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Unwired
The Unwired PCMCIA wireless card is a Navini Networks Ripwave model 3475-3600 PCM. It comes bundled with a small detachable antenna which folds down when the card has been removed from the notebook. Unfortunately, due to its length, this antenna must be removed from the card if the user wishes to leave the notebook installed in the machine and pack it in their laptop carry case. It is too long to fold down when the card is installed in the system—the small antenna is 70mm long while the external component of the PCMCIA card is only 55mm long. This also means that the antenna would be relatively easy to misplace.
The device also ships with a larger antenna and removable base, improving signal reception in marginal areas. The rest of the kit comprises an Unwired installation CD and a very robust carry case which accommodates the PCMCIA card itself and the smaller antenna.
Installation is a breeze. Unwired has done its homework here, and it is certainly no harder than other models to install the software and get it up and running. Once the PCMCIA card is installed and the drivers loaded the software prompts the user for the network device that requires the Unwired configuration. Shortly after this a wizard is launched which enables the user to maximize their reception and performs the initial connection and various tests of the Unwired network. There is not a lot of configuration required once the initial installation is complete. However, there is a small taskbar menu-system accessible which gives the user access to various tools which allow for administration of email accounts, connection details, and so on.
Like Optus, the Unwired wireless card only supports the Windows platform.
Coverage and plans
Coverage by Unwired is currently restricted to Sydney and Melbourne. Service in these areas is quite uniform in comparison to the wider ranging but patchy iBurst service. No fallback to another service is available when outside normal coverage areas. Maximum expected service speeds fall midway between Telstra and iBurst. As with iBurst some plans allow for massive data downloads; excess data downloads (should you have any) are shaped to 64Kbps. Service speed option are not as extensive as that offered with iBurst Chilli.
Performance
Unwired managed average throughput speeds of 521Kbps for download and 123Kbps for upload, making it the fastest in the current round of tests by a small margin. The quoted service speed is 750/256Kbps. Upload speeds varied from around 420 to 600 Kbps
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At 93.9 percent availability was not as good as that observed for other vendors. Previous testing of the Unwired service in Melbourne and Sydney reveals a certain amount of variability in service within close range of the CBD in each city. The variation was small when compared to that observed for iBurst, with averages tending to hover near 300Kbps. These previous tests (using different hardware, including a desktop wireless modem) also provided a somewhat better availability of 96.9 percent.
In general, we have experienced greater speed and reliability of service from Unwired than from the similar iBurst service. Like iBurst, Unwired is rapidly expanding its services in both Melbourne and Sydney.
Unwired is worthy of consideration by those who cling to the big cities. Within its currently limited range Unwired provides very good service quality with a fair range of plans are available.