Germany: Aldi offer SIM-unlocked 3G USB stick €59
 

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Der MEDIONmobile WEB-STICK ermöglicht einen schnellen und komfortablen
Zugriff auf das Internet. Dank Plug-and-Play Installation des MEDIONmobile
Verbindungsassistenten einfach SIM einsetzen, den WEB STICK an Notebook
oder PC anschließen und gleich online gehen.


Google Translate-- The MEDION mobile WEB STICK enables a fast and comfortable
Access to the Internet. Thanks to plug-and-play installation of the mobile MEDION
SIM Connection Wizard, simply use the WEB STICK notebook
or PC and immediately go online

More details:

€1.99 for 24 hours of flat-rate internet, throttled to 56kbits/s after 1GB

€14.99 for 30 days of flat-rate internet, throttled to 56kbits/s after 5GB

USB stick is unlocked.

Aldi Talk uses the E-Plus network, which is only UMTS (384kbits/s) - not HSDPA for proper 3G.

It appears the Aldi modem doesn't even come with a SIM or any free data allowance. (Though you can obviously buy the Medion SIM in the same shop). So it is literally just the Modem they are selling for 59 Euros. I am comparing that with Aldi in Austria (though they are called Hofer there) who sell you an Unlocked Modem and SIM which also includes 1GB of data useage for 55 Euros. A significantly better deal.

Do German users of this site know if there are other places in Germany you can buy an unlocked USB Modem for less than this? I know someone in Germany who desperately needs one, and something tells me this deal by Aldi is not that great.

I am just comparing with the UK where I see o2 are selling unlocked Huawei E160 modems for 29 pounds (around 34 Euros). O2 Mobile Broadband
A short while ago during a speacial I managed to get a E169 off them for only 15 pounds!

In Germany you can get unlocked USB-modems online starting from € 25 (= Huawei E160X, HSDPA 3,6 MBit/s incl. shipping) and The Phone House also sells unlocked USB-modems for € 30 in their local shops. Those are either K3565 (= Huawei E160X, HSDPA 3,6 MBit/s), K3520 (= Huawei E169, HSDPA 7,2 MBit/s), E172 (= Huawei E172, HSDPA 7,2 MBit/S + HSUPA) or K3715 (= similar to Huawei E180, HSDPA 7,2 MBit/s + HSUPA), which are all sold for the same price, allthough the two last-named are way better.
All these modems are Vodafone-branded and need a simple firmware update, which takes a minute, as the original access software (Vodafone Dashboard) won't connect to other networks than Vodafone's. So that's not a real SIM- or Netlock but a restriction in the access software, which can easily be replaced with Huawei's original software (Mobile Parter) by that mentioned firmware update.

I've started a thread on offers for USB-modems including debranding guide at Der UMTS-Stick und -Datenkarten Schnäppchen Thread - Telefon-Treff (read thread completey as prices were updated several times).

Huawei E160 modems and another brand are available unlocked in Austria in the Hofer shops (Austrian version of Aldi) with a 2GB Yesss! data SIM for € 54,99

Here again an offer for a Huawei E160X for € 25 incl. shipping within Germany and payable by PayPal: Vodafone WebSessions Mobile Connect USB Stick bei eBay.de: PCMCIA Cards Controller (endet 22.07.09 10:03:32 MESZ)

That item was quickly sold out, but the seller has already relisted some: Vodafone WebSessions Mobile Connect USB Stick - eBay (item 260445249894 end time Jul-22-09 04:28:32 PDT)

Thanks for the tip, Inquisitor. I'm looking forward to my cheap unbranded stick - hopefully it'll be a lot less fiddly than tethering with Motorola Phone Tools.

Since the listing above is now also closed, clicking on "View seller's other items" in ebay.com will not show anything. Change the .com in the URL to .de (to change the portal to eBay Germany) and it will (because eBay assumes com will be US users, and it will only display items the seller has explicitly listed as shipping to the US - ie, none of them).

You're welcome. Huawei sticks are easy to setup and to use. You'll find detailed instructions on how to debrand the stick and later setup Mobile Partner here.

Thank you guys as well for these excellent tips. I will try get my friend to get something like this. Interesting how easy it is to "unlock" a modem.

Hmm, my Mobile Connect Card (bought from eBay above) isn't a Huawei at all, but a ZTE. It's a Vodafone K3565-Z. The only unlocking options I've seen so far (from perusing the usual web forums) cost money, and AFAIK the available software (Dashboard) isn't as good as for Huawei. Got any advice?

That's kind of annoying, as the descriptions of the eBay auctions linked above state the sticks to support only 3.6 MBit/s, which only applies for the K3565-H (from Huawei). The K3565-Z, which you received, actually supports 7.2 MBit/s. So leave a negative feedback for that seller!

Anyway, mwconn, a free dashboard compatible with a lot of data devices, should work for your ZTE stick. Don't forget to install the Vodafone Dashboard anyway, as mwconn does still need it's integrated drivers.

By the way Mediamarkt currently sells the Vodafone K3565 for € 27 and according to several postings it's the Huawei version.

It looks like the solution is to ignore the Vodafone software and use generic ZTE Dashboard or mwconn. Can't flash the stick, though. I think this is going to be my wife's stick, and I'll buy a Huawei at MM all for myself.

Maybe we'll find a way to flash ZTE sticks sometime in the future, but for now I don't know how. Giving it to your wife is a good solution meanwhile. ;-)
Before you buy a Huawei K3565 at Mediamarkt, have you checked if there's a The Phone House shop near you, where they sell one of the better sticks (K3520, E172, K3715) for € 30? Details at Der UMTS-Stick und -Datenkarten Schnäppchen Thread - Telefon-Treff

In the end I didn't have time to go to MediaMarkt or the Phone House, but I did go to the local Vodafone shop to get a second stick (a Huawei-made K3565-H for 29.90). I played dumb, but insisted on a Huawei stick, claiming to have read on the Internet that they had fewer problems.

It looked at first like it was simlocked (aargh!) and the firmware updater linked to above didn't work (but a look with the DC Lock client showed it wasn't), but I went to the Huawei website (http://www.huawei.com/mobileweb/en/d...ype=-1&id=5840) and found the E160G updater. Seems to be working so far.

The cheapest offer ever for an unlocked Huawei E160E (aka Vodafone K3565-H): € 23,67 incl. shipping at pauldirekt.de (promotion valid until 24.07.2009 at 23:59 h only).

Now there's an English guide to USB modem offers in Germany: Germany - 3G modem wiki

Feel free to add further countries to the shopping guide section!

Inquisitor so far I could not find anywhere what type of Huawei E160 is offered by Aldi.

Do you happen to know the version?
Are there major differences between the different letters versions?

Did you ever try if an external antenna e.g. 10 dBi improves the reception, of if the transmission line loss in the cheap thin cable compensate the antenna gain to 0

I agree that a E160 can be obtained cheaper then 59€, however Aldi is much more willing to take it back then others, if you have checked with the local manager before you buy it. So it comes down to the money for the starter package if it doesn't work rather then the additional cost for the stick,

I believe it's a E160, but no one confirmed that so far. You could revive the following thread, which I had opened for that purpose Bitte an Besitzer folgender Sticks: O2, Fonic, Vodafone K3565, MedionMobile S4011 - Telefon-Treff, maybe some owner of the Aldi stick will reply.

The differences are the supported 3G frequency bands, as you can see at Huawei E160 (E160G, E160E, E160X, K3565) - 3G modem wiki

No, I have no experience with antennas on 3G devices, but a good source for cheap antennas of high quality is UMTS-, WLAN- und DECT-Informationen, Tipps und Tricks sowie Web-Shop. They use high quality cable and when ordering you can chose the connector type and cable length of your antenna so you can reduce signal attenuation by a short one. I've bought WiFi antennas from them before.

GM tnx 4 fast reply,

quality does mean imho not low loss ( e.g. if they would use RG-174) just that the manufactering process is of good quality.

I've searching a bit and found a Huawei the Q&A Huawei Technical Forum: Which is my HSDPA stick E160 or E169 or ... that
which contradicts some listings made on in the web.

PS.:
While it's good to have an antenna connector inside, I wonder if any of the matching female connector have been designed, similar to that used in Notebooks for WLAN, for more then just a a few disconnects. If I made up my mind and found a Stick I will have to buy/built an adapter-cable (e.g. SMA on the other side) and fix it permanently to the stick.

At a question for external use I found this info :rolleyes: Huawei Technical Forum: E160X (model K3565) usb stick- aerial ...

After I dismantled my K3715 (see Huawei K3715 - 3G modem wiki) I clarified several times on telefon-treff.de, that the K3715 has no equivalent in Huawei's existing product range. The K3715 shares it's chipset with the E230, so there might be some similarities.

Maybe we should move with this very hardware-specific discussion to an appropriate place. You could go to Huawei USB modems in general - 3G modem wiki and start a discussion (see bottom of page). You don't even need to register in order to post there!

Done, Information/question moved toMore details Huawei sticks and details on use of external antennas
More details Huawei sticks and details on use of external antennas 1 - 3G modem wiki

Bought a Tschibo since at my location I can only hope to get Edge coverage with an external antenna. However it may also prove usefull in the evening if the hotels charges >10 €/day This is the reason why I am trying to get the information to built if necessary external antennas.

PS.: Tschibo offers with the stick I bought today for 49.95 @ now only 3 free days flatrate.