Snow Leopard Natively Working Well with 3G
Thanks to our neighborhood fantasy football draft last night — or what I like to think of as my annual $75 charity contribution — I got a chance to work with my EVDO modem in Snow Leopard. On Friday I first performed an upgrade and later did a clean install for testing purposes on my MacBook. Everything went well in both cases and I’ve only seen a few minor incompatibilities. Of course, I don’t use many apps, so others are likely experiencing more issues than I am.
In any case, a few minutes before heading to the draft, I realized that I never installed my VZ Access Manager software for the USB727 adapter I use. If I recall correctly, the software wasn’t necessarily required with OS X 10.5, so instead of installing it, I simply plugged in the USB727 to a USB port. Snow Leopard handled the 3G device with ease and added the appropriately configured network connection in my System Preferences. I used the 3G signal all through our draft to research my players online.
My friend Ben Drawbaugh from EngadgetHD has the same 3G adapter as I do, but on Sprint’s network instead. His upgrade of Snow Leopard caused a slight issue with his U727, causing it to cease working with his Mac. The apparent issue is that the unnecessary Sprint software — SmartView — interferes and isn’t really needed. However, the software isn’t easy to uninstall, so Ben offers three commands to make the U727 work natively, just like my USB727. I suspect that if Ben had done a clean install like I did, he wouldn’t have had the SmartView issue since it wouldn’t have been installed.
Personally, I’d prefer to let the operating system manage the network connection for me instead of using a branded, third-party solution like Access Manager or SmartView. True, you might lose the ability to easily check how much bandwidth you’ve used, but that information should be available directly from the carrier by viewing your account info. Instead of using the software, I’m letting Snow Leopard manage the connection. It’s easy to access through the System Preferences and you can show the WWAN icon right in the menubar for quick access. Now I just need to decide if I’m keeping that 3G account or not. I’ve been on the fence for a while because I’m finding more and more Wi-Fi hotspots. But last night’s draft was a black hole in terms of free wireless connectivity, so I don’t want to jump the gun.
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I agree 100% about the 3rd party connection software, but unfortunately the software is usually required for initial activation.
That’s what a PC is for! ;)
I was able to get my Verizon card to work as well but the quick access in the menu bar won’t let me connect, but I can connect in the network preferences. Oh Well.
That’s odd. Did you do an upgrade or clean install of Snow Leopard? With my clean install, it’s working just fine for me right now in Starbucks. I just tap the icon in the menubar and hit the Connect option.
Wish I could say the same for my AT&T Option GT Ultra Express card. The Option software was always buggy in 10.5, but with Snow Leopard it’s turned into Option Kernal Panic. No native support, either. If the system isn’t crashing it’s Sgt. Schultz. Next time it’s EVDO for me.
One more reason why MiFi’s (or what I call PocketSpots) are better to use.
The “truly personal cloud”. :)
Without installing the the VZAccess software, has anyone tried using the MiFi with direct USB cable and Snow Leopard?
Can you recommend a Snow Leopard compatible EVDO that I can use with AT&T?
During the summer, I telecommute to my job while staying on an old fisherman’s wharf on Provincetown bay at the far tip of Cape Cod. No convenient internet, but perfectly good cell phone coverage with ATT. (Not sure about Verizon or Sprint.) Since Apple and ATT have not seen fit to allow tethering with my iPhone, I assume I will need a 3G usb mobile broadband modem. Can you recommend a device for me? I’m not as concerned with cost as I am with compatibility with Snow Leopard/ATT and with speed and reliability.
EVDO technology isn’t what AT&T uses — they use HSPA for their 3G network. ;) Since you’re specifically mentioning AT&T, you’ll want to look at either their USBConnect Quicksilver or USBConnect Mercury for the Mac — both appear to be supported, per the product web pages.