Review of O2 Mobile Broadband Service

    O2 Mobile Broadband Service   

    A trial of the service over a period of 2-3 weeks from various parts of Ireland

   

   

Conclusion:

This service is ok at best - you can get really good speeds but road warriors are going to struggle with a service that is very, very temperamental and location dependent. You absolutely cannot depend on anything more than a dial-up speed - however if you go in with that expectation you will be happy when you get faster. 

Thanks to Damien Mulley and Niamh Boylan in O2 I have a couple of weeks to try out this service.

I will update this review as I move around the country - updates to the top of the post.Be aware that I was warned from the start that the HSDPA broadband service is only available to 75% of the population. I should also say that I will not rate the service until the end. I will be using Irishisptest throughout for consistency.

11/10/07, Mullingar, Co Westmeath (2.71M/336k)

Sitting in my room in the Annebrook Hotel and getting a good fast signal here - 2.71 M download and 336kb upload.

4/10/07, Hanover Quay, Dublin (1.68M/192k)

This signal was picked up while sitting outdoors in a coffee shop.

3/10/07, Cahir, Co Tipperary (1.85M/250k)

A small village in Tipperary and I am on a HSDPA signal and getting 1.85M/250k.

29/09/07, Kilkenny City, Ormonde Hotel (PodcampIreland) Various

In the Kilbride suite downstairs and away from the window barely had a GPRS signal (35k download). Over by the window now and running at 2.02M/168k. 

28/09/07, Limerick City (2.28M/320k)

My second time on the full speed service :-)

26/09/07, Rossmore, Co Carlow (484k/16k)

This was in the SOHO of a Tech Check client and it prompted her to sign up for this service. Either this or dial-up!

26/09/07, Nr Ballon, Co Carlow (43k/19k)

GPRS signal, 43.3 kbps download, 18.7 kbps upload

25/09/07, Tullamore, Co Offaly (2.28M/294k)

Went from Edge signal to UMTS and then stalled on "Start trasmitting packet". Tried twice, stopped the application and restarted. Still stalled.Tried again 10 minutes later and got my first HSDPA!2.28 Mbps294 kbps

24/09/07 - Hacketstown, Co Carlow (?/?)

Opening IrishIspTest.com - gave up after 3 1/2 minutes as it would not load.

20/09/07, Whites Hotel, Wexford (?/?)

Tried the service and could not connect although it said it had a signal. Did not pursue as was about to live-blog so I switched to the hotel's (free) wifi network.

19/09/07 - O2 Broadband Speed - Kilkenny (515k/17k)

A quick test of the service in advance of a trip to Wexford this evening and tomorrow where I will try and use it for a live blogging session for www.southeastwomeninbusiness.com conference. An almost identical speed to the last time.

(For those of you into such things; Long: -7.14    ,Lat: 52.38)

13/09/07 - O2 Broadband Speed - Nr Portlaoise (42k/?)

Stay the night in the Comfort Inn on the Motorway at the Portlaoise/Cork junction of the M7. It's dialup here (GPRS) - whether at the workdesk or sitting on the window sill. I switched to the hotel free broadband to post this. 

I got 39 to 42 kbps download and an unmeasurable upload.

12/09/07 - O2 Broadband Speed - Kilkenny (517k/17k)

First speedtest and from my SOHO (home office) there is no broadband speed so I am on GPRS.Bring my laptop to the window where it finds the HSDPA service and then back to the desk. Where it is now on something called UMTS with no signal. This is very sensitive and just right now I cannot connect from where I am sitting to anything.

A walk to the window and a restart of the service brings back the switching between HPDSA and UMTS and an Irishisptest shows 517kpbs download and 17.5kbps upload.

Installation

Not so smooth - followed the instructions, clicked on the O2 Broadband icon and was told that there was no wireless device. A restart did the trick.

Until I discovered that it asked for my PIN, brought me through to a signal and then my browser could not see it. Oophs - have to click on an icon to start the service.

    Rated 3/5 on Sep 12 2007 by Keith Bohanna
    Review Tags: broadband, keith bohanna, kilkenny, mobile broadband, o2
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Comments

[my2pac]

Did u use a DBDM Modem including HSDPA & GPRS?

[keith bohanna]

@my2pac - the modem allows access to all 3 HPDSA, UMTS and GPRS.

keith

[Matthew Coss]

Hi my broadband HSDPA 3G is very low and slow in fairgreen mounmellick road and it work in Moungrath road. Which i am not pleased to pay monthly for it.

[Matthew Coss]

Sorry am from Portlaoise HSDPA 3G not fully network disconnet kept on and off. So be grateul to hear from e-mail me some detail asap. Need fully network ere Mounmellick road portlaoise.

[Nathan]

Tried o2 broadband in Letterkenny... 48Kbps average download speed... no better than a dialup.

I have been refused a refund.