With the slow but steady proliferation of 3G use for wireless broadband purposes and not just for the super silly reason of video calling, there is an increasing need to share the single 3G connection out to multiple devices. For example, if you had a 3G enabled phone, or just a data only SIM card which you use for your wireless broadband purposes, sometime you may want to share its connection with your friends, colleagues and family, just as we are sharing our home wired internet connection nowadays through the use of wireless and wired routers.
This is where a device such as the Huawei E583X comes in. The version I have is the E5830, which supports the 3G/HSDPA frequencies in use in Europe, Asia and much of Australia. It is branded “3″ after the name of the network on which it is on sale in the UK. 3 is a network, a celco, owned by the Hutchison conglomerate and they have operations in Europe, Hongkong and Australia amongst other countries.
Hardware
So, the Huawei E5830 is a device which takes your 3G connection and re-broadbcasts it as WiFi signal so that multiple, specifically 5, devices can use the 3G connection. It has a SIM card slot in which you slot in your SIM card (obviously), as well as a couple of buttons, and a nice coloured icon display (no text) which displays the status of the device. There are icons to indicate signal strength, WiFi status (on/off), power, internet connection, and roaming indicator. The icons themselves can show different colours, to show the strength of the signal or power status, for example, with green being “good/excellent“, orange being “warning-something-bad-is-going-to-happen-soon-if-you-don’t-do-something“, and red being “going-to-die-soon” indicators.
The device comes with a 1500mAh battery, good to last up to 5 hours of usage, according to Huawei. The display will turn off after a few seconds, and if there is no network activity, the device will “go to sleep” to conserve power. Every time you power up, you need to press a button on the side to connect to the internet – I am guessing this is to prevent accidental usage for people who are on pay-as-you-use plans.
There are only three small buttons on the right side of the device as it is facing you – the power button, the WiFi/WPS button to turn on/off the WiFi signal, as well as the “connect to internet” button. Very simple design. There is a microSD card slot which should support microSD cards with up to 8GB capacity. Finally, the device is connected to the PC and charged via the PC/mains using a mini USB to USB connector.
Configuration
Configuration of the device is performed using a Huawei WiFi Manager software using a wired connection – you cannot configure the device using a wireless connection. The device ships with a pre-configured SSID (wireless network name) and WPA encryption key by default, which can be changed. Unfortunately, one has to open the battery cover and remove the battery in order to get to this pre-configured SSID/WPA network key to know what it is, although it is also printed on a card that should come with the device (which I did not receive!).
The configuration software allows the user to configure quite a number of items – from changing wireless network properties such as SSID, network encryption key (WEP, WPA, WPA2), maximum number of connected clients, whether to hide SSID or not, etc. See screenshots below.
There is also an impressive feature to configure the firewall software in the device – you can set IP address filtering, configure a virtual server, UPnP settings, set up a computer(s) to be in the DMZ (de-militarised zone) as well as port forwarding (which is basically useless in a 3G environment). See screenshots below.
Next, one can configure the DHCP (ie. how network IP addresses are assigned) – see screenshot below.
Finally, the software also allows the user to send SMS, manage their phonebook and has a quick wizard to help the user get connected to the internet quickly, without fuss. See screenshots below.
All these may look daunting to the ordinary mortal user, but rest assured that you do not have to configure anything in the screens above if you do not want, or know how, to. All you need to know to start using the device is the APN (access point name) which is the network name of the 3G network that you want to connect to (Celcom is the easiest – they don’t care what you put as the APN, while for Maxis, DiGi and U-Mobile you have to enter the right APN, otherwise it won’t connect).
In wired mode, when you connect the device to a computer, the device is smart enough to switch off the WiFi radio to conserve power, and you can use the device as you would a normal USB wireless broadband dongle like the ones on sale at every street corner nowadays. Pretty neat, I say.
Performance
I tested the device in wireless mode, with three devices wirelessly connected to the device and performance was satisfactory – not blazing fast, but acceptable performance, for a shared connection. Remember – the performance depends on how many devices are connected and are transferring data at the same time, as well as the quality of your 3G network connection, which I suspect is more of a bottleneck than the device’s capability to serve multiple clients simultaneously.
In wired mode, here’s a speedtest that I performed using the speedtest website:
Generally, I found the performance of the device to be good, performing well even after extended periods of use of more than one hour. It is normal for the unit to get a little warm after extended usage, as is the case even with those USB wireless broadband dongles. As long as the heat does not affect performance, this should be a non-issue.
Pros
- tiny – wireless cellular broadband routers don’t come any smaller than this!
- long lasting battery of 5 hours, although I haven’t used it till the device ran out of juice, but I have no reason to disbelieve this claim, based on reports from the internet.
- good performance even with multiple wireless clients connected.
- fastest and arguably cheapest way to share a single 3G connection to multiple wireless client PCs/notebooks.
Cons
- configuration can only be done in wired mode.
- I have not found a way to “share” the contents of the microSD card over the wireless network, which is a pity because otherwise the card can be used as a network attached storage, which would be über cool, and would make the device much more compelling to own!
Conclusion
Definitely a worthy device to own if you own devices which can only connect to the internet via WiFi. Or if you want to share that single 3G connection amongst multiple WiFi enabled devices. Very useful for people on offsite projects requiring internet connectivity, or even any offsite activity, whether business or casual/personal in nature. With this device, the world is your hotspot – as long as you can get a 3G signal (or even EDGE, if you’re not demanding!), anywhere can be a hotspot for you and your friends, colleagues and family.
Highly recommended.
The issue is that this device is not sold directly by Huawei – who prefer to sell it to celcos who can then charge an arm and a leg for it and tie customers down into long term contracts. I got mine from the 3 network in the UK, unlocked using a service on the internet (yes, the dastardly celcos do lock the device to their own network!). So, if you want one, you’ll have to import one yourself.
The only competitor to this device is the Novatel MiFi 2352 which I have also covered a few times in this blog. M1 of Singapore sells this, but has withdrawn it due to numerous complaints from users who found the device unstable, even after firmware updates. That was the main reason why I decided not to buy the Novatel – there is nothing more frustrating than using a (expensive) device that does not work!
Here are a few pictures showing the E5830 next to some thumbdrives as well as some USB wireless broadband dongles that I own. I also show it next to the Star newspaper’s masthead to give you an idea of how big (or small!) it is.
And finally, here’s a short video I shot to describe the Huawei E5830:
yes , i am using it , with my iphone on wifi , without any problem , since i use other company broadband plan,
is good for the people with ipod touch ( with wifi ) only RM799 brand new , need not buy a iphone which cost about 3 times of the price.if u need to use the iphone application only…
compare to novatel , which is much cheaper…but is serve the same purpose….
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Da Alpha Dog Reply:
December 15th, 2009 at 12:07 pm
@andy, yeah, it’s a very useful little device isn’t it?
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i using it with my iphone (maxis) on wifi, since i am not using maxis broadband.
this mifi is good for ipod touch with wifi , which you can use the iphone application with wifi , without buying the iphone , ipod touch the basis model only RM799 , which only 1/3 of iphone price….
compare to novatel , which is more cheaper.
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Can you plug it into USB to keep it charged and powered up while in use you talk about an hours use about about being used in 24hour situations if it can be powered from usb/mains while in use ?
is there the possibillity of a 3g aerial extention for better reception in a motorhome on a pole etc.
what are the tarrifs lke, who has the best tarrifs for most useage allowance seems to be like 5GB etc best being things like most bandwidth best speeds achieved uk coverage.
thanks for any answer will be getting one of these as they seem to be the best solution and a affordable price, which reminds me whats the warranty on them, i guess none on the unlocked ones on ebay.
just like a wired phone line is so simple but a mobile phone cant just plug into a base when you get home and become a house phone via a wired connection seems odd they didnt include being able to use wifi hot spots through the router or give it an rj11/rj45 to conect to another router or phone line but maybe thats just me.?
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Da Alpha Dog Reply:
December 21st, 2009 at 12:00 am
@matthew, yes you can charge the unit when it is in use. Two ways – plug the USB cable into a wall charger, or use a USB power-only cable. If you use a normal power/data cable, it won’t charge.
There’s no external antenna support on this device.
Since I’m not in the UK, I can’t really comment. Perhaps it’s best to visit a UK centric broadband forum? This Google search may help -> http://www.google.co.uk/search?rlz=1C1CHMB_enMY344MY344&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=uk+wireless+broadband+forum
They are affordable only if you get them from 3 UK. The device will unfortunately be locked to the 3 network, although you can pay to get it unlocked online. Check dc-unlocker.com for details. If you get them off ebay, I don’t think there will be any warranty, but it is still best to check with the sellers via the ebay messaging system so you have a record that you can use if they renege on their promise.
They can’t add in an RJ11 port because it will make the device too thick and defeat the purpose of mobility and portability!
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Brian Reply:
February 21st, 2010 at 8:59 pm
@Alpha Dog,
Are you sure using a USB power-only cable can charge it while it’s running? I haven’t been able to charge and run it at the same time unless I use the adapter that comes with it
Would also appreciate if you can tell me how to get a USB power-only cable
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Da Alpha Dog Reply:
February 23rd, 2010 at 3:50 pm
@Brian, yes, I’m pretty sure that it can be done. According to my research, it appears that once the device recognises that it is connected via USB with data capabilities it will turn into a USB dongle modem and charging will stop. If you can charge and use it at the same time with the adapter, then plugging a USB power only cable to your computer to charge it is the same thing, no? Try Googling for the keywords “virgin wifi modem” and click on the first link that appears – there’s a lot of useful info in that thread…
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oh the one that makes me giggle nerdishly is how do the skype wifi phones work with this unit ?
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Da Alpha Dog Reply:
December 21st, 2009 at 12:01 am
@matthew, on my wireless broadband connection here in Malaysia, Skype voice works well, no lags, hiccups, etc. Since the UK’s networks are supposedly a lot better than those in Malaysia, I am sure you’ll do fine!
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Is it possible to configure the E5830 from Linux? Or is the Windows Software mandatory?
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Da Alpha Dog Reply:
January 5th, 2010 at 12:03 am
@Markus, I believe the embedded software installer inside the E5830 works on the Windows and Mac (I think) platforms only. Out of the box, there is no way to configure the E5830 over WiFi, so you’d need to install the Windows software in order to configure it. The Hongkong variant, sold by netvigator in Hongkong, which I believe is model number E5838, allows for configuration over WiFi.
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Mark Reply:
January 19th, 2010 at 4:50 pm
Goto http://www.netvigatoranywhere.com and download the firmware and install guide.
I installed the netvigator firmware on my 3uk mifi and it works perfectly.
I now get web admin at the default IP address, I can switch off the annoying wifi timeout, I can make the 3G connection dial up on demand and most importantly I can set it so that with one push of the power button I can get the mifi to power, start wifi and connect to 3G.
To me it seems a little faster and charging works better from me when the unit is switched on. It didnt alway charge for me properly when in use with the old firmware.
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Mark Reply:
January 19th, 2010 at 4:52 pm
Sorry that should be netvigatoreverywhere.com
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Da Alpha Dog Reply:
January 21st, 2010 at 10:53 am
@Mark, thanks for sharing!
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Mark, thank you so much for the tip!
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Excellent review ! Any chance of getting this device in Malaysia ? Or do u know somebody selling it ? Currently I’m using Huawei’s B932, which is a 3G wi-fi stand-alone router itself (needs AC power supply though).
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Da Alpha Dog Reply:
January 29th, 2010 at 3:26 pm
@Shaz, thanks. No, I don’t think you can get one here. But if someone offered me an obscene amount of money for mine, maybe I can be tempted to part with it…
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Nice review,
I’m reading this because one online store in Indonesia is selling this gizmo,
for about 85 USD, unlocked.
Shud land my hand on it rite away!
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Da Alpha Dog Reply:
March 8th, 2010 at 10:30 am
@Hasan, thanks for the kind words, hope you found it useful. You can flash it to another firmware that allows web based administration of the device
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Does this work with multisim maxis?
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Da Alpha Dog Reply:
May 8th, 2010 at 4:39 pm
@mx510, not with any of my 4 SIMs. They don’t work with the DLink DIR 457 either, in case you’re wondering.
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Can this work to teether my PC’s internet connection, ie a portable wifi router, using PC’s internet connection instead?
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Da Alpha Dog Reply:
May 20th, 2010 at 12:05 am
@Brandon, sadly, no, this one doesn’t have a repeater function. And how do you propose to share your PC’s internet connection – via WiFi? How is the PC connected to the internet – via USB dongle or LAN port to a router?
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Thanks for your reply…my question is from the context of my PC connected to Internet over Ethernet port (like in a hotel oversease). I tot of using this as a wireless ap.
Next question, does anyone know whether E5830 can be plug into any router with USB port to be used as a modem? I tried it with D-Link 655 but it does not seem to work.
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Da Alpha Dog Reply:
May 22nd, 2010 at 2:16 pm
@Brandon, in the scenario you mentioned, I don’t think there is a way to use the E5830 with your setup since the E5830 does not have a repeater function.
As for your other question, I’ve never tried. The DLink DIR 655 is not a 3G router so it doesn’t have a dialer to dial the E5830 so that’s why it doesn’t work. You need to test it with a 3G router, such as DIR 412 or an Aztech or Prolink one (sorry, can’t remember their model numbers).
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hi, it’s true!!!
using iPod/iPhone/etc chargers Huawei E5830 IS CHARGING while using wi-fi connection
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Da Alpha Dog Reply:
June 16th, 2010 at 1:19 pm
@caroline, there you go then..it can be charged and used at the same time
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wow…Someone is selling this for RM399.
http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/1457883
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Da Alpha Dog Reply:
June 16th, 2010 at 1:23 pm
@mahsing, now that both Maxis and DiGi are coming out with their official versions, these imports will drop in price, quickly
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Is the device truly “portable” the the sense it can be use without plug into an USB of a laptop or pc? I want to use with my wifi iPad ?
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Andrew C Reply:
July 13th, 2010 at 4:24 pm
@Sooncm, yes in relation to portability.
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Da Alpha Dog Reply:
July 13th, 2010 at 10:03 pm
@Sooncm, yes, it’s truly portable because it’s battery operated. And yes, it will work wonderfully with your iPad. Guaranteed.
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