SmartBro ZTE MF627
Filed under: Hardware, Personal, Ubuntu
I recently got a SmartBro ZTE MF627. It’s a mobile broadband device that utilizes existing 3G, HSDPA, EDGE and GPRS connection (whichever is available). With this device, I can easily connect anywhere there’s a cellular signal. This is a better solution over 3G phones which drains your batteries (3hrs battery life with GPRS/3G turned on in my case).
I’m not on the road that often, but I’ll be needing it when I’m either at school (where they require you to surf only using their Windows workstations which are full of malwares and keyloggers) or at work and away from my workstation (they’ve been scrimping on wifi, dedicated ethernet connection only to company workstation, and blocked internet connection via MAC filtering).
The device retails for PhP1,995 (but I got mine way cheaper than their SRP) and usage costs only PhP10 per 30 minutes. It’s the cheapest mobile broadband service we have in the Philippines. Granted they still charge you PhP10 even if you’ve consumed 5mins, but it’s still PhP10. I should also note that it’s a prepaid service and you can reload from any reloading centers literally scattered all over our country.
Setup would require more work on your Jaunty installation though since it’s not yet natively supported – but hopefully will be on Karmic Koala.
Setup Instructions for Ubuntu Jaunty’s in here. I just hope this page becomes obsolete once Karmic’s released.
July 5th, 2009 at 5:48 pm
hey we have the same connection and I think it’s really handy to have something like this that allows you to access the web ANYTIME. the best wireless connection -on the go- so far!
July 5th, 2009 at 9:05 pm
same here! grabe mas OK talaga ang smart bro kesa sa globe TATTOO. maganda tlga bago ka bibili ng wireless e magre2search ka muna. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvLRgVh2Fa8&feature=related
July 7th, 2009 at 5:17 pm
smartbro makes its users really a smart subscriber being facilitated with their services!! real great!!
July 7th, 2009 at 6:29 pm
how can i enjoy my smartbro to the fullest?hehe. i just bought mine yesterday.
July 7th, 2009 at 9:39 pm
laki ng pasasalmat q sa smart bro.
July 7th, 2009 at 9:57 pm
Agreed, better solution over 3G phones talaga.
July 8th, 2009 at 9:01 pm
You can enjoy your smart bro to the fullest, try to see how in this link: http://smart.com.ph/bro/products/broprepaid.htm
July 9th, 2009 at 10:09 pm
ganito gamit namin ng friends ko eh. ala lang. hehe.
July 9th, 2009 at 11:13 pm
kami rin naman e.
July 10th, 2009 at 1:14 pm
ang cute nito… best gadget for me.
July 10th, 2009 at 6:53 pm
wow. gusto ko din nyan! i’m planning to go wireless na eh.
July 11th, 2009 at 9:28 pm
go, better have smartbro if you’re planning to go wireless. malaking tulong ung mga link sa taas. kung gusto mo, bibigay ko nlng sau ung luma kong tattoo, 50 pesos na lang. ahaha! peace.
July 11th, 2009 at 10:41 pm
ui bago designs ng bro!
July 11th, 2009 at 11:29 pm
i’ve read lots of positive blogs about this smart bro. and yes, i’m gonna have this as my internet provider. i used to have dsl now i’m planning to go for this one.
July 12th, 2009 at 12:20 am
1,995? mura na pala ngaun ang smart bro. i should try this.
July 12th, 2009 at 12:57 am
@ pepps.. yeah. mura na siya ngaun. kaya nga trip ko talaga bumili eh. ok ba smart bro signal sa alabang? suggestions naman. thanks.
July 12th, 2009 at 12:11 pm
cathy, smart bro signal in alabang is good. i should know. i live there.
July 12th, 2009 at 3:43 pm
hey guys, i found this link on you tube.. smart bro versus globe tattoo… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvLRgVh2Fa8
July 12th, 2009 at 3:57 pm
@Phil, this video was taken at alabang, speed test sa smart bro:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZJQtbw-8bo
July 12th, 2009 at 5:48 pm
I use to bring it to the boarding house where I stay during school days whenever i have long researches for school.. And just return it to my mom after I finish the things that I need to accomplish for school!! It works for us since my sister live at our home while i stay in a boarding house near my school!!
July 12th, 2009 at 9:51 pm
ok n q sa bro.
July 12th, 2009 at 10:12 pm
ok, thanks phil.. ^^,
July 12th, 2009 at 10:46 pm
just to inform you guys, maganda signal ng bro sa makati.
here’s a video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AWnWUXoIYs
July 13th, 2009 at 11:31 am
thanks for the link marissa! magtatanong pa lang ako may sagot na agad. hehe. sa makati kc dmi kaagaw sa bandwidth. good thing un kung mabilis pdin ang smartbro.
July 13th, 2009 at 12:34 pm
i love the title of this blog!..i mean coz its also the same for me..wherever i am, i can always connect to the web..oh and love my HP Mini-Note 2133
weeee!
July 13th, 2009 at 1:45 pm
I saw the new plug its design ng smart bro. Parang gusto kong bumili ng bago haha.
July 13th, 2009 at 2:53 pm
mgkno n lng poh b per hour?
July 13th, 2009 at 8:42 pm
ace, that comp shop looks familiar to me. hehe.
July 13th, 2009 at 8:49 pm
its 10/30 mins. sulit minutes. gusto ko lang i share ung mgandang experience ko with smartbro wireless kc ok xa talaga.. surf all you want! free chat pa pag may skype ka. haha, khit alang load.
July 13th, 2009 at 10:29 pm
Smart bro was great, too bad that it has this bad impression in the world wide web due to misjudge opinions of people and viral spreading of wrong information and blogs. You can check these videos, as proof that bro was a great ISP in wireless.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZJQtbw-8bo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AWnWUXoIYs
July 14th, 2009 at 1:14 am
i agree with you aimee.. skype tau? hehe
July 14th, 2009 at 11:29 am
totoo ba yan? free chat sa skype khit alang load? ok un ah. masubukan nga maya! cool ah. astig tlga ng bro.wahaha.
July 14th, 2009 at 8:46 pm
ntry ko ndin mag chat sa skype. libre din xa sa opera, khit opera mini. wahaha! labyu smartbro!
July 14th, 2009 at 9:30 pm
i juz saw the new tvc of smart bro.. gawd. i’m going gaga over dlsu inspired plug-it. i wanna have that. ibili niyo ko non!!! please…. hehehe.
July 15th, 2009 at 8:24 pm
@blake
haha lasallian kdin ah? tara at bumili ng dongle ng ating uni. animo!
July 15th, 2009 at 9:32 pm
hi thea! yes, i’m lasallian. grabe noh? ang cute talaga nung plug-it. magkano ba un? i want to be the trendsetter in school and use that plug-it. hahaha. sana ako pinakauna magkaroon non… i’m dying to have that.
July 15th, 2009 at 11:50 pm
hey guys, di ba pede na ngaun mag dl ng videos from sandbox using smart bro prepaid? nakita ko kasi sa commercial. pano ba un? teach me naman. thanks
July 16th, 2009 at 12:35 am
wherever I may Roam, tama.. nakakarelate ako sa blog na to. as a musician, pinag-aaralan ko munang mabuti ung mga songs bago namin i-perform. Eh biglaan non, buti na lang i brought this with me sa tugtog namin. Nag request ngaun tong may birthday ng dashboard confessional-quiet screaming na kanta, eh hindi ko alam yun. nag surf agad ako sa net ng song ng dashboard confessional na yun. haha. so, hindi ako nakakain nun kasi habang kumakain mga bisita, kami ng banda nanonood ng dashboard confessional para i-play sa may birthday. haha, wherever I may roam nga talaga.
July 16th, 2009 at 12:13 pm
hehe, nakakatuwa naman nangyari sa’yo rocker. ako naman ginagamit ko smart bro sa skul pag nag rerecite ako. pag may mga questions prof ko, ako lagi sumasagot. syempre isang type lang sa google yun eh. haha akala tuloy ng prof ko, super smart ko. haha.
July 16th, 2009 at 2:50 pm
i can relate to peppy, i use smart bro sa school. This one helps me naman in doing my research.
July 16th, 2009 at 4:38 pm
dami palang students ang gumagamit ng smart bro, kaya tamang-tama ung designs nila ngaun na college and universities ang theme.
July 16th, 2009 at 6:16 pm
so true! partner na tlga ng students ang smartbro. and it’s also a good way to keep in touch with your loved ones. khit nsa dubai dad ko lagi pdin kmi mgka chat kya khit miss ko sya di aq mxado nalu2ngkot. aww.
July 16th, 2009 at 7:24 pm
@bei. alam ko pkiramdam ng malayo ang magulang at slmat tlga na marami ng praan pra makausap sila. maxadong mahal pra skin ang monthly na bill ng ibang connection kaya prepaid lang na smartbro ang binili ko. ok nman siya at nkakatulong sa pagbubudget ko.
July 16th, 2009 at 8:44 pm
salamat sa smart bro nanalo ako sa pustahan. nakipagpustahan kasi ko sa tropa ko na naka globe tattoo. nanalo ako sa dota kasi na dc siya. haha.
July 16th, 2009 at 9:13 pm
how i love smart bro. this helps me to monitor my call center business. even if i’m not in my office, I can still see what my employees are doing through surveillance webcam. great thing here is that the connection is stable.
July 16th, 2009 at 9:24 pm
madami nga ang nababadtrip sa globe pag ginagamit sa dota. lagi daw dc. talino mo boy ha! nakipagpustahan ka sa dota sa naka globe… eh panalo ka nga dun. wla pang 2 minutes dc na yun eh. haha
July 16th, 2009 at 11:47 pm
so far, after reading blogs and forums about smart and globe broadband, i can say that more people are disappointed with globe and more and more people are satisfied with smart. ^_^
July 17th, 2009 at 12:09 am
hey, i checked all the video links that you people have shared.. grabe.. super bagal naman pala ng globe. no wonder madami ngang good reviews ang smart kaysa globe.
July 17th, 2009 at 1:20 am
By the way, ang modem pla ay di naaapektuhan ng virus. Kahit in a form of usb siya.
July 17th, 2009 at 2:59 am
Melemerng. Ndi mabavirusan ung laptop mo at ung modem.
July 17th, 2009 at 3:14 am
at lilibeth, talaga? well, that’s another good news.
July 17th, 2009 at 11:10 am
andito ko sa skul so i could see if tlgang ok ang signal netong prepaid. bka kc chamba lang sa dorm. khit naulan fs prin! khit exam wik! haha. stig to daig ang canopy sa signal..haha
July 17th, 2009 at 8:24 pm
Have you seen the new commercial?
July 17th, 2009 at 10:20 pm
@marx. the new promos? yes! uber cool. you can actually avail the smartbro prepaid online. https://shop.smart.com.ph/products.php?product=SMART-Bro-Prepaid
July 17th, 2009 at 10:23 pm
@bgosh. I dont know about the promo. Can you please tell me something about it?
July 17th, 2009 at 11:15 pm
hi guys..
ask q lng po kng my alam b kayong way pra mpbilis ung connection ng internet q d2 s house..
im situated hir in pasig eh mejo d gaanong mbilis ung connection eh..
ok b 2ng smart bro n isalpak s router??
ung mga tech-savvy jan, nid help po… thanks in advance!^_^
July 18th, 2009 at 3:20 pm
Smart bro lng naman ang IPS q, niregalo sa kin e. Prang ayaw q n ring mashift sa iba, mas mura na kasi.
July 18th, 2009 at 10:14 pm
I admit, smart bro suffers to connection hiccups,and I’m ok with it. Its not slow but just ok. Its the same with Globe etc.
July 18th, 2009 at 10:46 pm
nakita ko ung bagong commercial ang cool.
July 19th, 2009 at 12:22 am
@ xtian, this blog could possibly help you.. http://www.kokeytechnology.com/internet-news/smartbro-upgrade-smart-bro-to-upgrade-bandwidth/ and also, remember to observe your system requirements in using wireless internet.
July 19th, 2009 at 1:37 pm
Wow, so we can upgrade smart’s bandwidth. Thanks for the link by the way.
July 19th, 2009 at 4:26 pm
oh really pwede magupgrade.nice
July 20th, 2009 at 2:47 pm
@marx. They’ve got new dongle designs, it’s still 1995 PLUS its only .33 cents per minute. made cheaper! still good connection speed.
July 22nd, 2009 at 7:53 am
basaaag
July 23rd, 2009 at 12:49 pm
oo tama ako rin, masaya na sa smart bro, bukod sa libre na chat using skype kahit na walang load, bilis din youtube…hahaha
July 23rd, 2009 at 4:19 pm
antipolo ang location ko. ba’t ganun? hindi ako makakonek n??? nung kausap ko yung customer service nila, nakakonek ako pero di makapagbrowse.
nagtry ako nung madaling araw nakakonek ako pero mabagal. next day, nung gabi, hindi na. nagtry ako uli nung madaling araw, wala n talaga!
nameet ko naman ang specification requiremnts ng smart bro.
eto ang errors:
a connection to the remote computer could not be established so the port used for this connection was closed.
connecting smartbro: you can’t connect before register an available network
ano b un? kailangang ilagay ko ba sa bubong ang computer na gagamitin ko para magamit ko yung smart bro prepaid kit ko???
di ko alam pati yung dati kong bayantel na pangkonek sa internet na nagamit ko pa a few days ago, ayaw n rin gumagana mula ng sinalpak ko smart bro n un.
ang sakit sa ulo!
July 23rd, 2009 at 4:20 pm
nagtry din ako dito sa office namin… limang bar na ang signal, pero same pa rin ang error na nakukuha ko…
a connection to the remote computer could not be established so the port used for this connection was closed.
July 23rd, 2009 at 4:24 pm
wala talagang biro.
mapapamura ka sa inis!!!
ibabalik ko nga ito sa retail shop na binilan ko ngayong araw na ito!!!
magawan sana nila ng paraan.
masakit n talaga ulo ko.
July 23rd, 2009 at 5:20 pm
bakit po ganyan ang smart bro prepaid mo? may signal naman po diba? hmmmm.. weird.
July 24th, 2009 at 8:28 pm
nakakakonek na ako ngayon. nireport ko sa smart wireless center sa may sta lucia. dun ko kasi yun binili dahil tiga-antipolo ako. gagawan daw nila ng technical report.
kaya lang, madalas pa ring sobrang bagal. as in tulad kagabi na tinesting ko uli pagkauwi, naglogin ako ng yahoo (eh 20 pesos per hour di ba ito?)… sobrang bagal pagpasok sa loob ng yahoo email. inabot ako ng mahigit 30mins dun lang
walang biro! walang signal dito sa smartbro display, pero nakakakonek p rin naman. mahina siguro talaga dito sa antipolo. kaya lang alangan naman ilagay ko ito sa bubungan namin para lang makagamit.
July 24th, 2009 at 8:31 pm
may signal sa office namin sa manila. pero sa bahay namin sa antipolo, wala.
July 28th, 2009 at 2:50 pm
cno b ung mga basketball player s smartbro ang gagagwapo kxe lalo n ung nagsasalita cute nia
August 14th, 2009 at 11:12 am
TO MASAKIT ANG ULO SA SMARTBRO:
it all depends on the specs of your PC as well.
maybe you need to defrag or check your RAM.
Smart bro works best when your PC or laptop is upgraded as well.
ofcourse there’s d possibility of internet traffic…
but really, smart bro is sooooo great!
i used to have that problem kc & now that my PC has been checked and repaired (or upgraded), sobrang bilis!!!
August 25th, 2009 at 9:58 am
pc specs, traffic, at pati na rin signal.
dito sa amin sa makati ok naman ang speed ng smart bro. lalo na nung nagsimulang mag upgrade ang smart.
August 31st, 2009 at 6:35 pm
I have smart broken and globe tattoo, kinabit q sila parehas, aba nag away ung dalawa, and the winner is “smart broken prepaid” olats ung globe tattoo q eh, tinapon q nga.. ayan broken na din ung tattoo q, globe tattoo broken na xa.. ung smart broken q kasi may basag na sa gilid kea smart broken, matagal na kasi 2, pero sobrang bilis pa din.. galing2x ng smart broken.. ^_^
September 5th, 2009 at 1:41 pm
News Flash Plug it Now 995
The Smart BRO USB modem is a small, palm-sized device that you can carry with you wherever you go. And anytime you need to surf, just plug it into the USB port of your PC, and you’ll get connected in a flash. Total initial payment is P995 with FREE 5 Hours of internet surfing. Broadband Internet use is P10 for every 30 minutes.
Smart Bro Prepaid kit NOW costs P995 which already includes a USB modem and a SIM card. It already has a P100 preloaded broadband load which can be used up to 5 hours of high-speed broadband internet use.
http://smartbroplugit.wordpress.com/
Also read my review of SMART BRO plug it and share it along with antenna and manual comments.
September 7th, 2009 at 9:20 pm
Problema lang sa Windows 7 ito… di ma detect… Driver update?
September 14th, 2009 at 2:05 am
ok ba ang signal sa may malate???
September 17th, 2009 at 12:14 pm
mura na lang ngayon 995 na lang
is there a way magamit to sa globe?
September 23rd, 2009 at 11:02 pm
Don’t be fooled by a lot of positive comments. Some of these comments can be posted by just one person for marketing purposes. SmartBro is good but has it’s pros and cons, too.
Check:
http://www.waukster.com/broadband-dsl-rants-and-raves/
October 2nd, 2009 at 9:05 pm
any driver for windows 7???? cant de
tect my smart bro
October 2nd, 2009 at 9:08 pm
it’s on the usb stick itself. check where it’s mounted on, then run the installer.
October 15th, 2009 at 9:13 am
i guess this depends on location.anyway, i’m just new with this bro so i need to know it well first:)
October 15th, 2009 at 7:02 pm
i was just browsing around because i about to cancel my smart bro subsciption and im looking for a new provider. i heard that pldt my dsl is good, but i just remembered the call that i listened about the pldt csr.
here’s what i have. i hope this will help other people:
Globe tattoo / mobile internet – unbelievably slow, to think that they claim that they have the best data service. Location? everywhere i go, its slow.
smart bro wireless- good connection, if youre planning to go online at the wee hours of the morning. dont even use it at around 5pm-1am. good luck.
smart bro fixed – same as smart bro
sun – depends on the location, as in literally the location. my connection is faster if i use it outside my room. in fairness to sun, they check the coverage when you’re applying for the internet.
October 19th, 2009 at 1:54 pm
pag na encounter nyo na ito sa smart bro “1. 0. 0. 11 has encountered a problem and needs to close. We are sorry for the inconvenience” tapos pag ma connect na kayo ito na ang message “A connection to the remote computer cout not be established….” wow! ganda talaga ng smart bro… the best! nakakapraning
October 20th, 2009 at 12:03 pm
sino ang gumagamit dito ng Smartbro prepaid kit na Windows 7 ang OS..? Balak ko pa lang bumili ng kit. Kaso ang problema ko baka hindi gumana sa Windows 7 ko.. thanks guys..
October 20th, 2009 at 5:46 pm
try mo lng ulit tedboy. ganyan din minsan sakin. alisin mo lng muna ung usb-modem, then kabit ulit. wait mo muna ng ilang seconds before kang mag-connect. try try lang..
October 22nd, 2009 at 12:29 am
ok b connection Valenzuela??i’m having my notebuk nxt wik and planning to buy one…
October 29th, 2009 at 4:56 am
Mas ok ang sun sa lugar nmen…
November 8th, 2009 at 12:20 am
Speedup your smart bro mga kapatid.
November 8th, 2009 at 5:09 pm
san ka ba nakatira bomgots?
November 11th, 2009 at 3:51 pm
OK ba ang smartbro? alin ang mas ok, globe tattoo, smartbro or sun broadband?
November 12th, 2009 at 11:11 pm
men ok naman ang bro sa valenzuela eh.
November 14th, 2009 at 10:27 am
for me ah.bro is more ok.base on my experience sa mga ISP.
November 23rd, 2009 at 11:11 pm
bro is the best
November 28th, 2009 at 2:34 pm
i use 2 plug it bro and tattoo and i think may times na mas mabilis ang globe sa smart pero may time lang ung i think dipende sa lugar.
November 29th, 2009 at 4:51 pm
i agree with bert but i think mas maraming lugar mas mabilis ang bro
January 16th, 2010 at 8:31 pm
may way na para mapabilis ang speed ng SmartBro USB modem? thanks