Sierra AirCard 595U USB Wireless Data Modem Review

I work for Sprint Nextel. Therefore, all my cellular products are from Sprint Nextel for at least a couple of reasons. One big reason is that I get excellent prices on the products and services that Sprint Nextel sells, and that's why I ended up getting the Sierra Wireless AirCard 595U wireless modem. The general public can buy the monthly wireless data service from Sprint for the AirCard 595U for $60. A similar service is available from Verizon for the same price. The AirCard 595U is either free or low-cost (perhaps $20) if you get a contract for the wireless data service. (As a Sprint employee, my cost for high-speed data service is MUCH less than $60.)

How it works

The Sierra Wireless AirCard 595U uses a technology called EVDO, which is available from both Sprint and Verizon. Basically, using the card connects you to high-speed data using cell phone towers, and it connects at speeds similar to that of a wired DSL service from the telephone company. Typical connected speeds with an EVDO service are 400 to 700 kilobits per second (kbps). The AirCard 595U is "Rev. A" capable, which means it works with a faster version of EVDO called "EVDO Rev. A," which promises speeds up to 1.4 Mbps. That's VERY fast, if it works. At the time I write this, Sprint has a much wider EVDO Rev. A network than Verizon.

There are a variety of devices that will get high-speed wireless data using EVDO technology, not just the AirCard 595U. I have another Sierra Wireless product, the AirCard 580, which is a PCMCIA card for a laptop computer.

As long as you are within the range of a Sprint or Verizon cell phone tower, you will almost certainly get some level of EVDO service. If you're lucky, it will be fast.

What it is

The AirCard 595U is a small gizmo, a little smaller than a full-size deck of cards. The front has a black plastic cover that slips off to reveal a battery, and the back has a USB connector that flips down from a well in the body of the AirCard 595U. The unit weighs just a couple of ounces and it plugs into any USB port. As you can see from the photos of the unit, the AirCard 595U will stand up vertically when plugged into a horizontal USB port. The AirCard 595U will be horizontal if you plug it into a vertical USB port. The unit comes with a short USB extension cable (about six inches long) to be used if your computer's USB ports are oriented incorrectly for use with the AirCard 595U.

The AirCard 595U comes with a CD with drivers. First, plug the AirCard 595U into your computer and let Windows do the necessary handshaking, then run the install program on the disk. I've loaded these drivers in several computers and all worked with no problem.

Using it

Once all the drivers are loaded, make sure the AirCard 595U is plugged into a USB port and launch the application. In my case, running the driver disk put an icon on my screen called "Sprint Mobile Broadband." The computer takes a few seconds to open the application, which puts a small window on the screen. The computer then talks to the AirCard 595U and determines if there is wireless data (EVDO) service. If I'm in range of a Sprint cell phone tower, the window will show the number of bars to indicate the strength of the signal. If I'm roaming on a Verizon tower, an obvious black triangle shows in the window. In my experience, I can connect if I'm roaming but the speed is much slower than if I'm not roaming.

How fast is it? At my house in the suburbs, I typically get 500-700 kbps with the AirCard 595U. At my house in the mountains, I'm almost always roaming and get speeds of 110-120 kbps. Occasionally, I will connect to the nearby Sprint tower and get 500 kbps (Oh the joy!!) but this hasn't happened much lately. If I could get a consistent 500 kbps at the mountain house, I would be thoroughly ecstatic with the AirCard 595U. The 120 kbps it gets is far better than the 40 kbps I had with dial-up but it's still slow compared to a real DSL-speed connection.

I do get a solid connection with the AirCard 595U where ever I go. It connects quickly and does not drop out. One very interesting thing you get when using a high-speed EVDO service is that you can use it in a moving car. That's actually pretty fun and the AirCard 595U is one of the first things we pack when we go on vacation.

In several months of using the Sierra Wireless AirCard 595U, I don't think I have gotten a connection speed faster than 750 kbps or so, regardless of where I was. Since its Rev. A capabilities should get me speeds faster than that, this has been disappointing. Still, I can get pleasantly fast speeds in just about any location I've been with the AirCard 595U, including airports, hotel rooms, parks, in a moving car and inside homes. You get close to total freedom with an EVDO service and the Sierra Wireless AirCard 595U.

Update Aug 21,2008: I had the AirCard 595U with me at my brother's home in Buffalo a few days ago and got a speed of 1,000 kbps (1 Mbps), which is the fastest speed I've ever gotten. The computer seemed really quick on the Internet, too, with excellent response times. I have to admit that I'm impressed with a speed of 1 Mbps.

Summary

Although I haven't really experienced Rev. A speeds with the AirCard 595U, it's still a pleasure to use. It's small, simple, easy and reliable. If I got twice the speed at my house in the mountains that I now get, I would be absolutely delighted with the AirCard 595U. As it is, I'm merely pleased and not absolutely delighted. I recommend the Sierra Wireless AirCard 595U but don't expect frequent connections at greater than 1 Mbps. In my experience, they don't happen with the AirCard 595U.