Using a Rogers Internet Stick on Bell's HSPA+ Network
Bell’s HSPA+ Covers Almost Everywhere
With the launch of Bell’s HSPA+ network I suspect that there are going to be a bunch on converts from Rogers to Bell. Rogers is only taking care of 5 canadian cites (at the time I wrote this blog) with their HSPA+. Bell pretty much covers everywhere that I have ever been in Canada. And I have travelled coast to coast.
It is hard to argue with a network that offers HSPA+ everywhere.
The only question that remains - what do you do with your Rogers Internet Stick? Bring it with you!
Disclaimer
If you are stopping to read this disclaimer, chances are this is not for you. You might wreck something. You are better off just selling your old stick on Kijiji or Craig’s List.
Unlock the Stick
Unlocking a Internet Stick is actually much more painless than unlocking a phone. I went to [DC Unlocker]:http://www.dc-unlocker.com/ and paid about $15 for 10 unlocking credits. I then had to find a computer running Windows (in my case I grabbed the other laptop and launched VMWare.) All I had to do was run the unlocking software with a Bell SIM card inside the Rogers Stick.
Pro Tip: either buy the SIM card without a plan or borrow a SIM card for this. If for some reason the Unlock fails you don’t want to be signed up to a plan.
Get a SIM Card
This is actually the most painful part. The entirety of the current Bell staff don’t get the whole “just give me then damn SIM card” thing. Usually it takes about 30 minutes by the time they talk to their manager, etc. Likely they will make you sign up for a plan before you leave - like I said, they don’t get SIM cards yet.
I’d suggest going with a 30 day plan. The next time you need a new laptop you can then cancel the plan and SIgn up for a new one at Best Buy - they will give you a $150 discount on a new laptop.
Pro Tip: Don’t sign up for a 3 year contract unless you are getting something worth about $200 for free. That contract is going to cost money if you want to break it and Bell owes you something for signing it. Large companies like Best Buy will make sure that when you sign up for a deal like this you get something sweet for free.
The Settings
Yeah this is the simple part. Once you have an activated SIM you just need to change some settings from my previous article on the Rogers Internet Stick.
Go into System Preferences and then select Network. You will need to change the dialup account created for your Internet Stick.
For Bell, there is no Telephone Number, Account Name or Password. Leave them blank. Then you just need to change the APN in Advanced Settings:
APN: inet.bell.ca
Once this is done clicking connect should be it.
The Punchline
During peak hours things might be a bit slower but I am consistently seeing around 7.0Mbps down and 2.5 MBps up.
Which is pretty amazing if you ask me.
Way to go Bell.
Bell, Rogers and the State of Wireless Internet Access
Prelude - Thank You Vancouver 2010
The Vancouver 2010 Games will leave many legacies for Vancouver and Whistler. And while the infrastructure left behind will benefit Canadians, the greatest impact that the Olympics will have is on the state of Wireless Network Access in Canada. To cash in on the ridiculous amount money to be made in roaming from overseas customers, Bell (and Telus) completely refitted their network infrastructure to use HSPA+ (GSM).
The State of the WIreless Nation
With Bell (and Telus) covering most of the Country with HSPA+ and Rogers covering most of the Country with HSDPA (and some select cities - not my city - with HSPA+) things and really amazing. I have posted some speed test results over on my tumblog for Bell, Rogers and Shaw Cable. My wired cable Shaw connection is still fastest on the download but Bell is over twice as fast on uploads. And due to the fact that Rogers has a very small HSPA+ footprint you can expect Bell’s network to be about twice as fast in most places.
The HSPA+ network is faster than standard ADSL. Significantly faster. As in you will notice it is faster. Especially if you are connecting in to a corporate VPN.
Since the HSPA+ launch I have been reading posts from Americans all over the place to the effect of “I am jealous of Canadians and their wireless prowess.”
The Punchline
It is at the point now where I am recommending to my colleagues that they switch to Bell Wireless for their business related internet access. Unless you are downloading movies/super-large files or hosting your own server it provides exceptional value. Since using the service wrong can cost you a lot of money, I am going to explain this in detail: the wireless internet provided by Bell or Rogers will cost you a lot of money if you download movies. Use it for things like email, twitter, posting blog entries and connecting to the corporate VPN.
If you don’t want to have a USB stick hanging out of your laptop at home there is Cradlepoint. You can pick up a wireless router that can use your Bell Wireless Internet as the primary connection for your house. Again, don’t do this if you intend to transfer more than 5GB of data in a month and make sure you are on an appropriate plan (read: torrent users, this is not for you - you thieving b*****ds. Everyone else, make sure you have enough data or select a flex plan.). However, if you are checking email, surfing the web and connecting to the corporate VPN this solution will likely work quite well and be about as expensive as the equivalent wired service.
Why Not Talk About Telus
Simple.
I have been a Telus customer both for wired and wireless telecommunications. Their customer service has historically been so poor that it doesn’t really matter what they offer - I can’t recommend them.
I believe that Bell and Rogers provide far superior customer service. I would describe Rogers as exceptional. And until Rogers upgrades their own network to HSPA+ that is the only thing that is keeping my account with them - their customer service. (Contract fees are pretty negligible when you look at my wireless spending.)