Customer Reviews

AT&T USBConnect Mercury Broadband USB Modem (AT&T)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

First off, in the interest of full disclosure: this is the only device of this type I have owned. In the past, I've tethered to my Blackberry/Motorola, but that's a different beast entirely. So, my point is, this review reflects my experience with this device vs. my expectations, not a comparison with other, similar devices.

The Mercury is substantially faster than I anticipated; much faster than tethering through a phone. It will be nowhere near as fast as your cable modem of FIOS, nor as fast as your DSL ... but it will be substantially faster than dial up, always-on, and plenty quick enough for web, email, chat/IM, and such. It is reliable, extremely well-built/durable, and easy to use. However, I did have some problems initially, so let me share my experiences and fixes, as they seem to be related to those some reviewers are noting.

1) Go to Sierra Wireless's website, and download their "3G Watcher" application. It works much better than the "AT&T Communications Manager" that ships with the device (if you buy it from AT&T). This is the first solution that AT&T Tech Support suggested when I called with problems.

2) Be sure you know how much bandwidth you're using. My experience: when I was suffering random disconnects, it was because the service was kicking me because I was saturating the link. Why? Update managers, malware ... you name it. Be sure you turn automatic updates for everything OFF ... for Java, for Google, expecially for Windows ... for anything that might want to download stuff in the background. (Do your updates at home or some such where you have a true broadband connection.) Similarly, ensure that your machine is clean of adware, malware, virii, etc. These often generate significant net traffic as well.
Taking care of these will also keep you from getting random disconnects, it will help prevent you from hitting your monthly transfer limit.

5GB/mo is a *lot* for checking email, surfing the web, etc. I haven't gone over yet ... but I've come close, when I spent several days downloading software all day, after a new system install. If you want to download or stream movies, lots of music, or lots of software ... 5GB might be tight. If you want to check email, surf the web, etc., it should be plenty.

Once I took care of 1 and 2, I have had not a single problem ... I love it. The onboard micro sdhc reader is a huge bonus ... I installed portable versions of FireFox, Thunderbird, Pidgin, an a couple of other network utilities, so as long as I have the modem, I have the tools I need. The card also has a port for an external antennae, which is nice ... I'm thinking of buying one, because my signal in my office is so-so.

So, in short: ensure that you're managing your bandwidth usage carefully, including background/automatic downloads, ensure that your intended application is appropriate for the device, and be sure your expectations are reasonable ... and I believe that you'll be very happy with the device and the service.

UPDATE
I forgot to mention ... when I bought this item in an AT&T store, I had it working on my HP Mini netbook running Ubuntu Linux before the sales guy had run up the sale. It Just Worked.

I plugged this into a Kyocera KR2 Router to create a WiFi Network at my house using ATT 3G Digital Network. It is working great. I have a secure network via a WEP Key and can now get transfer rates around 250 to 350 kb/sec. This is 10x better than my dial up which is all that is available in my area. However, if you do not have 3G, don't bother doing what I tried. You are just as well off with dial-up as you are without 3G. The best thing is that I can take it with me on vacation and have my own personal wi-fi spot wherever I go!

Its a big, heavy device that will hinder using your other USB when this is plugged in. It is incredibly slow, unless you are coming from dial up, you will pull your hair out waiting. It will drop you, for no reason, over and over. Thats if you're lucky enough to get it to connect in the first place. Those things don't sound real bad until you find out how much AT&T is charging you to use it. Dont do it.

I was really excited to find out that I could get one of these instead of having to have internet lines installed in my new house, but we have been really disappointed with it. At first we could rarely get an internet connection with it even though my boyfriend and I both have AT&T cell phones that work fine in our house. It has become more reliable over the past several months, but it often cannot find a signal or just stops working for no apparent reason. We took it on a road trip recently and were incredibly disappointed in its ability to pick up a signal.

My biggest compliant, however, is that the amount that you can use it is limited. When I bought it I expressed my concern about this and the saleswoman assured my that it is very rare for people to exceed their alloted usage and most people don't even come close. A few months ago I got a call that we were getting close to out limit, so we limited our internet usage for the rest of the month and were ok. Well, now they have it set up so if you log on to your AT&T account you can monitor your usage and believe me, it goes quickly. My boyriend's car got totaled 3 weeks ago so we have had to be online a lot to look at cars that are for sale and in the process we exceed out usage allotment to the tune of $173! By the time I thought to check our usage online, it was too late and we sure weren't given a heads-up.

Bottom line, I would not recommend this device.

I had a verizon USB connection for years. After getting ATT service with my iPhone, and for my DSL at my house, both of which I'm happy with, I decided to use the ATT 3G broadband connection for my laptop, which I've had now for about 6 months. I use this out of several offices and while traveling, mostly in the northeast. The device itself is not as 'sturdily' attached to the computer as the old Verizon one was. That device could be accidentally tapped or jiggled without losing connection or feeling loose. This one always has some 'jiggle' looseness and will lose signal easily if jostles at all in moving the laptop from, say, lap to chair. Then there are the issues of connection, some of which may be ATT, some Wireless watcher, some perhaps Apple since my laptop is a Macbook OSX10.6.3. The connection drops frequently, sometimes requiring only a shutdown and restart of the device and Wireless watcher, often requiring restart of the computer to reconnect to the internet. In these cases, the Wireless Watcher will show a connection, but in fact, it has none. Loading web pages is often very very slow, much slower than my Verizon connection ever was. Today is a particularly bad day. This page that I'm typing on has taken 10 minutes and is still loading. The review page never finished loading after 15. I never get anywhere near my data transmission allotment. The cost of ATT service is about the same as for Verizon. Right now, unless things improve greatly, I'm planning on switching back to verizon when my contract is up.

Pros:
USB so compatible with nearly every Desktop or Laptop out there. Very flexible, I use it in my desktop, laptop and work laptop with out problems. It also has a built-in micro SDHC card reader. I have an 8GB card in mine and use it as a flash drive to keep all my stuff with me.

I have tested in Windows XP, MAC Leopard 10.5 & 10.6, and Ubuntu 9.04. It works well in all, but best on Mac.

TIP: Choose a USB port, and use only that port. I installed it using the USB port on the left side of my laptop. Later when I plugged into the right side, the connection manager froze at the 'initializing device' screen. I put it back in the left USB port and it worked like a champ. This has only happened on Windows XP.

Drivers are on the device.

Cons:
The connection manager for Mac Leopard is not a fully featured as it is for windows.
AT&T's network is sad. I used the device for several months where my connection would drop every hour or so. Recently (two months ago), my connection would stay up all day without problems. AT&T must have done a network upgrade.

Bottom Line:
Fantastic multifunction device (Internet + Flash Drive). If you have to use AT&T this is a great choice.

This item is so wide that, when plugged in, it partially blocks the other USB port on a new 13 inch MacBook, rendering the second USB port unusable.