Novatel Wireless MC670 Broadband Adapter Review

The internet started out in the beginning using traditional land line phones and over the years has branched out into a variety of forms. Most of these forms require a connection to a stable access point such as a Cable or DSL connection but now internet users have a third option: Wireless Broadband.

Wireless Broadband uses a cell phone connection to transmit data to and from your computer. If you have a signal from your wireless Broadband provider you can surf the Internet. Some cell phone companies allow you to tether your cell phone to your computer but others offer a dedicated adapter for the purpose.

The Novatel Wireless MC670 Broadband adapter is considered one of the best adapters on the market. Designed primarily for Windows and Mac computers, this device has also been known to work with some Linux systems as well, enabling it to function on a large variety of computer systems.

To install a Novatel Wireless MC670 Broadband adapter one simply needs to plug the device into your computer. The device will start downloading the necessary drivers automatically, and Windows will ask for permission to run the installation.

During the installation Windows will restart your computer and then the adapter will show up on your system as a dial-up modem. A small program window will appear on your Desktop that shows signal strength, length of your current session and the amount of data uploaded and downloaded.

Even in areas that only show a single bar the Novatel Wireless MC670 Broadband adapter will connect faithfully and perform with surprising speed for a device that is using a cell phone network to communicate. In my personal experience with wireless broadband adapters, this one seems to have the most reliable connection.

Like all wireless broadband adapters you will occasionally deal with dropped connections. These do not always show up as dropped. Instead you will notice that your pages no longer load or refresh. When this happens, instruct the adapter to disconnect and then reconnect to the service. I have noticed that this tends to happen in areas with poor signal integrity or during bad weather most often.

The Novatel Wireless MC670 is designed to only work with one computer at a time, but Windows users have a workaround with Internet Connection Sharing. By instructing your computer to share the connection you effectively turn your main system into a router; a single Ethernet cable ran to another computer will share your connection with one other device, and adding an Ethernet switch to the mix will enable you to share your connection with more than one computer. Theoretically you may be able to share the internet connection via Wi-Fi, but the signals may interfere with your wireless broadband connection so that is not advised.

Another added benefit to the Novatel MC670 Wireless Broadband adapter is the fact that it contains a microSD card reader on the device, enabling you to read your cards on your computer as well as in your cell phone without having to keep up with an additional adapter.

The Novatel Wireless MC670 Broadband adapter is offered with a variety of wireless internet providers, most notably Sprint and Virgin Mobile. It is priced at less than $100 (I purchased this one for $79.99 at Radio Shack) and makes a good adapter for those who need the Internet while on the move.