I found myself without Wi-Fi the other day and in need of internet access. My notebook is equipped with a wireless 3G adapter but the last time I repaved the it I forgot the little tool that comes with the 3G card to configure the connection. Still in need of a connection I assumed there had to be a native Windows way of doing things because I did install the proper drivers for the card. I had some trouble figuring out where to find the right setup wizard to set it up so here it is:

The card is a Huawei somethingsomethingcard (not sure what type it is) and I’m using a Vodafone SIMcard. I did this on the Windows 8 Dev Preview but my guess is it will work the same on a Windows 7 machine

First, we need to create a new connection. I want to go online so the ‘Connect to the internet’ option is the obvious choice. The next choice in the wizard is the Dial-up connection. When you select this option, you'll need to know a few thing about the mobile network you are connecting to. For the Vodafone network these are:

• The number that needs to be dialed for the connection.
• A username and password.

The number in this case is *99# and the username and password are both vodafone. Please note that these settings depend on the provider you are using! I did not encounter a screen that required me to put in the APN (live.vodafone.com) but it worked even without this

Put in all the settings and hit connect. It took a while before the connection started working so give it some time before hitting the ‘Skip’ button

A step by step walkthrough:

I would normally do all these settings though the tool that comes with the notebook (Acer 3G Connection Manager) but this way there is no need for the 3G tool at all. The tool however is prone to hanging… This way: no more crashes!