What Are the Features of an USB External Modem?

• A USB external modem is a modem about the size of a flash drive that plugs into your computer via USB port. These modems are almost exclusively used to connect to mobile broadband connections, and are also sometimes called dongles. Mobile broadband allows you to connect to the Internet anywhere that you can get reception from your mobile provider. While specific features vary between models and manufacturers, certain features can be considered ubiquitous.

Universal

• USB modems are perfect for using on multiple computers due to the standardization of the USB port; you would be hard pressed to find a modern computer that does not have at least one USB port. Most USB modems will work with any operating system, making it easy to use for households or computers that have more than one operating system installed.

Portable

• The size of the external USB modem makes it perfect for accessing Internet on the go. Not only are the modems themselves portable, but they allow you to connect to the Internet almost anywhere, making your computer usage truly portable as well. You can use the modem to connect your laptop to the mobile broadband network, disconnect, and then use it in another computer to access the Internet on another device.

Easy to Use

• While you may have to install drivers for some USB modems, there are just as many that are considered "plug and play," which means that you can connect them to the computer and use them without installing drivers or specialized software. This depends not only on the modem, but also your operating system. However, even those modems that require specialized software are designed for easy installation and operation; the software is almost always stored in the dongle's memory, and will begin once the modem is plugged in.

High-Speed Connections

• Depending on your mobile provider, you could reach a maximum connection speed of 7.2 megabytes per second (mbps); this is considered the current limit of mobile broadband technology. While these connection speeds are not quite so high as a landline broadband connection, they are still fast enough to allow high-speed browsing. However, this connection is variable depending on your USB hardware speed, your mobile provider's coverage, and any surroundings that may block cell signals.