This was posted 3 years 9 months 29 days ago, and might be an out-dated deal.

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Optus 4G Portable SIM Wi-Fi Modem (Huawei E5577) w/ 50GB Data $59 Delivered (Was $99) @ Amazon AU

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Came across this deal while shopping for a 4G modem and seem to be a pretty good deal fpr the device plus a 50gb data. Everywhere $99 and eBay none as cheap. The device itself being sold on Gumtree and FB marketplace as used device are sold for around $40, let alone brand new. Specs may not be as good as Netgear M1/M2 but hey those M1/M2 cost hundreds of dollars.

Price History at C CamelCamelCamel.

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  • +1

    Man covid-19 made these rare as diamonds. I had to buy one from telstra for $119

    • +1

      I literally lost numerous times fighting for one of these 4g sim modem during covid, not sure why it became a hot item. Every gumtree fb marketplace post is sold when i messaged the seller.

      • +1

        everyone wanted internet immediately but didn't have adsl or nbn.

      • +3

        These are merely LTE Cat 4, why not just use any of your old phone as hotspot? Some of the old phone even support faster speed.

        • +4

          because phones aren't stable, also using multiple devices and constant hotspot makes a hotphone

        • Good deal for this 4G modem and data.
          But, setup an ASUS router thats USB tethered with a Snapdragon based Andriod phone and includes a Cat 12 LTE modem or above. You potentially have one super fast internet connection for a fraction of a NBN connection price.

          e.g
          ASUS RT-AC68U Router - $215 from Umart
          Oppo A52 Andriod Phone - $254.15 + Delivery Ozbargain w/ Snapdragon 665 Processor and X12 LTE Modem Qualcomm

          Add a decent SIM Deal and a phone tower close by and this equals fast internet.

          • +1

            @ph81: Its true if money is less of a concern, but thats 10x the money. With that being said, then one could have even use 50x the money to get a even crazier setup. The topic here is for $59 with a 50gb plan here.

            • +2

              @ISO9002: https://files.ozbargain.com.au/upload/24969/80702/img_202006…

              This is my setup and it won't really cost you much. Xiaomi Mini router which is ~$35 running Rooter firmware and it is pretty much plug and play.

              You don't need to do anything, just plug in a USB or use android phone with USB tethering mode. If you are close to the tower with good signal you can use any of your old phone that support Cat 6 or above LTE and you can get very fast internet. You will see a 4G+ icon on your phone when it is in 2CA (carrier aggreation) or more mode.

              I don't understand who will pay $99 for just a Cat 4 LTE modem.

              I run this USB so I don't have to bother with battery. But you can also run this modem without the battery if your battery became swollen which is the same way as I run my phone here, just make sure you use the charger with minimum 1A output or better just use 2A charger.
              https://files.ozbargain.com.au/upload/24969/80703/img_202006…

              • @samehada: Is that a Huawei usb modem? What model is that? Thinking of doing the same setup as you are.

                • @MysticalWok: that is the Telstra MF823A which is ZTE device, I got it sometime ago when it was just ~$10 in supermarket. You can get the Huawei E3372 on Optus which has more LTE bands than this one. Or just use any old 4G phone running as USB Tethering.

          • +1

            @ph81: you don't need an expensive Asus router, Xiaomi Mini router is good enough.

            I don't even have NBN since I can't justify the cost. The only annoying thing is for some reason the mobile signal at my house is not so strong so I don't get very fast speed but 8Mbps is enough for me anyway.

            Telstra signal is better than Optus so I will use the promo Belong sim in the future. For now just using my Catch sims which is Optus.

      • I got a Netgear M1 last year used but in excellent condition unlocked from ebay for $161 after 10% off code and works great.

    • Sort of crazy that I was able to get one of those older Telstra wifi/3g sticks for about $18 with a free sim years ago and now even trying to get one from Aliexpress it's looking at minimum $15 for the cheapest dirtiest looking model.

  • Thank you!

  • What kind of speed should I get from this. I have a older alkatel modem and was wondering if this a good upgrade.

    • +1

      Looks like 150mbps.

  • -1

    Huawei? No way.

    • +1

      No wei

  • What is the expiry of the data?

  • Are these unlocked so you could use overseas with a foreign SIM?

  • If you can wait and don't need the data, the modem prices sometimes come down to less than $30

    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/480957
    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/488058

    • +1

      That's precovid though. Doesn't come down to such good price anymore since covid started.

      • Exactly. Wish got one before.

  • -3

    Stay clear of optus. Bloody useless

  • I have one of these in my collection of pocket Wi-Fi's and USB dongles from a previous deal.

    Good points:
    * Has a basic display, which shows signal strength bars, 3/4G mode, data activity, number of Wi-Fi connections, battery level bars, and remaining data (based on how much you tell it you get, and which day of the month it resets).

    Not so good points:
    * Only CAT 4, as already mentioned.
    * Only has 2.4GHz Wi-Fi, and only channels 5 - 10 at that. If everyone nearby is playing nicely and only using channels 1, 6 and 11 to avoid an overlapping mess, that means you're stuck on channel 6. (If you're already surrounded by an overlapping mess, you'll just have to add to it and deal with it.)
    * Whilst it has Band 28 (4G 700MHz), it won't work on the Telstra network on that band, due to the changes made to accommodate IoT.

    Mine was locked (as they all are, it would seem), but I was lucky enough to receive a text message from Optus with the unlock code, a week or so after going through the steps on their web site. YMMV.

    • Easily solved if you can adjust the RTS threshold…but I doubt it's possible on this device.

      Or is it?

    • I think it has 5GHz Wifi, the one I got E5573 which is the previous model does have 5GH Wifi so I think this model should also has it.

      • I think it has 5GHz Wifi, the one I got E5573 which is the previous model does have 5GH Wifi so I think this model should also has it.

        Nope, 2.4GHz Wi-Fi only.

  • These used to be RRP $59 and on sale ranging from 14.95 to 29. Now the RRP itself is jacked up to $99? That's pretty steep!!

    • Really…? Together with 50GB data? Never seen that deal before. Thats a super deal then. Was even on sale from $14.95 to 29? Wow thats mega deal. Wish ive seen one before.

      • https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/516120
        but it is pretty much no stock everywhere. Maybe you should try your luck with E5573 which is on clearance for $5, just randomly ask all the WW to check their cabinet, I have managed to find 1 just last week.
        The shop I bought even can't scan the item since it is probably deleted from their system, I showed them this photo and told them it is on clearance and they sold it to me for $5.
        https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/539791

        The only difference with this E5577 is just a LCD display which is not really important, all the specs and LTE bands are the same and the one I got is NOT locked to Optus.

        • The $14.95 and the $5 deal are pretty amazing.

          • @ISO9002: and the SIM I got from that $5 modem also has 50GB data :) I will never pay more than $15 for these modem let alone $59.

            • @samehada: The $5 modem deal came with 50gb as well?! How come?! Didnt see it is included…wow

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