Review of Sierra Wireless W801 (Sprint Overdrive) 3G/4G Mobile Broadband Card

As a web worker, community manager, blogger, you name it - having the Internet wherever I go is not only important, but practically a necessity.  I can remember, back in the day, tethering my Sprint PCS Vision dumbphone - via USB - and being impressed with a transfer rate of about 15 kilobytes per second.  Yeah, I know.  Things have changed a lot since then.

When I first heard of the reality of a mobile broadband hotspot, where any Internet-capable device could connect via Wi-Fi, I was instantly hooked on the concept.  Promptly upgrading my Sprint USB based 3G broadband card to a Novatel Wireless MiFi 2200, however, turned out to be a bad idea.  The product was rife with problems, including poor signal strength, unreliable connections, and terrible battery life.  The last nail in the coffin was not one, but two defective units - I was done.  Fortunately, I was able to purchase a Sierra Wireless Overdrive - one of the best gadgets I have ever owned, period.

What Exactly Is An Overdrive?

The Sierra Wireless Overdrive (also known as the W801) is, essentially, a mobile broadband card and a wireless router built into one sleek, portable unit.  (Note: The Overdrive is a Sprint branded unit, but Clear has recently announced their own branded version of the product as well.)  To simplify, upon activation of the device, you turn it on, set it up, and connect to it just like your wireless network at home for Internet access anywhere you have a signal.  

Most notably, however, is the fact that the Overdrive also employs 4G (WiMax) networks for super speed.  Read on to see what kind of performance I was able to squeeze out of this baby!

Getting Started

Unboxing the Overdrive is a rather unceremonious affair, with the exception of the high quality, glossy shell-type box it is contained in.  Inside you will discover the unit itself, the power cord and cube, manuals, and the battery.  First, you'll need to update the unit by calling Sprint, a relatively simple affair if you are upgrading from another unit on an existing broadband plan.  The whole process, for me, took less than 5 minutes - and I was up and running.

Basic Settings of the Overdrive

Fortunately, once the initial activation is complete, the Sprint Overdrive was incredibly easy to set up.  The first administration setup screen is nice and basic, as you can see.  It guides users through the essential steps to get ready to rock the mobile data stream.  Simply type in your admin password of choice, the name (SSID) of your network, your choice of security (I recommend WPA Personal or WPA2 Personal,) your security password, and you're done. Simple as that!

Administration of the Overdrive

The rest of the admin screens are a bit more tech-y, but nothing too horrifying in my opinion - especially compared to some other wireless router products I've seen, and certainly a vast improvement over the Novatel Wireless MiFi 2200 firmware.

The dashboard screen displays quite a bit of essential information, such as your signal strength, whether you are connected via 4G or 3G, your battery strength remaining, and more.  

If you click the large image of the hotspot in the center of the screen, you will undock a "mini window" which will allow you to monitor the status of the hotspot right from your desktop.  Pretty cool, but the LCD display on the unit works fine for me.

Oh, I didn't mention the LCD?  Not content to stop with incredible speed and power, Sierra Wireless built a display into the front of this thing that displays information cellphone-style.  The screen is bright and reasonably sharp, and offers a wealth of data at a glance - a boon if you are using the device with an iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad - for example.

One of the first things everyone should do when first using this device is to update the firmware.  Make sure the battery is fully charged, then you can either update through the admin screen ("Check for updates now") or you can download the update manually from Sprint's website.  This will ensure your hotspot performs the best that it can.

In addition, users can change a wealth of settings from these advanced admin screens.  One of the first settings I changed was to set the unit to default to 4G; Sprint's plan currently has unlimited data over 4G, but is capped at 5 GB over 3G - this will vary by carrier, of course.  In addition, you can activate GPS, set up the microSD card, and more.

How Well Does The Overdrive Perform?

In a word, astounding.  For someone who is as hungry for mobile bandwidth as I am, the Overdrive is a gem.  4G coverage extends throughout much of the Chicagoland area and suburbs; in the area I am currently typing in, my 4G signal strength is at 60% indoors - not bad!  

Check out the 4G speed... 6.6 Mb/s.  In separate trials, I achieved 5.5 Mb/s and almost 7 Mb/s at its peak.  I love it!  This is as fast if not faster than most in-home high speed connections.

The 3G performance left a whole lot to be desired in comparison, although it worked just fine.  3G, for me, usually maxes out at around 2 Mb/s, but it's rare for it to achieve that speed.

The Overdrive has been extremely reliable with the latest firmware update and didn't crash on me or disconnect randomly once, although I did reboot it when changing locations.  The Sprint website claims the battery life to be about 3 hours, and my use seems to confirm this - I've been streaming audio all day along with the usual Internet activities; I plugged in about 3 hours in.

Is The Overdrive For Me?

It really depends on the devices that you own.  The monthly plan for the Overdrive is basically the same as a comparable USB card - the difference is in the up front price.  You'll pay more for the Overdrive whether you currently have a broadband contract or not.  

If you're cool with paying the initial price premium, consider how many devices you plan to use the card with.  Do you only intend to use the service with your laptop?  It might be easier (and cheaper initially) for you to use a USB option.  However, if (like me) you own an iPad, iPhone, PSP, Nintendo DS, and a laptop along with several other Wi-Fi enabled devices - the Overdrive is clearly the mobile Internet device of choice.

Comments

Excellent review! And, very helpful. My Sierra is on the way, for use with my iPad, while in Chicago several times later this summer, and even later in Vermont. Many thanks.

Ken

Thanks! You're welcome. My Overdrive is a great companion to my iPad and I have used it for iPadding on the go several times already :)

Just ordered my OD, read some reviews and they scared me. One guy says he can't use his OD while it's being powered via ac adapter. This cannot be true, can it? Is there a chance to damage the battery if the unit is always plugged in and rarely used outside of the home?
Thanks for your time.

basketballrusty said: Just ordered my OD, read some reviews and they scared me. One guy says he can't use his OD while it's being powered via ac adapter. This cannot be true, can it? Is there a chance to damage the battery if the unit is always plugged in and rarely used outside of the home? Thanks for your time.

The User's Guide, page 11: "You need to recharge your device’s battery periodically. You can continue using your device while it is charging."

So, yes, you can use it while it's charging.  I just got mine yesterday, setup last night, and it works beautifully.

Question, however, on charging:  In re-charging this morning, I notice it reaches 99%, and seems to stop.  Any thoughts ?

Ken

I'll double confirm that you can definitely use it while it is charging, I have done so multiple times. Sometimes, you just need a lot longer than 3 1/2 hours!

However, I'm unsure about the 99% issue; I haven't seen that on my unit nor have I heard of it being a common issue. Might be one for tech support...

Peter Redmer said: I'll double confirm that you can definitely use it while it is charging, I have done so multiple times. Sometimes, you just need a lot longer than 3 1/2 hours! However, I'm unsure about the 99% issue; I haven't seen that on my unit nor have I heard of it being a common issue. Might be one for tech support...

Thanks, Peter,

I'll check with Sierra tech support on the 99% charging question.

 

Ken

Not happy at all ,when i first got it worked good for 3 months and had to replace it and going to take this one back and get another one !Definitely pay the 80.00 for the 2year warranty.Will let you know how the 3rd one works and it is not my computer ,i have 2.

Great article! My question is a bit off subject but here goes. Do you know the website address for the dashboard? I have this unit and set it up quite a while back. Haven't had any reason to go on the dashboard until now and it seems impossible to find the link. Any assistance is greatly appreciated!

One bit of advice, don't leave it plugged into an outlet for extended periods of time. This device gives off a tremendous amount of heat, considering it's size, and will cause the battery to swell. I'm on my second battery for this reason so I thought I'd share.

I had a problem connecting to Microsoft explore here in Miami Beach the Mbps was going from 38 to 21 to 1 I could login to my email only on Google and aol but absolutely no browsing speaking with sprint they admit working on the tower but refuse to credit me for the months again and again they tried to restart my overdrive and yes it does get hot and yes they will charge to check it if you don't have insurance even if they admit it does not work even if the tech send you to the sprint store

The Sprint Overdrive that I purchased 2 months ago will not hold a signal. Customer service has attempted (numerous times) to improve the device's performance - but to no avail. To those considering purchasing this device - I would suggest 2 soup cans and a string as a comparable alternative purchase.

Hello all I received a call from sprint informing the over drive is working signal is back after 3 months of no signal it does not work yours does?

@Jackalope--Well after the original writing of this article, I began to have similar problems with my Overdrive. Sprint's customer service left a bit to be desired and I eventually ended up resolving the issue, but still leaving in favor of tethering on my iPhone.

Overall, I was very happy with the Overdrive when it wasn't giving me problems--the speed and signal availability were great for me. When I encountered problems, however, they lingered and Sprint's customer service failed to retain me as a customer. Maybe someday they'll learn that giving a free month of service doesn't make up for several months of poor service!

I'm new to the dance here, but I've had an Overdrive for 6 months and I hate it. I'm an over-the-road truck driver, and I can rarely achieve much more than .5 mbps while on 3G. Those few times that I can get a 4G signal, the speeds are nice, but even then it's spotty. So tell me, based on your experience, is it the device or the operator?

 

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