Tata Indicom Plug2Surf on a Mac
Thursday, September 27, 2007
My mom and bro gave me a Tata Indicom Plug2Surf for my last birthday (geeky gift, I know. What can I say? They know me too well). It’s only been with me for a couple of days but I’m already addicted to the sweet device. And as usual, set up is as Mac-ish as can be… if you know the proper settings.
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Start by plugging in your Tata Indicom device. It’s a blocky ugly but functional device that takes up more than its share of USB ports on my Macbook. The small light should change from red to orange and then stay a pale green.
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Open System Preferences and navigate to Network. A Qualcomm CDMA Technologies MSM device should already be detected. Select that and click Configure.
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Fill up the settings as in the pic below. The number to dial is #777, the username and password are the same: ‘internet’ (lame!). Be sure to check Save Password to avoid nag screens.
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Click on the Modem tab and from the list choose the ‘au CDMA 1x WIN W01K’ modem. The default selection will not work. Navigate back to the PPP tab and click Dial Now…
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You’ll be presented with Internet Connect, the general dialer application for the Mac. I use this for VPN connections as well. Check ‘Show modem status in the menu bar’ and click Connect. It should take under 5 seconds and the dialog will expand to show statistics for the connection.
The tariffs are reasonable. It’s Rs. 2500/- for the device and Rs. 350/ per month (paid like a postpaid bill) for 30 hours of net access a month (overcharges are 25ps for a minute). I have a BSNL plan otherwise, so this is for mobile net. It’s not entirely as plug2surf as the advertisement shows however since on Windows devices, you’ll have to install a driver (provided in a tiny CD). On a mac, you don’t, but you don’t know how much of tariff you’ve used either.
Hi Vysnu..
I’m using this device too and it gives me head ache (real one) on using for more than one hour.
Have you experienced any sort of physical discomfort while using it?
Best, Mani
Comment by Mani Karthik — Friday, 28 September 2007 @ 17:10:29
No, I don’t get a headache. The plastic does get extremely hot though, so I tend to not use it for long periods (considering an hour per day is the limit, makes sense in other ways too).
Comment by vishnu — Friday, 28 September 2007 @ 20:24:38
This device seems to be mighty convenient.
I wonder how the connectivity will be while using it on a train .
2nd class AC sleeper coaches in Indian Railways have plug points for charging stuff.
PS: Tata Indicom’s usage metering seems to have some issues, as I found out in Pune (through a large bill). So keep a watchful eye on your usage. :)
Comment by The Fragger — Wednesday, 03 October 2007 @ 09:51:40
are there any other plans too……?…..and i purchase this device from one state and later i shifted in other state so will the plan charges which i hav taken will be increased?plz do solve my query
thank u
Comment by rishi — Saturday, 06 October 2007 @ 12:58:21
Fragger: Aye, will be traveling soon so it’s a bonus. Haven’t paid a bill yet.
Rishi: Don’t think so, charges should be same. Of course, you’ll have to change your billing address. Call up customer care to clarify.
Comment by vishnu — Saturday, 06 October 2007 @ 19:56:17
Thank you man… I did everything except change the modem settings… and then looked desperately on the net for any help.. urs was the first site..
Im so glad the mac community is growing as well, take care,
thanx again
Comment by Riyad — Tuesday, 09 October 2007 @ 16:03:29
i would like to know its price..please..is it economic while compared to other systems?
Comment by anupam — Wednesday, 10 October 2007 @ 19:33:17
hey.. bro thanks.. it was a surprise to see ur help on using the usb thing on a mac. will surely try this. hope it works on my powerbook g4.
thanks arungupta
Comment by arun — Thursday, 11 October 2007 @ 23:58:17
Dude what the max speed your able to get?
Comment by anand — Friday, 12 October 2007 @ 08:28:58
Anupam: here, I’m using the Value 325 plan.
Arun, Riyad, you’re welcome!
Anand: Max speeds around 128k, but reliable. There’s a bit of a delay when initiating network connections (it might be coz I’m using
OpenIDOpenDNS). There’s some software you can download from the website which apparently boosts your speed (wonder how this works), but since I’m on a Mac can’t use it.Comment by vishnu — Friday, 12 October 2007 @ 12:39:53
Thank You Very much for MAC support Regarded TATA USB Modem.
I am very easyly connected through your steps by TATA USB Modem on MAC G5 & Bookpro but speed is not avalable. if any Idea about how to boosts-up internet speed then please reply me!
& then same end Windows Workstation speed 10 to 14 kbps… if you have solution then reply me
dear. thank you once again.
Comment by Ajay Kumar mishra — Saturday, 20 October 2007 @ 10:49:56
whr will i get the tata usb ix modem driver??????pls tell me as ssooon as possible
Comment by aakash — Monday, 22 October 2007 @ 20:14:48
Hi Aakash,
You would like to MAC Workstation or Windows
version.
If you wanna MAC then nothing to do, everything is avalable in MAC OS but you want access the features in Windows OS then 1st you install Driver CD along with TATA USB Modem.
Comment by Ajay Kumar mishra — Tuesday, 23 October 2007 @ 09:59:32
Hello Vysnu,
Your detailed instructions have been very helpful but I am still not able to connect. The message I keep getting is this: “Could not negotiate a connection with the remote PPP server. Please verify your settings and try again”. What am I doing wrong/not doing?
Thanks Prabha
Comment by Prabha — Wednesday, 24 October 2007 @ 12:13:35
Prabha: Does it work from Windows? If it does, then double-check all the settings here. Esp. make sure you got the right modem: the au CDMA 1x WIN W01K one.
Comment by vishnu — Thursday, 25 October 2007 @ 00:06:44
Ajay: I’ve been meaning to get a hang of how the “boost” thing works. Also it’s an annoyance not knowing how much time/balance is left etc.
Comment by vishnu — Thursday, 25 October 2007 @ 00:09:10
Dear friend.
i bought the tata indicom usb modem but it is not provided with any installation cd. how can i install it please
Comment by rrkommoju — Tuesday, 30 October 2007 @ 22:59:34
Hey great site! With your instructions, I got the modem working on my macbok pro but it goes so S L O W !!!
It’s taking 10+ minutes (still loading) to pull up Gmail. The light on the modem keeps flashing green. Is this normal? How is your experience. I would say it’s pretty much unusable from my experience.
Comment by Ariel — Wednesday, 31 October 2007 @ 09:48:44
Ariel: It’s definitely not that slow for me. I’m using it off and on when I go out or when BSNL dies on me and it’s a really good 2nd net connection. Get around 10-20Kb/s.
rrkommoju: This should help you.
Comment by vishnu — Wednesday, 31 October 2007 @ 10:34:05
I purchase a tata indicom usb modem plug to surf
it run on win xp and win 2000 but its not run in windows vista the driver is not suppot.I search it in tata indicom web site it also download but it not running.it also mantion on the box.How can i got this driver support for win vista.plz help me.
Thank you SANTOSH
Comment by santosh — Wednesday, 14 November 2007 @ 08:52:35
Thanks Dude! I figured out everything except the magical userid and password. For some reason that is not required on Windoze. The dealer of course is clueless about Mac.
Comment by Double A — Thursday, 15 November 2007 @ 16:31:04
Hi Vysnu,
Your page to configure the Tata Indicom data card for Mac’s is absolutely godsend! I bought this card last week as an alternative for internet access when I am on the move or at home to stay in touch with my husband who is abroad. So far, it hasnt worked for me for even an hour of satisfactory service. I configured my mac entirely according to your instructions (and checked it in a Tata indicomm store)- It gets upto the establishing connection phase and shortly displays a “disconnecting” message because it cant connect with the PPP server. Any suggestions? I notice that the password internet seems to keep getting reset to something longer by my Mac and I need to change it back everytime. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I am at the end of my tether with this card.Thanks, Gitanjali
Comment by Gitanjali — Friday, 16 November 2007 @ 11:55:19
Santosh: It works on my Windows Vista machine. The dialer, the stats and all. Why doesn’t the driver work?
Double A: You’re welcome
Gitanjali:
Does it work fine with Windows? It might be because the card itself isn’t activated (my dealer had to call up support to activate my connection).
If that isn’t the case, double check all the steps (esp. the one to select a different modem). Ignore the fact that passwords seem to be longer, it’s like that for me too. A bit weird, but it works.
Comment by vishnu — Friday, 16 November 2007 @ 13:29:43
hi
vishnu
u r website is very informative…regarding this tata plug & surf modem…thank u very very much for providing this knowledge to all the Mac users…
i have just bought this today but some time this Qualcomm dosent detects my device since the dot is red instead of green any funda to get away with this or is just due to lack of network …but tried this few times on same place… pls let me know if u have ever experienced something like this…before
Thanks.. Ameya
Comment by Ameya Damle — Saturday, 17 November 2007 @ 01:23:04
Ameya: Are you using this on a Mac? Where does Qualcomm come into the picture here? Try it in different locations definitely.
Comment by vishnu — Saturday, 17 November 2007 @ 08:50:00
yes man i amusing it on mac ibook g4
Comment by Ameya Damle — Saturday, 17 November 2007 @ 13:14:12
Here is a tip for relatively advanced users. If you are having connection issues (especially could not negotiate type of messages), open /var/log/ppp.log and try and interpret the detailed error messages in this file. Of course, if you are not comfortable with UNIX’s cryptic messages, this may be gobbly-gook for you. good luck
Comment by Double A — Saturday, 24 November 2007 @ 07:17:15
Hi Mate,
your configuration are really helpful,and were working fine with my previous OS (Tiger) but now I have ugraded to the latest OS Leopard and it does not have the vendor option of ”au cdma” as it had in previous OS…How do I go about it now?can I download the Sungil cdma 1x win driver any where,or you you already have a solution.
Please Help. Cheers
Comment by Jay — Tuesday, 18 December 2007 @ 13:05:20
I used the tata CDMA card with tiger and it worked however now I have upgraded the macbookpro to Leopard and stuck. This one doesn’t have the Quallcom driver and I am not sure what to do, can anyone help !!!
Comment by parvind — Tuesday, 18 December 2007 @ 14:55:27
Even I upgraded to leopard a few days ago but haven’t had the chance to setup the indicom thing on it. Let me take a look, in a few days should have something up!
Comment by vishnu — Tuesday, 18 December 2007 @ 22:58:58
Hi Vishnu
Can you please post details on how this will work on Leopard. Your help will be appreciated.
Thanks Pradeep
Comment by Pradeep — Sunday, 23 December 2007 @ 20:50:07
I figured it out. It is much easier than any modems I have installed. After keying in the phone number, username and password as stated above, go to Advanced functionality. Go to Modem. Change Modem to “au by KDDI” Then choose Model: WxxX (PC Card). Say “OK” On the first screen, click on “Apply”. Now you are connected!
Comment by Pradeep — Sunday, 23 December 2007 @ 22:01:09
u been gr8 help Pradeep,tataindicom usb i working fine with the solution u gave
…
thanx guys
Comment by Jay — Thursday, 27 December 2007 @ 02:02:04
Have you tried the Reliance data card too? Which is better? Also do these setting work for the Leopard too? Thanks in advance.
Comment by Devanshu — Tuesday, 01 January 2008 @ 17:24:28
Hi vysnu, you saved me a few hours of my life. An hour back i spoke to the “ENGINEER” from Tata Indicom and he refused to help saying thay can’t help me “OFFICIALLY” to get it running on MAC. I spent 5mins on your site and now i’m connected. Thanx
Comment by ghoops — Friday, 04 January 2008 @ 18:08:54
Hi guys,
i have a ADSL modem at my office which gets easily connected to my windows laptop ,but I dont know how to configure it with the MAC…please help
Comment by Jay — Saturday, 05 January 2008 @ 10:49:56
Hi, vishnu,
How do i connect tata indicom with Leopard. Please Help
Comment by Aravind — Sunday, 13 January 2008 @ 09:42:14
Hey Aravind here is what you want…. It is much easier than any modems I have installed. After keying in the phone number, username and password as stated above, go to Advanced functionality. Go to Modem. Change Modem to “au by KDDI” Then choose Model: WxxX (PC Card). Say “OK” On the first screen, click on “Apply”. Now you are connected!
Comment by Jay — Sunday, 13 January 2008 @ 11:21:37
Hello, Vishnu, I tried in the same way, but window appeared - the selected communication device does not exist. Please verify your settings and try again. Help me in this. thanks for the reply.
Comment by Aravind — Tuesday, 15 January 2008 @ 17:43:08
@Aravind Thanks worked in one chance. Also downloaded Net Monitor to keep an eye on usage on my Mac. Now if only I can find a software to send SMSs. Anyone know any good one around for this? Thanks.
Comment by Dev — Thursday, 17 January 2008 @ 16:08:54
sorry thanks to Vishnu and Jay.
Comment by Dev — Thursday, 17 January 2008 @ 16:09:34
I started using the USB modem device two months back.I was all praise for it till I received my second month’s bill.I have the 325 value plan which entitles me to 1800 minutes of free usage per month.I made it a point to surf in that limits checking the Internet log daily . My internet log shows 24 hrs of usage but the bill is charging me for around 40 hrs of usage….I am very confident about not having surfed so much…have any of u got into same situation???
BTW, i found loads of complaints regarding excessive billing at http://broadbandforum.in/tata-indicom-mobile-connection/17831-tata-indicom-plug2-surf-usb-modem-excessive-billing/ Thanks!!!!
Comment by Sonika — Friday, 25 January 2008 @ 15:32:12
thanks Vysnu, tata indicom is working on leopard. thanks once again.
Comment by Aravind — Monday, 28 January 2008 @ 18:20:52
This was extremely Helpful. Nobody in Nvsari coudl help with the drivers for my macbook. If I had not seen this website I wuld have hd to get a full refund…!!!
Now when I visit India, I can have the freedom to surf the net whilst mobile on my MacBook. Cheers!
Comment by DJ SiLK — Wednesday, 06 February 2008 @ 14:36:36
Hi Vysnu,
Thanks for the info.
Does MAC support Speed+ as well.
Speed+ tool provided free by tata indicom is really good for windows.
cheers AB
Comment by Arindam — Thursday, 21 February 2008 @ 18:17:52
Arindam: nope the mac doesn’t support Speed+, one of my weekend projects would be to get it working under the Mac. Finding out how it works will be interesting :-)
Comment by vishnu — Sunday, 24 February 2008 @ 11:04:51
Thanks for your helpful blog. The stupid TATA INDICOM guys didnt know a thing. Illiterate bunch of fools. Your simple settings helped me set it up on my mac book pro OS X.
Thanks a ton.
Comment by Sid — Monday, 25 February 2008 @ 12:22:13
hi vyansu,
thank you very much for the help. now i have a question. I am using mac leapord and in that under the modem tab i can not find the modem you described earlier. i think i will have toi install the correct driver. can you please tell me from where i can find that?
Comment by Swapnil Shah — Tuesday, 11 March 2008 @ 11:22:07
@Devanshu Reliance has no drivers for Mac. Won’t work…
Hmm, what is the billing like on this, anyway? Why only 1 hour of use, Vishnu?
Comment by chhavi — Friday, 14 March 2008 @ 14:17:20
I use my phone as a modem and works reasonably well. On osx the ppp drivers are a bit screwed, but it works like a charm on linux. This way i can browse from my phone too!
Comment by Shreyas — Friday, 14 March 2008 @ 14:25:10
Hi thr,This seems to be a very interesting site.I must share my experience.Yesterday i walked into a Tata Indicom Store to check on the Plug2Surf since im on the move and need a reliable internet connection,spoke to the store rep he did not know wht was MAC,luck tht I was carrying my machine along,so i showed them.he then made a phone call to someone (may be a technical advisor) or someone,I was then informed that Plug 2 Surf does not work on the MAC,i was like but u had drivers for the Huawei Modem to be downloaded for MAC on your website they had no clue about it.I suggested why not try using the stores demo Plug 2 Surf modem on my laptop and see if it works.I even went to the extent of telling them tht if something goes wrong with my laptop i will be responsible for it.But the store manger flatly refused he he would not allow me to test it on my laptop…I walked out of the store with a RED FACE and telling them that they were not interested to making a sale…
I will go to the store again show those monkeys this website.
But before i go ahead and invest money in the device i would ask people is it worth all the efforts. how is the speed? connectivity? i already have an idea tht they have some issues with the billing…
Is it worth all the efforts? how is the Reliance USB modem?
Pls HELP
And Thanks Vysnu for his initiative.
Regards
G.S Abrol
Comment by G.S Abrol — Friday, 14 March 2008 @ 19:55:48
Many thanks for this! Since the Tata Indicom customer service is unlikely to have any clue about Mac support, this is great. BTW, I called BSNL customer support for my DataOne broadband issues and I was asked about the OS. I said, Mac OS X. The exec chided me saying, ‘Sir, I asking about the OS’. Hmmm.
Comment by bhatnaturally — Monday, 17 March 2008 @ 03:07:50
you the man! this works like a charm! p.s. are u married :)
Comment by priya krishnan — Monday, 17 March 2008 @ 20:14:23
Hy thanks it was really helpful!! one more question do u know how to configure gtalk on iChat, I was using it but weird thing happened when it asked for the video conference, since then i have not been able to connect again although i am following the given instructions….it says can not connect to talk.google.com seems weird.
Comment by aditi — Monday, 17 March 2008 @ 23:11:10
Sid, Swapnil, lbhat, priya, you’re welcome!
Abrol: The experience has been reasonably good, the speeds are nothing to write home about.
Aditi: you should google.
Comment by vishnu — Tuesday, 18 March 2008 @ 01:33:06
Thank you for the advice guys,I will try using the plug2surf owned by a friend if i find its working i will buy one for myself and let u guys know about the performace..Regards
Comment by G.S Abrol — Thursday, 20 March 2008 @ 17:00:53
sir,
pls send me usb driver .
i have lost my cd. thnx
Comment by mayank — Thursday, 20 March 2008 @ 19:07:56
Hi great site for mac promoters like me
Hope this indicom works for leaporard 10.5.2
Comment by Kurien — Thursday, 20 March 2008 @ 19:59:35
hi vysnu
first i have congragulate u and ur efforts regardign plug2surf even though tata indicom offical web site is not givning that much support in this matter
i am also facing a new problem today i restore my xp and try to installed p2s it installed but while dailing i got massage that PLEASE WAIT PORT OPNED and it hang after sometime one massage displayed it ERROR THE CONNECTION ATTEMPED FAILED THE MODEM (OR OTHER CONNECTING DEVICE) ON THE REMOTE COMPUTER IS OTHER ORDER
pl give me solution
regards
pravin surve
Comment by pravin surve — Friday, 21 March 2008 @ 10:04:02
I am using plug-2-surf for the last 6 months.Excellant device.I use WinXP home edition with SP2. Recently I tried on HCL mileap with XP starter edition.The stuff doent work.The dialer closes every time i try to connect saying problems encontered and application has to close. can any one help.
Comment by s raja — Saturday, 22 March 2008 @ 12:07:10
hello everyone,
I tried using my friends,plug 2 surf on my mac book pro following instructions on this site…
all it took is less than a minute for me to get connected….
I must really thank Vysnu for the efforts…he has taken to provide us this vital information…
Now i will check the connectivity,speed and let u guys know u
Thanks a million
Warm Regards
G.S Abrol
Comment by G.A Abrol — Saturday, 22 March 2008 @ 13:06:19
Thanks for the info…..
If anyone is having problems using it on a mac, check if the PIN code is enabled. With it enabled it won’t connect so I had to use a PC to disable the PIN code and viola it works great on my mac.
Comment by Tom — Saturday, 22 March 2008 @ 15:55:15
does it work on a power book g4… ?
Comment by nydia — Sunday, 23 March 2008 @ 16:52:30
Hello Everyone,
My review on Tata Indicom Plug to Surf after 10 days of useage.
Well the device is very inconsistent.In terms of speed.It works when it wants to and it does not work when I want to..the speed is erratic.Disconnecting and then reconnecting helps at time but thats not one can do all the time.
All in all not very happy with the Speed,instead of hiring actress Kajol for the Tata indicom Plug 2 Surf Advertisement.Tata should invest more money in improvising the speed.
Worst part the meter keeps ticking whether it opens the page or not and you get charged for something you are not using.
So think before investing
Regards
G.S Abrol
Comment by G.S Abrol — Thursday, 03 April 2008 @ 14:39:36
Hi
bought my mac -basic a couple of months back-leopard OS. and the plug-2 surf a couple of days back. tried to install with the cd which would not open! abrol told me about this site.
problem: the boxes that open in mine are different from the ones that your steps indicate.
also while the qualcomm device is detected, i cannot configure it because it is not listed in the modem list! [the configure button does not appear as it does in yours!]is there any other equivalent modem that i can click on? i tried a couple didn’t work of course!
i urgently need help—the vendor refuses to do anything, says he told me it does not work on the mac—but he didn’t. and the tata guys seem to know very little. are there any drivers for macOS?
i have Windows on the mac—just in case. but i haven’t used it at all and now i have forgotten how to open in Windows! that apart, can i install it after opening in windows?
will it work on macOS after i have so installed it?!
Please HELP! padma
Comment by Padma — Thursday, 03 April 2008 @ 21:42:58
Padma, what you’ve said is very confusing, posting screenshots will help. If you’ve got leopard, the process is a bit different, but the device you select is essentially the same.
Tom, thanks for the PIN code thing.
Nydia, it should work on a powerbook.
Comment by vishnu — Saturday, 05 April 2008 @ 01:25:25
worst waste but amount is is is a big ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………very high , th
Comment by Anonymous — Thursday, 10 April 2008 @ 22:23:04
If you choose JRC USB Modem, It will work seamlessly.
soumen biswas klolkata
Comment by Soumen Biswas — Monday, 28 April 2008 @ 12:34:32
im using mac book …. wit os x …. im using tata indicom wireless conn … i felt its slow ..how to increase the speed … speed+ software is avail for mac ?..
Comment by azarudhhen — Thursday, 01 May 2008 @ 23:11:10
can i get download tata indicom cdma 1x modem driver for windows vista
i buy this tata product but i cant use because of driver problem in vista
can u please help me for this
Comment by darsheet — Monday, 05 May 2008 @ 13:53:41
Hi vysnu, thanks a lot!
I was able to configure it using your tips, I’ve posted the instructions for mac in Hindi.
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