I bought a Reliance data card on 2nd Jan. Let me share my experience having used this wireless internet soultion from Reliance for almost a fortnight. Anyone considering to buy this may find this post useful. I have also mentioned how to improve the connection speed.
Need For Wireless
I bought my laptop some months ago and was considering what internet plan to go for. Here in Siliguri I can’t go for my favourite Dataone (that I have at home) as that needs a wired landline connection. Also, a pity that Airtel broadband is not yet available in Siliguri. So wireless seemed to be the perfect option - it also has the carry-it-along advantage. I was unsure which data carrier to go for until a friend told me about Reliance’s freedom @ night plan.
Reliance Netconnect Plans
There are many plans to choose from. All are expensive I tell you. The one that suited me is the Freedom @ night plan. It offers unlimited surfing in night hours i.e. 10 pm - 6 am for a monthly rental of 400 INR and daytime surfing charges 0.50 INR per minute.
Getting The Data Card
The data card comes mainly in 2 models - USB and PCMCIA. The prices are 2890 INR and 2850 INR respectively. There is an activation charge of 330 INR. I went for the USB one as it can be used in both desktop and laptop. Besides, I thought there might be some heating problem with the PCMCIA as it is internal.
To get the data card you have to go to any Reliance Webworld or Reliance Communications outlet or computer shops. I got it from a Reliance Communications outlet on Hazra road (opposite Paramount Nursing Home near Hazra more), Kolkata. As for any other postpaid connection, you need to carry these documents - an identity proof (voter card, PAN card, etc.), a residence proof (ration card, electric bill, phone bill, bank statement) & a passport size photo. After two days I got a call from reliance for verification, they even went to my house to verify - the formalities of a postpaid connection.
Setting it up
Run the installation disc and follow the instructions to install the Reliance Netconnect software. Insert the data card in the USB port or PC card slot when asked.
Netconnect software
The installer registers the data card as a modem and adds a dialer software. The software interface allows you to connect/disconnect, send/read SMS, make/receive calls, change settings. It shows the connection speed and bandwidth used. However, the bandwidth and timer readings are reset everytime you disconnect making it impossible to keep track of total bandwidth or time usage. Netconnect installs an internet optimizer software called Netbooster which accelerates surfing speed by reducing the quality of images in real-time.
Connection Speed
This modem relies on the same tower as mobiles. A mobile tower is too busy handling calls to and fro and you can’t expect a dedicated connection. As a result, the connection is erratic. I have used it in Siliguri and Kolkata.
Siliguri: Every now and then the connection dies - although it is connected speed becomes 0 kbps. Chatting on Gtalk is next to impossible as I get dc almost every minute. Surfing speed is not bad, does the job. After 1 or 2 o’ clock in the night the connection becomes somewhat stable allowing me to surf with peace of mind. Those who are on time-bound plans will find this erratic speed all the more irritating.
Kolkata: Better speed and surfing experience. The connection is more or less stable and doesn’t drop usually. Gtalk experience is also good.
Delhi: A friend who has used this in both Delhi and Siliguri reports far worse speeds in Delhi compared to Siliguri which is really surprising.
Tips to increase the speed
I continuously ping a server (google.com) to keep the connection alive. This way the connection remains active all the while and chances of getting dc are significantly lowered. By continuous pinging, I am able to chat in Google Talk. Surfing speed also improves considerably this way.
Now how to ping? Open command prompt and type ping www.google.com -t and hit enter key. The command prompt can be invoked by going to Start > Run and typing “cmd”. Vista users need to enter “cmd” in the Search box under the Vista Start menu.
Value for money
I think the tariff pricing could be lower. The price for the data card is reasonable but the monthly tariffs are not. The problem is the wirless internet market is yet to mature and there is not much competition in the sector. Reliance will tell you the reason behind such pricing is it is wireless. But considering the quality and speed of connection this is priced steep.
Other options
Tata indicom has a similar offering. Though I have not used that, I think both are in the same league when it comes to speed. The Airtel data card is priced higher at 5000 INR. Then another option is using your mobile phone as a modem and subscribing to the Airtel Mobile Office. Mobile Office offers unlimited internet access over GPRS or EDGE (depends on your area). The cost in West Bengal is 498 bucks per month. Then you have the 199/- monthly rental plan for BSNL postpaid users which is also unlimited EDGE internet.
Future
With the launch of 3G the speeds will increase.
Final Word
I can surf most sites smoothly. I can keep in touch with friends online. Can download small files of megabytes sizes. I can research on net. Chat with friends. Orkut pages load pretty fast. People at home can see me on webcam (video quality sucks due to slow speed). I can have voice chat with friends. So this serves most of my needs. However I can’t rely on Reliance if I have to give an online exam which is timed.
Cross-posted on TechPointer.
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20 Responses to “Got A Reliance Data Card”
- 1 Pingback on Apr 21st, 2008 at 12:59 pm
- 2 Pingback on Apr 22nd, 2008 at 3:25 am
HI,
I use a Reliance Data Card too. And it works great in terms of speed and all, but the only issue i have is the voice quality during Skype (PC) to Phone calls.
Do you face any problems as such?
Warm regards,
Meghna
i have the same reliane data card but i want more speed in mbps what can i do
pls help
It has worst speed I have ever seen. I would say go for tata indicom rather then going this third class reliance data card.
People… Don’t even consider buying TATA indicom…. I just bought it as a clubbed offer from TATA Sky and what disgusting speeds about 20KbPS
Hey… very informative article. In fact am using a reliance data USB to connect and post to this article.
As you said, the connections drop sometimes, but on the whole it’s ok… Can’t use it for any critical browsing requirments.
The speed in chennai is quite good and am looking forward to using it in smaller cities. Hopefully what happened to your friend will be replicated.
Nice post… very helpful.
Regards,
John VB
Do Reliance data card service providers SMTP address for persons who are using their own outlook express. ? Please advise.
First of all…Reliance and Indicom, both of the Companies are the worst in all other telecoms and ISP. Both of the companies, are not considered to be good with their services in their primary market, that is telecommunication. Then, how can they offer a secondary thing, until they improve and give their best in their primary field. It clearly suggests, that both of them just want to make money, nothing else. See others, MTNL, Airtel they both have ISPs,but one of the best services and speed one can ever expect….I dont understand, when ppl know very well, Reliance and Indicom, never complete the promises which they make, why you rely on them. If I can be the decider, I would surely go for the Boycott of this Bull shit companies….
Thanks,
Vikas B
Which data card is better among the existing one’s?
RELIANCE data card is the worst service i have used till date, tata gives a better speed. even sarkari BSNL on GPRS gives a better speed for rs 110 per month unlimited time . reliance is famous for overbilling data card users / usb data modem users.
Hi,
I have the Work from Home facility…I want to buy a good data card…price would not be a big constraint…Kindly help me out ASAP as I have to buy a data card soon…
hi i have a reliance pcmcia data card. every thing is working fine but the problem is of image. i cannot see the images properly not even the videos from the internet. what could be the cause?s there any solution for it?
please do reply me with a possible solution
Hi sandeep, I think what you are complaining about the quality of images. Right? Well the netbooster software reduces the quality of images thus increasing surfing speed. You can either turn netbooster off or set it at a setting for moderate image quality - these options can be accessed by right-clicking the netbooster icon in the system tray.
Regarding videos, well with this connection speed you can’t except to watch videos on youtube or other similar sites.
reliance is worst ever service and i am cursing the day i got reliance data card
my suggestion to everyone go for tata, airtel or even MTNLBSNL but never go for reliance
reliance data card is worse than even a dial up connection , its not reliance netconnect its rather reliance net disconnect. this is a company started by a guru to fill his coffers by cheating ppl , government
its worse than even a dial up connection , its not reliance netconnect its rather reliance net disconnect. this is a company started by a guru to fill his coffers by cheating ppl , government
i have been using huawei ec325 usb modem on xp. i recently plugged it into my new dell vista lappie. installed the cd software. the dialer software opened up fine. but cud not connect. i called customer care. they had a disgustign reply that it doesn run on vista!!! can anyone plz guide me..
Can plz suggest which is better Relance r tataindicom
r any other.i really appriciate u r valuable suggestions
@Abhijeet: there seems to be no vista driver for netconnect right now. reliance wrote in a mail that a vista driver will be released in 2 months. But 2 months have passed and they are yet to come up with a vista driver.
@Pratap: I think Reliance and Tata indicom are in the same league. The quality of service will vary from place to place depending on signal strength and network congestion. I have a friend using Tata indicom and he is not satisfied…. as much I am not with Reliance.
I have just purchased a USB data card and using it on my dell vista lappy. Getting a speed of less thn 10 kbps when I tried to call their customer care using the USB modem the answering machine says - Sorry, You are not authorised to make this call currently.
I also tried to ping google.com -t using cmd but it didnt work for me. Can any oneone tell me any other ways to improve the performance.
Deepak
mbadips@gmail.com