Customer Reviews

Sierra Wireless Overdrive 3G/4G Mobile Hotspot (Sprint)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(26)

 

 

(Updated 02/13/10)
In a nutshell : This product & Sprint's 4G network are not ready for prime time yet. If you are looking to replace your DSL/Cable connection with Overdrive & Sprint 4G network, you'll be disappointed. For occasional internet access, you might be able to get by. -- I recommend against purchasing this product from Amazon. If you do, and decide to cancel the service, Amazon will charge you $250!

The advantage of Sprint Overdrive over typical 3G/4G modem is that you don't have to install any extra software on your computer. Any wi-fi enabled devices can connect to this mobile hotspot and take advantage of 2G/3G/4G connection right away.

I use Overdrive in Chicago. Mostly in edgewater area. At 60% 4G signal, I regularly get 1.5-2.5mbps average. I was able to get 7-8mbps download once, but that was at 4 am. However, 4G towers here in Chicago are down very often. Downtime averages about 4-5 hours. In my book, Sprint 4G network here is not reliable or robust enough for regular use.

As for the "Overdrive" unit itself, it runs pretty hot. I left it on a glass table close to the window running it 24 hours a day. (Ambient temperature is about 65F) It will either 1)randomly crashes & reboot, 2)crashes when download large amount of data, or 3)freeze (remove battery/power to reboot) about 3-4 times a day. I suspect that the problem came from excessive heat buildup in the unit. If I leave it off for a few hours, and turn it back on, no aforementioned problem at all.

Even though the unit automatically fallback to 3G when 4G network is not available, and reverts to 4G when it can, I notice that it tends to linger on 3G network longer than it should. It takes at least 5-10 minutes to revert to 4G. If you don't want to wait, you have to restart it. (2G/3G network has usage limit of 5GB, 4G network has unlimited usage)

Sprint 4G network has intermittent issue with VPN connections. Most of the time, I can stay connected to a VPN network for hours without any problem, but there have been several occasions when I can only connect to VPN for just a few minutes before it's dropped. (Note that the actual internet connection wasn't interrupted. Just the VPN session.) -- This could be a deal breaker for those who need to connect to corporate network.

Sprint has 2G(1xRTT)/3G(EVDO)/4G(WiMax) networks. This unit supports all three. However, when it's connected to 2G(1xRTT) network, it will still show "3G" on the display. You'll have to go through the unit's admin page to see that it's actually connected to a slow network.

Speed I received when connecting my laptop to the unit is as fast as the cellular network can do, but when I connect my iPhone with the download speed is horrible, while upload speed is normal. I've seen this problem reported on a forum.

LCD display is a plus. Unlike MiFi, you can just glance on the unit to see its status. Management interface over web browser is very good.

Sprint markets this unit as a replacement of traditional broadband connection. But I don't think Sprint 4G (at least in Chicago) is up to par yet, the "Overdrive" unit tends to "overheat" after a long period of use. Unreliable network + unreliable unit = very unreliable internet access.

If both 4G network & "Overdrive" unit are more reliable, I can see myself dropping home broadband connection (that's you AT&T!) and use Sprint 4G as my primary connection. But for now, I'll give it a try for another week. Most likely it will be returned to the store afterwards.

=== VPN issue & Linux Update 01/31/10 ===
After hours of troubleshooting, I found the culprit to VPN problem. WiMax MTU is 1400 while VPN & Wifi connection are at 1500 which caused "packet fragmentation" which choked the VPN session. Adjusting VPN MTU to 1300 (or pretty much anything lower than 1400) solves the problem.

I also forgot to mention that this device works with Ubuntu Linux 9.10 in tethered mode out of the box. No need to re-compile kernel or install any thing.

=== Update 02/13/10 ===
After I opened a ticket with Sprint and 2 conversations with their technical support, they pretty much said that it's the best they can do and that's what I'm gonna get. Service might be better in other neighborhoods, but it's very bad in mine. Less than 2 mbps average download, and getting disconnected every 20-30 minutes make this device very unreliable.

Already returned it to Sprint store. Maybe I'll try it when there's improvement in Chicago. I would recommend against purchasing from Amazon. It's likely that you'll have to return this item and cancel the service. Per Amazon, you will be charged $250 per device if you do so within 181 days.

I've had this device for 2 weeks, I swapped it out yesterday for another one because I could not connect via wifi to the devices. I live in chicago and the 4G network is still new, but the overdrive has a problem when I try to use it as a wifi router. However, directly connecting it to my laptop with the usb cable, and I'm able to get the 4G connection. It goes between 1-3 Mbs, not bad since my dsl is limited to 1.5 Mbs. I expect the network to get better, but they need to pull this defective product off the market.

I received the Overdrive yesterday. The device is compact & the LCD is very useful. Here's a summary of my other thoughts:

1. Setup is similar to setting up your home wifi router. However, some of the individual changes require the device to disconnect, reboot & then reconnect. It would be helpful if you can change all settings & then reboot a single time when complete.

2. I live in the Seattle area and am having 4g issues as stated in the other review. There are 2 issues causing this. Issue #1 is that my plan was only activated for the 3g connection plan. I had to call Sprint to have it switched over to the 3g/4g connection plan. Phone support was very helpful & had no trouble understanding my concern. Issue #2 is that there is an outage with 10 of the 4g towers in the Seattle area. It started about 15 hours ago so it appears to be a major event. Even through I'm on the correct plan now, I don't have a 4g signal until they resolve the issue.

3. The micro SD card is a useful feature.

I'm giving it 3 stars because of its current drawbacks (which appears to be network related) & future potential. The setup may have been a pain, but how many times will I be making changes? Once the 4g service is restored & I've had a chance to use it, I'll update my review.

I adore this product. I live in Austin (good 4g coverage) and spend weekends on a boat in Houston (good 3g coverage). Before buying this product I could not get reliable internet on the boat. Now I have extremely reliable, high-speed, internet in Austin and a much slower, but serviceable, connection on the boat (and the drive between). I have been using this for about a month and have had no issues with the hardware or the software. Config was a breeze and I have always had a connection.

That said, there are a few things to be aware of. The 4g on this device is from Clear. They are a Texas company, so have much better coverage in Texas than elsewhere. If you do not live in a location with good 4g coverage, this device is close to useless. The 3g connection is not really fast enough for high-quality streaming video in my experience. Pandora and Skype (voice) work well on the 3g network, but Skype video and Netflix Watch Now do not really work. With the 5 gig 3g data cap, they would be too expensive anyway. On the 4g network everything works fine and the connection seems as fast as the cable modem I replaced with this device. The cost is about $20 a month more than the cable modem was.

March 9, 2010 Update: I am now getting a 4G signal in Houston.

I was planning on getting an iPad 3G later this month but decided to give the Sprint Overdrive a try first with my current Wifi 64GB iPad.

I'm happy I did!

Sure Apple negotiated a deal with at&t for $30 a month but there will be no tethering and at&t is infamous for having More Bars to Less Backhaul.

With the Overdrive I get the same unlimited usage on their 4G network and all my mobile devices can use it. Plus my friends can use it when we're out and about. Their iPhone's work better on a network that actually has backhaul.

Plus the hardware cost me $50 vs the $130 they want for the 3G only modem in the 3G model iPad. And when faster 4G services come online in the next year I don't have to replace the entire iPad to take advantage of them (or go without if Apple doesn't have an LTE iPad right away.)

Yes, Sprint 4G is problematical if you don't understand the physics involved. Sprint only has a single WiMax frequency for 4G: 2.5GHz. These high frequencies are great for out doors and about 20 feet into lightly constructed buildings. Most networks are dual frequency with both a higher frequency and a lower frequency, usually down around 850MHz, to get better penetration into indoor spaces.

So if you go too far indoors you will find yourself falling back to 3G or even 2.5G. But if you can find a large enough sky light you can generally get your 4G back. Which is my general rule of thumb for my friends: 4G doesn't venture where vampires roam, stay in the sunshine.

Setup was a breeze with the iPad, no "real computer" required. You turn on the Overdrive and when it comes up you enter the password off the LCD screen into your iPad's wifi settings. You then surf to http://Overdrive via Safari and lock down the modem and tell it to go grab the latest firmware.

In 5 minutes I was out surfing on my iPad.

The other thing I like about the Overdrive vs the Mifi is you can use it whilst it charges the battery. Very important for those times when you're going to be depending upon it heavily for Internet access. It recharges using the new cellular standard micro-USB connector and 1 AMP charger at roughly 1% per minute. With good quality 4G service I'm getting 4 hours per charge. With 3G service I get roughly 3 hours.

The only big complaint I have is the boot up time. For a mobile device you whip out of your pocket and want to hop on the Internet with it takes awhile for it to get ready.

But once you get online you and your iPad are surfing at broadband speeds. A very pleasant experience when out and about. And far faster than my friends get with their iPhone 3GS' on at&t. That consistent out-performance of the iPhone 3GS has convinced me I've made the right choice.

I'm on my second unit and 25 days of ownership.

Pros:
Fast connection at times
Small size and aesthetically pleasing
Browser interface is good

Cons:
4G connection drops every 15 - 20 minutes
The unit crashes and needs to be reset every hour or so
The unit gets very hot when plugged in
4G speed is very inconsistent (I'm in Baltimore)
Battery life is pretty poor

4G has been here in Baltimore for over a year and I have the latest firmware installed on this thing. I should not be having this many problems with the unit. When I took the first unit back to exchange it at the Sprint store they told me people were returning them in droves. I've spent quite a bit of time on the phone with customer service and the only thing they could tell me was a) return it or b) reset it. Also, one last nugget, I rated this device on Sprint's site - poorly as you can see. They never put the review up.

The product has great potential but I fear that Sprint's 4G network is very poor and this device is poorly designed and supported. The fact that Sprint has done nothing to address the clear issues with this product is frightening (or at least should be to its shareholders).

November 12th, 2010 Update: Firmware Update 2.23.01 for Overdrive 3G/4G Mobile Hotspot

This firmware update will improve performance of your Overdrive 3G/4G Mobile Hotspot.

Key Performance Enhancements:

Improved iPad connectivity over WiFi.
User Interface enhancements.
Enhanced WiFi power save settings.
Improved battery indicators.
Additional feature providing automatic updates for 4G.
Please Note: Follow the instructions available below to perform this update. Two methods for performing the update are provided.
Release Details:
Dated: 11/10/2010
Software Version: 2.23.01
[...]
===
I've had mine about 4 months now and it's been a real life saver while traveling on the road. I rarely get 4G speeds, but 3G is like on steroids most times. It beats the heck out of the broadband card I had in my laptop. I have not had any of the problems others are experiencing. Those with issues make sure you update the firmware to version 2.06.06, released on 06/09/2010, as many complaints seem to be addressed in the update. Just a great little device.
++++++++++++++++++++
Firmware Update 2.06.06 for Overdrive 3G/4G Mobile Hotspot
This firmware update will improve performance of your Overdrive 3G/4G Mobile Hotspot.

Key Performance Enhancements:
Improves device stability, eliminating all known freeze-ups and lock-ups.
WiFi enhancements to improve WiFi stability and eliminate disconnects and crashes.
Significant improvements in 3G and 4G WAN stability.
Some improvement (~10%) in overall batter life and battery life in poor coverage.
Faster boot-up time (~10-20 seconds faster).
Improved response time when changing the WAN mode setting with no reboot required. Eliminates need for a device reset when changing modes such as "4G preferred" to "4G only", "4G preferred" to "3G only", etc.
Faster response time after canceling an operation in the Advanced Settings screen (no device reset required and offline time decreased by ~90 seconds).
Added additional 4G channels for future growth.
For Enterprise customers, customization and Data Link support have been added. Please contact your sales rep for additional information on these Enterprise customer features.
Please Note: Follow the instructions available below to perform this update. Two methods for performing the update are provided.
Release Details:
Dated: 06/09/2010
Software Version: 2.06.06
[...]

I was cautious after reading other reviews of the product. I have been a happy broadband card 3g customer and had not had a good experience trying to install the 4g usb single-user wireless device so I had returned that. However, work needs demanded a mobile internet connection for more than 1 user and I took the leap. I think being in Austin, Tx probably helps because Clear's 4g network is great here. I am really impressed by the functionality of the Overdrive. We have been using it as our network solution for 2 weeks during an IT overhaul in our office. The 4g service is consistent. For the first day, the modem initially needed to be turned on and off a couple of times for resetting (sometimes taking out the battery). After the first day rebooting was not necessary. The micro sd data storage capability has proved to be invaluable. I would highly recommend this product.

We live in a rural area, and have relied on satellite internet (with dropped coverage in storms and clouds) for the past 3 years. We just switched over to the Sprint 3G service with the Overdrive unit. While our area is not yet covered by the 4G network, our experience so far has been great. We average 1.1-1.3 Mb/s downloads on the 3G network (close to the max of satellite at a lower cost) and uploads range from 300-400 kb/s. Latency is much better than satellite as well and the overall connection is serving our needs wonderfully. It has been reliable and looks like it will do a good job at replacing our home network, and providing even better connectivity once the 4G speeds arrive.

A few general notes: this unit doesn't seem to do well if it's left on 24 hours a day to power a home network. I have found that it is more reliable if it is turned off at night, and a few times a week I will have to turn it off and restart it to restore internet connectivity. Wireless network signal strength is about 50-60% of what I was getting on opposite sides of the house with our Apple Airport. However, since this is such a portable device I was able to plug it in at a central location without concern for other cords and get the same connectivity that we need. 5GB a month on the 3G service is fine for us, but I look forward to 4G and the unlimited bandwidth to watch online movies etc. Given our rural location and limited internet options, I think that this device and service is a wonderful option that I would readily recommend for others in a similar situation.

Since I purchased this back in May 2010 it has had to be replaced twice. The battery overheats and almost explodes out of the case. We are with Sprint and it is a horrible experience. We have the 5 Gig plan and if you go over the limit - even 1/4 of a gig they will more than double your charge. Both ATT and Verizon offer a much better plan. They only charge $10 for each additioonal gig of data if you go over. We have had our Hotspot for about 8 months so far and approx. 4 times we went over by around 1/4 to 1/2 gig and we were charged an extra $80.00 per month each time !! DO NOT BUY THIS OR SIGN UP WITH SPRINT OR YOU WILL BE SORRY !!