid SIM, you can also use these to connect. Standard rates apply.

So far, so good. It’s been a reliable mobile connection for me, for those times I need to connect while out of the office, or when my home-office connection is simply too slow.

I do get slow speeds when the cell site I’m connected to has non-existent or weak HSDPA signals. With this, it tops at 300+ Kbps. Where there are no 3G signals, it tops at 200+ Kbps (EDGE) or 56 Kbps (GPRS). It sucks, but when it’s your only option you will take it. So far I’m able to access most services and ports I need, including instant messengers, FTP, cPanel and the like, where previously these wireless networks imposed some prohibitions with non-HTTP ports.

The provided software was a breeze to install. The USB modem itself has read-only storage, so the drivers for Windows and OS X (Tiger and Leopard) are included. You may have to download drivers and do some tweaks for Linux, though.

You can always just dialup using your OS’s dialer, but the bundled software gives you more options, like the ability to detect what kind of signal you are currently getting, and the ability to lock connection to certain types only (the connection moves across HSDPA, 3G, GPRS, and EDGE depending on signal strength and availability).

Speedtest results

168 Kbps down on EDGE.

1.2 Mbps on HSDPA

Some photos

The retail kit:

Contents:

With the SIM card:

With a USB pen drive (to compare and illustrate size):

With the SIM card just peeking out:

Attached to an HP mini note netbook:

The main advantage, as I see it, is that this takes out the necessity to bring an extra phone or to use your extra phone just to connect. The main disadvantage is that you do have to shell out some money for the unit itself. But at PhP 2,800, that’s already a steal. A couple of weeks ago, this was still retailing at PhP 3,800 (PhP 4,500 farther back).

I do hope my unlimited plan gets approved soon. When that time comes I’ll really get to put the system to an abuse test—whether it can take sustained speeds, and whether it can serve as a reliable connectivity option full-time. Of course I cannot share it among my various computers simultaneously, but again my purpose is for backup connectivity that I can also use while mobile.

When I get that plan approved, I would use it instead with this black modem and I would probably sell the white one (along with the prepaid SIM) or keep it as backup.

Updates: From research, I discovered that the black USB dongle sold with this prepaid pack is the LongCheer WM66. I believe that’s a relative newcomer, compared to Huawei and ZTE, which supplies most other dongles out there. Huawei is usually un-lockable, while ZTE dongles are more difficult (if possible at all) to unlock. But at PhP 2,500 for a prepaid kit, these things are cheap already!

Also, I have a Globe Visibility prepaid kit review upcoming!

I’ve been using Globe Telecom’s new time-based charging system for data. I only get to pay PhP 5 per 15-minutes, which is comparable to Smart’s PhP 10 per 30 minutes charging system. Globe seems cheap enough, but there’s a catch.

To recap, Globe has two data charging schemes:

KB Browsing Rate

This kind of charging is best for info-based browsing like browsing for the latest news or movie schedules, searching online dictionaries and checking sports stats. Since you are charged only P0.15/kb, a search for the definition to a puzzling word would only cost P2.30 while checking that movie schedule would only cost about P1.62.

Time Browsing Rate

This charging scheme is best used for multimedia-based activities like sending and receiving files through email or even viewing pictures and videos. All these are done more affordably when you use Time Charging at P5 for 15minutes.

My big gripe with Globe’s rate is that the charge is per 15-minute session. This means if your connection is broken for any reason, and you connect again, you would have to pay another PhP 5 for another 15 minutes. This is unlike Smart’s flat rate charging, where you get charged a single PhP 10 for the whole 30-minute duration, no matter how many times you connect or disconnect.

Globe’s system has many disadvantages. For one, if you’re connecting via 3G or even HSDPA (a.k.a. 3.5G), your phone would usually automatically adjust speed according to the available network signal. Depending on signal strength and availability of the data carrier, you can change connections across GPRS, EDGE, 3G, and HSDPA.. So if you move in and out of a 3G-enabled cell site, in all likelihood, your connection would be considered broken and re-connected.

A tip: watch your signal meter while connected. For Nokia phones, indicators would include 3.5G, 3G, G, or E (for EDGE).

Secondly, you might have several applications on your mobile phone that need to connect and reconnect, in case you switch apps. For example, Nokia’s XHTML browsers might automatically disconnect upon exit. Or if you launch an IM client (which, by the way, doesn’t work on Globe), you might find yourself having to pay another PhP 5 for a new session.

Or, perhaps you receive a call or SMS in the middle of your data connection. In these cases, the packet data connection is usually paused or broken. And since a reconnection would be considered a new session, there goes your PhP 5 again.

In my opinion, Smart’s charging system is simply smarter. It’s truly a flat-rate charging scheme, whereas Globe’s is more complicated. While PhP 5 seems cheaper than PhP 10 (especially when you just need to check a few tidbits of information at a time), it might turn out more expensive in the long run. With Smart, one gets no worries about being double-charged. It’s really as simple as PhP 10 per 30 minutes.

And I’m not even talking about Internet protocols yet (in which Globe only supports port 80 or Web). But that’s another story.

At least I get to use my phone’s data capabilities practically free when at home or when at any public hotspot. I use WiFi! The phone even lets me make and receive VoIP calls via SIP, Google Talk or Skype. (Review coming soon.)

When Globe came out with Visibility, I thought to myself that would be a great thing to have. Imagine wireless broadband anywhere (anywhere there is a 3G / HSDPA signal, of course). But the cost at PhP 2,000 per month (with a few Gigs limit at that) was a bit steep, considering I already subscribe to residential DSL and also to an unlimited Airborne Access account.

Enter Smart 3G / GPRS, with PhP 10 per 30-minute charging, and I found it was a good backup system when I’m in areas without decent (or free) WiFi coverage. At least this could work with prepaid, and I won’t be locked into long-term contracts.

Sure it’s not blazingly fast. You max out at 384 Kbps. But considering you’re mobile (and not likely downloading Gigabytes and Gigabytes of files), I think that’s sufficient. Works okay with VoIP and even video chatting.

Smart Bro Anywhere

Smart recently introduced an “anywhere Internet” plan under their Smart Bro brand. Thing is, the introductory marketing material said you get 60 hours for PhP 799 a month. So that’s about PhP 13 per 30 minutes, or approximately a 40% savings over prepaid. In excess of that you pay the usual rates of PhP 10 per 30 minutes.

Thing is, I talked to a marketing rep earlier today, and she clarified that the initial announcement was wrong. They give you 40 hours for the PhP 799 plan. that means you still pay the equivalent of PhP 10 per 30 minutes, but with a one-peso saving per month.

So instead of spending about PhP 800 for the same amount of online time (i.e., at PhP 20 per hour), you spend PhP 799.

40 HOURS FREE per MONTH!

• Initial Payment – P1,999 (upon subscription)


• Monthly Fee – P799 only


• In excess of 40 hours will be charged P10 per block of 30 minutes.

I would rather stick to my prepaid plan, considering I’ve already bought myself an LG KU250 to serve as a 3G modem. The KU250 is affordable enough at PhP 6,000. That’s cheap for a 3G-enabled phone (cheap on the price, but I think the value exceeds my expectations).

Now the advantage of this Smart Bro plan is you get the Huawei USB modem for just PhP 1,999 (whereas the modem sells for upwards of PhP 10,000 outside of this subsidy). That in itself makes it worth to subscribe to Smart Bro with this USB plan.

Still, one advantage with my using my 3G phone to use as modem, I have one advantage—I can surf without opening my laptop (or ultraportable computer, as is the case with the Asus Eee). I can just open Opera Mini and work from there. Of course, this is just for those emergency cases where I really need to connect, but don’t have the luxury of sitting down somewhere to open my laptop.

So, what do you think? Is the Smart Bro USB plan worth it?

It’s been a busy week, or rather a very busy two weeks. So if you’re wondering why I haven’t been posting here lately, it’s because I’m either posting elsewhere (like the Blog Herald, JOAB and my other network blogs), building up a blog empire (soft-launched, but not yet officially launched), or taking care of some offline things. So for now, I’ll post in the good ol’ bullet points, like the usual when I’m busy.

My mother bought a MacBook. She almost bought another brand laptop (HP, which is not bad, but hey it’s not an Apple). But I told her for that price, she could already get a MacBook. PhP 62K for a Core 2 Duo Presario V2000 with a DVD-RW vs PhP 64k for a Core 2 Duo MacBook with Combo drive Not as high spec’d, when it comes to the add-ons/peripherals like the optical drive and the card readers but the Mac is still a better buy, in my opinion.

We checked out stores at SM Cyberzone, but ended up at Ynzal instead because of the really big discount their Business Dev Manager, Mr. Jojo Magallanes, gave us. We got it for PhP 60K plus some freebies.

Here’s her story.

Lesson learned: mothers, listen to your sons!

WeRoam saves the day. When I first tested PLDT’s WeRoam service in 2005 when I was still with dotPH I thought the speed was really crappy. We were at the Ortigas area then, and we couldn’t get an EDGE signal. So that means regular GPRS speeds, at 30 something kbps (sucks, I know). These days though, I think they have faster, 3G speeds. And you could always go for Globe Visibility HSDPA. You could theoretically get 1.8 Mbps (and 400 to 800 Kbps in real world applications).

But I’m a penny pincher at times, especially these days that I foresee big expenses upcoming.

So I bought myself a used Sierra AirCard 775 from a fellow BNC member so I could surf while mobile. I do have an unlimited Airborne Access account, but there are places I visit that don’t have hotspots of any kind. And since I foresee the need for untethered Internet access, I thought of this option instead.

It doesn’t come with a subscription. I just plug in a prepaid Smart SIM card, and I can enjoy surfing for PhP 10 per 30 minutes (PLDT WeRoam uses the Smart network). It’s really slow, but when you need to get things done, these things are a life saver. (And yes, I was able to configure my PowerBook to use the AirCard. The PC laptop was easy enough.)

Thing is, I usually only get a GPRS signal, and not EDGE. So it’s 30+ Kbps instead of the marketed 200 Kbps of EDGE. I guess I could have opted for a 3G phone instead, or a faster AirCard (or other brands), since Smart also offers the same rate for 3G access. But that would be loads more expensive in terms of equipment cost.

I initially wanted to buy a used WiFi-enabled PDA so I could surf at the malls without having to bring my laptop (or even at home—in the bathroom, perhaps?). But then I thought I would have more utility from being able to surf practically anywhere than having a more portable device for surfing at hotspots.

Last January, Max Limpag was also thankful for WeRoam saving his day. So I guess it goes the same for me. WeRoam is my last resort—I’ll use it when there are no other connectivity options. It’s for those emergency days. It’s like a backup parachute. Or a side-arm (when my primary weapon runs out of ammo, so to speak).

But if there’s anyone out there with an old WiFi-enabled PDA for sale (or loan, or donation, heheh), give me a good deal, and I’ll see if I’ll bite.

Bayantel DSL is Slow. Bayantel DSL is slow these days. I’ve been getting very bad speedtest.net results, like 500+ ms ping times, and 100kbps speeds. And I’m using a 384kbps connection (which goes up to 768 because I use a really nifty trick to increase my speed).

Car expenses. I got my AdSense check in the mail a couple of weeks ago, but I ended up spending most of it in car repairs and maintenance. Who knew that a new battery + alternator replacement would cost so much. They’re not from the casa or OEM Toyota, but they’re still expensive.

Oh, and I had an oil change, to boot. The mechanic at the Caltex service station corner of Kalayaan and Kamias was good—he pointed out to me the stuff I had to replace with my suspension (whereas some other shops wanted to change it all, which would cost me a whopping PhP 15k). I’m not really a Caltex guy (I prefer Petron Blaze), but this time I think I’ll come back to them come maintenance/repair/tune up time.

Community Blogs to Launch Soon. Three out of four of the community blogs I’m setting up are already up and running. Do check them out. I will make a formal announcement on the Blog Herald when the fourth one is up. Froodee is for lifestyle, living, news and business. Gadzooki is for gadgets, software, technology, and cars. Blog Tutorials is for blog design, reviews, writing tips.

Smart Communications recently re-branded its Smart WiFi broadband service (not actually an 802.11x technology) to “Smart Bro” (presumably for “Smart Broadband”). This is likely to mitigate the bad press Smart WiFi has garnered so far, with the crappy service most have been reporting.

True enough, searches for “smart wifi” would inevitably bring up complaints against the service among the top results. So a re-brand would likely give the service a fresh start in terms of publicity, albeit only with the less-enlightened. I’d say knowledgeable consumers should know better.

However, I find it quite interesting how a company swimming in cash and assets can overlook simple copy proofreading. From the Smart Bro profile page:

Subscribers will need a PC with Pentium II or higher, 128 MB RAM or higher (preferable 256 MB RAM), Ethernet/ LAN Card, at least 10GB of hard disk space and operating system of Windows 98, 2000, XP, Linux or McIntosh OS.

Holy crap! Where does one get a McIntosh OS? And they need to improve on their grammar!