I have been using bsnl 3G data card on my 13 inch macbook for the past two months. And i am pretty happy with it, here are the reasons why.
1. Its Truly Unlimited and not 15 Gb unlimited like Tataphoton and Reliance netconnet highspeed.
2. Its Unlimited even when roaming
3. It works pretty well on a Mac
4. It has 3G network in most parts of India already
5. You can recharge Bsnl 3G data card online using http://portal.bsnl.in
6. No more worry about wires, modems routers. Just plug it in and get internet anywhere.
7. Its cheapest 3G unlimited out there.Just two months back you had to pay 3000 Rs for 1 month for unlimited, now they have dropped the price to 1499 Rs. Which is the lowest i think any 3G unlimited package will ever get. Others might offer cheaper unlimited packaged but they will be crippled unlimited not truly unlimited.
Hardware
It looks like a big usb pen drive with a small removable cover on the back which hides the bsnl #3G sim. There is a slot for a memory card which when inserterd can be used as a pen drive with this bsnl data card. All the other data cards also provide this feature, its a helpful feature which i have not yet used. There is one led light on the device which blinks green when the device is connected to the internet. When its switched off it glows red.The device costs 2500 Rs and comes with a 500 Mb free usage. Unlimited data plan costs 1499 Rs.
Installation
On windows once you plug it in, it shows as a bsnl drive just click on it and the installation begins. Once the installation is done. It will show you the dialer and you select internet and click the connect button that’s it. You are online with 3G speeds.
On mac once you plug it in it shows up as a cd drive. Just copy the mac folder on to your desktop and open the installation file in it. Which installs and puts a blue 3G icon app in the application folder. Just click it and the dialer will load. Wait a few second while the data card detects the sim and show you the network.
On mac you have to manually type some settings in, once you do you are online.Click on the “default configuration” and select edit configuration.Click the “+” icon and make a new connection give it a name, any name.Now put the settings shown in the picture.
Telephone Number : *99***#Username & Password : Leave blankAPN : bsnlnetThe dns settings are not necessary, i use them because they make it a little bit faster. Those are Google DNS settings.Save these settings.Now select the setting you just created and click connect. You should be online.One more thing you should notice this is for both mac & pc’s in settings on the dialer. Select “3G only” otherwise it will keep going to 2G if coverage in your area is weak.
If its on 3G it should show this.
Verdict
If its in 3G you can get speeds up t0 3mbps. Not on all the site or downloads, but most of them. Browsing you will never have to wait for a page load. And youtube standard quality videos can be seen without buffering.You can download5 mb in 1 minute30 mb in 5 minutes100 mb in 15 minutesLast month i used around 60 Gb mostly watching youtube videos and download podcasts. This month its up to 50 Gb and i have 10 more days to go.With such cheap data plans and these speeds i don’t know why any one would look else where. If bsnl can keep up with the demand and speed as more and more users start using this service. Its game over for Tataphoton and Reliance netconnet highspeed.We were waiting for the future and its here. What are you waiting for get Bsnl 3G data card….
Update ….Bsnl has reduced the unlimited 3G plans further to 700 Rs per month. So let the pricing war begin…
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Hey Prasanth,
I just got myself the aforementioned 3g data stick from bsnl but on plugging it into my mac airbook (Os X 10.5.9) it doesnt show up as either a usb drive or a pendrive. I’m not quite sure how to get it to work. do you think you can help?
Thanks in anticiation
Savitr
Thats strange, it even works on Lion
Go to finder and then go to preference
see if the device is selected or not. Also make sure if other usb devices are working from the same port.
Its also could be a defect data card.
this is a macbook air so there is only 1 usb port and the tata photon works just fine. The data card also works on a dell Win Xp sp3 system. The dialler installs but does not run when opened. I tried installing after copying the installer on to the mac drive (which some websites recommended) with no luck. would you have any idea how to use the native dialler on mac to get it to work.
Thanks
Dude its not working for me…… I did the things you told but my data card is not working from the day i updated to lion……
sir
i am using bsnl 3g datcard with 2gsim but internet speed is very slow approx 30-40kbps up/downloading, how can i speed fast my internet connection on my pc.
please tell me.
Don’t expect 3G speeds, you will only get the speeds you mentioned. but if you use aircel sim you can get on internet at 90 Rs per month.
Disabling flash and images will make it a little fast.
Hi Prasanth,
You’ve mentioned that BSNL 3G stick works with Lion. I recently upgraded to Lion but the dialer is not opening. Uninstalled and reinstalled, still no success. How did you make it work? Any help would be highly appreciated.
It works fine for me.
Did you do the uninstall – restart – copy the installation file on to desktop and then reinstall from that file then plug in the usb trick
that is the only thing i can think of
@prashanth, I’m facing the same problem as jerrin. Tried what you suggested, but didn’t work out
i don’t know why its not working for you out of idea
buddy,
i’m facing the same problem.the teracom data card doesn’t work with LION OS. can u suggest the steps to configure or may be try installing your data card on someone else’s mac with lion and see if it works, if yess, share it with us how.hell lot of a people on lots of community’s facing the same problem…
I am away from home for nearly a month so can’t test it. I am using reliance netconnect+ it works on lion
Once i get back i will try and install the bsnl data card and give you the details about how to make it work.
Sorry couldn’t help you much
Dear Prashant,
I have also got a Mac Book air. I have the BSNL 3 G card already with me but it is not mounting. I would like to talk to you at a convenient time if u allow me so that i can figure out how to do it….. Can you give me a time please >?
Its hard to diagnose a problem through chat, if you have other data card software like tata photon etc, you will have to remove them first for bsnl data card to mount. uninstall all the other data card software and then try bsnl data card.
Dear Prashant,
Pls let me know if BSNL’s 3G and 2G data software are the same or these are different ? Also can we use same data card for 2G & 3G applications
tks rgds
Chandar Maheshwari
Yes you can use same data card for 2G & 3G sim.
You don’t need a different software.
The BSNL in Dehradun is giving EVDO and LW272 data card. How good are these ? Which one should I opt for keeping in mind fast speed and the cost factor
Thanks
Get the cheapest one Bsnl barely supports 3.1 Mbps so no point in getting a 7 Mbps one. If you are in a busy city the speeds will go down even further. So get the cheapest data card you can find. No point it paying more for a higher data speed.
Hi sir i have both Bsnl 3G and BSNL EVDO and i have just purchsed macbook pro 15 with OS Lion i cant get both of the devices work on lion is there anyway you can help me in this please let me know i am desprate for internet.
I haven’t used bsnl data card in quite a while. There are so many mac updates just few days there was icloud update for Lion. I am not using bsnl data card at the moment and don’t have one. The best advice i can give you is uninstall the bsnl data card and once all the updates are done try a fresh install and it should work.
Hi AMit, did u succeed in connecting your DAta card with ur mac.? i am also experiancing the same problm.
Please restart lion in 32 bit mode. Restart your mac and just when it loads press 32 i.e keys 3 and 2 . your machine will run in 32 bit mode and you can access this dialer.
I am using Lion and bsnl dailer loads perfectly fine for me even in 64 bit mode.
I am guessing Lion allows 32 bit apps to load in 32 bit mode even if the os is running in 64 bit.
Thanks for the info good to know.
i have mtnl 3g jadoo data card. speed upto 7.2 mbps.i use aircel sim but speed is 1or 2 kbps settieng is correct. and modem not show the network name .reply soon
Change the dns that can improve the speeds a little bit. Using aircel 2G sim, you will only get 2G speeds, you will get about 15 – 20 kbps.
Thanks Prasanth, for your instructions — found your blog by a google search on help on installing the BSNL 3G USB card on a Mac. I just installed it on my MacBook Pro (running Lion OS X 10.7) as per your instructions, and it works fine. The only complaint I have is I am not able to get download speeds higher than about 15 Kbps (very slow!). I am in Patna.
Make sure only 3G or high speed option is selected in the settings. Don’t put it into automatic or hybrid option. Then the sim will switch to slower 2G connection.
Also make sure 3G is available where you want to use your 3G sim. In most areas in not available still, even in cities.
Hi SG,
Can you please send me the steps so that I can also use that .I am using 10.7.5 with E353 Huwaie USB stick of 3G.
Regards
Deepak.M
On Lion 10.7.5 BSNL 3g is not working…App is not starting.
Anybody has any solution for it.
Please Let me know
I am having issues too with my tata photon data cards since 10.3.8 mountain lion update. Once suggestion i can think of is see if java is installed. Most of the data card dialer require jave to work.
i m using bsnl 3g data card with 2g sim
want to ask can airtel sim can be inserted in it
Aircel works, i haven’t checked airtel it should work.
hi i am trying to work it on os 10.5.8 & bsnl 3g data card is not working on it. can you pls help me out.
Unistall – copy the files on to your desktop and install from there.
It should work.
The BSNL 3G Data card does network on MAC OS Lion. They guys at BSNL have no clue as to even what is Lion. I use a MAC book Air recently bought with Lion pre installed. Datacard is not being detected by the dialer and the dialer fails to launch.
Try the tips mentioned in the comment. It should work.
i am using tata photon now, which works fine on Lion, Reliance data card also works fine.
i have tested both of them…
I have a 13″ macBook pro( Os 10.7.2). i have bsnl data card vender taracom
I copied the mac folder to the desktop and installed the file. I got the BSNL3G icon as well as the uninstall icon.
But when you click the 3G icon to launch it does not launch. I guess they haven’t heard of Lion OSx at BSNL.
Try uninstalling and restarting and then installing again.
Some times that works.
I haven’t tried it on lion.
hello prashant i have to work from home and i dont have authorization to install any s/w on lappy could you help me to choose data card for which there is no need of installing s/w and speed should be around 10 mbps.
As far as i know there are no data card that can run without installing stuff.
All the data cards use dialer to connect to internet. You can’t get the dialer without installing stuff.
then suggest me some good broadband connection
BSNL is the only one i have used.
This is the cheapest among broadband connections in India.
You might be able to find better service from some other local provider in your area.
Look for the plans you need, with BSNL you get it cheap and they provide connection almost everywhere.
hey! i m usin macbook air (os 10.6.4) with airtel data card which has bsnl sim in it(coz bsnl data card is not accepted by macbook so i m usin bsnl sim with airtel datacard). I m not able to access my gmail, facebook or any other account, while google search is perfectly workin. on other side using university;s wifi m able to access gmail, facebook nd all othrs. hence prob lies in bsnl connection only. can u help m out??
Never heard of this problem before
The only solution i can think of is the dns problem. If you are using the normal bsnl dns it sometimes has issues
so change the dns of you data card to google one or open dns ones.
google dns is
8.8.8.8
8.8.4.4
i already tried dis one. bt doesn’t work.
he prashant.
mujhe bsnl 3g data card purchase karana hai? isaki price kya hai?
There are quite a few options see here http://www.bsnl.co.in:9080/opencms/bsnl/BSNL/services/mobile/3g_prepaid_data_plan.html
It starts from 1600 Rs – 2500 Rs + taxes
You can also buy open data cards from micromax, olive etc. Which will allow any 3G sim. These are costly but better option if you plan
to change bsnl in future.
hi
I have tried everything for my Jadoo to work with OS X lion but in vain. with other MACs it shows a CD sign on the desktop when installed, but not the case with me.
Please help.
thanks in advance
Avi
Check your usb, check your data card by installing it on windows.
Try using a windows machine to copy the installation files on to your mac.
I have used bsnl 3G data card up os x 10.7. Now using tata photon on 10.8 Mountain Lion and it works.
So if all else fails you can try tata photon it work on mountain lion
Hello,
I have been using Tata Photon (Huawei V-ME102) on my MBP runing snow leopard for some time now. But since I upgraded to ML I am having problems with it. I tried installing the updated driver for Lion on tata photon’s site but it crashes within a few minutes of running every time. Can you please let me know how you managed to make it work in your case?
this comment was replied using tata photon internet connection on mountain lion.
i had no issues, when i first tried to install it, it asked for java which was downloaded and then it installed and works perfectly.
I did a clean install of mountain lion because i wanted a clean start. My old os was two years old with all kind of files etc.
May be your tata photon is having issues with other software. Try and remove them and see if that helps. If all else fails you can always do a clean install and start fresh.
Thanks for your reply. I did a clean install and it is having the same issue. Can you please let me know the model number of your usb dongle?
Hi, Prasanth, thankxxx a million, just got a mac air, mac osx lion ur blog was ripping, had my bsnl3g connected in a jiffy. great advice.
Happy to help you man
I went through all the above discussions and tried all the possible solutions i could find on the internet, visited the Reliance iStore Reseller, consulted many technicians but in vain, didn’t find any solution.
1. BSNL 3G Data card didn’t work.
2. Reliance Netconnect didn’t work.
3. Tata Photon + and MTS app did get installed properly and showed network but unfortunately the plans were not activated (friends modem) so couldn’t connect.
4. Tried a few more things but again no results.
Finally got a solution to my problem and now all the cellular sim cards (Bsnl, Airtel, Vodafone etc) work perfectly. You don’t even have to put the settings manually, automatically all the settings are detected for all the individual sim cards
Purchased a BEETEL MF190 HSDPA Data Card, now the tension is over and my macbook air 13″ mid 2012 model feels complete 
so Mountain Lion.. are you saying you purchased the data card and put the bsnl sim into it… and that showed and worked on your ML OSX? I am having horrible problems trying to access the net.. nr Lonavala Pune.. having to use my windows bootcamp to access the on my practically brand new Mac Book Pro.. not fun not being able to use Mountain Lion for my internet access…
thanks for any help.
Shazar
I have a mid 2012 MBP 13″. I tried using a BSNL 3G dongle on it. The software installed but refused to start. Does anyone know how to connect using the settings in System Pref. > Network > HSPADataCard?
Hi Prasanth,
Need your help. Recently I unlocked my Aircel ZTE MF190 USB modem and I downloaded and installed its drivers for mac and dashboard from “http://www.zte.co.nz/main/Product_Downloads/MF190_downloads.htm”. I inserted a BSNL 3G sim into the modem and plugged into the mac. The telecom connection manager is able to detect the device and when I press connect button, it says “connect established” but then it is unable to “establish network connection” and disconnects automatically stating “connection couldn’t be established to PPP server.” I tried changing the configuration and telephone number to *99# and APN to bsnlnet, still I am unable to connect to the net. Please help me in solving this problem.
Thanks in advance.
hiiiiiiiii
i have no driver… please send the link…..
what about evdo zte ac8700
hi guys, dis is rammi…..
i was also having the problem of bsnl 3g data card not working on macbook pro running on lion……but solved it…..
do one thing only……
search for teracom driver for mac on google…..download it…and run it…….
And you r done…..
enjoy
Thank for the info, i haven’t tried it as i am using tataphoton datacard on mac which works fine.