The Huawei E220 is a Huawei HSDPA access device ( 'modem' ) manufactured by Huawei and notable for using the USB interface (USB modem).
Technically it is a modem, USB and (due to the CDFS format) virtual CD-ROM device.
The device is used for wireless Internet access using 3.5G, 3G, or 2G mobile telephony networks. It supports UMTS (including HSDPA), EDGE, GPRS and GSM.
E220 works well with Linux, as support for it was added in Linux kernel 2.6.20, but there are workarounds for distributions with older kernels (eg for Debian etch's 2.6.18). The card is also supported by Vodafone Mobile Connect Card driver for Linux, and it is possible to monitor the signal strength through other Linux applications.
Most 3G network operators bundle the device with a contract, with some operators simlocking the device (ie making it work only with a particular SIM card).
E220 connects to the computer with a standard Mini USB cable. The device comes with two cables, one short and one long. The long one has two USB A interfaces, one used for data and power and the other optionally only for assistance power in case the computer is not able to provide the full 500 mA (milliamperes) required for the device to work from one USB interface only. The E220 antenna is internal; the USB cable does not act as an antenna. There is a way to connect an external antenna even though there is no antenna connector. Together with a high gain antenna like an LPDA or an OMNI booster antenna and an adapter signal strength can be considerably improved.
Huawei E220 includes its own Windows software in its internal memory, and can be flashed (overwritten) by the end user. The standard software by Huawei is called Mobile Partner and is indicated by the code UTPS, as it is found on the manufacturer's download site.
Some network operators selling E220, however, replace Huawei's software with their own, which often is software-locked (albeit not SIM-locked) to work only with the operator's own network. End users can use either third-party software or alternative operating systems (eg Debian GNU/Linux) to circumvent this and use their E220 with any SIM, or flash their device with Huawei's original software.
The following operators are known to replace Huawei's software with their own:
Vodafone puts on its E220 (Vodafone Mobile Connect USB Modem) its Vodafone Mobile Connect Lite software, which is a lighter version of Vodafone Mobile Connect.
Operating systems
Microsoft Windows XP & Vista
Apple OS X 10.2.6 Jaguar or higher
Linux 2.6.20 or higher. One can use wvdial with this modem in Linux.
Debian, Ubuntu [9] [10]and gnuLinEx
openSUSE, Fedora, Arch Linux, Gentoo Linux, Xandros Linux, Sabayon, Mandriva, PcLinuxOS
Technically it is a modem, USB and (due to the CDFS format) virtual CD-ROM device.
The device is used for wireless Internet access using 3.5G, 3G, or 2G mobile telephony networks. It supports UMTS (including HSDPA), EDGE, GPRS and GSM.
E220 works well with Linux, as support for it was added in Linux kernel 2.6.20, but there are workarounds for distributions with older kernels (eg for Debian etch's 2.6.18). The card is also supported by Vodafone Mobile Connect Card driver for Linux, and it is possible to monitor the signal strength through other Linux applications.
Most 3G network operators bundle the device with a contract, with some operators simlocking the device (ie making it work only with a particular SIM card).
E220 connects to the computer with a standard Mini USB cable. The device comes with two cables, one short and one long. The long one has two USB A interfaces, one used for data and power and the other optionally only for assistance power in case the computer is not able to provide the full 500 mA (milliamperes) required for the device to work from one USB interface only. The E220 antenna is internal; the USB cable does not act as an antenna. There is a way to connect an external antenna even though there is no antenna connector. Together with a high gain antenna like an LPDA or an OMNI booster antenna and an adapter signal strength can be considerably improved.
Huawei E220 includes its own Windows software in its internal memory, and can be flashed (overwritten) by the end user. The standard software by Huawei is called Mobile Partner and is indicated by the code UTPS, as it is found on the manufacturer's download site.
Some network operators selling E220, however, replace Huawei's software with their own, which often is software-locked (albeit not SIM-locked) to work only with the operator's own network. End users can use either third-party software or alternative operating systems (eg Debian GNU/Linux) to circumvent this and use their E220 with any SIM, or flash their device with Huawei's original software.
The following operators are known to replace Huawei's software with their own:
Vodafone puts on its E220 (Vodafone Mobile Connect USB Modem) its Vodafone Mobile Connect Lite software, which is a lighter version of Vodafone Mobile Connect.
Operating systems
Microsoft Windows XP & Vista
Apple OS X 10.2.6 Jaguar or higher
Linux 2.6.20 or higher. One can use wvdial with this modem in Linux.
Debian, Ubuntu [9] [10]and gnuLinEx
openSUSE, Fedora, Arch Linux, Gentoo Linux, Xandros Linux, Sabayon, Mandriva, PcLinuxOS