USB MODEM UTSTARCOM 175 BROADBAND ACCESS PHONE CARD VERIZON CDMA

by Pantech

Product Details

• Item Weight: 1 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• ASIN: B001L9O73U
• Item model number: UM175
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #19,528 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: November 15, 2008

Product Description

Ultra compact, light and easy to use, the UM175 USB Modem provides highspeed access on our 1x/EVDO network via VZ Access Manager. It is compatible with devices that support a Type A USB port and comes equipped with a swivel USB connector, a highperformance and internal antenna to increased RF performance and for solving space clearance issues.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not blazing, but definitely better, November 27, 2009

By 

C. G. King (Horse Country, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: USB MODEM UTSTARCOM 175 BROADBAND ACCESS PHONE CARD VERIZON CDMA (Electronics)

Living out in the sticks, dialup internet access was what I had to live with for ages. When Verizon added a tower that improved my cell phone coverage, I started wondering if it was an option for my PC as well. I'm not an early adopter of new technology and waited until neighbors had tried various options before I was willing to try this service. I've been using an extra phone line for the computer, the removal of which will save me half what this service costs monthly. Still it's an extra thirty bucks, so it has to be worth it to me.

Some neighbors are using the satellite service but aren't completely satisfied. The only negative comment I got about this little modem and the service was that there is a limit on how much access you get--5 gig/mo--which means you won't be downloading movies or playing internet games much, if at all. Since this isn't an issue for me, I decided to give it a try.

It is definitely faster than dialup access even at the fastest dialup modem speed. I use AOL and the TCP/IP connect is about 3-5 times faster, then all that stuff they display loads much faster as well and I can go about my business without waiting for more than a few seconds. That said, the transfer rate doesn't compare with the Comcast speed of my daughter's setup in town. This service is faster than dialup, but not 'blinding' by any means. As an example, in the past when I tried to download something, I noted the transfer rate on dialup was something like 4-6k per second. Sigh!! Things took forever and sometimes wouldn't download at all. I downloaded the update for my Kindle last night with this little modem and noted 50k/sec transfer rate. Certainly a lot better.

The speed does seem to depend on 'how crowded the air waves' are (or however you'd say that in technospeak :) and how many bars you get. I've found the number of bars is the same as what I get on my Verizon cell phone. Where my desktop PC is located, it varies from 0 to 2. I have ordered the antenna in hopes of boosting that.

Installing the little modem is as easy as running the CD installation disk that comes with it and then plugging the modem into a USB port when prompted to do so. It also comes with a cable in case you want to plug into a port on the back of a desktop PC and set the modem somewhere with easier access. You can leave the modem attached all the time if you want. It turns off when you turn the PC off. When on, it flashes a blue light, which means it's ready to pick up a signal. To connect your computer to the broadband service, you use the modem software (push the 'connect' button), which to me, seems to be equivalent to turning your cell phone on (the modem has a phone number). It is then ready for you to 'make a call', i.e. connect to the internet using some software such as Internet Explorer or AOL.

You can leave the modem connected all day like you would leave your cell phone on and not affect the data limit since that only happens when you are connected to and using the internet. If you use the internet with your cell phone, you know there is a data limit with it as well. This is sort of the same thing.

The modem software will show you what your usage is each time you connect so you're aware of what you've used so far. Sending emails, Facebook updates, photos, etc uses part of your allocation, as well as downloading files, photos, etc. Various internet screen refresh activities uses some. Watching streaming video or playing games uses a lot. Listening to internet radio uses enough that you probably won't want to do that all the time. For me, after 5 days of email, Facebook postings, attempting to watch some short videos and listening to the AOL radio one day just to see what impact it would have, plus downloading the Kindle software update, posting a few Amazon reviews, and the like, I've used about 225mg, or about 50mg a day, so I should be able to stay within the limit easily with no change to my regular internet activities.

I still cannot really watch streaming videos such as those on YouTube with my 1-2 bar connectivity, without breaks while it reloads the next bit. Even though it reloads faster than before, I have to want to see it pretty badly to put up with that.

One concern: This morning there seemed to be a problem with the modem connecting to Verizon. It was resolved within half an hour and it is Black Friday, which may or may not have anything to do with it. I will update if that happens again, but otherwise it has connected fast and remained connected without problem.

Bottom line: It is definitely better than dialup--for me about 5 times faster. That's not seriously fast, but acceptable and worth the extra money to me, especially since I don't have any options other than satellite which is affected by weather, trees, and costs more as well.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Practical and fast, August 30, 2009

By 

O. Armendariz "Tech crazy" (Arizona) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: USB MODEM UTSTARCOM 175 BROADBAND ACCESS PHONE CARD VERIZON CDMA (Electronics)

This modem is practical and fast. The convenience of this modem and the related service is that you can log on to the internet almost anywhere at acceptable speeds. Even in areas with no 3G service, the available Edge/GPRS service is fast enough to surf the web and to download documents at acceptable speeds. Buying the modem separate from the service is convenient because you can sign up for month-to-month service instead of signing up for a 2-year contract that is difficult to get out of. That is, you can terminate service whenever you want. Lastly, if you find that you are not getting a strong enough signal strength, Verizon sells a mini-mount antenna that enhances signal strength. It adds 1-2 bars to the signal in my experience.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Save your money, August 4, 2010

By 

"Leo" (Maryland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: USB MODEM UTSTARCOM 175 BROADBAND ACCESS PHONE CARD VERIZON CDMA (Electronics)

This is the usb modem that I have used for over a year for my Verizon broadband service. I signed a one year contract and paid a little extra for the device. I recommend doing less than a two year contract because the Internet operates very slowly on this network. Late at night it's a little faster; however, mid day it takes forever, like dial up to get pages to load. Save your receipt, because the company claimed to have lost my contract and had me on a two year contract until I faxed them my copy of the contract.

This modem is also easy to break, as mine has broken from moving my laptop around. Also 5 GB is easy to use up if this is your only source of internet use. At 5 GB, if I watch a movie online it pretty much uses up most of the 5 GB.

A few positives are as follows, you never have to worry about being knocked off your network, like with cable and having to go about resetting up your password. It's also very easy to use, does not prevent your use during power outages. Used to be great for on the go internet; however, now most public places offer wifi for free.