Telstra 'Elite' WiFi portable hotspot.

[gordon_s1942]

I have been looking at this as an option to get away from the Ipstar satellite as I dont have ADSL here but on reading some comments, I am not so sure.
Firstly whatever I choose currently MUST kave the option of being connected to an external antenna as based on my mobile signal which is crap.
The advertising doesnt mention this but 'reviews' of users says it does.
It is a battery operated devise and again no advertising if it will function when plugged into a charger although again one users said it did.
A couple of users reported the USB connection broke after approximately 4 months in use and Telstra say its due to 'User Mishandling' which didnt impress me.
Cost of use is another question as I havent seen what it cost to recharge the devise, one mention was '$150 for 10 GB with 60 or 90 day expiry'.
$15 a GB seems a trifle expensive.
At the moment I get 4 GB per month (2GB Peak/2GB off Peak) per calender month at $44 which is bad enough compared to ADSL rates.
Optus is supposed to have coverage here but so far I havent been able to get anyone to test it out.
Vodaphone/Virgin or those 'connected' companies dont work here like that 'Amazin' etc.
According to the handbook with the moble ZTE F156 I have, its a HSDPA Dual Band Mobile Phone.
Inside I may get 1 bar, outside 1 to 2 but mobile car antenna give me 3 or 4.
So far there have been no details released for my area regarding the NBN rollout so we dont know when or what its coverage will be.
I doubt it will be Fibre, maybe wireless but definately Satellite and that I dont want.
I have waited this long so I am in no mad rush but it woud be nice to get some of the features others have readily available.
I read where a test of 4G on a bus in Perth gave some fantastic speeds, chhhezz and I cant get shit...................

[mtv]

Yes, there's an external antenna connection (which you'd need a patch cable for).

Yes, you can charge it via any external USB power source (mains, car, computer, etc).

The recharge I use is 10GB for $150 which has 365 days expiry (a full year).

Also, any remaining data allowance is carried over if you rechage before the expiry date. (Eg: if you recharge at 364 days and you have 5GB left, you will have 15GB for the next 365 days.)

I don't have one of these wifi modems, but I do have Telstra 4G prepaid modem which uses the same rechargable sim.

You will only get 4G speeds where 4G signal is available, which at this time, is most metro and major regional cities CBD's and some metro suburbs.

In other areas, it will operate on NextG / 3G.

If it's intended just for home use, it will cost you more to run compared to what you are paying now.

Eg: you currently get 4GB per month for $44. The 4G Elite recharge of 10GB is equivalent to 2.5 months of your current data allowance. So, 2.5 x $44 = $110 compared to $150 for the same amount of data on the Elite.... but, you'll benefit from the 'anytime' usage.. no on/off peak conditions and faster speed... even on NextG/3G.

If you currently don't use all of your 4GB data allowance per month, the Elite may be a better option in that regard, as you don't forfeit any unused data in a month (only if you don't recharge before the 365 day expiry).

The thing most people find is having access to higher speed, they tend to surf & download more than they used to, so their data usage increases.

Hope this helps.

If you plan you also use it mobile, then it becomes more useful.

[gordon_s1942]

Thanks MTV, that 'Carry Over' is very intersting as I gather some companies play funny with that.
My friend said he found with one ISP if you still had say a GB left and bought a 'recharge' and added it before the other expired, you lost that GB instead of adding it to the new recharge.
Also that On peak/Off peak is a pain in the arse as I usualy dont use it all up even though its availalable from 11pm at night untill 1pm each day so I try to do my emails and downloads in the mornings before 1pm.
They call the 'Off Peak' a Bonus which I cant convince one fellow your paying for it as there is no such thing a 'Free Lunch'
4G speed is problamatical even in my main town but thats not a major issue with me neither is mobility in that sense, I was looking at it as it supports up to 5 users.
I looked at that Wireless Router that accepted the USB modem but it seemed to be bit of a headache to use and now I seldom see them advertised so I thought it too may have fallen by the wayside like many other 'Good Ideas'.

All I can do is keep looking and hope one day some of the features available will reach me.

[admin]

There are only (for most of us) 3 networks to receive mobile broadband, Telstra, Optus and Vodafone.

If Optus mobile phones work in your area, go with Optus as they are much cheaper than Telstra.

If Telstra is your only option, you would be better off going with post paid rather than pre paid as it is cheaper with more allowance per plan. Thats as long as you dont mind a 24 month contract. As the NBN isnt going to be seen for up to 10 years for most people, it is probably worth you doing.

You can get either 4 gig for $29.95 or 8 gig for $39.95. The device will cost you zero on 24 month contract. These prices are for member benefit if you have your phone with Telstra. I would recommend giving Telstra a ring as they are agressively pursuing customers and you will be surprised as to what they will offer. I would be surprised if you cant geta better offer than what you are on (without the sat lag).

Edit : See what the prices are here as it depends on what you have with them
I have phone and ADSL with them, so might even get on board myself. I currently have Optus mobile broadband but telstra is much better in more places.

[admin]

Damn I am a good salesman. I just signed up online and got the Ultimate Wifi (supports 5 users) for free and 4 gig a month for $29.95 on 24 month contract.

As mentioned, I have phone and ADSL with them, so the discounted price was available.

I also have 1.5 gig a month with Optus on my phone which has tethering/wi fi hotpsot, but you cant beat Telstra in the country. When I visit the inlaws in country Vic, I have been using Optus and its been painful. I tried Telstra recently on prepaid while up there and its as snappy as my home ADSL.

[mickc]

whats adsl?
am using harboursat satellite and telstra wireless at the moment,have just installed a signal booster and am trying out optus wireless.
similar device to the telstra 1 you are looking at,have it pluged into a usb power pack.
so far very good,will get rid of others in a few weeks.

[admin]

Its also worth noting that on prepaid you can only get the elite and post paid you get the ultimate.

[gordon_s1942]

Here Telstra is almost available, Optus says they are but find them and who was the others???
I found the other day my area had gone from a Satellite ISP only to show that Telstra wireless is supposedly available but of course what they provide and exactly what their coverage is isnt clear.
Apart from the 24 month contract which I dont like , whats the difference between the Elite and Ultimate?
**************
Just read the link.
What annoys me with these plans is the 'bundling' you need to get these plans.
I have the home phone with Telstra but my mobile is a prepaid because we rarely use it and its not reliable here.
Austar offered me a 10% discount on my bill provided I took a $49 a month GSM mobile phone with them which wont work here at my home.
To me saving 10% which was $13 a month off the bill meant I was now spending $36 a month more for a mobile phone I had no use for and didnt work here was no savings at all.

[admin]

Here Telstra is almost available, Optus says they are but find them and who was the others???
I found the other day my area had gone from a Satellite ISP only to show that Telstra wireless is supposedly available but of course what they provide and exactly what their coverage is isnt clear.
Apart from the 24 month contract which I dont like , whats the difference between the Elite and Ultimate?
**************
Just read the link.
What annoys me with these plans is the 'bundling' you need to get these plans.
I have the home phone with Telstra but my mobile is a prepaid because we rarely use it and its not reliable here.
Austar offered me a 10% discount on my bill provided I took a $49 a month GSM mobile phone with them which wont work here at my home.
To me saving 10% which was $13 a month off the bill meant I was now spending $36 a month more for a mobile phone I had no use for and didnt work here was no savings at all.

Obviously you would need to check if Optus does work before even considering them, do you have any friends with an Optus mobile that visit ? If they can get mobile reception, there is a good chance mobile broadband will work.

Back to Telstra, you have home phone with them, you could change your mobile from pre paid to post paid with them to qualify for the discount. You will probably find that it is also cheaper as post paid is usually much cheaper than pre paid, especially with Telstra.

The difference between the elite and the ultimate is speed, the ultimate is capable of higher speeds.


*If you are interested, I have a Telstra USB Turbo modem which is currently on pre paid. I dont intend to further use this unit and the credit expired a few weeks ago. If you want to send me $20, I can recharge it for $20 (minimum recharge amount) and send it to you so you can "test the water". I dont want anything for the modem, your only cost is the $20 to recharge it.

I bought it a couple of months ago on Austech to test telstra at my home and at the inlaws in country Vic.

[gordon_s1942]

For $20 what have I got to loose?
Add $5+ and register it just to make sure.
How do you want to be paid? I got paypal or Bank account.

[admin]

Out at the moment will send you a pm later

[gordon_s1942]

no mad rush, the longer my millions remain in the bank the greater interest they earn (for the bloody Bank)

[gordon_s1942]

Vodophone may be cheap but outside metro areas it simply doesnt exist even though I believe they use Optus when roaming.
One large country town has a Vodophone outlet but when you go about 10 kms out of town, they dont work.
The town has a sizable college student population that basicaly stay in the town during the school semesters and only leave to return home so they dont need their mobiles to work between the College and the Metro area.
Telstar annoyingly is still the best overall in more areas than Optus and the bloody dearest.