Is smart bro prepaid a trash? I thought it'd be 7x faster than dial up.. Im planning to purchase one since i've been relying on my cellphone for internet access in my dorm and it is such a pain connecting my phone on my laptop and it was terribly slow like 200+kbps i think.. 
Again, it depends on the signal in your area. if already you say your cellphone connection has been spotty, most likely your wireless modem will be the same.
But with 3G connectivity it should be faster than Dial up... for some strange strange reason though, I cannot load a single youTube video via Smart BRO. Kainis!
Anyway, wish I could be more help but again my connection has been quite slow as well. Huhuhu.