Novatel Ovation MC760 Broadband2Go Prepaid USB Modem (Virgin Mobile) Reviews

Average Customer Rating - 33 Reviews

Now has a $40 unlimited plan for Broadband for 30 days, August 29, 2010
I've had this modem for prepaid Broadband2Go for several months. The good news now is that they have revised the plan so that $40 gets you unlimited web for 30 days. This is a very good deal. Now on to how I've liked it: I had a little trouble with setup and had to call for support, and this was pretty hassle free and I did get set up with help pretty quickly. I wanted to use a AAA visa gift card to buy time online, but they wouldn't accept it. So now I just buy top up cards, which are easier to find now than they were a few months ago. Walmart and Best Buy are the places that for sure have them. After you top up, you're not done yet - you still have to buy the plan so don't let that confuse you. Now - I can always get on with at least 2-4 bars, but sometimes the connections don't go through when I'm surfing and I have to reload the page. I'm thinking a USB extension from the computer so that I can place the modem in a window might help. I haven't tried that yet though. If coverage was better, I'd have given it 5 stars. Coverage seems to be for major metro areas and along the interstates. There is no coverage in Montana at all and many areas of the western states at all. But - for wireless when traveling it works pretty good if you can't find a hot spot where there is coverage. Overall, I'm not unhappy with this modem. It's not super fast, but it beats the heck out of dialup and there is no contract. Buy time when you need it. You can't beat that.

Recommended with Caveats., March 9, 2010
Have been using this USB broadband modem for three weeks. We purchased the modem and a $20 top-up card to activate it. The modem automatically connects to Virgin's website each time it is plugged in, allowing top up via credit card. Even if your allocation has expired, it connects to the website...convenient in a pinch. You can buy top-up cards from Best Buy and other stores.

Installation was very problematic. We connected this modem to three laptop computers running Windows XP Pro, Service Pack 3. None loaded everything required to get the modem working without some type of problem.

All software is loaded from the USB modem itself and cannot be downloaded from any website. One computer simply refused to load the software from the USB modem. Two computers loaded the software, however, the software failed to detect the modem when it was inserted into the USB port. All this after following installation instructions precisely, reviewing included troubleshooting procedures, and spending two hours on the phone with tech support.

In the end we got it all working after eight hours troubleshooting various configurations. The included software and drivers appeared to be very sensitive to other software running on our machines.

Once operational, we were impressed with the modem's capability to connect and stay connected. Upon insertion into the USB port, the modem took less than a minute to connect. We used the modem in a car, in a hotel, and in a private home along a route which ran down I-95 from Northern Virginia to South Florida and back. We had no problem connecting along our route. Download/upload speeds were typically slower than DSL but 4-5 times faster than dialup. The $20 top-up card allowed 30 days to download 250MB of data. For our week travelling, this was adequate for email and internet surfing. Heavy downloads, i.e., video and music will burn the 250MB allocation quickly. I've just received an email from Virgin upping allocation values on all their top-up cards. So a $20 card now buys 300MB of data. They still have a 30 day time limit on top-up cards after activation which I hope they extend to 60 days or more.

We recommend this modem if you have patience and knowledge to get it working should you have installation problems. Also recommended for occasional use when wifi isn't available while travelling. For us, this beats having to purchase a monthly contract. We use what we need, when we need it.

Tips for installing the modem and getting stable coverage, June 30, 2010
We needed broadband at a seasonal home only part of the year in an area where the phone lines are not even good enough to get DSL. Satellite internet was another option but we found it to be too expensive for what we needed. Plus, it required a year long commitment which we were not willing to do. Also, our next door neighbor complains that his satellite internet goes out when it storms.

We have found Broadband2Go by VirginMobileUSA to be a "good enough" solution for what we need. We can get pretty consistent 3.1 Mbps per second speeds which is good enough for most things on the web short of streaming video.

What is not good is the documentation that comes with the modem. For the benefit of new users, we offer these tips we learned from trial and error:

PROBLEM: In some areas of the home where we thought the connection was strong, we found that when we would start to really draw data down the pipe, the connection would switch from EVDO (good) to 1XRTT (bad). We liken the latter to switching from your cell carrier to roaming. The speed would drop from 3.1 mbps to 153kbps (do the math -- an order of magnitude slower). We had a feeling it was partly due to the location in the house and partly due to interference from our laptop itself and other peripherals.

SOLUTION: We attached the modem to a USB extension cord. We now hang the modem lanyard from a hook next to the window and we use the computer a few feet away. No more lapses into "roaming."

PROBLEM: We have multiple desktops and laptops on which we wanted to install the software for the device (realizing that we can only use one device at a time, but that's ok). The drivers and the software autoinstalled on the first device and that was it. After that, lots of "you're screwed" sounds from Windows when trying to connect the modem, and "No Device Detected" from the Broadband2Go software even after the modem was being recognized as valid hardware. (I mean, how could the computer not detect the very device it just got the drivers and software from??)

SOLUTION: Insert the USB modem into a computer in which it already works well (in our case, the first installation computer). And make sure that AUTO-everything is checked (on): AUTOINSTALL, AUTOLAUNCH, AUTOCONNECT. Just keep digging through those Broadband2Go software menus to make sure you find everything that has "auto" in front of it and make sure it's checked (yes/on). That way, when you insert the modem into a new laptop or computer Windows won't try to take it over and mess it up. Just put it in, ignore all the fireworks on the screen for a few minutes, and let it do its thing.

(As a PS to the last solution, if you have already had a "partial" but unsuccessful install on one of your machines where say, the device is connected according to your Safely Remove Hardware icon, but the software still insists "No Device Detected," go into Device Manager and right click to "update" any drivers that appear as yellow question marks.)

After all of this hassle we can now use our little device for exactly what we needed it for: seasonal internet access that is faster than dialup and with no commitment such as with satellite.

Overall, we recommend it. We were even told that Verizon had a better signal than Sprint in our area, but we tried both and we found Sprint (VirginMobileUSA) to be more reliable.

(We are using PCs, all running XP.)

Great Mobile Broadband Option!, July 5, 2010
The prepaid Virgin Mobile broadband modem is a great option for those people who dont want contract, and need a quick internet connection when their is not a WiFi option. First of all, I am a full time student, and I travel (5 trips yearly) for work. I have WiFi at work, at school, and at home. But their are a few places where I frequent where I dont have WiFi like Disney World. I end up paying 20 dollars a day to connect to there hotel WiFi network. Also, when I travel for work, the hotels free internet connection is not very fast and not very safe.
So, I looked at mobile broadband from Sprint, Verizon, ATT and T-mobile. With all carriers, it seems like you need to sign a 2 year contract (even if you buy the modem for full price) and the monthly fee is around 60-80 a month for 2 years. I cant see myself wasting so much money on a service I use only so much of.
I walked into Best Buy and I found the Virgin Mobile prepaid broadband modem. I was shocked that their was even prepaid data in the U.S (its very popular in Europe). I thought the prices would be absurd and expensive, but it actually was not really. You pay for the modem which was $99.99. Then you hook up a credit card, or buy Virgin prepaid cards and to buy your data. The prices are comparable to the post paid (Sprint, Verizon, ATT, T-mobile). You can buy 5gb for $60. I purchased the $20 dollar plan for 300mb of data (15 hours of web browsing). I read a lot of complaints that the data does not roll over and that is true. If you do not use your data, you will loose it. But if that month your not going to use your wireless card, you can deactivate it and activate it again on a plan when your going to use it. Also, the post paid carriers dont let you roll over your data anyways. You pay 60-80 a month for 2 years use it or not.
Now, for those people who go online to stream you-tube, video chat,spend endless hours on face book and chatting because theirs nothing else better do to, then data goes very quickly. But if your like me who goes online to do online classes once in a while, email, send work documents, this is service for you. I have WiFi 90% of the time. Out of my 15 hours of data I get a month from Virgin, I use only 6-10 hours of that data.
Virgin uses Sprints home network. So if you have terrible Sprint coverage, or you travel to places where you know Sprint has no service, this is not for you. I am based in Orlando, Florida and Sprint has great coverage here. I have EVDO everywhere I go here, and when I traveled to Indiana, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and Michigan it worked great. Its not lightning fast, but its probably 8-10 times faster dial up. If you do roam and are on the 1xrt signal (2g I think), it is very slow I must say.
I hooked up the software to my netbook (Windows XP) and my laptop (Windows 7) with no problems at all. I am unsure why everyone has software issues. I do keep my computers drivers and software up to date on a weekly basis though.

Here's how I see it. Here's what I pay 20 dollars a month for.

On a road trip working on homework or office work and being able to send them...
In a hotel submitting sensitive financial statements safely, and securely...
When the Florida hurricanes come and their is no power and still able to use my computer...
Knowing that where ever I go, I can connect to the web to get things done...

Its priceless :-)

Side Note: If your are a user that is always online constantly because of work or because you need to be part of the social electronic age constantly, then you will need to dish out the money for a 2 year contract. I use my pre-paid internet wisely. If I do school work or office work, I download what I need, disconnect from the internet, and connect again when I have to submit it. I do not leave my internet connection constantly on.

Fast and very easy to use, December 23, 2009
Pros: Easy to use, fast, small
Cons: Lack of plans that last more than 30 days, "built in usage meter" not really built in

I just purchased this and was very surprised how easy to use it is. I had it all set up in less than 5 minutes while sitting at the airport. One very clever thing that they have done is that the installation software is included on the USB stick, so there is no separate CD to deal with and lose. It walks you through everything. The connection I have is extremely fast for web browsing and even viewing youtube videos (just don't view too many and use up all your plan MB).

The unit is very small compared to many similar type modems I have seen. It is the just a little bit larger than most usb memory sticks.

There is an included lanyard, but I don't know what anyone would use it for, and I can't see where to attach it anyway.

On to the cons: None of the plans lasts more than 30 days and unused data does not rollover. They also claim on their packaging that a "Built-in usage meter lets you know how many megabytes you have left in your plan", but it is not really built in. You have to go to their website to see what you have left. There is a real-time meter in the software that shows you how much data you are using at any given time, but you would have to do some math to convert this to your plan, as well as knowing how much was in your plan at the beginning of the session.

Overall, this is a great product that I will use a lot.

Some tech support issues - you should read this if you have Vista, August 21, 2010
I got this modem recently directly from Virgin. On my XP machine it installed fine, but could not connect to the virgin website ([...]). This website is either down or obsolete since I could never connect to it. After installation, it automatically directs you to this website. Anyway, since you can't connect to this website, you cannot purchase top up cards or get instructions. I had to get tech support to set this up and buy a top up card. After it was set up on the xp machine, I was able to connect to the internet. The connection seems stable, but the speed is slower than my home broadband. Often, the pages time out so the connection is likely not so great.

When I tried to install this on my xp machine, I got this error:
"Error 2738. Could not access VBScript run time for custom action."
Called tech support and he said that he could not help me with this since this is a computer problem and ended the call. Partly true, but I'm sure there are many others who would also encounter this as well and they really should have worked out a solution. This is a typical Vista related problem so most new Vista machines should have this problem as well. Anyway, I googled around and found a solution on the ITUNES website. The fix is simple, basically, enable Vbscript on the machine:
[...]

For Windows Vista or Windows 7:

1. In the Start menu, type cmd in the Start Search field.

2. Right-click on cmd in the list of search results and click Run as administrator in the pop-up menu. If Windows needs your permission to continue, click Continue. (If you are not logged in as an administrator, you will need to authenticate with an administrator login and password.)

3. In the Command Prompt window, enter the following command:

regsvr32 vbscript.dll

4. Press Enter on the keyboard. A message should appear stating: "DllRegisterServer in vbscript.dll succeeded."

Note: If you see a message with "error code 0x80004005", the command window was not opened as an administrator.

5. Click OK and try installing iTunes or QuickTime again.

Well, the last part, change to install Broadband2go software again and thats it!

I'm happy to have internet now, but tech support could've done their due diligence and be much more helpful. I don't know how the service is long term but so far it seems not bad. For those of you not tech savy, you probably would have either thrown this modem out the window or returned it.

update Nov 15 2010
reception for this device really depends. From a 7 floor low-rise in queens ny, the reception is pretty good, almost matching wifi sourced from cable. speed at home tends to be better after 11pm at night. however, reception from a suburb in houston house was really poor. slow and on one rainy day, couldn't even get a signal. signal was poor at jfk airport. i noticed that the laptop might need to be "plugged in" or run in "performance mode" to really work well or be able to detect device - I need to do more tests. It does not perform well for streaming videos - just a bit slow even in best performance.

Also, it might occasionally lose the registered info on the computer for whatever reason and you would have to go to the properties to reenter the details and reregister. happened twice in a 4 month period. no biggie now since i know how to fix it, but can be a waste of time and might require rebooting pc. most days, the modem works w/o a hitch at home.

I guess overall, for what it offers, I'm very happy w/ it.

decent service, bad installer, March 21, 2010
When the service works, it works pretty well and it is one of the cheaper ways of getting on-line in the US.

On Ubuntu Linux 10.4, this device just plugs in and works.

On Windows 7, it goes through endless gyrations in order to install several software packages when plugged in. Furthermore, if the Windows 7 interface language is not set to English, the install fails entirely with an obscure error message; although friendly, Virgin Mobile support couldn't help. Apparently, Virgin Mobile has known about this problem for more than a year but isn't doing anything to fix it. It's frustrating and a time waster.

It turns out that the device can be installed on non-English versions by going into the control panel, changing the language to English temporarily, installing it, then changing it back to whatever you like it to be.

I give the device four stars only because, once installed, it's a good service at a decent price and I hope other companies will come out with similar offerings. However, in terms of hardware and software support, Virgin Mobile really needs to improve.

Not as easy as it states., December 26, 2009
While I purchased this item directly from Virgin Mobile, setup isn't as easy as it states in the advert...
I have OSX 10.5.8 and XP the drivers for either are not detected by the operating system. On Windows the connection manager loads up but says no device detected. Same problem on the MAC side checking the Novatel website their driver support for MAC stops at 10.5.7. Just be warned your ease of use may vary.
The design of the device itself is good, with an external RF connection [TS-9] and the additional micro-SD storage.

Cannot get to recognize on Windows 7, June 2, 2010
Tried to get working on Windows 7 . . .called Virgin support . . useless. . .Win 7 would not recognize at all. . waste of $100 . . no one could tell me where to download latest drivers. . I give up

Not for work use, July 15, 2010
I purchased this device so I could keep up with my work on the occasional road trip I take. I found that installation and web browsing worked wonderfully, but it seems to have screwed up my Outlook to where it wouldn't even load, and I can't connect to my VPN at work at all, even though it connects perfectly when using WiFi or an AT&T 3G connection. Virgin Mobile tech support is not an accurate term, they can't support you in any way, they can only read off a card and refund your money if you ask. I'm not real happy with myself for not trying before buying, and for not retaining the packaging so I can't return it. But if you basically need web access, it works well. I also recommend using a 2 foot USP extension cable for optimum modem placement during use.

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