Netgear AC327U 3G Data Card Review & Specifications
Netgear AC327U Aircard is a 3G enabled Data card or USB Modem that lets you connect to high speed 3G Internet. Netgear is a US based company that is known to manufacture high quality networking hardware components that includes Routers, Modems, Switches, Security Appliances, Network storage equipments etc.
Netgear AC327U 3G Data Card
Here in this post I am going to review the Netgear AC327U Data Card and tell you about its features, specifications and how it performs.
Review of Netgear AC327U 3G Data Card / USB Modem
Here is a complete review of the Netgear AC327U 3G Data Card or USB Dongle.
Build Quality
The data card comes in orange color and the build quality of this 3G Modem is very good, and it feels solid in hands. The top orange cover at one side of the data card can be removed completely by sliding it out backwards for the insertion of SIM and microSD card. The data card is a little bit big in size as compares to the other 3G data card available in the market but it is not an issue because the card performs really well.
Speed
Netgear AC327U data card supports 7.2 Mbps download speed using HSDPA (High-Speed Downlink Packet Access) and 5.76 Mbps upload speed using HSUPA (High-Speed Uplink Packet Access). The practical speed of the data is very good and I have got up to 4 Mbps using Airtel 3G connection and that too in an area where I generally get very weak signals.
Connectivity & Coverage
Coverage and connectivity of the data card is remarkable as you can receive one or two bars of signal in an area of very weak or no signals. I have personally used this data card in a very weak signal zone where other cards were showing no signal but the Netgear one connected with two signal bars.
Compatibility with Network Providers
It is compatible with almost all 3G ISP operating in complaint bands. It supports HSUPA/UMTS 2100 MHz and GSM/GPRS 900/1800 MHz, and variety of mobile operators that includes Airtel, BSNL, Vodafone, Reliance, Idea, Tata Docomo etc.
Operating System Support
Netgear AC327U 3G Dongle supports Windows XP/Vista/7/8 and Mac OS 10.5X and above.
Software & Features
The software is pretty is easy to use and work with. The user interface is pretty simple and it also supports features like Calling, USSD, SMS and Phone Book. It is very to install the software and the setup comes in the data card only. The software is called Netgear AirCard Mobile Broadband genie. Software for Mac OS is a bit problematic sometimes and has received fair bit of complaints from the mac users. There is also a LED indicator that tells you about the status of your data card using red and green lights. The data card also supports microSD card up to 32 GB so that you can use the data card as a pen drive also.
Netgear AC327U Software User Interface
Netgear AC327U Data Card LED Indicator & Status
Heating Issues
The data card can get a little hot after 15-20 minutes of usage but that does not impact its performance whatsoever.
Price & Conclusion
Netgear AC327U Data Card is priced at Rs. 1590/- but you can get it at discount price of Rs. 850 – 900/- from online stores like Amazon. In all it is a value for money 3G data card that is good in construction, has good speed, coverage, connectivity and is not expensive either.
About Author
Akshat Verma
A Professional Blogger, Web Developer, Hardware Enthusiast, Gamer, Geek and Founder of many other websites. He holds M.Tech degree in IT and B.E degree in Computer Science & Engineering.
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Can we use the internet for the sim card or should we recharge separately for the data card
No special recharge for the data card. You can use the Internet pack that you use on your phone in the data card also.
I have a tata docomo 3g sim. Will it work in netgear
yes it will work in it
Does this work on windows 8.1??
yes it will work
On MAC os X,1st time data card connects and installs the the Mboile Genie software and resrtarts. After reload, DataCard is not getting connected, any idea?
It does have some issues on Mac but not in Windows. Better contact Netgear on their support forum.
You are correct that it ranges from 900-1590 but i have purchased it in rs 650 from snapdeal. Good, yes it is.
I have bought it in rs 650 instead of 900 which you are saying the least price. This is a good product but consumes very much battery. So be aware!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
battery in which sense ?
netgear 3G usb modem box says soft wifi, how to use wifi, i cant see any option. please help. thanks
Soft wifi means that you can use it as Wi-Fi hotspot through your laptop WiFi card. You can use third party wifi hotspot softwares to achieve this. The 3G usb dongle itself has no inbuilt wifi capability.
Hi, have a 3G USB dongle marked as Netgear AC327U.
When I plug in the device, in device manager, it’s shown as a mass storage device.
And when the supplied application is run, it enables 3G modem interface of the device and device manager shows up COM ports for them. And it is listed in the Control Pane > Phone and modems.
What I would like to do is enable the modem interface without using the accompanying application.
I also tried with another brand which also seems to behave the same.
Is there any way the modem can be detected as is even without running their proprietary application?
why you want to do so?
i instal netgear data card but it detects error i did”t now what is error i dont insert sd card and enter APN , what is the cause ?
what is the error and is the card getting detected?
ITS WORKING IN WINDOWS 10 64 BIT
Sir, can we make a wifi hotspot with that netgear 3g orange dongle…..
you may be able to do with softwares like Connectify Hotspot. http://www.connectify.me/
Can I use my reliance jio sim in it
No you can’t as it is a 3G data card and Reliance Jio supports only 4G devices.
My net gear ac327u dongle doesn’t detect airtel sim card, a red light is displayed when I plug it into USB slot, it shows no Sim card, what is the reason behind it?
Is the SIM active and whether the dongle detects another sim card?
The sim is active & the dongle doesn’t detect any other sim card, I tried with Idea, Vodafone but the dongle doesn’t detect any of them.
Reinstall the drivers and then try again.
Okay will reinstall the drivers..
Reinstalled the drivers again but same error displayed – No Sim
Try it in another computer and if nothing works then you may the faulty device.