When we reported on Monday that all the major mobile networks were struggling to get their mobile broadband dongles working with Macs running OS X Snow Leopard only two of the big players offered a fix.
That wasn’t good enough, so we spent a week pestering, badgering and chasing down answers. Now we’ve got updates from every single network. Read on, and we’ll show you how to fix your dongle, no matter who supplied it.
On Monday morning, only O2 and Orange said they had a workaround to get their dongles playing nice with Apple’s spanking new OS X Snow Leopard. O2 handed over a lengthy set of instructions, while Orange told us it was unleashing a full connection manager on 17 November, which can already be grabbed by calling its customer service now.
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Vodafone was quick out of the blocks though, dropping us a line with a handy link that fixes its dongles for OS X Snow Leopard. The chaps there had already confirmed its new dongles, due to drop before the end of 2009, would pack in full Snow Leopard support straight out of the box.
And now 3 and T-Mobile have responded to our calls, confirming plans and fixes for Snow Leopard. The former has served up a full set of software updates for the Huawei E169G dongle to get it working with Snow Leopard. Its technical team supplied us with a link to drivers for that dongle, as well as handing over drivers for the ZTE MF627, the network’s current bestseller.
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T-Mobile also got in touch to tell us it is hard at work on a fix. “We are working on full Snow Leopard software updates for all our sticks and will make them available on our website. Some sticks are compatible now and the remainder will be compatible by end of the year.” At the time of writing T-Mobile is yet to give us a full list if dongles working with Snow Leopard, but at the worst you’ll have new drivers within the next six weeks.
So there you have it. If your dongle wasn’t working with Snow Leopard, a fix is at hand, and if the niggles persist, remember you could have a case for cancelling your contract early and getting your cash back.
3 Huawei E169G drivers
3 ZTE MF627 Mac drivers
Vodafone mobile broadband OS X Snow Leopard update
O2 Snow Leopard fix pdf
For tMobile users at least and may be others, simply install Vodafone’s software upgrade for Mac Snow Leopard 10.6.2 listed above and this will enable your dongle drivers. It worked for me using an Huawei 170 dongle by just going to Network Preferences and adding a connection manually – type *99# for the phone number. To enter a hash # on a Mac keyboard enter use Alt and 3 together. Then hit the apply button. Hope this works for you.
Ben B
Great tip – thanks Ben! Be interested to hear how others get on with it too.
As ever Vodafone’s fix won’t work with PayAsYouGo (PAYG). Although Vodafone used to retail their white PAYG stick as MAC OS 10.5X compatible, it never worked properly, gobbling up ever more memory until it (unusually for Mac) locked up the whole machine. Repeated requests from Vodafone to honour what it said on the package resulted in Vodafone Trafford Centre handing me a grotty piece of photocopied nonsense from Head Office which didn’t work for PAYG. None of the downloads from Vodafone’s website work with PAYG. Repeated visits and calls have convinced me that Vodafone are disinterested over 2 successive Mac OS releases. I’ve asked for my money back but they insist they can’t do so in spite of Vodafone printed on the casing of the modem and the fact that they are also obliged to keep copies of transaction records. 0/10 all round, and cut the disinterested attitude.
In my view the problem is Huawei – none of the dongles I had from other providers (all the same) were equally bad or worse. Should be run off the face of the earth
The download for the 3 E169G dongle doesn’t work..it’s the same tripe that 3 took us through in a support call lasting over 45 minutes…AND they now won’t let us out of the contract or refund any fees paid since this stopped working when Snow Leopard came out months ago!!
I installed a t-mobile dongle last week, with snow leopard on my mac…after installation my mac would get stuck at the start-up screen. it completely messed up my mac…have just returned from the apple store where they couldn’t get it working and they told me that t-mobile are responsible as their software is conflicting with the OS. I now have to re-install and wipe my mac…a total pain and costly process all because t-mobile wasn’t on top of the issue!!!! not impressed!!!
T-Mobile UK are still selling dongles with the old drivers in the UK as of 20th December 2009!
Reported them to Apple for breach of their contract for using the MacOS compatible logo – suggest more people do the same so Apple realise how P1SS3D 0FF this might make people!
Nice idea Mark! Let us know how you get on – drop me an e-mail at editor@electricpig.co.uk Cheers!