PTCL EVO – the essential accessory for traveling entrepreneurs

PTCL logoPTCL’s wireless broadband solution, PTCL Evo, offers faster connectivity than most DSL connections here in Pakistan can offer.

Here’s what the official website says:

Evo Wireless Broadband offers up to 3.1 Mbps downlink and up to 1.8Mbps uplink. Average speeds vary from 300Kbps to 500Kbps for downlink and 200 Kbps to 400Kbps for uplink. However it varies depending on the physical situation of the user and the network at a particular time.

As much as i love my wireless USB connection, I have to say that this is more than a little bending of the truth. Here’s what really should have been written:

Evo Wireless Broadband offers up to 3.1 Mbps downlink and up to 1.8Mbps uplink. However, unless you’re in a 1-2 km radius of the tower and unless you’re using the device late at night when there’s little congestion on the network, you won’t experience the full capabilities of the advertised speed and service. In fact, if you’re indoors, your connection speed will suffer even more.

Having said that, if you’re a frequent traveler AND your work requires you to be plugged in 24/7, Ptcl Evo is a fantastic device and a lifesaver.

It’s powered by your computer, so you’re not at the mercy of IESCO or LESCO or whoever determines when you get electricity in your area.

It’s plug-and-play, so you can use it on any computer without a hitch.

It’s still faster than most connections, so apart from the usual e-mail / browsing / IM, it also allows you to voice chat with minimal issues.

You can use it to share your Internet connection to laptops nearby, therefore giving Internet access to more than one person.

Combined with a decent laptop (with a secondary battery, of course), the Ptcl Evo will keep you working and online under almost any conditions.

There are a few problems – in some areas you won’t find any coverage (I experienced this in Cantt, Lahore) because of a lack of nearby towers. If you’re indoors then depending on how deep inside your house you are, the connectivity can be severely impaired (but that’s in extreme cases, and that’s to be expected.

All in all I wouldn’t use this as a primary connection, but this is an excellent backup / travel connection, provided you travel regularly and primarily work online (it’s good for downloading movies and TV shows too, if that’s your thing).

2 Comments

  1. Imran Hussain 5 September 2009
  2. Komayal 2 June 2010

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