Setting up mobile broadband is a very easy process when compared to setting up standard home broadband via a router for instance because the mechanism for setting up a mobile broadband service is a simple plug and play arrangement.
When you take out a mobile broadband contract or pay as you go deal, you will receive a USB dongle (also known as a USB modem) from your broadband provider (often free of charge) and a SIM card. The dongle will be roughly the size of a cigarette lighter and the SIM card will be a similar size to your thumbnail. Sometimes the SIM card will already have been slotted into the USB dongle, however if it hasn’t you will simply need to take the SIM card and find the slot on the dongle to slip that SIM card into. Different manufacturers of dongles house the SIM card slot in different areas on the dongle but it will be easy to locate as the dongle is a very simple device or you could simply use the supplied instructions for additional advice.
Once you are satisfied that the SIM card has been placed into the dongle, you are ready to begin the installation process. First ensure that the PC or laptop is switched on and fully booted up, and then plug the dongle into a spare USB port on your computer. The software will then automatically begin to install on your computer and you should follow the onscreen prompts to complete the installation. As part of the installation you will need to accept licensing and terms and conditions and set the username and password. Once the formalities have been completed, the dongle will scan for the 3G network and once a signal has been found you simply need to click “connect” and you will be connected to the Internet.
When you need to connect to the web in future you simply need to ensure that the dongle is plugged into your computer, enter (or store) your login credentials, click on the shortcut on your computer that will have been created during the installation process and click connect and you will have access – you don’t need to install the software again because this is only done during the first time you use your new mobile broadband.
You do not need to worry about any setup intricacies specific to networks – Orange mobile broadband settings, o2 mobile broadband settings, Vodafone mobile broadband settings, T-Mobile mobile broadband settings and 3 mobile broadband settings will be taken care of automatically during the plug and play installation period which should take no longer than 10 minutes.
If you are using a pay as you go (PAYG) dongle as part of the setup you will be directed to the website of the network you have selected as your mobile broadband provider whereby you will be able to top up with credit for mobile browsing as you see fit (just like you would for a PAYG mobile phone).
Setting up mobile broadband really is that simple.