One internet connection device for your laptop as well as desktop PC
USB connectivity, Doesn't heat up a lot, Can also be used to make phone calls and send SMSes
Installation needs CD, Could have contained memory
I'm sure you already know about the Tata Indicom Plug 2 Surf -- with all these ads flashing in our face during the entire World Cup series. One ad goes like this: Bollywood celebrity Kajol walks in on an aspiring model and a couple of her friends. She inserts the Plug 2 Surf (a USB device) into the laptop and presto! They are connected to the Internet. Let's investigate this little device and see if it really provides for a happy ending (read a good solution for your net connection).
Bundle
USB modem
Driver CD & manual
Options
Plug 2 Surf is a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) device, and it comes in 2 options. One is a standard Plug 2 Surf and the other is Plug 2 Surf Whiz. The main difference between the 2 is that while the first supports only Windows OS (including Vista), the latter supports several OSes (including Windows OS) except for Vista.
Setup
The Plug 2 Surf is an easy install. Just insert the mini-disc into your optical drive and run the setup. A restart after the install completes, and then you attach the USB modem and you're good to go. The "Plug 2 Surf" is possibly inspired from "Plug-n-Play" -- though it doesn't really work as one: you need to have the mini-disc present.
Tariff Plan
While considering the purchase of this device, it's mandatory to pick a tariff plan as well -- else the device is useless. There are about half a dozen tariffs to choose from, but all of them are time- or data-based -- quite an expensive deal actually. Here are the plans available:-
The phone plan is standard, and pricing is pretty average, considering that you'd be using the device more for Internet access.
Features
The Plug 2 Surf has a list of features that make it more than just an Internet device. You can also use it to make and receive calls and send and receive SMSes as well. But it doesn't happen with the net connected, as it's just a modem and can do just 1 thing at a time -- either Internet or call or SMS.
The device uses a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module), so it's going to be easy to use your Tata Indicom SIM that you use in your phone. Just call the customer service and activate the scheme of your choice. Thus, you save the cost of a separate SIM.
The Plug 2 Surf has a list of features that make it more than just an Internet device. You can also use it to make and receive calls and send and receive SMSes as well. But it doesn't happen with the net connected, as it's just a modem and can do just 1 thing at a time -- either Internet or call or SMS.
The device uses a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module), so it's going to be easy to use your Tata Indicom SIM that you use in your phone. Just call the customer service and activate the scheme of your choice. Thus, you save the cost of a separate SIM.
The software that is bundled along with the device syncs the SIM with the PC. It lets you read and send SMSes as well. You can also add and edit contacts and make calls through the address book option. The SIM can hold 1,000 SMSes and phonebook entries each.
Internet
The Internet connection of the Tata Indicom Plug 2 Surf is decent. It takes about 5 seconds to establish connection after you hit the connect button on the dialer. Surfing in the worst connected areas, I could still surf one site at a time peacefully. That would be about 4-5Kbps. Move to a good network range, and Web pages open without much waiting. I conducted some Internet speed tests, and here are the results. We took one from McAfee "SpeedoMeter" and the other from CNet "Bandwidth Meter". In both cases the speed test results were around 15Kbps. Even while conducting real-time download tests, the results were more or less the same while downloading from either http or P2P networks. The speed mentioned is 153Kbps, which translates to 19Kbps.
Experience
I was expecting a plug-n-play thing. But the Plug 2 Surf didn't turn out that way. You need to install drivers, which come on a mini-CD, before you can connect. The mini disc could easily have been eliminated from the equation by just adding some memory within the device. There would be no hassles of running around with a CD, and that would have made it a complete Plug-n-Play device, just as shown in the advertisement. The memory provided could have been a 1GB or so just to make it a combination of Plug-n-Play Internet and a pen drive. But just like there are 2 sides to a coin, there could be issues with having memory installed. It could heat up the device more than it presently does. (CDMA network devices tend to heat up very easily.) So, adding memory could lead to an eventual malfunction and the device going faulty.
Conclusion
The Tata Indicom Plug 2 Surf connects through the most standard interface USB. And it sells for Rs.2,600 with a SIM. Add to that your tariff plan charges, which will be time- or data-based. The deal here is that you wish to have a net connection that you can take with you and use it with both you laptop as well as desktop PC. Finally, its build: it has a nice, black matt plastic.
I was expecting a plug-n-play thing. But the Plug 2 Surf didn't turn out that way. You need to install drivers, which come on a mini-CD, before you can connect. The mini disc could easily have been eliminated from the equation by just adding some memory within the device. There would be no hassles of running around with a CD, and that would have made it a complete Plug-n-Play device, just as shown in the advertisement. The memory provided could have been a 1GB or so just to make it a combination of Plug-n-Play Internet and a pen drive. But just like there are 2 sides to a coin, there could be issues with having memory installed. It could heat up the device more than it presently does. (CDMA network devices tend to heat up very easily.) So, adding memory could lead to an eventual malfunction and the device going faulty.
Conclusion
The Tata Indicom Plug 2 Surf connects through the most standard interface USB. And it sells for Rs.2,600 with a SIM. Add to that your tariff plan charges, which will be time- or data-based. The deal here is that you wish to have a net connection that you can take with you and use it with both you laptop as well as desktop PC. Finally, its build: it has a nice, black matt plastic.
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