Despite what the sales staff at Vodafone stores would have you believe, the Vodafone TopUp and Go Mobile Broadband works absolutely fine with Mac OS X, with a little initial configuration.
The deal is a purely TopUp based mobile broadband, with no expiration on the data you buy other than a requirement to use the service once every 180 (EDIT: Not 90 days like I said previously) days. The bundle comes with 1GB of data free, and costs £15 for 1GB that never expires. The USB modem that comes with the deal is a Huawei K3565, and the SIM card is removeable.
To get this device working with my Mac on 10.5.6, I used the following instructions that can be found here:
- Get the latest Mobile Connect software for Mac OS X available from here: LINK
- Install the software available from the link on your Mac.
- Plug in your modem.
- Run the installed software and click the Activate button. This will install an interface in your currently selected network location profile. By location profile, I mean the currently selected profile in the locations feature on the Mac.
- Go to System Preferences > Network, select the newly created network interface (Vodafone K3565 for me) and click advanced.
- Set Vendor: Generic, Model: GSM/3G and set APN: pp.internet.
- Click OK, and then hit connect!
So there you have it, Vodafone TopUp 3G connectivity working within the proper network configuration features of Mac OS X.
Cheers
20 comments:
yes, but how can you top it up!?
ah, that is a fair comment. I top up using the windows drivers in a virtual machine image. Works fine for me!
Great info thanks. I bought one today but unfortunately the Vodafone site doesn't seem to want to let me download mobile connect for osx.
500 Servlet Exception
Do you know anywhere else to download the Vodafone Mobile Connect program?
Thanks, Lee
Try here:
Download link
An update to topping it up on the Mac: Vodafone's TopUp website is now available which allows you to top up via a web browser.
I've tried this - no joy unfortunately.
What have you done about passwords, phone numbers and CID numbers ?
Tried it again this evening and it's all working perfectly.
Although I installed the VMC software for Mac OS X (running 10.5.6) I couldn't get it working and subsequently uninstalled it. I've just manually set up the Network Preferences for a generic GPRS (GSM/3G) modem on APN:pp.internet and with CID:1, dialling *99***1# for account/pass: web/web and it works just fine.
Still haven't figured out how to buy credits without having to phone up though.
Also have it working on linux (crunchbang) using the betavine VMC, as NetworkManager0.7 doesn't seem to work with the dongle, as far as I can tell.
Wow.
I have been trawling the web for the past 5 to 6 months and gave up as I could not use the Vodafone dongle on my Macbook. My wife can use it on her Windows laptop so that's why we kept it.
I spoke to a Vodafone techie who stated in no uncertain terms that it was not compatible with Mac.
Thanks Jan for your blog.
P.S. make sure you re-enter the password of web yourself and also once you have set the APN & CID number press apply to keep the settings. This is where I got stuck for a while
Topping up can be handled online now at www.vodafone.co.uk. I'm not sure whether vodafone gives you free access to the vodafone site when credit is dry. In this case, I recommend running VirtualBox and using the Windows software to top up :)
Just thought you'd like to know. Vodafone are now 'semi' supporting TopUp and Go for the Mac. Whilst it isn't officially supported they are handing out photocopied instruction sheets in their stores on how to set up the modem in OSX. I got one from the Strand store in London.
I asked them about topping up and the guy said just use the website. I asked how to validate the online account if you can't receive an SMS message without Windows mobile connect software and he was stumped but suggested that the Vodafone forums would be able to answer that.
I got the thing to work about ten days ago, but since then I have been unable to connect. Any suggestions?
I'm using it with Snow Leopard, but I can only get one bar for a signal. It's very slow.
Set it to use GPRS and the SMS messages come through.
I can't figure out the topping up, and I don't use a Windows emulator. Anyone got a step by step. I have a voucher. If I use the phone I don't seem to get anywhere without a Vodafone phone number.
I seem to get hung up on line when it wants a Vodafone phone number.
Thanks,
Jo
Anyone figured out how to do a top up yet?
I've got the stick working fine but when I try to register online to top up it always asks for the mobile phone number which obviously we don't know.
The IMEI and SIM numbers are on the box but those are no use if we can't get past the phone # screen!
Well I tried this but no joy. All was OK until I upgraded to OSX 10.5.8 then no end of problems. Now I just get error boxes saying "Could not negotiate a connection with the remote PPP server. Please verify your settings and try again" & "Could not open network connection. Check that the APN, user name & password in the current connection settings are correct. If the problem persists please try deleting the current connection settings and restarting application"
Already tried deleting previous setting in system preferences>network - so that's not the solution. Bloke at Vodafone support suggests I try testing the sim card - but I don't have a vodafone phone so that's impossible. Am near end of tether! Any ideas anyone??
Am also having same problem connecting to Vodacom here in South Africa, using a Vodaphoine K3520 - was working perfectly then about 1 week ago connection terminated after a few minutes, now won't connect at all and I get the following message on screen:
Could not open network connection. Check that the APN, user name and password in the current connection settings are correct.
If the problem persists, please try deleting the current connection settings, and re-starting the application.
Any help would be much appreciated
Jan, I have been trying to instal my vodafone mobile broadband but was struggling to connect. I knew there was something i had missed but couldn't figure it out. Then i noticed on your blog about going into advanced and entering pp internet.
This did the trick and it connected fine from then on.
I would like to say thanks for sharing this with us as i would never have reached this conclusion. I probably would have wasted another couple of hours and then phoned vodafone. So thanks again.
You have just saved my weekend. Bought my first Mac yesterday & never thought if my dongle was gonna work on it. Was starting to look around at other providers when I stumbled on a link to your blog article. Thank you so much. You saved me going into a load of high street shops and the comparison sites, and wasting money on a new dongle or stupid contract (which i avoid as tend to move house a fair bit). When i went onto vodafone help within the modem info pane, i was told only Windows compatible. Cheers!
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