# BSNL EV-DO Datacard – Review



## Ponmayilal (Mar 18, 2009)

On 13th March 2009, utilizing the BSNL-Bangalore “Ugadi mela” offer, I registered for an EVDO card (wireless Internet – unlimited) on a rental of Rs.200/-p.m  and fixed monthly charges of Rs. 550/- p.m. by just paying the refundable security deposit of  Rs 1000/-.(activation charge Rs.500/- waived + 20% discount on the first month’s fixed charges).

The lady at the  CSC counter informed me that in case I find the service in our area unsatisfactory, I can return the card after three months and take back the security deposit.To a specific query whether the rental paid and the security deposit will be adjusted towards the outright purchase of the device - Rs. 3500, in case I decide to go for it, she replied in the affirmative. (I am skeptical of the rent-paid adjustment though).

The registration formality was over in five minutes (1130 hrs.) with my handing over the filled-in application form alongwith a photograph , a copy of my Photo-id and cash Rs.1000 . The registration card with my WLL telephone number and consumer No. alongwith the device package was handed over to me with instructions to use the WLL telephone number as my user id and password and that the service will be activated within 24 hours.

For a FAQ on BSNL EV-DO see  here  (our own Gigacore administered)    -This is more than a year old and needs to be updated in places.

And so here goes the review.

The Package:

*www.imgx.org/thumbs/small/32966_vldc7/datacardpackage.jpg

The package contains the Host( Wireless USB modem),an USB Extension  Y cable, the CD ROM, and a Quick installation Guide.

While the USB device can be directly plugged into the USB port, one can use the extension cable to place the device at any convenient location. The cable has two connectors at one end. Where the power from one single USB port is not sufficient to drive the  device, both the terminals can be plugged into two USB ports on the computer to resolve the issue.Needless to say the single end is plugged into the device.

The installation CD  has the drivers for Windows XP and Vista as also the detailed User Guide.

 The device itself – Model AC 8700 – bearing the BSNL logo, is manufactured by ZTE Corporation, P.R.China.

*www.imgx.org/thumbs/small/32967_0h0lb/thedevice.jpg




Installation:

The CD autoruns. Just follow the wizard’s instructions. Halfway through, when prompted plug in the device into the computer’s USB port or into the extension cable. The new hardware is detected and the drivers installed.(In my case it is Windows XP Professional Service Pack 3)
The installation went on without any hassles and at the end of it I had the “ZTE Wireless Terminal” icon on the desktop, the gateway to my wireless experience. Had a quick glance at the detailed User Guide in the CD.

Clicking on the icon brings up the ZTE Window on the desktop.

*www.imgx.org/thumbs/small/32968_jcbzp/ZTE%20Window.jpg

Hitting on the “Settings” icon in the Main interface extends the settings window.Initially I only entered the eight digit WLL telephone number as the User ID and password and left everything else at default.(  Phone: #777 ; Mode: Hybrid ; Auto Reconnect ticked. The default for  both User and password were  “card”)

With the set-up over by 0130hrs, I clicked on the “Connect/disconnect” icon only to be greeted with the message “No network detected” and the wait for activation begins.

By 1900hrs, the connection came alive and I was online – unlimited. (Surprisingly BSNL was very fast, for the best I expected was that it will be activated the next day –Saturday- failing which it was going to be Monday.)

On the staus bar the antenna symbol showed a 5 bar signal strength. That notifies maximum excellent signal strength. The mode “EVDO” appeared next to it.( With no network present earlier it was “X”)

Performance:

On theory, EVDO evolved to cater speeds upto 2.4 Mbps compared to the earlier “IX” mode upto 144Kbps.

Some quick checks over a period has revealed that even with maximum signal strength, the maximum speed that was attained in my setup was not more than 1200 Kbps.The download/upload speeds are never consistent and vary  considerably from time to time, though the connection never drops.The upload speeds are much lower.

Test results from speedtest.net show download speeds from 130Kbps to 830Kbps and upload speeds from 43Kbps to 83Kbps.I shall post some screenshots later.

Web browsing experience has been quite satisfactory, though one can clearly make out the difference from the upto 2.4 Mbps Dataone connection.

Here is a picture of a large-file download.

*www.imgx.org/thumbs/small/32970_orfcg/Filedownload.jpg
The same file was downloaded four times and here are the results.

*www.imgx.org/thumbs/small/32969_kpm1e/Speeddwld.jpg

A 60MB file has taken 14,17,20 and 37 minutes at different times.

The Happiness Quotient:

The happiness Quotient with this type of connection depends on various factors and is quite likely to vary  from person to person.

If you are always mobile and need to be online this may be the best option at this cost.

For a desktop-user like me, considering there is no cap on the data, again this could be the best service at this cost albeit the fact it takes almost double the time to download.Well 24 hours a day is quite a lot of time.The only factor is that one should be lucky enough to reside in a high signal strength area, preferably within 2 Kms from an EVDO enabled tower.

I am more than happy with this connection. Just to tell you the greatest advantage, Dataone was down in Bangalore from 14th March morning till 16th  March morning but I went about as usual doing all the things online that I normally do - no more wire dependant.


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## unni (Mar 18, 2009)

Thanks for the review. I also want to buy this. But have no idea whether I will get EVDO signal in my place. Contacted the nearby BSNL exchange, but no use.


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## amitabhishek (Mar 18, 2009)

Nice review! Even if I take 20 min. average download time is not at all bad. 1200 KBPS OTA speed is not at all bad.


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## Ponmayilal (Mar 20, 2009)

Here are the results of some speed tests of my EVDO setup.
*www.imgx.org/thumbs/small/33342_akcl0/ST200309.jpg

*About Wireless Internet and EVDO:*

*1xRTT 50Kbps* - 100Kbps Upload and Download, bursts to 144Kbps.
*EVDO Rev 0:* 400kbps-700kbps Download; bursts up to 2.0Mbps; 50kbps-100kbps Upload Speed; bursts to 144Kbps. 
*EVDO Rev A:* 500Kbps-1, 000Kbps Download; bursts to 3.0Mbps; 300Kbps-400Kbps Upload Speed; bursts to 1.8Mbps
EV-DO - Evolution Data Optimized
Personal broadband wireless service for a wide range of customers, from business people to students
Always on - - similar to DSL (wherever DO capability is available)
Rides on CDMA signal- 1x data capability – If rolled-out should be available everywhere CDMA voice service available 
Up to _10 times the peak data rate_ of the next best public wireless solution - 400 to 1,000 Kbps average (kilobits per second) comparable to DSL speeds 
Allows the user to be connected wherever they are not only for email, but for downloads, large files, photos, spreadsheets, etc.
Users can work on a large variety of applications, including the MS Office Suite and others, so they can do business anywhere! Access mission-critical documents and information wherever you are.
Gives “plug and play” of business functions, games and Internet access anywhere!
Advantages over WiFi: 
Always on with seamless roaming!
Signal can travel on same cell sites as cell phones
No 300-ft range from the cell tower or hot spot
Can download and run video clips in real time
Can provide service to customers outside of cable-modem or DSL areas

Relatively low cost with high capacity - allows rich web browsing and application usage 
In USA, EVDO is available on the Verizon and Sprint networks. Verizon network is 100% Rev A (upto 3Mbps)
More info here
*BSNL, Tata Indicom, Reliance Communications Wireless Broadband:*

BSNL, as of today, is only rolling out EVDO Rev 0 (upto 2Mbps) service.
For BSNL EVDO-enabled cities check here 
And tariff here

Tata Indicom:

In the wireless broadband category, Tata Indicom’s EVDO Rev A (upto 3.1Mbps) christened Photon+USB modem service is available in *select areas* of Bangalore, Chennai, Jaipur, Mumbai, Jammu & Kashmir & North East States.
For the Photon+ Unlimited the Tariff is Rs.1250/per month. For Time-based (Pay-as-you-go, 1hr/day, 2hr/day) and MB-based (0.5GB and 2 GB) plans, the monthly charges range from Rs.250 to Rs.1000. More details here 
*On fine print (zoomed here):*All Unlimited plans have a fair usage clause of 15 GB, post which additional usage rate will be Re 1 /MB
USB modem will be on Sale model. (Cost, manufacturer not indicated in the public domain)

Reliance Netconnect Broadband +:

Just last Thursday, the 12th March 2009, Reliance Communications announced the launch of its EVDO Rev A (upto 3.1Mbps) service to be rolled out in 35 cities. Cities covered here
The USB modem will either be Huawei EC168C or ZTE AC871. Cost Rs. 3500.
The monthly charges for Pay-as-you-go,1GB,2.5GB,5GB and night unlimited plans are Rs.299, 650, 850, 1099 and 499 respectively.
For the city-wide unlimited plan the monthly charge is Rs.1099 and for nation-wide Rs.1750
Tariff details here
*On fine print (zoomed here):*Unlimited usage plans will have a fair usage policy of 10 GB/month. Beyond which the customer will be charged at Rs. 2/- per MB

It is quite evident that BSNL’s tariff for the unlimited plan is the most affordable and wallet-friendly. There are no fine prints, it is truly unlimited and BSNL has no other plans either time-limited or MB-limited. 
The service so far appears to be more than satisfactory and will be the winner hands-down if they improve upon and continue to offer a good service.
Users of Tata Indicom Photon+ and Reliance Netconnect+ are welcome to share their experience here.


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## expertno.1 (Mar 21, 2009)

thats quite cheap and btw good review , will be looking for a try to the servie .

Thanks


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## mkmkmk (Mar 22, 2009)

Nice review....... Thanks


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## viruses (Mar 22, 2009)

how about rapidshare and torrents?


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## Ponmayilal (Mar 22, 2009)

Sorry, I don't torrent.So cannot answer from experience..From what I have heard there are problems. Mebbe Gigacore can answer. Calling Gigacore. Gigacore, r u listening?


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## Gigacore (Mar 22, 2009)

Nice review... will be pleased to see this review on my forum. And I will publish it on the homepage 

Even torrents works fine. I get 50-80 KBps (same as the max speed I get with direct download).most of the times. I get speeds like 512kbps to 1.2Mbps.

There are people in my forum who has reported speeds reaching 2Mbps and torrent speeds reaching 200+ KBps!


Before there was an issue of port forwarding. But now, I noticed ports get half-open sometimes. And with linux, you will face no issues at all.


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## shantanu (Mar 22, 2009)

hmm !! i used that service !! sucks at 1X , EVDO ROCKS... but giga .. the ip is what makes it great isnt it ?


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## Gigacore (Mar 22, 2009)

^ yes


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## Ponmayilal (Mar 23, 2009)

Thanks @Gigacore. That was indeed a lightning and enlightening response.
I donno Digit's policy on republishing the same review in another forum.
In any case , you may always give a link to this review in your forum - of which I too am a member since last few days with the same nick - and I think Digit  will only be too pleased.
Thanks again.


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## Akshay (Mar 23, 2009)

How well does it work in mumbai?


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## Gigacore (Mar 23, 2009)

@Ponmayilal, ok 

@Akshay: No BSNL in mumbai, so EVDO. Wait for MTNL to start or go for reliance. I dunno how's reliance evdo service at ur place.


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## Phantom Lancer (Mar 23, 2009)

How is it in Chennai ??


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## amol48 (Mar 23, 2009)

Anyone from Pune using it?


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## Akshay (Mar 25, 2009)

@gigacore

But isnt roaming free with BSNL EVDO? I mean cant I use a Pune EVDO in Mumbai? 

I use BSNL sim in Mumbai and use Dolphin network for GPRS. Somehow I am not being charged for GPRS (some goof up in BSNL system).


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## Roadripper (Mar 25, 2009)

I am confused whether to buy or not .. coz morning i ll be office and i come 2 room by 10 or so then i want to use net and i sleep late til 4 or so .. which one shud i go i want cheap and affordable coz morning i wont be using from Mangalore donno if EVDO tower is there here... wat do guys /?? want to use it wit my laptop...downloadin + browsing at nite only..


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## jainanshal (Mar 25, 2009)

Hello everyone.. i have few questions on EVDO 
1. Is bsnl giving public ip on EVDO now?
2. Can this EVDO connection be shared, i mean i have 2 more systems on LAN can i share EVDO network with them using switch like i can do in ADSL connection?
BTW I am from bangalore, anybody staying in Marathalli, chinnapannahalli or AECS layout can confirm EVDO coverage in any of these areas. 
Thanks


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## jainanshal (Mar 27, 2009)

No replies...?


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## Ponmayilal (Mar 29, 2009)

Google search "BSNL EVDO ips" and check it out. In the process, I stumbled upon this wherein Jayson has done an excellent job much ahead of me and better than me.
As I understand whole Bangalore is covered by EVDO and if you want to know how good it is in your place, just borrow a friend's USB device and try it for a few days.If that is not possible, get a willing franchisee to give a demo at your place.Or else take a connection on rent and try it out.If you are satisfied you can purchase the device or else you can return it after three months.(Minimum hire period - three months).
The highest speed I got thus far:
*www.speedtest.net/result/438427184.png


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## mandar5 (Apr 4, 2009)

Can this data cards be used with ps3/xbox 360?


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## amol48 (Apr 4, 2009)

viruses said:


> how about rapidshare and torrents?



You will have problems downloading from RS as you will share your IP with other since EVDO don't have dedicated IP's. Also upload speed $uck$ and hence ratio will be a problem on torrents with private trackers. Rest all is fine and great


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## mandar5 (Apr 8, 2009)

No replies??


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## yippee (Apr 24, 2009)

hi
i will start moving a lot from next month thinking of giving up my bsnl1500 plan and going for the datacard...
any one from tamilnadu using this? what is the average speed you get?


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## shantanu (Apr 27, 2009)

yesterday after about two months my sify went down, so i tried my Evdo again.. man.. it takes away my sify by a long shot.. i was getting download speed @ 946 kbps and 77 to 133 in torrents... ( open port 33365) lol .. amazing...


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## ganeshganesh (Apr 29, 2009)

hi friends, 

i bought a evdo last week... am residing in bemllayout near kundanahalli gate...

am sorry to say that the speed is pretty bad.. it is around 120kbps and the download speeed is around just 12kbps... i bought the device for 3500... dont know wat to do..

now i even cant return the device....  

hope that bsnl people willinstall the cdma soon in the tower un nearby area to me...


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## Ponmayilal (Apr 29, 2009)

Ponmayilal said:


> As I understand whole Bangalore is covered by EVDO and if you want to know how good it is in your place, just borrow a friend's USB device and try it for a few days.If that is not possible, get a willing franchisee to give a demo at your place.Or else take a connection on rent and try it out.If you are satisfied you can purchase the device or else you can return it after three months.(Minimum hire period - three months).
> The highest speed I got thus far:
> *www.speedtest.net/result/438427184.png


In the absence of any reliable information about how good the service is in a particular location, it is always safe to take the device on rent for three months and try it out.Otherwise one may land in a situation like this.
Even though I knew pretty well that the nearest BSNL tower is within 750 meters as the crow flies, I have taken the device on rent.I am totally satisfied with the service as it fulfills all my needs quite effectively.
Notwithstanding, I shall again repeat what is in the quote for anyone who would like to test the waters before taking a plunge.


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## INS-ANI (May 7, 2009)

@shantanu
bro wat was the upload speed you were getting? I guess the download speed you quoted is not consistent and is one of the rare occasions.
please comment


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## Ponmayilal (Jun 16, 2009)

Here is my limited experience torrenting with the EVDO Datacard.
Since Windows 7 RC 7229 is widely available as a torrent download,I installed uTorrent on my Windows 7 RC 7100 m/c to get the same.
It was a smooth sailing from the moment I installed the client and fed it with the torrent file. I never had to fiddle with the default settings.
Here is the screenshot .
*www.imgx.org/thumbs/small/39798_2d8jf/utor.jpg
The average download speed for the five and half hours was 15.8 KBps(126Kbps)
In any case, this was too slow . I was getting impatient as I wanted my hands on RC 7229 fast.So at 0200hrs I switched on to my copperline (Home 500) and went off to sleep.
Here is the screenshot 
*www.imgx.org/thumbs/small/39799_194vr/UtorD1.jpg
The download speed was 209.7KBps(1678Kbps){ignore the average speed since it includes the datacard download speed for the first 5.5 hours} 
The download was finished by 0530hrs.
Since this was my first torrent download and am a newbie at it, I cannot comment on it.
Whatever it is, having tasted it, I am now after free movies.I have indeed become a spoilt kid.  Never mind. I am no great fan of movies,can never sit for three hours to watch a movie and I haven't done it in the last five years or so.


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## shantanu (Jun 17, 2009)

yup you are right.. its not consistent.. it keeps on going up and down.. but the average speed is about 300 - 340 & ( 55-70 with torrents )and i am getting almost 80kbps upload but it also keeps on fluctuating the most i have got was 484kbps..


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## Ecko (Jun 17, 2009)

Try downloading some Anime with high seeders
I used to get around 60-125 ,till 1 day they shifted their centre somehwre & all their setting was fuked up
Now bull$hit speed since 20 days
No effect of complaint calls


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## Renny (Jun 17, 2009)

BSNL EVDO is Static IP, so downloading from RS etc is almost impossible except at maybe at 2 or 3AM  ,

And I never get more than 10KBps in torrents, I'm using uTorrent 1.8.2, could anyone please post a screenshot of their uTorrent settings?

Or should I use some other torrent client? And please how to get better torrent speeds, please mention the method.


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## j1n M@tt (Jun 17, 2009)

nice review. I'm interested in buying one, but how can I check whether the tower at my place hav EVDO service? are they listed in their site somewhere? when I asked the BSNL personals at the exchange, they didn't gav a specific answer.


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## viruses (Jun 18, 2009)

bsnl evdo sucks for me


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## himanshupt (Jun 18, 2009)

Nice Review dude..........
For now EVDO is good .......As of the reason that you get Unlimited downloads with such high speeds....At such low price.......

However it starts sucking when ........You are away from tower and you dont get good speeds.........And suffer frequent connection losses..........

And morever........I wont be surprised if BSNL removes unlimited download soon.......Bcoz they had been providinf unlimited download as introduction plan.........And now that it is poplular enough.....They can actually chuck out the faculity..........

For me personally......Wired connection are ways bettter............

I am using BSNL Night unlimted(2AM TO 8AM) HOME 500 plan with 2.5 GB downlad capping during normal hours(8AM TO 2AM)------------aND AM REALLY SATISFIED THAT ........

*www.speedtest.net/result/475184967.png

Can download huge amount stuff....with avg daily download of 3.2 GB........With my best being 3.7 GB (i AM TALKING DURING UNLIMITED/FREE HOURS)

REGARDS


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## badboyrx (Jun 20, 2009)

nice review, but anyone know about the roaming. this bsnl guy here at my place tells its restricted to 5 kms around my city. i would be moving between my hometown and chennai frequently. i need the real mobility. still thinking whether to go for this bsnl or reliance which has some fair usage policy crap.


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## j1n M@tt (Jun 20, 2009)

^they always says dat, but it is not the truth. It works outside the 5kms for sure


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## shantanu (Jun 20, 2009)

you need to be inbound the towers which is emmiting the Evdo signal.. else you will turn to 1X mode ..


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## codename_romeo (Jun 20, 2009)

what is the total initial money i need to deposit or rather give while i take a new connection? both for rental n purchase of devise


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## shantanu (Jun 20, 2009)

for rental it is 1600 or so .. 220 for buying i guess.. correct me if i am wrong..


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## codename_romeo (Jun 20, 2009)

The guy at bsnl told nitesh's dad that the total initial amount for buyin the device will cost around 7k........ and i had thought it would be around 4k........ can tell me which is the actual one????


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## Ponmayilal (Jun 20, 2009)

Tariff for BSNL EVDO:
For internet:
Fixed monthly charge: Rs 550.
For Data card (USB Modem):
Rs. 3500/- if bought. 
Alternative:
Fixed monthly charge for USB modem card (rental) Rs. 200.
Initial Security Deposit: Rs 1000/- (refundable when you return the modem)
So if you buy the modem, you will be paying only the internet charges of Rs.550/- p.m
If you take the modem on rent you will be paying Rs.750/- (Rs.550+Rs. 200) p.m. apart from the refundable Initial deposit Rs.1000/- Since the minimum hire period is three months, you may be charged for three months in the first bill but it will get  adjusted in the subsequent bills.( their billing procedure is still not very clear to me. May be they themselves are not clear. But you can be rest assured that if there are any errors, they will rectify when brought to their notice.)

Tariff  here


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## Ponmayilal (Jun 20, 2009)

Tariff for BSNL EVDO:
For internet:
Fixed monthly charge: Rs 550.
For Data card (USB Modem):
Rs. 3500/- if bought. 
Alternative:
Fixed monthly charge for USB modem card (rental) Rs. 200.
Initial Security Deposit: Rs 1000/- (refundable when you return the modem)
So if you buy the modem, you will be paying only the internet charges of Rs.550/- p.m
If you take the modem on rent you will be paying Rs.750/- (Rs.550+Rs. 200) p.m. apart from the refundable Initial deposit Rs.1000/- Since the minimum hire period is three months, you may be charged for three months in the first bill but it will get  adjusted in the subsequent bills.( their billing procedure is still not very clear to me. May be they themselves are not clear. But you can be rest assured that if there are any errors, they will rectify when brought to their notice.)

Tariff  here


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## codename_romeo (Jun 21, 2009)

So for taking the evdo card hom ei need to give only 3.5k na?????


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## Ponmayilal (Jun 21, 2009)

Yes of course.
Whether you buy the card or take it on rental, you may have to pay activation charges of Rs.500.
But ........... be aware. If you buy the card and then find that the service in your area is not satisfactory,while you may be granted a service disconnection on request, BSNL will not take back the card.
So buy it only if you are damn sure that service in your area is satisfactory. (It all depends on whether your nearest BSNL base stations (towers) are EVDO-enabled and the distance to you)

If you are not sure, I would recommend taking it on rental, so that you may return it after three months, in case the service in your area is not satisfactory.

If you are satisfied you can buy it after one, two or three months as you may choose  and thereafter no rental will be charged.(Please read through all the posts where all these have been brought out)


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## awww (Aug 4, 2009)

my hunt for evdo card in chennai is getting worse day by day
i was asking for it for last one month
so far i've been to tidal park,velacherry,adayar,r.k nagar,guindy,bsnl offices and they finally gave a proper bsnl office address in guindy today
when i went there they said that they ran out of EVDO card so i have to come back after tendays.
may be i should start writing a blog about it soon
about how many busses i took everyday and how long i walked and waited in bsnl office for the people in charge to return after having their leisure time
it might make a interesting story for everyone to read.


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## Ponmayilal (Oct 2, 2009)

In spite of clear advice given in this review to "try before you buy", many people seem to have rushed into buying the EVDO datacard only to find that it does not perform satisfactorily in their area. I am afraid they have to blame themselves for their impulsive buy.

After trying the Data card for more than five months, I bought the card in early September. Needless to say I was more than satisfied.

Starting September, BSNL has started assigning 117 class dynamic IPs (117.xxx.xxx.xxx). Many people have since then reported an increase in speed and no problems with torrents & rapidshare.I had never felt the need to check the speed for a long long time since there was no need but today I did, just to see whether there has been any real increase in speed as reported by others. Yes indeed and here is the result.

*www.speedtest.net/result/580835532.png

I now rue the day I took it on rent (instead of committing the mistake of buying it straightaway) 

P.S. This post is courtesy EVDO data card for my Home-500 seems to have gone on leave since early morning to celebrate Gandhi Jayanthi. It is more than 12 hours now but BSNL cares not - facts of life.


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