Which mobile network is it best to use with my WiBE?

How does a WiBE connect to the 3G network?

When you turn on your WiBE (after you have configured the APN details) it will spend about three minutes scanning to find the best 3G connection. It does this by selecting each of its four antennas in turn and monitoring the download speed. The antenna (arrow) lights on the front of the WiBE flash to show which antenna is being monitored. If it cannot detect any 3G signal (for the 3G network operator defined by your SIM), all four antenna lights flash for a few seconds and the WiBE repeats the scanning process. You can also see how the scanning is progressing by logging on to the WiBE and looking at the status page, although beware that the status page does not automatically refresh.If the WiBE does detect the 3G network during the scanning process it will select the antenna that gives the best download speed. One of the antenna lights will remain on continuously to show which antenna has been selected. Sometimes, a second light will flash. This indicates that although you have a good 3G connection, it is possible that you will get a better data speed if you change the location of the WiBE in your building. The WiBE flashes the second light when it sees that the signal strength detected by the antenna opposite the one it has selected is nearly the same as the signal strength on the selected antenna.

Can I use a WiBE in a vehicle?

One of the reasons that a WiBE can give such an amazing performance improvement over other devices is because it is in a fixed location and is therefore able to work out the configuration of its antennas that give the best performance. This means that it will not provide any performance improvement in a moving vehicle. However, the WiBE takes about three minutes to configure itself after it is switched on, so provided you can wait for three minutes after stopping before using it, there is no reason why it should not be used in a vehicle.

How many users does the WiBE support?

The theoretical number of users that can connect to the WiBE by WiFi at any one time is 100. However, in the WiBE-HS7, all these users would share a maximum of 7.2 Mbps in the downlink (from the 3G base station to the WiBE) and 5.76 Mbps in the uplink (from the WiBE to the 3G base station). Several WiBE users have had 18 - 20 people connected to a WiBE at one time in an office environment, using it for VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) calls as well as email and web browsing.

What is the range of the WiFi on the WiBE?

This depends very much on the environment, which includes how many walls there are between you and the WiBE as well as what other WiFi devices and sources of interference there are in the area.. Deltenna has measured a range of 100 metres line of sight, going through one wall and WiBEs have been used to provide Internet access in conference rooms and exhibition areas up to 5000 sq metres in area (from one end of the room). The key value of the WiBE is in its superior 3G performance and in side-by-side tests the WiFi range and performance has been shown to be nearly the same as other standard WiFi 802.16bgn routers.

Can I use a WiBE in other countries?

If your network operator has enabled roaming for your SIM, you can use your WiBE in other countries, but BEWARE, roaming charges for data can be very high and you could easily be charged hundreds of dollars for a day of usage. Please check with your network operator what the roaming charges are before you go abroad with a WiBE. As a warning, if you are roaming, the 3G light on the WiBE-HS7 will flash when you are connected instead of being on all the time. If you are planning to take a WiBE abroad with you, it is likely to be a lot cheaper to buy a SIM in the country you are in for a local network operator.

Where is the best place to put a WiBE?

Generally speaking it is best to put a WiBE near a window and as high in a building as possible to give it the best chance of receiving a 3G signal.

I have inserted my SIM and the WiBE says "New SIM detected - Please press Setup" but when I do and select the "Contract" or "Pre-pay" buttons nothing happens. What has gone wrong?

1. As with mobile phones, for the SIM card to to be recognised it must be put in while the equipment is turned off. The WiBE is the same. If you think you may have inserted your SIM after the WiBE was turned off, all you need to do is turn the WiBE off, insert the SIM and turn the WiBE back on. This time when you see the "New SIM detected" and enter the setup, the APN details will now be entered when you click the relevant button. Click "Apply" and the WiBE will begin its 3G scanning.
2. The WiBE does not store APN information for all network operators. More will be added in future, but WiBEs made up until April 2011 will only store details for UK and Ireland networks. If you are in a different country you will need to enter the APN information manually. If you don't know what information is required, please contact your network operator.

I put the SIM in my WiBE, the lights of the front flash, but I cannot connect to the 3G network. What's wrong?

If you have never succeeded in connecting to the 3G network before, the most likely problem is that your WiBE either does not have any APN information or the APN information is wrong (see FAQ entry "What is an APN?"). To enter the APN information, follow the instructions on the Setup Guide that is provided with the WiBE to connect to the WiBE either using WiFi or an Ethernet cable and log onto it using a web browser. When logging-on using a web browser, enter the address http://192.168.1.1 in the address box of the browser. You should then see a pop-up box that asks for a user name and password. The user name is admin and the password is unique to your WiBE and can be found on the labels in the Setup Guide or on the underside of the WiBE on the fourth line down from the top. It's the 8 character random word at the end of the line. The case (capitals or small letters) of each character in the password is important. After you have logged on, press the Setup button on the browser screen and read the instructions on the screen. You will only need to enter the APN information once for a particular SIM. After that, you can just connect to the Internet using your WiBE from any computer or other device as you would with any other WiFi access point.
If the APN information is correct, the most likely reasons for not connecting to the 3G network are:
You are out of range of the 3G network.
Your SIM has not been enabled by your network operator or is only enabled for voice, not data.
You have a pre-pay (pay as you go) SIM and it has no credit.
To determine which, first log onto your WiBE as described above. If you see a message on the screen saying "No SIM detected" or "New SIM detected", follow the instructions. If not, press the Status button on the screen. On the third line down from the WAN Connection heading, you will see a line labelled Operator. If you see the name of your network operator next to this, then your WiBE has detected a 3G signal and you are in network range. In this case, we recommend that you contact your network operator (or whoever provided your SIM card).

What is an APN?

APN stands for Access Point Name. A WiBE or any other device on a mobile network needs an APN in order to communicate with the mobile network. Many network operators have several APNs, which may be used for contract and pre-pay customers, customers with different types of service and business customers who have subscribed to special services such as fixed IP addresses. For many operators, only one piece of information is needed: the APN itself. Others also require user names and passwords that go with the APN. Depending on the version of firmware on your WiBE, your APN may already be known. If this is the case, pressing the appropriate Contract or Pre-pay button on the WiBE Setup screen will automatically fill-in the boxes at the bottom of the screen with the APN information. If you press Contract or Pre-pay and no value appears in the APN box, then you will need to type the information in yourself. Your network operator should have provided this information with your SIM card, but if they haven't, please contact them and ask for the APN.

Do I need a different APN when I'm roaming (using a WiBE in another country)?

No. However, be aware that data roaming costs can be very high with any mobile device, and especially with a WiBE, which can consume large amounts of data in a very short space of time. See FAQ entry "Can I use a WiBE in other countries".

end FAQ