k3805-z mobile broadband Windows 7 connection problems

[markkeohane]

I have an EeePC 1015PEM netbook running Win 7 Starter with a k3805-z dongle. I got VMC Lite with the dongle but got fed up with that not working and downloaded 1.10 when the website said it now supports the k3805-z. Not my k3805-z though, clearly.

I travel to and from London each day on the train and would like to use mobile broadband to send/rcv email, read the news, etc. My train journey is about an hour each way through (heavily populated) Guildford and Woking and south west London but I'm lucky if I connect for more than a few minutes. I realise that the train is not the best place in which to try and access t'internet, but when my fellow passengers are happily browsing ebay on their iPads and sending emails to their mates telling them what they've bought I can't help thinking I'm not being unreasonable to expect a little more than I actually get. Here is a sample of the challenges I'm typically faced with in my daily struggle to access a mobile broadband service while actually being mobile (oh, where do I start...):

- the VMC software takes ages to find the dongle, saying 'No device'; in fact, it sometimes refuses to even start looking and sits there saying No device until I close VMC and restart it. The dongle is in the USB slot; unless the train is particularly crowded I can normally see it from where I'm sat.

- Frequently VMC will say it's searching for network when the dongle is happily flashing away with a green or blue light indicating that it is having no trouble at all finding a network. Often, VMC will just do this indefinitely until I get fed up and restart it.

- Even when it fires up according to plan, VMC takes ages to load and then establish there's a dongle in place and then find a network; between a minute and a half and two minutes; my smartphone does this in two seconds after I enable data connectivity.

- This evening I connected easily just as we pulled out of Waterloo station, but after speedily loading one web page VMC suddenly decided there was no device and cut me off and I didn't manage to even connect again until about 40 mins later, south of Guildford, despite the dongle indicating a 3G or HSUPA or GPRS signal during most of that time. This is not untypical of what I have to deal with.

- VMC tells me I have network coverage but when I click 'Connect' it just sits there opening the connection forever...

- ...mind you, sometimes it says it's opening a network connection but in fact it is actually connected so I can happily just ignore that and send some email. Skype is the giveaway; when it starts popping up and telling me who's online I know I'm connected, whatever VMC thinks. The trick is to spot this before I lose the connection again and act quickly.

- Quite often I will click on Connect and all seems well...but then IE cannot load the web page and the Windows network indicator in the toolbar tells me I'm connected to an Unidentified Network (!!) and I have no network access. Even though VMC tells me I'm connected to Vodafone HSUPA or 3G. This is particularly frustrating. This is not confined to the train, by the way. I've had this while sat in someone's house.

I try all sorts of solutions to these tribulations; I disable and enable the dongle using Windows Network and Sharing Centre; I unplug the dongle and put it back in; I move it between USB slots; I restart VMC. Sometimes these tactics work; sometimes not. I can accept that the signal may come and go and may drop out; that's reasonable while on a moving train. But I can't accept so many different difficulties in just connecting to the network in the first place. When I fire up my phone (also on vfone and also on the train) I have a signal immediately and connect to the internet with relative ease; the service can be  s  l  o  w, but the connection is easy to establish and stays in.

Incidentally, there is the odd occasion on this journey (once every couple of months?) when the network behaves faultlessly; it connects first time and holds the signal for a good part of the journey, so I know it can be done. I just wish it could be done consistently.

I just don't think VMC is very good at integrating with the dongle. It doesn't seem to have a clue most of the time what the dongle is up to. I suspect the software is....searching for euphimism....no...it's rubbish. Nor is it good at handling connection problems. If it loses connection it comes up with a message 'Unable to connect to the internet' or something, which then has to be cleared before a new connection can be established. What I'd like it to do is just get on with it. If you've lost the connection, fine, just put me on hold until you connect up again; I'll assume from the lack of activity on my screen that you've temporarlily disconnected. I'm on a train; I can live with it. Oh, and stop giving me RAS errors for no apparent reason. There is nothing else using the modem; just VMC.

So I'd like to know if my experience is typical, or if there is something I can do to make it better before I do something I and the train Guard regret with my dongle. By the way, this is my second dongle. I complained about the first one and got a replacement, but it's at least as bad.

Am I alone? Please help.

[starface]

I'm having problems too cant connect and keep getting error 777

[markkeohane]

Starface

If you're still coming here see the thread below to find out how to connect without using VMC. It's much better!

[Retired-BenJ]

Hi markkeohane

Welcome to the eForum!

It does sound like coverage problems could be the root of this.

Have you tried using the booster cable that came supplied with the dongle?  it might be that the shielding on your net book along with the train material and speed  could cause problems when connecting.

Have you tried connecting without the software via the Dial up networking option for VMC, this is located under  the network sharing centre in Vista  and is accessible by clicking on the view network connection  on the left hand side.

Have you tried your dongle SIM in your phone to see if the SIM is causing this issue?

Thanks
BenJ
eForum Team 

[Retired-BenJ]

Hi Guys.

Just to say I found an email concerning connection issues with the K3805-z back in June 2010.  I am currently chasing up to see if there was a resolution to this, I suspect that this was fixed in the latest software release however I thought it best to check for you.

Thanks
BenJ
eForum Team 

[markkeohane]

Hi Ben

I assume the booster cable is the extender cable with two USB males and a usb female since that's the only other thing that came with the dongle. I'll try it tomorrow and let you know. Then I'll move on to other options. Do you know, is it possible to connect without loading up VMC at all, just by using the network and sharing cenre in Win7? If so I need the access details I presume - access point, user id and all the logon stuff?

Thanks for getting back to my rather lenthy post (a lot to get off my chest).

This evening, on the way home at about 10:00 p.m. I sat on Waterloo station with VMS telling me it was 'searching for network' and then after I got on the train at 10:30 virtually all the way home I was unable to connect (still searching...) except for about 2 minutes. What am I paying for, I ask myself...

[Retired-BenJ · Accepted solution]

Hi markkeohane

You’re right with the extender cable. Some laptops have shielding that can prevent UMTS and GPRS frequencies from their optimal strength. I’ve experienced using the extender cable to move the modem away from the PC and boost the signal available to the modem.

You can set up a DUN using Windows 7 via the network sharing centre:

• Click on Start
• Click on Control Panel
• Select Network and sharing centre.
• Select “Setup a new connection or network"
• Choose "set up a dial up connection"
• Enter phone number as *99***1#
• Set username as web.
• Set password as web.
• Set connection name as a memorable name

I’ve just tried this and had my dongle connect without the VMC software. 

You may need to check that you have the extra initialization string for the modem under phone and modem options in control panel:

• Select Start.
• Select Control Panel.
• Select Phone and modem options.
• If the screen asks for an area code fill in the field with dummy information and select OK.
• Locate your modem from the list, make sure only one entry is visible and remove any others.
• Select modem and Click on properties.
• Select the Advanced tab. 
• Under extra initialization string input the following:

For Contract:
at+cgdcont=1,”IP”,”Internet”

For Prepay:

at+cgdcont=1,”IP”,”pp.internet” 

at+cgdcont=1,”IP”,”ppbundle.internet” 

I've managed to use some dongles without the need to set the initalization string however you may need it.

Please let me know how you get on.

Thanks
BenJ
eForum Team 

[markkeohane]

Hi Ben

Sorry for not replying; haven't logged infor a while.

I've been trying the extender cable on the train and while it is better it's still not perfect. For example, approaching Guildford on the train this evening I managed to get a signal and connect and load a few web pages, but then the signal was dropped and that was the last I saw of it. Again, the dongle flashing blue to show a signal; VMC telling me it was looking for a network. This with the modem blu-tacked to the window of the train, a trick I saw a fellow passenger using the other week.

Anyway, thanks so much for the detailed info on connecting without VMC and I'll give that a go as soon as I can. I appreciate the time you have taken to put that together for me and I will let you know how it goes.

Best regards,

Mark

[markkeohane]

Have tried the dial-up connection solution today and it's a huge improvement. Plug the modem in and as soon as it shows a signal fire up the dial up connection and it connects in a couple of seconds. VMC needed about a minute to load the software, another 30s+ to detect the device and another 30s+ to find the network, and even then didn't guarantee a solid connection. So I shan't be using VMC ever again.

Thanks for the help. I'll give it a little more time in testing before closing the problem.

Mark

[markkeohane]

Hi Ben; this is so much better!! I'm doing this on the train and during this journey I've even managed to stream video from the BBC website. Have to ask what is the point of VMC?

Thanks

Mark