Huawei E173 (modem): features, setup

The Huawei E173 modem is widely used among customers. He remembered the owners of his interesting box, which is supplied. The device is considered good, it works without failures and any other shortcomings. More details about it are in the article.

General characteristics

The modem is often used by residents of large cities. So it turned out that even in the capital with an active network of the third generation there is a weak signal. Therefore, quite often there are situations in which 3G is terribly bad. Modem E173 is a great device. It allows you to catch even a weak signal network and ensure its stable operation. The device is in demand at least because many buyers still pay more attention to the characteristics and indicators, and not to external design.

The modem is sold for 1190 rubles. When connecting the "Maximal" package, the owner will receive unlimited Internet (the first three months of use are free of charge). The largest amount of traffic is 16 GB, as it is clear, without speed limit. Next, let's talk in detail about the technical equipment of the device.

Completion and registration

The buyers have no complaints about the bundle. The manufacturer even provided for the presence of a green lace. It will be needed if the owner wants to place the E173 USB modem on his wrist. Of course, few people have a desire to wear a model as an ornament. The lanyard is necessary so that the lid from the device is not lost. An accessory is useful and many people use it. The kit also includes documentation. Among her, you can find a special brochure, which describes all available tariff plans, as well as additional commands for managing the device.

The appearance of the modem arranged all buyers and owners. Non-marking plastic of black color is used. Due to the dark-neutral tone, the device is perfectly compatible with laptops and computers. On sale in a smaller edition there are also white versions.

Design

Consumers have only one claim to the design of the Huawei E173 device. They do not like the thickness of the modem. Extra two millimeters will be invisible when using the device with a laptop, but when you use the netbook, they will be strongly caught in the eye. The port does not loosen, but the appearance is spoiled. It would be appropriate to hinge the rotator. He was obviously useful for such a modem.

Thin netbooks will stand unsteadily on a solid surface, relying on the device used. Of course, such PCs are now rarely used, but they lack the disadvantage.

Design

Modem E173, the characteristics of which all suit, received a standard appearance. Users do not say anything about it in reviews. The only thing that can be said is that the design is clearly better than its predecessor. The design is excellent, there is no backlash and creaks, the assembly is dense. The design is neat. Something more solid in the design of the budget model can not wait.

The developers abandoned the card cover, which constantly fell off and was lost. To replace an external drive or SIM, you must remove half the case. Such a decision is a definite plus.

The manufacturer in the phones uses special sockets for subscriber cards. Accordingly, they must be inserted in a wide part. In modems, the same option was abandoned. Standard standardized blocks for the card and external drive are used. Unfortunately, this is one of the reasons for the thick body. But users note that the main thing is fast functional.

Functionality

The E173 modem firmware allows you to work with several networks at once. The device makes it possible to easily connect to the signal. It should be noted at once: the device completely corresponds to the declared characteristics from the manufacturer. 3G network works without failures, signal loss and other problems. The stability of communication is noticeable after the first hour of use. Of course, there is sometimes a slowdown, but overall the device allows you to work with the Internet as quickly and comfortably as possible. If you compare the model with other devices, you can confidently say - it is one of the best. This advantage is based on working with the device without any speed limits or megabytes from the operator. All this depends on the price of the tariff, which is not discussed in this review.

Work with mobile communication

The E173 is a modem that is not in vain receiving positive feedback. It should be noted that he catches the signal "Beeline" in places where phones and tablets can not do it, and other similar devices are connected through the times.

What about 3G from Megafon? The fact is that the coverage of this operator is pretty bad - some people do not suspect about the operation of the third generation network. It should be noted that the modem coped well with this situation. The data transfer rate is slightly behind, but reliability and sensitivity are at the highest level. "Freezing" and other failures are completely absent. Communication is smooth and stable.

Modem Features

E173 - modem, which has a data transfer rate is quite rare, but can then fall, then increase dramatically. But the discharge is stable and does not show such nuances. I must say that the reception of the radio signal does not depend on the build quality, so this problem is practically not the result of the poor performance of the developers.

When you connect a tariff that will make it possible to watch online video as much as possible, the modem behaves perfectly. "Brakes" are excluded, the videos are loaded quickly. The information transfer rate is 512 Kbps. In order to work comfortably with video on the Internet, the consumer needs to choose a tariff, in which the data supply restriction is either absent or minimal. It is desirable that the average speed is not higher than 450 Kbps. This will allow you to watch videos even in the most inaccessible places of the city. At 128 Kbit / s download movies will be quite problematic. Normally only small videos are viewed.

Unlocking the E173 modem

Many owners are worried about the question: how to unlock the modem in order to use the services of other mobile operators? There are three ways to solve the problem. But immediately it is worthwhile to understand that this manipulation instantly takes away the guarantee for the device.

• Make changes to any special firmware - dashboard. It is not difficult to do this, especially if you have the experience and skills. But it is better to ask to perform this action of a person who understands all the subtleties. It is necessary to know the special codes of the country and its operator.
• The Internet has a lot of firmware, which are open to editing the list of working mobile operators. If you do not have the list, just add the required option. But here there are subtleties. You need to know all the access points and other settings, otherwise the modem will support the operator, but will not be able to catch the network. When reinstalling the operating system, all data will have to be downloaded by a new one, when interacting with another computer, too. But the method is convenient and many use it.
• Find the firmware with local operators and simply upload it to the modem. Unlike the previous method, when using this one, you do not have to update all data and settings. The minus option is one - not all modems have firmware. Search for those described the adaptation will be quite a long time.

The result

It can not be said that the E173 is a modem that differs from all others in its price category. But he does stand out from the "gray mass" with certain advantages. The characteristics are excellent, the Internet speed is good and, most importantly, stable. The modem is capable of catching even a hard-to-reach signal that powerful gadgets do not see. Most of all, this model will suit those who are first faced with the purchase of such a device. But do not rush when buying it. If a person is still satisfied with the work of the old modem, and by three months of free use, it is cool, then it is better to look at a powerful option for high cost. Now the market a huge range of upgraded devices, which are clearly much more successful in equipping. E173 is a modem that can be used as a spare or as a gift.