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Virgin Mobile U600 3G/4G USB Stick Review
June 25, 2012 by Jacob Krol in Hotspot, Internet, Reviews
Our friends over at Virgin Mobile have sent us the U600 3G/4G USB Stick. This is one of their newest “Broadband2Go” devices that can run on their “4G WiMAX” network. Keep in mind that they also work on their 3G network. This is good in case the 4G network is not available in your network. This does not work like a MiFi, it provides an internet connection for one computer or laptop. It provides the network to that device by the USB port. But, is this device worth it too let you get internet everywhere? We will answer this in our full review, which begins right now.
Design And Hardware
Now, there is not much to the U600 3G/4G USB stick. The device is very light and can be taken everywhere, so if you want to bring your laptop on the train with you, this can definitely be a companion. And portability with any Internet anywhere device, is super important. This device comes in at just 1.1 ounces, so super light. On the front of the device you have the 4G/3G indicator lights, a Virgin Mobile logo, and the USB head. Now, a very nice feature of this device is that the USB head can do a full 180 degrees. This enables you to plug the device in which ever way is the most simple for you. It lets the device fit in to small or tight locations. The front of the device is a shiny and smooth type of plastic. While the rest of the device is more rough, but still comfortable in the hand.On the back of the device, you have the model number, manufacture information, and serial numbers. The U600 USB stick comes in one color, and that is black. Inside of this USB stick we have 32MB(megabits) of RAM and 128MB(megabits) of storage. Keep in mind that this storage is not user accessible. In past USB sticks, not just made by Virgin Mobile, they sometimes include a micro SD card slot. This way it can also become a USB drive. One thing to note is that after normal use the device can become a little hot. After you disconnect from using the device as your internet source, I would suggest letting the device cool down for a couple of minutes before removing it. There is no battery in this device, it is powered by your laptop or computer. Overall, the design and hardware of the U600 3G/4G USB stick, is very nice and should make the customer happy.
Software: Broadband2Go
So, when you first plug the U600 into your laptop or computer it will prompt you to install the “Broadband2Go”. After your done installing, you will need to restart. And then when you plug the device back in the application may open or automatically or you may need to open it up manually. Now, out of the box it will search for 4G WiMAX at first and then if it can’t connect it will go and log into the 3G Network. In preferences you can choose which networks your prefer it to connect too and if you want too you can have it only connect to one of them. The application is fairly simple to use. Keep in mind that it is made by Franklin Wireless. Updates can be done automatically in the application, which will make it super easy to do these. It has a timer in the application so it can tell you how long you have been using the connection for. If you want to check your usage or add a top-up card, simply log on to Virgin Mobile’s website. When connected to the device the homepage is Virgin Mobile, which makes it easy to connect too. You can also access the User Manual for the U600 via the application under the “help” menu. I am happy to see that the Virgin Mobile Broadband2Go application is very simple to use.
Network
Now, we move onto what may be the most important part of the review and that is the network. Let’s first begin with the plans that Virgin Mobile offers. Like all of Virgin Mobile’s devices, the U600 is a no contract device. So, to buy the U600 3G/4G USB stick you will have to pay $99.99. If you plan on using the device than the $99.99 is not that bad of a deal, if you frequently use the device for internet. And the plans are price pretty well, it is nice to see that at least some carriers still take care of their customers. For $35-a-month you get 2GB of 3G Data and Unlimited 4G Data. For $55-a-month you get 5GB of 3G Data and Unlimited 4G Data. Keep in mind that 4G is not available and it may be spotty in other areas where it might be available. In our area 4G from Virgin Mobile is spotty. In terms of 4G speeds, for download we got around 2.8Mbps, and on the upload we got around 2Mbps. So, as expected the speeds are what we got on Sprint’s 4G WiMAX network. And since Virgin Mobile’s 4G Network is Sprint’s WiMAX network, I was not in shock. Overall, the Network speeds could be better.
Bottom Line
The Virgin Mobile U600 3G/4G USB stick is anise device. As long as you have good coverage from Virgin Mobile on both their 3G and 4G networks. You should be a’okay with using this when you are traveling or if your home connection is down. Virgin’s pricing is great through for as low as $35-a-month for Unlimited 4G data, this may be one of the best prices out there. If you are looking for away to connect more than just your laptop or computer, you can look at MiFi’s which usually connect to up to 10 devices. Keep in mind that this is different for each carrier. The Virgin Mobile U600 3G/4G USB stick is available for $99.99. You Can Get More Info On The Virgin Mobile U600 3G/4G USB Stick, By Clicking Here. We would like to thank Virgin Mobile for providing us with a copy of the “Virgin Mobile U600 3G/4G USB Stick “
About the Author: Jacob Krol
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http://msirismg.tumblr.com/ Iris M. Gross
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NJTechReviewsJake
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