AT&T USBConnect Mercury Broadband USB Modem (AT&T) Review

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(More customer reviews)First off, in the interest of full disclosure: this is the only device of this type I have owned. In the past, I've tethered to my Blackberry/Motorola, but that's a different beast entirely. So, my point is, this review reflects my experience with this device vs. my expectations, not a comparison with other, similar devices.
The Mercury is substantially faster than I anticipated; much faster than tethering through a phone. It will be nowhere near as fast as your cable modem of FIOS, nor as fast as your DSL ... but it will be substantially faster than dial up, always-on, and plenty quick enough for web, email, chat/IM, and such. It is reliable, extremely well-built/durable, and easy to use. However, I did have some problems initially, so let me share my experiences and fixes, as they seem to be related to those some reviewers are noting.
1) Go to Sierra Wireless's website, and download their "3G Watcher" application. It works much better than the "AT&T Communications Manager" that ships with the device (if you buy it from AT&T). This is the first solution that AT&T Tech Support suggested when I called with problems.
2) Be sure you know how much bandwidth you're using. My experience: when I was suffering random disconnects, it was because the service was kicking me because I was saturating the link. Why? Update managers, malware ... you name it. Be sure you turn automatic updates for everything OFF ... for Java, for Google, expecially for Windows ... for anything that might want to download stuff in the background. (Do your updates at home or some such where you have a true broadband connection.) Similarly, ensure that your machine is clean of adware, malware, virii, etc. These often generate significant net traffic as well.
Taking care of these will also keep you from getting random disconnects, it will help prevent you from hitting your monthly transfer limit.
5GB/mo is a *lot* for checking email, surfing the web, etc. I haven't gone over yet ... but I've come close, when I spent several days downloading software all day, after a new system install. If you want to download or stream movies, lots of music, or lots of software ... 5GB might be tight. If you want to check email, surf the web, etc., it should be plenty.
Once I took care of 1 and 2, I have had not a single problem ... I love it. The onboard micro sdhc reader is a huge bonus ... I installed portable versions of FireFox, Thunderbird, Pidgin, an a couple of other network utilities, so as long as I have the modem, I have the tools I need. The card also has a port for an external antennae, which is nice ... I'm thinking of buying one, because my signal in my office is so-so.
So, in short: ensure that you're managing your bandwidth usage carefully, including background/automatic downloads, ensure that your intended application is appropriate for the device, and be sure your expectations are reasonable ... and I believe that you'll be very happy with the device and the service.
UPDATE
I forgot to mention ... when I bought this item in an AT&T store, I had it working on my HP Mini netbook running Ubuntu Linux before the sales guy had run up the sale. It Just Worked.

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