Digi Connect WAN 3G: yet another portable HSDPA / EV-DO router
By Darren Murph 
posted Jan 30th 2008 12:27PM
posted Jan 30th 2008 12:27PM
Yeah, we're starting to feel slightly bombarded with portable cellular routers, but we can't help but crack a smile each time one of these wonderful creations rolls into the commercial realm. Today, we've got Digi unveiling its new Digi Connect WAN 3G, which is hailed as an upgradeable 3G WWAN router for "primary and backup connectivity to remote sites and devices." Besides supporting both EV-DO and HSDPA standards, it also aims to provide "a fast and easy Ethernet-to-3G wireless connection" and even includes a built-in VPN. Sadly, no price is mentioned, but we're sure the folks at Digi wouldn't mind coughing up that information if you called up with the right tone of voice.
Very useful. Me like.
This actually looks like something you might be able to TRUST putting at a remote unattended site, unlike the current crop of options...
I like the metal case and the industrial build quality. DIGI has a good reputation for their interface gear (serial to ethernet bridges, etc)
Stick one of those badboys in my pocket so I can surf the web over 3G on an iPhone.
Doesn't look like it has an internal battery.
Doesn't look like it has wifi (so, no, Dave, you wont be using it for 3G surfing with your iPhone). It just has ethernet.
Looks like the CradlePoint PHS is still the only viable entry into this market.
it's around $800 on insight.com
Ouch ... i just use my Windows Mobile Phone as a Wifi 3G router using:
http://wmwifirouter.en.softonic.com/pocket
-Lounge
The difference is that that thing is HSDPA, so it's 3G and also 3.5G.
3G can do up to 385 Kbps while 3.5G can do up to 14.4 Mbps. Quite a difference there.
AFAIK, HSDPA and EV-DO are about the same speed.
3G = UMTS, 3.5G = HSDPA/HSUPA.
EV-DO is "supposedly" 3G and can go up to 2.4 Mbps, though it still pails against the worldwide 3.5G standard.
My HTC TyYn does HSDPA and i pay £12.50/mo for 3GB bandwidth on T-Mobile
That hooked up with WMWiFiRouter (free for Windows Mobile devices) gets me about 1.8Mbits/sec from my laptop connected over wifi. A word of warning though, the software eats batteries for breakfast (~ 4hrs heavy use off of one battery)
The beer tapper on the side is a welcome feature.
My phone is HSPDA so all good there! :)