bro March 21, 2013 at 03:03 pm

Making work with Huawei E352 3G modem more comfortable

• Lumber room *

This spring I needed wireless internet on my laptop, and I purchased a Huawei E352 USB modem from MegaFon. The modem copes with its tasks to this day. but when I first got acquainted with the modem, I discovered several inconveniences, which I decided to fix and make working with the modem more enjoyable.
So what did I want? Windows 7 has a great opportunity to connect to the Internet in three clicks. To do this, in the tray, click on the network icon, select desired network(especially convenient if it's Wi-Fi), and click "connect" with the third click. From the modem, I wanted the same thing - insert the modem, and connect to the Internet in three clicks. But it was not there. When the modem was connected for the first time, it was identified as a card reader with no memory card and as a CD-ROM disk from which the program installer was launched. Along with the modem drivers, this installer installed the cumbersome "MegaFon Modem" program. Now, every time, after I inserted the modem into the laptop, this green program started up for a long and tedious time, from which I needed only one thing - the "Connect" button. In addition, after clicking on the big green “Disconnect” button, absolutely all Internet connections were cut off. This state of affairs did not suit me, I wanted to connect to the Internet using standard Windows tools, and not wait 5 minutes for this ingenious green craft to start, and I wanted to choose myself which specific connection I want to complete, and not turn everything off at once, so With the help of Google, patience and direct hands, I have achieved that:
1) To connect to the Internet, it became enough to click on the tray icon, select the desired connection and click "Connect".
2) When the modem was connected to the laptop, the slow green program stopped automatically starting (it is impossible to do this in the settings of the program itself)
3) The modem after connecting to the computer began to be defined as an independent Network Card, he ceased to consider himself a card reader, a CD-ROM and a modem all rolled into one.
Instructions on how to achieve this effect are under the cut.

0. So, the first thing we need is the modem itself and the installed MegaFon Modem program. If this is the first connection of the modem to the computer, then when connecting, the tray will display for a short time an inscription which COM port the modem will use. This information should be remembered, we will need it in the future. If the modem is not used for the first time, then you can see the port number in the Control Panel, in the “Phone and Modem” section, provided that the modem is now connected to the computer and the green program is installed.
1. To begin with, we will make sure that the MegaFon Modem program does not start when the modem is connected. To do this, go to the folder with the installed program, open the AutoRun folder and run Uninstall.exe. After that, the folder will remain empty, and the program will stop running without your desire.
2. We will transfer the modem from RAS mode to NDIS mode (this will give us the ability to connect to the Internet through the modem as easily as through Wi-Fi), and also convince it that it is not a flash drive, not a card reader, and not even a CD, but just a network device, and we also advise it to work only in 3G mode. To do this, you can use any already installed console terminal that you usually use, or you can download PuTTY if you have not used terminals before. In my opinion, this is a very small and very handy program.
Next, we connect through the terminal to the modem. In the case of PuTTY, to do this, after starting the program, select "Serial" in the "Connection type" section, and write the port number in the "Serial line" field, for example, "COM11".
In the console, enter the command:

That's all! Now our modem is operating in NDIS mode, and the card reader and CD-ROM "a functions are disabled, and the next time the modem is connected, it will already be defined as network equipment connected via USB, and nothing more. It is quite possible that after entering this command, the modem will start to issue in terminal service information at intervals of several seconds Everything is in order, as it should be.
In case you need to access the modem again through the terminal, do not pay attention to what the modem writes, but simply enter the necessary command.
An antidote in case you need to reset your modem to default:

AT^SETPORT="A1,A2;1,2,3,7,A1,A2,4,5,6,A,B,D,E"

The modem setup method described in the article is also suitable for Huawei E367, E392, E353 and E171 modems with firmware 21.156.00.00.143. I found information about AT commands on the forum dedicated to modems, cellular communication and everything connected with it. Also, the link has commands for configuring Huawei E1750, as well as commands for switching modes in modems with LTE, for example, E392.

Tags: modem, MegaFon, telecoms, telecommunications, 3g, 3g modem

A device that looks like a regular flash drive is so convenient and mobile that it can cause a lot of questions for an unprepared user about how to work with it, where to connect it and how to configure it.

It is hard to believe that in such a small device lies the possibility of high-speed connection to the global network. However, in order to take advantage of these opportunities, you must carefully study the instructions and perform a number of specific actions, the first of which is inserting a SIM card.

Before using, open the modem case (depending on the model, the ways of opening the cases may vary), then carefully insert the SIM card purchased from the mobile operator into it. Recently, SIM cards are sold complete with modems, but they can be purchased separately. These are not ordinary phone cards, they are created specifically for modems. Please note that the card is inserted with the contacts facing down, as in conventional phones. Close the case.

Connecting a modem to a computer

In order to connect the modem to a computer, you need to remove the side cap, after which you will see a USB output. Insert the modem into any USB port on your computer, making sure it is fully engaged. As soon as the computer detects your device, a message will automatically appear stating that the system has found new hardware. Do not click anything, the installation will start automatically. During installation, instructions and prompts will appear that you must follow until the device is fully installed.

If you did everything correctly, but the installation did not start, try reconnecting your modem. If the computer does not detect it again, go to the "Control Panel", to the "Install New Hardware" tab. If the second path does not lead you to installation, contact the store where you bought the modem - it may be faulty.

Beginning of work

Once completed, you will see that a shortcut to the corresponding program has appeared on the desktop. Click on it with the mouse in order to manage your tariff, go to global network, connect and disconnect the modem. There you can also see the balance of funds and the balance of unused traffic. If you have already spent all the paid traffic, you can easily replenish your account through conventional terminals or ATMs.

If you want to turn off the 3G modem, you should not pull it out of the computer abruptly so that the settings are not lost and the device is not damaged. Use the Safely Remove Hardware feature and be sure to close your Internet connection program before exiting.

Here I will describe in detail what home methods are possible to improve the stability, speed and ping of modems. Consider this using the example of a mobile network provider Megafon and a HUAWEI E352 modem. Surely everyone has faced the problem of poor connection quality / bad signal. Not always buying an antenna (if the modem has a connector for an external antenna) is the solution to this problem. You can make a 3G signal amplifier yourself.

Examples:

1. We buy cheap Chinese speakers, plug them into an outlet and put them next to a USB modem - signal amplification is guaranteed by at least 30%.

2. We take a copper wire, the longer the better, open the modem cover, wrap it in 5-6 circles in the place where the SIM card is located. Next, we throw the wire into the window. You can attach a 1 liter beer can to the end of the wire, after cutting off the lid with scissors or a knife (as if you were making a glass out of it). We place the jar with the cut side where the signal is better caught. In this way, you can amplify the signal up to 90-95%.

Further. Surely everyone was faced with the fact that the USB modem suddenly randomly turns off (disappears from the system as a device and then reconnects). The reason for this is the lack of USB power ports on the motherboard. This usually happens when a USB extension cable is used to connect a 3G modem. That is, part of the power goes into the USB cable, respectively, the device turns off spontaneously at the most unexpected moments. Therefore, NEVER CONNECT 3G MODEM VIA USB EXTENSION. I sympathize with those who connect to the Internet via mobile phones - because they use a USB cable - there will be no stable Internet - constant disconnections of the phone, or even rebooting it.

Surely everyone knows about the unstable pings of the 3G network. They jump from 700 to 1000 and above + to all this, the modem sometimes disconnects from the network (not because there is not enough USB power, but for a simple reason, which I will describe below). Many people don't know or don't even know why this happens. Especially ordinary users of USB 3G modems.

So what is really happening and why 3G is either slow or very fast. When connecting, everyone noticed that the modem connects in 3G mode, but during operation it suddenly switches to EDGE or, worse, completely throws it out of the network. The automatic mode of searching for a stable signal is to blame for everything - here the modem jumps to WCDMA, then to HSPA, or even to EDGE. Example: EDGE signal 96%, WCDMA signal 90%, HSPA signal 50%-60%. That is, the modem automatically selects the mode in which the signal is caught most confidently. Naturally, from these three examples, the modem will work in EDGE mode. Next, I will tell you how to make the modem work only in the fastest mode - HSPA.

We open our utility Megafon-Internet (we will consider the example of the Megafon operator). Click Settings, then Network, we see:

Network type - here we select only WCDMA

Range - here we put GSM900/GSM1800/WCDMA900/WCDMA2100

Registration mode - Manual search, click update, wait, then select MegaFon (3G) - click on it and click registration.

Close the settings window, connect to the Internet.

After connecting, move the mouse pointer over the 3G icon - it is located in the Megafon Internet program in the upper left corner (In the old version of the program, at the bottom left, instead of 3G, the WCDMA icon). We see in what mode our modem works - WCDMA. Now we need one small program - it is called HSPA Locker 1.3b (I use it). We download it. Unpack, run, but do not press START. Where the divisions are located in the program, we set a maximum of 3.0 kb - you can then test it by selecting the lower mode. So now we begin to intensively upload something through any download manager. We see that the signal in the Megafon-Internet program has become not WCDMA, but HSPA (or HSDPA is the same thing). Now press the START button in the HSPA Locker program. After we turn it to tray and turn off what was put on the download. We admire the results: in the Megafon-Internet program, the connection always shows HSPA. The program drives tiny traffic within the network and the modem works in the fastest mode. A 50% signal is enough for stable HSPA operation. Why is all this being done.

First - in this way we lowered the ping from 1000 to 600.

Second - now the pages began to open very quickly.

Third - our loved ones do not blunt Online Games!

Well, the best part is that your Internet will stop constantly turning off. That is, for stable operation, the modem needs to be set to only one mode of operation.

As a rule, a USB (usb) 3G modem is purchased due to the lack of wired Internet and for mobility - so that the Internet is always at hand, for example, in a laptop.

When purchasing, the happy owner of a 3g modem is faced with such a problem as a small or low 3g speed on the Internet (for example: slow page loading speed).
Cellular communication technology related to the 3G generation, the network is not built in all cities. In other cities it is UMTS, EDGE or GPRS. And in some villages and villages of our vast Motherland, cellular communication leaves much to be desired.
But there are several ways to improve the quality of communication.

USB extension.

When buying a wireless modem, some models are given an additional 30 cm long extension cable. This is of course not enough, preferably 2-3 meters are needed. For those who live in remote parts of the city, this will be just right. Having connected the cord to the computer, we take it to the side where the radio antenna of the cellular operator should approximately stand. This method works in many cases and is also very simple and does not require special efforts, and skills.
You can buy a ready-made extension cable (3 or 5 m), or make your own. A good USB extension cable is obtained from USB cable for the printer. I have an extension cable made from a coaxial TV cable. 2 pieces of 12 m each.

Acceleration of a 3G modem using the program.

There are a lot of programs in RuNet to speed up the 3G modem. You can download this program from the manufacturer's website. It's your business, of course, but before downloading and not wasting your time, read.
Briefly how this program works, I will now describe to you. Using software data compression, the Internet is accelerated. That is, the Internet accelerator, before loading a page or downloading some information, passes it through a special server, where it is all compressed. There is also a manual mode for setting up the Internet. Honestly, I don’t know, I have never tried to work with such programs.

Scheme and manufacture of a remote antenna.

Here I agree that the quality of amplification can be improved, no matter whether it is operators: Megafon, Beeline, and other cellular operators. Of course, you can buy an antenna, but we will assemble a home-made antenna for a 3G modem with our own hands. Carefully open the modem, prying off the edges with a small flat screwdriver. At the same time, remember about the guarantee of your modem is already losing. But who does not take risks, he will not achieve a good connection to the Internet. And so, the modem was opened, though with little effort. Remember, everything must be neat!
Next, we take a silver-plated wire (copper can also be used), about 1 mm thick, the length is at your discretion, about 0.6 m.

The figure shows (signed in small red print) that you can clamp our wire antenna, where the main antenna of the modem is pressed (written in large red print). At the same time, we make a small hole on the back case for the wire antenna to exit. This 3g modem already has an antenna connector, all this can be seen in the figure below.

It is possible that the antenna is attached in some other way under this socket, but this will not work in my way. Having stuck the tighter wire there, it can fly off at any moment, we leave this option and do not touch it.
Further, having done as in Fig. 1, we assemble the modem back. By the way, assembling the modem is much easier than disassembling it, just slam the lid and fasten the screws. We wind the remaining wire antenna on the body of our modem. So that the antenna does not unwind back as in Fig. 3, we pass it through the ears (in the lower side).

Changing the network settings for the 3G modem.

The baud rate depends on the settings. A parameter such as MTU is the maximum block size that receives and sends information. Windows defaults to the default value (usually 1500). Probably there are programs - tests by which you can determine the mtu parameter. But I haven't heard of them yet.

TOTAL

The operation of the modem primarily depends on the level of the received signal. If it is lost, the modem simply turns off.
When using an extension cord, do not forget that the longer the cable, the greater the resistance. Accordingly, the loss drove away, no one has canceled the laws of physics yet.
About antennas. At self-manufacturing strictly observe the dimensions! Don't forget about antenna polarization. It can be both vertical and horizontal.
About programs. I doubt that this method will give a good result.

There are many different sites and forums on the Internet on this topic. Below are the links that I think are the most interesting:

Which of the above methods to choose is a matter of taste. Personally, with the help of a homemade extension cord, I raised the modem by 10 meters.

= = = =
You should not expect speed from a 3G modem like from satellite or wired Internet. A 3G modem is a moped. Having bought a moped, we are not offended that it travels slowly and has a small carrying capacity. To go faster and with more comfort (and take away more), you need to buy a car. a moped (3G modem) has its advantages: mobility and low cost. So he thought. Expecting something more from a 3G modem is a waste of nerves. 3G modem is to check the mail, see the site, download the trifle.
= = = =

Work faster and how?
Nowadays, the Internet has become an important part of everyone's life. A huge number of people are already working on the Internet. Some do business on the Internet, others communicate with people from all over the globe or search for the necessary information, others download movies and music, others get acquainted with interesting people or play games… Now the Internet is recognized as an integral part of life. Too often we have to quickly find information of one kind or another, and weak internet connections waste our precious time.
There are situations when you urgently need to make important transactions, for example, to purchase shares, and a poor Internet connection can disrupt the operation. In this case, you will lose money.

In the conditions of a highly developed modern civilization, they are recognized as very convenient and practical. You have the opportunity to use the Internet anywhere, download the amount of information you need. If you have a problem with the download speed, which can often be observed in places of poor 3G signal reception, it is very easy to fix with a few simple steps.
Firstly, in order to amplify the signal, you will need a so-called USB extension cable, 2-3 meters long. You need to connect using an extension cord, take the modem away and preferably higher from the computer, you can get closer to the windows and away from the wall. This method will help without fail, so many recommend using it in the first place.
Secondly, often the quality of communication may depend not so much on the quality of the transceiver devices of 3G modems, but on some of the network settings that are not available to all users. For example, for TCP / IP there is a parameter that is called the size of the block in the packet (or MTU). Default Windows program this value sets 1500. However, if you try other values, 256 - 4096, then most likely, at a certain number, the speed will increase by two to four times. The above method is verified by testing, although there are programs that use automatic MTU selection mode.
Thirdly, a significant improvement in Internet connection speed with the use can achieve the establishment of an external . In urban environments, exposed near a window with a gain of up to 5db, can perfectly cope with the task. But outside the city, already directed amplifying ones are required, directed towards the operator's base stations. Naturally, for this case, you need to stock up on a 3G modem that has a connector for connecting external antennas. If your modem does not have the aforementioned connector, you can use the installation of an inductive adapter, but you must remember that the use of inductive adapters is followed by a power loss, which is about 30%. This fact dictates rules - use an inductive adapter requires the choice of an antenna with a margin of gain (optimally 40%).
There are more exotic ways to speed up the Internet. Here is one of them - we take copper wire, foil and preferably a USB cable of 3.5 meters. First you need to wrap the 3g modem with copper wire turn to turn, then remove the extra ends until you get a nice-looking and neat modem in copper wire, then wrap this modem with foil on top of the copper wire layer.
After that, it remains to connect the cord to the modem and your laptop or desktop computer and check.
And finally, to avoid problems with speed, you can use programs - "Internet (modem) accelerators". These programs will increase the speed of any Internet connection and allow you to perform certain operations quickly.
An Internet accelerator is a program that increases the speed of Internet connections, which allows you to transfer data several times faster. They may also sometimes be called a 3g modem accelerator. Increases the speed of Internet connections due to optimization in the settings operating system. These programs automatically carry out a number of necessary tests, and determine the optimal values ​​of the parameters. Internet accelerator programs or accelerators have a clear and simple interface. Internet accelerators in light versions can be downloaded on some sites for free. If you want to legally use the full version of 3g modem accelerators, you need to purchase this program.
Also, you don't necessarily need to know the concept of MTU to use the program. Programs "3g modem accelerators" have a simple interface that allows anyone to use it. When working with the program, it will be quite enough to launch the above accelerator and after pressing the "selection of the optimal MTU value" button, select the number of MTUs in automatic mode. Then move the slider to the button with the name "fast" and click "speed up the Internet." All you have to do is restart your computer.
Internet accelerators allow you to speed up your Internet connection. Moreover, it does not depend on the methods of connecting to the network and the types of devices on the computer. Program technologies increase the speed of downloading a data package from the Internet (more than 60%). The browser that supports the Internet accelerator must transmit information to a special server that analyzes the requested pages, communication channels and devices from which the requests were made. After this action, an already optimized version of the requested site will be quickly loaded into the user's browser.

Using the "Internet Accelerator" program will give you confidence that your Internet connection will never let you down. And most importantly, this program will allow you to get a fast and high-quality connection to the Internet at any time.