Best 3G Internet Dongles – Basic and Wi-Fi 3G Dongles
Internet Dongle or commonly known as 3G dongle is a small USB portable device which used for Internet connectivity. A 3G dongle requires a SIM card for its working. The internet dongle detects the mobile network using the SIM and establish the connection with the Internet. A 3G dongle is also called a 3G Data Card, Mobile Internet Dongle or Broadband Dongle. All 3G dongles available in the market comes with a USB plug which either goes in your computer USB port or in your USB charger or adapter in case of Wi-Fi 3g dongle.
You should be very careful when choosing a 3G internet dongle because a bad one can give you frequent disconnection and low signal coverage. I have also written a guide previously on how to find a good 3g internet dongle for your computer which you can find below. Here in this post I will provide you some of the best 3G internet dongles available in the market.
Must Read: Best Unlocked 4G Data Cards in India
Basic 3G Internet Dongles
A basic internet dongle is one which only has basic functionality for providing internet and does not have inbuilt Wi-Fi feature. It does not have Wi-Fi hardware built in it but it can be used as a Wi-Fi hotspot using Soft Wi-Fi feature.
Huawei E303F/E303FH 3G Data Card
Huwaei is the leader in internet dongle whether it is a 3g dongle or 4g dongle. Huawei is a Chinese company that makes internet dongles, smartphones, telecommunications equipments and networking products. Here from Huawei we have Huawei E303F/E303FH 3G Dongle. It is high quality and high performance 3G dongle that has maximum download speed of 14.4 Mbps (HSPA) and upload speed of 5.76 Mbps (HSUPA).
It supports 3G/2G (HSDPA/HSUPA/HSPA/ UMTS/EDGE/GPRS/GSM) networks and almost all Mobile or Telecom operators including Airtel, Vodafone, BSNL, Idea, Reliance etc. It comes with Soft Wi-Fi feature and it allows you create Wi-Fi hotspot for upto 5 devices.
Must Read: What is Soft Wi-Fi feature?
It supports Voice and SMS. This internet dongle is compatible with Windows 8/XP/Vista and Mac OS X10.5, 10.6, 10.7 and also their latest upgrades.
| Huawei E303F/E303FH 3G dongle Specifications | |
| Download speed | HSPA 14.4 Mbps |
| Upload speed | HSUPA 5.76 Mbps |
| Wi-Fi support | No, only Soft Wi-Fi |
| Voice support | Yes |
| SMS support | Yes |
| OS support | Windows XP/Vista/7/8/10, Mac OS |
Netgear AC329U 3G USB Modem
Netgear AC329U is nice and reliable 3G dongle from Netgear which is known for making high quality networking products. Netgear AC329U Aircard is a high speed internet dongle that supports download speed to up to 21.6 Mbps. The device supports HSPA+/UMTS/GSM/GPRS/EDGE networks.
This Internet 3G dongle also has microSD card slot where it can support maximum 32GB memory. This means it can also work as USB microSD card adapter or as a storage device. It is compatible with all Telecom operators that include Airtel, BSNL, Vodafone, Idea etc. Netgear AC329U supports HSPA+ technology, voice and sms. It supports Windows XP/Vista/7/8/10 and Mac OS (10.5X or above) Operating Systems.
| Netgear AC329U 3G USB Modem Specifications | |
| Download speed | 21.6 Mbps HSPA+ |
| Upload speed | 5.76 Mbps HSUPA |
| Wi-Fi support | No, Soft Wi-Fi only |
| Voice support | Yes |
| SMS support | Yes |
| OS support | Windows XP/Vista/7/8/10 and Mac OS |
Buy Netgear AC329U 3G USB Modem
D-Link DWP-157 Data Card
Another good and affordable 3G data card from D-Link that can support download speed of 21 Mbps and upload speed of 5.76 Mbps. It is compatible with mobile operators and supports Windows and Mac OS. Voice and SMS are supported in this 3g data card.
This data is compatible with almost all mobile operators or telecom service providers.
| D-Link DWP-157 Data Card Specifications | |
| Download speed | HSPA+ 21 Mbps |
| Upload speed | HSUPA 5.76 Mbps |
| Wi-Fi support | No |
| Voice support | Yes |
| SMS support | SMS |
| OS support | Windows, Mac OS |
3G Internet Dongles with WiFi Functionality
These Internet dongles have inbuilt Wi-Fi functionality. This means these 3g dongles comes equipped with Wi-Fi hardware that can be used for creating Wi-Fi hotspots without connecting it to your computer. Just plugin the internet dongle to a USB power adapter and after that you can access internet through it Wirelessly.
Huawei Power-Fi E8231 Data Card
Huawei Power-Fi E8231 is high speed data card that comes with inbuilt Wi-Fi functionality. Using this 3g dongle you can create a Wi-Fi hotspot without using any software and connect up to 10 devices through it. You can connect this data card to a USB charger or power adapter and enjoy wireless internet on your Wi-Fi device. Huawei Power-Fi E8231 has maximum download speed of 21.6 Mbps (HSPA+) and 5.76 Mbps upload speed.
Must Read: Best USB Wall Chargers / Power Adapters for Mobile Phones
Huawei Power-Fi E8231 comes with a web based interface and you do not need to install any software on your computer to use it. It does not support Voice but support SMS. It is compatible with all mobile operators that include airtel, bsnl, idea, telenor, Vodafone, reliance etc. Supported operating systems include Windows XP SP3, Windows Vista SP1/SP2, Windows 7, Windows 8 (Does not support Windows RT), Mac OS X 10.6, 10.7, 10.8. Highly Recommended by me.
| Huawei Power-Fi E8231 Data Card Specifications | |
| Download speed | HSPA+ 21.6 Mbps |
| Upload speed | HSUPA 5.76 Mbps |
| Wi-Fi support | Yes, up to 10 devices |
| Voice support | No |
| SMS support | Yes |
| OS support | Windows, Mac OS |
Buy Huawei Power-Fi E8231 Data Card
Huawei Power-Fi E8221 Data Card
Huawei Power-Fi E8221 is also a Wi-Fi supported 3g internet dongle that has the same features as the above mentioned Huawei 3g dongle, which is Huawei Power-Fi E8231. The only difference is that this 3g dongle has download speed of 14.4 Mbps but then also it is more than enough because no mobile operator will provide that much download speed in India. It supports all operators and Wi-Fi hotspot for upto 10 devices. It does not support voice but support sms. It also has a web based interface and does not require any software installation. Just plug the device in your computer or USB power source and start using it for Internet.
I personally have this data card for myself and I never faced any issues whatsoever with the speed or its performance. This 3g dongle supports Windows and Mac OS. You can read the complete review of this 3d data card below.
Read: Complete Review of Huawei Power-Fi E8221
| Huawei Power-Fi E8221 Data Card Specifications | |
| Download speed | HSPA+ 14.4 Mbps |
| Upload speed | HSUPA 5.76 Mbps |
| Wi-Fi support | Yes, up to 10 devices |
| Voice support | No |
| SMS support | Yes |
| OS support | Windows, Mac OS |
Huawei Power-Fi E8221 Data Card
D-Link DWR-710 Le Petit HSPA+ Router
D-Link is a big company and it known for making high quality routers, modems and other networking products. Here we have D-Link DWR-710 Le Petit HSPA+ Router which is high speed 3G dongle + Wi-Fi Router. It supports download speed to up to 21Mbps. UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA/HSPA+/GSM/GPRS/EDGE Bands and almost all mobile operators. It comes with microSD card slot so that it can also function as a 32GB pendrive. This data card supports voice and sms. This 3G Dongle cum Wi-Fi router can support up to 8 devices through Wi-Fi Hotspot.
D-Link DWR-710 supports all the popular operating systems that include Windows, Mac and Linux.
| D-Link DWR-710 Le Petit HSPA+ Router Specifications | |
| Download speed | 21 Mbps |
| Upload speed | 11.4 Mbps |
| Wi-Fi support | Yes, up to 8 Devices |
| Voice support | Yes |
| SMS support | Yes |
| OS support | Windows, Mac, Linux |
Buy D-Link DWR-710 USB 3G Dongle
Ask me for any query
If you cannot make up your find on which 3G Internet Dongle to choose or have any queries regarding them then you can ask me by leaving a comment below.
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About Author
Akshat Verma
A Professional Blogger, Web Developer, Hardware Enthusiast, Gamer, Geek and Founder of many other websites. He holds M.Tech degree in IT and B.E degree in Computer Science & Engineering.
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D-Link DWR-710 Le Petit HSPA+ Router is Wi-Fi enable. You mention that wrong here. Hope you would update your post. Thanks.
Yes it does. must have been slipped from my mind. Thanks for the tip.