Updating the firmware on your 3g mobile broadband dongle may not necessarily improve the signal strength or the ability to pick up a 3g signal in a poor reception area, but if you have had the same dongle for a long time then you may well find that a firmware upgrade could ‘unlock’ the dongle’s potential to move to a faster speed.
For example, the popular Huawei E220 originally shipped with a maximumn broadband connection speed of 3.6Mb, however by updating the firmware on the modem, several users have reported being able to achieve download speeds of up to 7.2Mb. But just to reiterate – we do not believe that this will improve the modems reception capabilities – it just improves the speed if you are in an area where the reception is not an issue.
The usual disclaimer applies – any updates to the firmware of your 3g dongle are carried out at your own risk entirely. An incorrect update may corrupt your modem.