The Huawei E355 Wingle

Gadget | Huawei E355: A Mobile 3G+Wifi Hotspot Wingle

The Huawei E355 Wingle
The Huawei E355 Wingle

I have been using the Huawei E355 for half a year now. I went to buy one last November 2012 as I was looking for a mobile wifi solution while I travel to several places for a few months. I bring along my MacBook, my iPad and mobile phones with me and wanted to somehow connect all devices. A simple datacard dongle wouldn’t suffice as it could only connect me to my main device. A pocket wifi was also an option but it was way over my budget at that time. I found that the Huawei E355 struck a balance in terms of cost and features.

Huawei E355 Wingle Features

The Huawei site fondly calls this mobile internet device a “Wingle” since it’s a dongle with wifi capabilities. This is actually the same device used by Smart on their “Wifi Plug-it” and recently I’ve been seeing this sold with a Globe sim packaged with it. Well I bought this one since its open-line and I could use different sims depending on which provider is strong in the area. Here’s a low down on the features:

  • Simple yet stylish USB stick design
  • UMTS/HSUPA/HSPA+/GSM/GPRS/EDGE capable
  • Downlink speed of up to 21.6Mbps and an uplink speed of 5.76 Mbps
  • A MicroSD card slot up to 32gb
  • IEEE 802.11 b/g/n Wifi Protocol
  • Wifi Connection up to 5 devices + 1 plugged to a device
  • Supports Windows and Mac OS
The SIM and MicroSD card slot
The SIM and MicroSD card slot

Wingle Device

The wingle device is like a regular dongle. Slide off the top cover to access the slot for the sim and microSD card. There are two led indicators. One is for the wifi and the other is for the current internet status. It’s pretty easy to determine the meaning of the led signals. A continuous flashing deep blue means its searching for signal, a static deep blue means it has no signal or inactive, a cyan means there’s 3G while green is 2G. The wifi led light simply lights up green when wifi is active.

The wingle with power adapter and active led lights
The wingle with power adapter and active led lights

Use

With the Huawei E355, you simply insert a SIM and plug it on a laptop or power source to start. If on a computer, the necessary drivers would be available and a shortcut to the device interface can be installed. My unit comes with a usb power adapter so one can plug it on a wall socket. It’s pretty much plug and play as long as the SIM is preloaded with internet credits.

The Huawei device admin interface for changing settings and sms messaging
The Huawei device admin interface for changing settings and sms messaging

Wifi Security and Internet Settings

By default, Wifi is accessible to the public but there’s access to the settings through the Huawei service admin at http://192.168.1.1 or mobilewifi.home when connected to the device. Wifi settings can be changed there like making the wifi secure with a password or changing the wifi zone name. I also found that a postpaid accounts have to be configured like my Globe Tattoo Postpaid SIM which has a different APN from the prepaid ones. Profiles can be setup for different types of SIM.

On the admin interface as well, there’s an option for SMS messaging if the SIM supports it.

Smart Bro broadband speed in my area in Pasig
Smart Bro broadband speedtest in my area in Pasig

Speed and Performance

The speed is really dependent on the area where I use the Huawei E355. When I was staying in El Nido, my Globe Tattoo was steady. The fastest downlink I can get is 7.5mbps. While the device can go up to 21.6mbps, I think the local internet providers cap the speed at 7.5mbps, If I wanted faster I would have to pay extra especially with Globe.

When I got back to my home in Pasig, Metro Manila, my Globe Tattoo Postpaid SIM got really inconsistent and jittery. I would occasionally get good speeds but in one moment the signal would shift from 3G to 2G. My Smart Bro SIM on the other hand was much more steady and consistent with its 3G signal in my area. See the test results done minutes apart.

My Wifi connection with the device was also consistent. I didn’t experience being disconnected even when used in more than 6 hours.

One problem I did encounter is that the Huawei E355 Wingle doesn’t support USB 3. My MacBook mid 2012 is USB 3 and it only works as a power source for the dongle. I tried it with a USB 2 laptop and it works at it should be. I’m still waiting for an update from Huawie if they’ll be supporting USB 3.

Globe Tattoo broadband speedtest in my area in Pasig
Globe Tattoo broadband speedtest in my area in Pasig

Conclusion

For its purpose as a portable WiFi travel device it serves its purpose well without problem as long as you have a power source nearby. Configuring the setting is easy, changing SIMs worked without a problem and the quality of wifi connection is quite good. My only problem with the Huawei E355 was with the USB 3 compatibility. Anything else there is little to complain about.

Huawei E355 SRP: Php 2,700


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