BSNL 3G sim in Dell XPS laoptop w/ internal mini pci card- No USB dongle and no wires

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rohitmath

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Hey folks,

Good news. I have stumbled upon a fantastic find that pertains to BSNL 3G sim using a Dell Wireless 5520 Mobile Broadband which i purchased on Ebay for USD $30. Search google for "Dell Wireless 5520" and you can see it.

NO Wires NO Dongles NO Tethering

I have a Dell XPS laptop which has an extra pci mini express card slot and a SIM card slot behind the battery. I stubmled upon the card on E-bay and had it shipped to me from Hong Kong. It took 8 days to arrive.

With some tweaks and trials of various Dell Broadband software, I got it to work.

Now I just open my laptop and connect using the Dell Broadband Wireless Card Utility to connect.

I believe that you can find different pci express cards for different laptops brands including Lenovo, Toshiba, Sony, Acer etc using acessories search on different manufacturers websites. Then you have to look for the Global Easy Buy option on EBAY. I cant guarantee it cause i havent seen personally.

Laptop: DELL XPS M1330 Laptop w/ 4GB Memory
O/s: Windows 7 SP2 (also used on Vista before upgrading)
Wirelss Modem: Dell Wireless 5520 Internal Mini PCI.
Cost of Modem: USD$30 (INR 1600 Aprox).
Connection Software Dell Broadband Wireless Card Utility for Vodafone.
Data Plan: BSNL 3G data plan.
Time: 3 days of frustrating troubleshooting!
Result: Hapiness and freedom from extra wires and ugly USB dongles that tend to break when laptop is on your lap.

Screen shots to follow when i figure out how to upload.

Disclaimer: This solution works for me. i cant take responsibility for others. I took a risk despite Dell and BSNL telling me it wouldnt work. Trials with DELL AT&T software didnt work but the Dell Vodafone software did. You can also set up using Microsoft DUN.

---------- Post added at 09:26 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:23 AM ----------

Just for reference, here is a screen shot of a speed test carried out inside a building in a small town in Hassan. I have seen speeds of 240kbps in uTorrent very regularly which is awesome for BSNL.
 
Hey folks,

Good news. I have stumbled upon a fantastic find that pertains to BSNL 3G sim using a Dell Wireless 5520 Mobile Broadband which i purchased on Ebay for USD $30. Search google for "Dell Wireless 5520" and you can see it.

NO Wires NO Dongles NO Tethering

I have a Dell XPS laptop which has an extra pci mini express card slot and a SIM card slot behind the battery. I stubmled upon the card on E-bay and had it shipped to me from Hong Kong. It took 8 days to arrive.

With some tweaks and trials of various Dell Broadband software, I got it to work.

Now I just open my laptop and connect using the Dell Broadband Wireless Card Utility to connect.

I believe that you can find different pci express cards for different laptops brands including Lenovo, Toshiba, Sony, Acer etc using acessories search on different manufacturers websites. Then you have to look for the Global Easy Buy option on EBAY. I cant guarantee it cause i havent seen personally.

Laptop: DELL XPS M1330 Laptop w/ 4GB Memory
O/s: Windows 7 SP2 (also used on Vista before upgrading)
Wirelss Modem: Dell Wireless 5520 Internal Mini PCI.
Cost of Modem: USD$30 (INR 1600 Aprox).
Connection Software Dell Broadband Wireless Card Utility for Vodafone.
Data Plan: BSNL 3G data plan.
Time: 3 days of frustrating troubleshooting!
Result: Hapiness and freedom from extra wires and ugly USB dongles that tend to break when laptop is on your lap.

Screen shots to follow when i figure out how to upload.

Disclaimer: This solution works for me. i cant take responsibility for others. I took a risk despite Dell and BSNL telling me it wouldnt work. Trials with DELL AT&T software didnt work but the Dell Vodafone software did. You can also set up using Microsoft DUN.
 
I also have Dell XPS but is there really any advantage in using a 3G External Express card or internal PCI modem over the regular 3G USB Modem ?By the way your screenshots are not working.
 
his screenshots are not working because they are hotlinked from one of the banned third party sources. anyways. expresscard goes inside the express card slot in your laptop so they are not hanging outside. usb dongles can break if you move around your laptop with them attached to your laptop.
 
his screenshots are not working because they are hotlinked from one of the banned third party sources.

anyways. expresscard goes inside the express card slot in your laptop so they are not hanging outside.

usb dongles can break if you move around your laptop with them attached to your laptop.

Yes USB dongle may break if inserted directly into USB slot of laptop instead of USB extension cable but 3G Express card will work only on the same laptop.

By the way is there any difference in 3G speed or signal with both the 3G cards ?
 

I too have same laptop (M1330). can you explain procedure? right now i m planing to buy ugly dongle

Ok.. Its really simple. Buy the card from Ebay using Global Easy Buy or "world wide" from the Ebay US Site. It will come from a vendor in China / HK. I cant make guarantees but i have purchased 4 cards in 4 months and they all arrived, despite India Postal Services dubious record with Electronic items going missing from the Envelope.

Do a search for "Dell Wireless Broad Band 5520" or "Dell Wireless Broadband 5530" - Make sure the vendor ships Globally / India by sending a question through E-bay.

Pay using Paypal and once the card arrives get in ouch with me and I will tell you what i did.

The Dell 5530 is not officially supported on the Dell XPS1330 but is working on my system with the Sony Ericcsson Wireless Manager.

Regarding Installation, Its the same as inserting a WLAN Mini PCI into the Back of the laptop. There is lots of info on the web DIY or on youtube.

Hope this helps and you get dongle free 3G on your laptop.

P.S. I make no guarantees on this. The vendors on the E-bay sometimes will not give you an unlocked card. Its only $30 so I took a chance and have no problem 4 times. 🙂

---------- Post added at 01:16 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:15 PM ----------

Here is the speed test i did with just two bars signal at my house in Bangalore near Cunningham road
 

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