Mobile Broadband (1 Viewer)

Feb 27, 2011
14,671
74,886
UK
Funster No
15,452
MH
Self Build
Exp
Since 2005
There is a comparison over at
Broken Link Removed

Fairly interesting read. Not a comprehensive review but comes to a similar conclusion to my own.

I run an internet company whilst fulltiming. Internet access is critical for me so I carry multiple sims/dongles.

Until about a year ago I had all the networks. I am now down to Orange and 3.

3 are the best and fastest in my experience but their coverage is not quite 100%. Orange has now merged with T-Mobile so you get both networks. These are my second choice as coverage is excellent but speed is not quite up there..

I have now scrapped all my other dongles.

A lot of people recommend gifgaf but as this uses O2 there are speed and availability issues. I gave up on the O2 network a couple of years ago due to this.

Just thought this might be of interest.
 
Jan 4, 2012
2,240
2,022
somerset
Funster No
19,320
MH
Fiat Ducato
Exp
A few years now
I am a little new when it comes to mobile connections :Blush:
I have a vodafone data connection on my htc phone, i can use it as a hotspot for a laptop when out and about when not near a wifi router.
I don`t understand that when it is reciving data , a 3g symbol shows up or other times a G symbol.

Is 3g part of Vodafone?
 

Carol

LIFE MEMBER
Oct 2, 2007
14,044
111,494
North Wales.
Funster No
519
MH
A class
Exp
18 years s Motorhome (33years caravans)
Just bought a new sim from the 3 shop for my mifi, pleased it gives me 3 months use for £20.

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 

TheBig1

LIFE MEMBER
Nov 27, 2011
17,509
42,755
Dorset
Funster No
19,048
MH
A class
Exp
many many years! since I was a kid
I am a little new when it comes to mobile connections :Blush:
I have a vodafone data connection on my htc phone, i can use it as a hotspot for a laptop when out and about when not near a wifi router.
I don`t understand that when it is reciving data , a 3g symbol shows up or other times a G symbol.

Is 3g part of Vodafone?


3g is short for 3rd generation, which is the network equipment used for mobile broadband. It gets confusing, as 3 (without the g) is a supplier, who have the most modern network in the uk, as it was designed for mobile broadband. unlike the other phone and broadband companies, who have installed extra equipment on their phone network
 

TheBig1

LIFE MEMBER
Nov 27, 2011
17,509
42,755
Dorset
Funster No
19,048
MH
A class
Exp
many many years! since I was a kid
Just bought a new sim from the 3 shop for my mifi, pleased it gives me 3 months use for £20.


you can buy the same sim from amazon or ebay for 1/2 that price. I always keep a spare in my laptop bag as the 3 months start from first useage, not when you buy it
 

Bam

Free Member
May 20, 2012
7
0
Mid-Surrey
Funster No
21,138
MH
Planning a Sprinter conve
Exp
New to it
The best deal I've found is the T-Mobile 3-month broadband starter pack (product code 533569) from PC World which gives you unlimited broadband for the 3 months for £30

Occasionally you can be surfing and you get a 'you have exceeded the fair use policy' message, but then it lets you carry on.

I'm nearly at the end of my 3 months on this one and it tells me I've downloaded nearly 25GB of data since I started back at the beginning of March so it's heading for about £1 a GB which is pretty cool.

Two annoyances with it, around where I am the Orange and the T-Mobile signals are of similar strength (both fairly weak) and it swaps between the two but thinks when you go to Orange that you are roaming and pops up a warning and sometimes drops the connection (doesn't seem to if you are downloading, but that may just be chance)

And speeds are low around here - I was getting 3Mbps, but recently it has dropped to about 1Mbps - that's not throttling (T-Mobile restricting me) because my tablet on a PAYG sim reports similar speeds.

The 3 months start when you first use it.

When it swaps to Orange, it says you are abroad and roaming and may incur extra charges (of course, you don't since I just walked in and paid cash :Smile: ), but I was wondering if it might work abroad... I'll have to take a trip to Dover and see if I can pick up a French mast. Hmmmmm.

Bam
 
Jun 10, 2011
464
361
Yorkshire (nr. Leeds)
Funster No
16,820
MH
C Class
Exp
Since 2011 (so a bit of a newbie)
It's interesting to note other users experience.

I had a dongle from 3 a few years ago and it was terrible round here (Yorkshire). I made the mistake of getting it on an 18 month contract, but it sounds like you guys and gals are far more clued up and go for the three month deals and then you're not tied in.

I do have some experience of dongles in Spain. I went with Orange a few years back and to start with it was amazing. Unfortunately, when I returned later in the year it was soooooo slow it was unusable.

We go to Spain regularly so if anyone has any advice on international dongles please do share.

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 

Bam

Free Member
May 20, 2012
7
0
Mid-Surrey
Funster No
21,138
MH
Planning a Sprinter conve
Exp
New to it
Hi Yorkieman,

I used to live in Spain before I came back five years ago for family reasons. Spain (and the continent in general I think) is pretty poor for mobile internet compared to here - just to buy a sim in Spain you need to supply all sorts of personal details and have your passport to hand. Here, of course, you can buy one from a machine in the airport.

I need some kind of European solution myself and have just started looking into it. Satellite seems the best bet from my cursory trawl of the internet, but that only works if you are travelling with a van where you can mount the dish. In my case that is fine, but the choice is limited and the pricing is a nightmare to work out. I need quite a bit of data because, although semi-retired, I still build and maintain web sites and need it to keep some kind of income going - wifi in bars is not enough. So I'll be following threads on this subject closely.

I've fired off an email to a programmer in Spain on this very subject but, though he's English, he's lived in Spain for 30 years, has embraced the lifestyle, is a veggie ex-hippie who grows his own, so responses are a little hit and miss, but I'll post here if/when he anwsers. ::bigsmile:
 

Madmark62

Free Member
Sep 28, 2011
602
546
Wakefield West Yorkshire
Funster No
18,318
MH
Winnebago Lesharo
Exp
I`m a newbie
It's interesting to note other users experience.

I had a dongle from 3 a few years ago and it was terrible round here (Yorkshire). I made the mistake of getting it on an 18 month contract, but it sounds like you guys and gals are far more clued up and go for the three month deals and then you're not tied in.

I do have some experience of dongles in Spain. I went with Orange a few years back and to start with it was amazing. Unfortunately, when I returned later in the year it was soooooo slow it was unusable.

We go to Spain regularly so if anyone has any advice on international dongles please do share.

We live in Wakefield and only use 3 mobile Broadband as we live on a boat, £ is the strongest signal of any mobile network in this area, we are only about 10 miles from Leeds.
 

artona

Free Member
Jul 31, 2007
1,511
817
Funster No
43
MH
self build
Exp
40 yrs and still not got a release date
When we were fulltiming a few years ago we carried Tmobile as you always got a signal, Three was faster and vodaphone, when you got it was lightening fast.

I now just use the MiFi. Travelling and shooting photography in lots of different parts of the country it works great

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 

TheBig1

LIFE MEMBER
Nov 27, 2011
17,509
42,755
Dorset
Funster No
19,048
MH
A class
Exp
many many years! since I was a kid
If you have not used 3 for a few years, you will be surprised at the difference. When they launched in the uk, they promised the earth and gave very little as their coverage was terrible. Since then they have invested many many millions of pounds of infrastructure. Just take a look at their coverage map
http://www.three.co.uk/support/coverage



At about £10 for 3 months surfing or 3gb is pretty good. Certainly works for us around the uk......not had an issue with connection in ages
 

mickcope

Free Member
Nov 2, 2011
65
10
essex
Funster No
18,739
MH
hi top
Exp
0
I avoided 3 for years - but now use it and find the coverage to be great
Mick
 

Join us or log in to post a reply.

To join in you must be a member of MotorhomeFun

Join MotorhomeFun

Join us, it quick and easy!

Log in

Already a member? Log in here.

Latest journal entries

Funsters who are viewing this thread

Back
Top