| Reviewer Name | Rating out of 10 | Review Details | Review Date / Time |
| Not happy | 1 |
Tried this and on the rare occasions it did connect, it was so slow it timed out and crashed. Had to ditch it as it was no use whatsoever. Now trying Vodafone which is marginally better but still worse than the dial up I had 10 years ago! There doesn't seem to be anything broadband about these products. Maybe the technology isn't good enough yet?
Admin Says - Sorry to hear about your experience. You will only get broadband like speeds if you are in a 3G area for the provider, and it will only be quick enough to stream video if you are receiving a really good quality signal. Our advice to new customers is to use the online mobile broadband coverage checkers and to ask friends in the area using the service already before signing up. Thanks for your review.
| 10/01/2010 20:13:19 |
| foolme | 1 |
O2 which was initially bt cellnet why you might ask ,,i live 100metres from bt exchange which has more mobile transmitters and masts on its roof than i could count yet the connection fails 9 out 10 times when i try an connect my o2 dongle which is the bigger dongle allegedly can handle speeds of 7.3 mbps i,m on a 18 month contract £15 a month for 3gb allowance which is a joke you could get connected long enough over the month to use that amount ,,total rip off an they use stoneage signal which is 2G technology signal ( 1XRTT ),,,, google that ,,, my maximium download speed is never over 250 kbps,, ha takes 35 minutes to download a 64mb windows update ,,02 are just selling LIES,,,,, dont touch them ,,, go to vodaphone an get a 3G hspda signal bearing in mind i'm not out in the country i'm in glasgow bright lights big city
| 28/07/2009 12:47:16 |
| Mark | 1 |
Bought the dongle when O2 started the mobile broadband. Im not a heavy user just need it for weekend travel. Usage has been fair though like all devices it can be really slow. I play WOW at weekends and have never gone over the allowance. Always checking the connection manager to make sure I am within it. This month I received an email to say I was approaching my limit, check the connection manager and it showed 988mb. Immediately thought a system error with O2, tried to reply to the email that came in the connection manager but cant, no reply available. Tried emailing the log of my connections in the manager but it was not allowed to go either. Continued using then found I could not get connected. Rang them yesterday to discover I had been disconnected - told I used 3.5 gb 500mb over my allowance and my bill instead of £14 was now £89!!! I explained that the connection manager has shown I have used 988mb this month, but was promptly told that it is highly unreliable !! I should have checked online. But I explained their web site states that I can check my usage through the connection manager - here is the senence from their web site - "Windows users, you'll see your data usage above the View Usage button in Connection Manager. Click the 'View Usage' button to see details of your data bundle or change your settings."
But was still told that its unreliable and that the ONLY way to check usage is online.
I ended up cancelling the deal as I was on monthly contract after paying the £119 for the dongle. I now have a future bill for £89 - £75 for 500mb!!!! over the allowance and I still do not know how or where that usage came from.
Im not angry that I used over, if I did for I think the WOW may have been updating in the background as I played it, im angry because as I followed their instructions by checking constantly my usage on the connection manager, according to their web site, believing that it is accurate, only to be told now that it is highly inaccurate and I should not have been using it as a usage indicator.
£75 for 500mb over usage is immoral to say the least. How are these charges calculated, how does over usages of the same bandwidth and data cause the company that expense. Surely this is a penalty charge. Normally it is £2.33 for 500mb in allowance time - go over and that goes to £75 for 500mb!! HOW? Why s this being allowed to continue?
Anyway needed to let off steam. I still have mobile with o2 they hav good deals, but this mobile broadband is a serious money trap for them. If you get it dont go over your allowance and certainly dont believe the conneciton manager.
| 02/07/2009 11:04:39 |
| misfit | 6 |
This is my first evening of using O2 mobile broadband having only picked it up today. I was previously with Vodafone. This means this review is based only on a few hours usage but enough to be going on with. If I find I can stream videos etc I will upgrade my rating at a later date.
To start with I am just intending to place the details I have been looking for over the past month. My post code is HP21 7LP and although the signal strength is very low I have been posting on forums and entering e-mail a number of times to send and receive e-mails. All this happens at a good speed. I have also listened to the radio on iplayer. This is something I could not do with my previous provider.
One gripe I do have at the moment is that the shop were less willing to help compared to the higher level of service I am used to at Vodafone and because I do not have an O2 mobile the customer service is a premium rate number. In the end I persevered and worked it out myself but I must say unlike the instructions once I found the new drive and double clicked nothing happened so in the end I used the mac only disc and all is now ok.
Well I say ok but when I go to my hotmail I get this message which states it must be aborted and kicks me out which is slightly annoying but if like me you are a minor user and looking for good coverage in Aylesbury then this may be the answer.
I will leave this for now and like I said I have 49 days to enjoy this product before a contract kicks in so I will update my rating when I have played some music and maybe a little You Tube but for now as a direct comparison to Vodafone the O2 USB wins on speed but not customer service.
| 29/01/2009 23:11:17 |
| Nick | 2 |
N7
Central London, O2 PAYG, deathly slow.
One connection in ten i get a fast speeds; mostly its too slow to be usable. Its actually quicker when i connect my phone to my laptop and use that as a modem.
Am returning it.
| 20/01/2009 09:40:30 |
| Nigel | 9 |
It's fast when I use it on my laptop but then I live in London where coverage is excellent. I can usually stream YouTube videos no problem.
| 11/01/2009 16:28:39 |
| Andrew | 1 |
O2 Mobile Broadband RIP OFF.
Do not spend 119 pounds on the usb broadband modem to get the thirty day rolling contract.
If you cancel the contract (in accordance with the terms and consitions) you will be unable to take out another 30 day rolling contract in the future without buying another usb stick at a cost 119 pounds.
A fact O2 seem to keep to themselves until they demand the additional 119 when you try to take out another contract.
| 17/09/2008 21:38:50 |
| Not_O2 | 1 |
Worst customer service I have ever experienced. Opted for a 30 day mobile broadband contract and paid 120 pounds for a usb stick. Served notice on the correct way only to be told I would need to buy another stick at 120 pounds to reinstate the thirty contract serveral. Rip off Britain at it's very best O2 no thank you.
| 16/09/2008 20:33:48 |