mac air in india

[muralireddy]

bought a new mac air, travelling to India
which usb modem should i buy , travelling in south India
thank you
m reddy

 

[anirudh]

I believe the Tata Photon USB Stick is the most reliable down in the Southern parts. The 3G plans are ridiculously expensive though

 

[muralireddy]

I believe the Tata Photon USB Stick is the most reliable down in the Southern parts. The 3G plans are ridiculously expensive though

is the set up difficult last year had a tough time with i phone 4 and i pad
really really greatful for any help!
m reddy

 

[anirudh]

I don't quite understand your question. What is it exactly that you want to know? If you mean connecting the USB modem to your Air and using it to browse on the iPad and iPhone, then yes, it can be done easily. You just have to make you Air a Wifi hotspot.

How to make the Air a hotspot: http://www.askdavetaylor.com/how_to_turn_macbook_into_wireless_hotel_wifi_hotspot.html

Google and you should be able to find plenty of results. Hope that answers your question

 

[deepakvrao]

You'll be needing a phone too right? If you get a local card, use their [Airtel or Voda] 3g and wifi hot spot. Airtel is about 750/- for 5gb, and 1250/- for 12.5gb. Not too expensive I think, as long as you dont want to download movies etc.

 

[anirudh]

Yeah, the reason I didn't suggest that was coz if he goes to a different state, he would pay data roaming charges, which can pile up pretty soon The Tata Photon USB stick on the other hand, though slow (good enough for browsing and even standard def youtube vids) would give unlimited data for 999 only. Thats the best deal he can get IMO

 

[deepakvrao]

No data roaming if on the same company network, and I think Airtel is pretty much everywhere? Have confirmed with Airtel twice, and have used it out of Bangalore too. No issues with the billing.

 

[anirudh]

Is that so! Well, learnt something new today But still the data cap hurts. I use the 3g plans, and even while browsing on my phone I go through 1-2gb without knowing it One time I didn't realize I had crossed the limit, and before long my balance was at zero

 

[deepakvrao]

I use the 3g on the go, and if I have a downtime with my home connection. Speeds are great in Bangalore at least, and I use '3g Watchdog' to monitor the usage. I try to keep within the limit.

 

[anirudh]

no watchdog for wp7 but yeah, the speed can't be beat. However, given the small data cap, it would be used mainly for web browsing right, for which 3g speeds are overkill, no?

 

[muralireddy]

I don't quite understand your question. What is it exactly that you want to know? If you mean connecting the USB modem to your Air and using it to browse on the iPad and iPhone, then yes, it can be done easily. You just have to make you Air a Wifi hotspot.

How to make the Air a hotspot: http://www.askdavetaylor.com/how_to_turn_macbook_into_wireless_hotel_wifi_hotspot.html

Google and you should be able to find plenty of results. Hope that answers your question

thanks friends !
It is only for a month and don't mind paying one thousand or two!
the cell phone will have a new sim card -- this time plan to leave the sim card behind on a cell phone , cos they cancel sim after a few months
So tâta or airtell ?

 

[muralireddy]

You'll be needing a phone too right? If you get a local card, use their [Airtel or Voda] 3g and wifi hot spot. Airtel is about 750/- for 5gb, and 1250/- for 12.5gb. Not too expensive I think, as long as you dont want to download movies etc.

Airtel have mobile hotspots? they can handle five devices, with vonage in the i phone and wifi can call use and india one flat fee!

 

[anirudh]

you are mixing up two different things! as far as a usb stick is concerned the tata photon is the best. when deepak mentioned a 'mobile hotspot', i think he meant taking a 3g data plan on the sim card and then wifi tether it to your mac or ipad for browsing. but as discussed above, a 3g connection though substantially faster would enforce a data cap, which based on your browsing needs can get exhausted very quickly.

in short, 3g - fast, limited data plans
usb stick - inexpensive, unlimited data

since you would be in india just for a month, if you plan on streaming videos, i'd suggest taking the 3g route. if you plan on downloading large files however, your best bet would be the usb stick.

 

[muralireddy]

you are mixing up two different things! as far as a usb stick is concerned the tata photon is the best. when deepak mentioned a 'mobile hotspot', i think he meant taking a 3g data plan on the sim card and then wifi tether it to your mac or ipad for browsing. but as discussed above, a 3g connection though substantially faster would enforce a data cap, which based on your browsing needs can get exhausted very quickly.

in short, 3g - fast, limited data plans
usb stick - inexpensive, unlimited data

since you would be in india just for a month, if you plan on streaming videos, i'd suggest taking the 3g route. if you plan on downloading large files however, your best bet would be the usb stick.

mac air with air tell 3 g usb modem speed 5mb !
i phone 4 vodofone 3g ---frequent drops in internet access but good enough !!
thanks once again

 

[anirudh]

yeah vodafone isn't that good, airtel is the way to go IMO Enjoy your stay