Are USB cards slower than a PCMIA card?

terryk9725 · EVDO Newbie Joined: 16 Jun 2006 Posts: 2

I just upgraded from the Merlin S620 card to the Pantech PX 500 card. I was at the Sprint Store and I asked the store manager if I should go with the Merlin USB card intead of the PX 500. He said that USB is slower than PCMIA. Is this True? I could see advantages with a USB card. Also, he said the Pantech PX 500 is the best card for Rev A. I have 30 days to decide and would love some opinions of what is the fastest and most reliable card for Rev. A. Thanks

Alex · Posted: Sun Dec 10, 2006 5:51 pm Post subject:

You are right to second guess the opinion of a sprint store staffer. most of them aren't even users of their own data service!

from a purely technical perspective, pcmcia slots have more bandwidth than usb ports... BUT... the maximum bandwidth of real-world EVDO is well within USB specs.

what does that mean? imho, it means that whether you use pcmcia or usb for your evdo, the device is not the limiting factor. what detemines your useful bandwidth is available signal and the ability to hook up with it.

check out forum postings from people with their brand new u720's and you'll see that they are performing very well.

i only know of one person who has done a heads-up comparison of px-500 with u720, and his conclusion was that the difference between the two was negligible. in fact, consecutive tests between the devices showed that at any point in time, one would be faster than the other.

but thats the nature of speed tests. the server you are testing at, could easily be under different loads from one test to the next, so even if you did consecutive tests with the SAME device, you would see varying results.

bottom line? the u720 is not slower than px-500, just because it is a usb device.

Michael · Posted: Sun Dec 10, 2006 6:16 pm Post subject:

To add to what Alex said....

If you can get you EVDO device away from the RF interference of your computer, you can get better signal and better performance. You can do that with a USB device (you even get the cable with the U720), you cannot do that with a PCMCIA card.

One problem with the stores, thely only stock the PX-500, so they may say anything to get you to take that one. It isn't a bad card, BUT it isn't the only option.

We are finishing up a review of the U720 and when we used the cable and postioned the USB device away from the computer, a pattern of better performance was displayed.
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Michael · Posted: Mon Dec 11, 2006 12:32 am Post subject:

Just did a speed test:

PX-500 1208Kbps download speed
Novatel U720 1203Kbps Download

Attached the USB Cable and moved the U720 away from the laptop:

Novatel U720 1225Kbps Download

I would say these speeds are all "in the same ballpark" and similar (however, the cable does offer a tiny improvement)
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WEB_SRFR · Posted: Mon Dec 11, 2006 4:06 am Post subject:

How does the 2 compare as far as power consumption is concerned? I just bought a S720 PCMCIA card and I'm very concerned about the card getting so hot that I can't even touch it. I figured the heat can't be that good for power consumption. Does anyone know the power consumption figures for these two devices?

jackrodgers · EVDO Addict Joined: 23 Mar 2006 Posts: 1131

Questions to ask when you have a preference:

How long have you worked here?
Do you receive a commision on your sales?
Do you have both items in stock?
Can I test the items on my computer?

Etc.

Alex

Michael · Posted: Mon Dec 11, 2006 11:54 am Post subject:

To back up our claims, I shot a little video (unedited), you can see it at:

EVDO PCMCIA or EVDO USB, Which is Faster - EVDOinfo.com
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tbhausen · EVDO Junkie Joined: 12 Dec 2006 Posts: 158

As I detailed in this thread:

http://www.evdoforums.com/thread4009.html

I found a very significant performance difference when moving the U720 away from my PC vs the S720. Maybe my laptop is particularly bad with interference, but I gained about 12dBm signal and ~500kbps d/l speed with the Y-cable.

Todd/Indy

tbhausen · EVDO Junkie Joined: 12 Dec 2006 Posts: 158

As I detailed in this thread:

http://www.evdoforums.com/thread4009.html

I found a very significant performance difference when moving the U720 away from my PC vs the S720. Maybe my laptop is particularly bad with interference, but I gained about 12dBm signal and ~500kbps d/l speed with the Y-cable.

Todd/Indy