How To Improve Mobile Broadband Performance

Usage of mobile broadband has accelerated over the last year, with everyone using their mobiles and laptops on the move to surf, send email, tweet and catchup with friends on facebook to name but a few activities.  However, must of us have learnt that mobile broadband speeds can be awful in certain areas and can seem worse than using old dialup modems when you see the actual speeds using broadband speed test.

Still, you can improve your mobile broadband experience by following the tips below:

Check If Coverage Is Good At Your Location

Before you travel, check out the coverage for your network in that location e.g. for AT&T you can use their coverage viewer which quickly allows you to see if data coverage is good or bad :

Make Sure You Understand What Speeds You’ll Really Get

You’ll never get a 50mbps speed with mobile broadband, but how fast will it be really?  Rather than be disappointed before you commit to a monthly contract test out a pre-pay or PAYG contract to see if the speeds match your expectations.

Positioning & A Better Aerial

Simply moving your aerial a few degrees, or even better sitting in a different place can make a huge difference to your reception quality.  Even better, if you can buy an antenna booster for your USB modem.  Make sure the antenna booster you buy is portable though, as some are designed to be used at home and wall-mounted – a bit too big to carry in your briefcase!