MTNL 3G Jadoo sent by the Magician P C Sorcar. Review on MTNL 3G Jadoo Mobile Operator

After My Splendid trouble free purchase & use till date of the Lenovo Notebook 3000G530 4151 57Q for which I have written a review, The Notebook was in need of a Companion for a year in the form of a wireless Internet connection. So what better than MTNL as always time tested.

Went to MTNL Telephone Exchange on the 19th July 2010 and asked for the USB Modem and as usual the same lethargic staff replied that they had the USB Modem but when asked about it’s working they were totally ignorant and told that help if needed would be available at Idgah Exchange. Hence I completed the paper work and got the seal packed Modem For Rs 1799/- with One 3G Life Time SIM Free+ Rs 49/- Activation Voucher which provides Rs 12/- Talk Value after asking the MTNL Officer to Activate the SIM By Sending a SMS Which was done.

Came home and put the SIM 1st In My Mobile and Dialed 444 and after chosing English option as 1 the SIM was Activated and password was received. Loaded the Activation Voucher and Rs 12/- was Received as Talk Value.

Loaded the SIM Inside the USB Modem. Put the USB Modem which is similar to a Flash Drive in the USB Port of My Laptop and the trouble started. Windows New Hardware Wizard appeared asking if I wanted to Install the Software and When I Chose Both Automatic Option it failed to initialize. Tried this repeatedly but could not succeed. Went to Teracom website[the Manufacturer of the Modem] and here the help was very minimal in terms of Software and Driver Downloads for BSNL’s Software and not for MTNL. Both are using the Same USB Modem LW272. Downloaded and tried everything in the book but all failed and the modem did not get connected in the notebook.

Then Connected the Modem in the Desktop and within 10 seconds the software was initialized and installed and MTNL 3G Jadoo Software Interface appeared by itself and net connected and started working. I could not believe this. The Software has 5 Boxes Internet, SMS, Call, Phone Book, Settings. In the Settings Tab one has to choose MTNL Prepaid and click submit and apply and this is done. The Modem then searches for the network and displays HSDPA Dolphin with Signal Bars in Blue Appearing, maximum 3. The Internet Tab has connect and disconnect icon which has to be clicked and then connection is estaRobotouchshed and all Data Transfers are logged. Both In & Out Data are billed and logged as total Data Transfer. One can send SMS from this software to any mobile using the SMS Tab. One Can Dial any number using the call option. So all the SIM Functions can be controlled via the software.

Now the Most Pathetic part. The Speed! The Claimed Speed of Connectivity is 3.20 Mbps which is bogus! Inside my house just ½ kms away from Telephone Exchange, Day Time Connectivity is 72 Kbps and Night Connectivity is Between 256 to 400 Kbps. I have not tried the service in open field area and will give feed back later but in any case it would not be more than 500kbps to 1 Mbps.

As MTNL is offering 10gb of Free Download with 2 Months Validity and as many people would purchase the modem, speeds will definitely drop further especially during day time. In my house in the inner room connectivity drops dead within a few seconds with Yellow Signal Bars Appearing instead of Green. While I am typing this I am getting a File Download Speed of 50.60 KB/Sec Which corresponds to 404.80 Kbps of Connectivity at 01:00 AM.

I later solved the problem in my laptop by installing windows xp professional in a secondary partition and then checked and it got detected. Then I formatted my C Drive and Reinstalled Genuine Windows XP Home Edition with SP-3 and this time The Modem got detected perfectly and installed the software itself. Even though my notebook had the same Genuine XP Home Before somehow it could not install the modem. Please make sure u use Genuine XP as Some Pirated XP OS may not detect the modem. MTNL should have at least supplied the Installation software in a disc rather then depend on auto installation from the USB Modem Itself.

So the Final Verdict.

Buy and use the modem as an extension/2nd Alternative to your existing Wired Internet Broad band Connection. Do not depend on the 3G Jadoo Modem for Critical Tasks Like Bank Fund Transfers, Online Tax aishwaryasingh23ments, as connectivity can drop dead any time.

I am more than satisfied with the modem as Recharge Options are very generous and for a simple person like me with limited needs it is more than Good.

Added on 17th Feb 2011 after 7 Months of Usage.

The MTNL 3G Modem Works perfectly and did not give any trouble till date. Also I was very lucky that I could use all the 20gb Data from 19th july 2010 to 19-dec-2010 as the software somehow forgot the disconnection date as 2 months. It only seemed to remember the Data that is present in the SIM and Software and works till the Data Limit gets Finish938844ed.

However the Moody Nature of the connectivity continues especially if the modem is kept connected and unused for a certain period of time like 10-20 mts. My earlier warning of not using the modem for Online Funds Transfers, aishwaryasingh23ments, Tax aishwaryasingh23ments stands true still now. Before connecting the modem plan your internet usage before hand so that you can Finish938844 all your work as long as connectivity is present and then switch off. Do not keep the modem connected and do typing work thinking it will connect as it will fail in critical moments.Then it is very difficult to bring it back alive. One has to disconnect and again connect.This happened with me as I was adding this on the mouth shut website and then I had to use the Wired Net Access To connect finally.

If you are planning to use the modem indoors please use a iRiver Make 3 Metre USB Extension cable and keep the modem near the window so that you can get at least four bars signal.

Average Maximum Speed is of 172Kbps at 10:45 hrs In Second Floor & 450 Kbps at 02:00 hrs Just 0.50 kms from Telephone Exchange. In Open Field Opposite to the Exchange at 02:00 Hrs Night The Maximum Speed was 512kbps.

So Overall a Good Experience with the 3G Modem especially 20gb Data in Six Months But still not a full replacement for a Wired Broad Band Internet Access. Something Much Better and A Wireless Alternative

To a Dial Up 56.60kbps Internet Connection.

Updated:21/08/2015 Karol Bagh Exchange New Delhi

After nearly 2 years since Sept 2013, I on 20/08/2015 put a 3G Data Pack in my MTNL SIM for Rs 42/- and received 512mb. The Huawei E303C unlocked dongle after software update for windows 8.1 gave a minimum download speed of 380 Kbps @ 02:00 AM with Dongle placed outside the Window & Maximum Speed was 2.80 Mbps. Inside a sealed AC room signals were 3G but with frequent disconnections . So whatever u have stated is true. MTNL has improved but call drops inside sealed rooms continue as ever. Whenever phone rings tower signal will drop to one bar from full 5 bars.

Also the Original Teracom 3G Modem/Data Card LW272 cannot be made to work in Windows 8 despite trying for a full day. So use it only in Windows 7 or Windows XP.