The title is not suggesting that I am crazy about broadband, or anything related to it. Seeing the quality of the broadband services offered by various telcos in Malaysia, there’s nothing to shout about, let alone yelling about it. Each of them claims that their services are the best and most reliable. In reality, that is not the case. How sad.
P1 W1GGY new login interface. Check out the improve signal reception. That's four bars!
I’ve already subscribed to P1 WiMax, Celcom and Maxis broadband. After testing all three, I’ve decided to keep only P1 and Celcom, as they offer reliable services and virtually meets my requirements. But I need more than a reliable broadband service. I need a service that I can actually use everywhere I go and whatever I do.
Therefore, I’m currently testing the new P1 WiMax Wiggy portable modem (UH235) and the YTL’s Yes Go 4G dongle (which will be discussed further in Part 2). Let’s say, it’s for the benefit of us all.
Wiggy in a presentation box. P1 sent the modem via PosLaju.
First, the P1 WiMax Wiggy UH235 modem. It was touted by P1 as “True Mobility with Flexible Usage”, “High Speed Connectivity” and “Stronger Reception”. All these are just talks if nobody gonna test the freaking modem. Someone from P1 called me up last week and offered the UH235 modem for free. The catch is, I have to pay an additional RM30 on top of my current P1 Home subscription AND I have to share the 20Gb quota between the two P1 devices.
The UH235 comes with a USB cable, suction cup and a removable stand.
But the question is, is the UH235 better than the home-based desktop modem DS-300, other than being portable? After testing it for about a week, I discovered that the UH235 unit is way slightly better than its older sibling. Signal is slightly boosted by the internal aerial which captured WiMax signal no matter where you put it (like the new DV-230), while the DS-300 is more a line-of-sight kind of modem.
Test is done on 30th November 2010, at 8.30pm.
I won’t indulge into the speed of P1 so-called 4G WiMax, as I have disputed their claimed top speed before this. Moreover, my house is not exactly within their coverage, even after subscribing to their service for more than a year. But from the test result above, I’m seriously thinking of terminating P1’s subscription after the 24-month contract expires.
UH235 on top of my MacBook
From my first impression, the UH235 modem is too large to be portable. And I have to carry it in the original box to protect it from damage, as the material used in the modem is made from thin plastic. But the maker of the modem compensates the shortcoming by making the modem to be easily slotted on top of the laptop’s screen (as per pic above). The modem can also be stick on windows (with the help of a suction cup) and comes with its own stand.
I’ve been using the UH235 for about a week now (and the 7-day cooling period has expired). So far, the result of my test is divided. Sometimes the signal in my house fluctuates, and I have to move around the house to get the best signal. So far the best signal is in my master bedroom, where I managed to get 5 bars (!). But getting 5 bars is not a guarantee that the access speed is fast.
I keep telling my friends that I’m still an advocate of wired internet (like Streamyx and Unifi) because wireless internet is still in its infancy. Wireless signals are also prone to a lot of other variables such as distance, location and/or environment. Whereas wired internet is using fibre optic, which transfer light between the two ends of the fibre. Using light as a medium, speed is ensured and loss is minimal.
But in the meantime, let me continue using P1 and I will inform my readers on the outcome. Hopefully they can improve their service in the future.
Me and My Nike Air Force 1 