Internet access in Europe (1 Viewer)

fletch_lives

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Does anyone have a suggestion for general internet access throughout Europe other than at camp sites with WiFi? Would you recommend a satellite system (expensive!!!) or some other method (a dongle or whatever)?

I use an internet connection a lot while stationary for things like Netflix, etc. I am looking for something for when I hit the road soon. I am new to "full timing" and I would like to be free of camp sites occasionally.
 

Addie

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I would suggest our Link Removed, but then I saw something which set alarm bells ringing...

Netflix

The difficulty here is (out of country IP issues aside) streaming video takes a LOT of data, maybe upto 500Mb/hour if watching in HD. So while a 500Mb daily allowance with the EuropaSIM is considered generous and could easily last all day if managed properly, you could use it in an hour - assuming of course that the 3G reception was fast enough to stream.

Satellite internet is likely to have the same restrictions for data - 10Gb/Month is one of the better packages for European use priced at £30/mth, but you have to pay circa £3500 for the equipment its a non-starter for most.

In the UK there is only one tariff which would support this usage, the Three Unlimited plan, but you can't use this in Europe while tethering to another device from your phone.

Your best option might be the FON network if spending much time in France?
http://maps.fon.com

Hope this helps - let me know if we can be of any more assistance.

Adam
 

JJ

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Addie's Euro SIM card thingy is a ridiculous price at €3 for 500 MBs full speed and unlimited after that at reduced speed.

Cripes, I am ONLY paying €1 per MB... (one euro for each megabyte) on my Portuguese Vodafone 3-4G sim card while here in Germany...

AND I had to use it once in France for the footy scores...:cry:

So one day's use of Addie's thingy (€3) would only cost me €500.


JJ :Cool:

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SMB

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After struggling with poor wifi systems at various campsites last year I decided to buy an internet dish for the van, as Addie says it was around £3500 to buy and have fitted, and £30 a month for 10gb which is fine for browsing, small downloads etc but streaming will use it up very quickly. You can pay for more data if your monthly allowance runs out for around £18. However, betwween 11pm-7am UK time it is unlimited downloads so if you are a night owl it may suit you. The footprint is supposed to fall short of the southern coasts of Portugal, Spain etc but it has worked everywhere I have been so far including the Algarve and the Costa Del Sol. Unlike the BBC now :cry:.
I also have a Iboost so I can use the campsite wifi when its free to save on my data allowance, it works very well (yes I like gadgets). I have not used the mifi's but they are apparently very good.
Hope this helps.
 
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I would suggest our Link Removed, but then I saw something which set alarm bells ringing...

Netflix

The difficulty here is (out of country IP issues aside) streaming video takes a LOT of data, maybe upto 500Mb/hour if watching in HD. So while a 500Mb daily allowance with the EuropaSIM is considered generous and could easily last all day if managed properly, you could use it in an hour - assuming of course that the 3G reception was fast enough to stream.

Satellite internet is likely to have the same restrictions for data - 10Gb/Month is one of the better packages for European use priced at £30/mth, but you have to pay circa £3500 for the equipment its a non-starter for most.

In the UK there is only one tariff which would support this usage, the Three Unlimited plan, but you can't use this in Europe while tethering to another device from your phone.

Your best option might be the FON network if spending much time in France?
http://maps.fon.com

Hope this helps - let me know if we can be of any more assistance.

Adam

Not wanting to start this again, but I still have not been able to get fon to work, not worried any more , it just isn't worth the hassle, not enough hours in the day:Eeek:
But for anyone else trying it , don't waste your life:Doh:
Sorry should have said bt fon
 
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cmcardle75

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After struggling with poor wifi systems at various campsites last year I decided to buy an internet dish for the van, as Addie says it was around £3500 to buy and have fitted, and £30 a month for 10gb which is fine for browsing, small downloads etc but streaming will use it up very quickly. You can pay for more data if your monthly allowance runs out for around £18. However, betwween 11pm-7am UK time it is unlimited downloads so if you are a night owl it may suit you. The footprint is supposed to fall short of the southern coasts of Portugal, Spain etc but it has worked everywhere I have been so far including the Algarve and the Costa Del Sol. Unlike the BBC now :cry:.
I also have a Iboost so I can use the campsite wifi when its free to save on my data allowance, it works very well (yes I like gadgets). I have not used the mifi's but they are apparently very good.
Hope this helps.

These days you can get the equipment for £300 and 70 per month can get you unlimited data. Even much cheaper deals will give you the 23-07 unlimited data.

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Addie

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These days you can get the equipment for £300 and 70 per month can get you unlimited data. Even much cheaper deals will give you the 23-07 unlimited data.

The 'unlimited data*' package @ £69.95 is only available in the UK and France on 'Zone 1':
Broken Link Removed

Outside of this area, the best on offer is a 10Gb package at £29.95 which includes 8.5Gb of downloads and 1.7Gb of uploads. If you wanted 'unlimited downloads 11pm-7am' it is an extra £7/mth.

The footprint is a little more pessimistic and with later modems should be available on the Spanish coast, as SMB rightly says.

Broken Link Removed

* Packages allow unlimited data each month. However, speeds are progressively reduced as data amount steps are reached.
 
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fletch_lives

fletch_lives

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Thanks

I will have to reconsider my streaming habits, I guess. I can access Netflix by using Witopia internet VPN which makes my IP address look like it is in the US. I will have to save my pennies for a satellite system.
 

ukbill

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Addie's Euro SIM card thingy is a ridiculous price at €3 for 500 MBs full speed and unlimited after that at reduced speed.

Cripes, I am ONLY paying €1 per MB... (one euro for each megabyte) on my Portuguese Vodafone 3-4G sim card while here in Germany...

AND I had to use it once in France for the footy scores...:cry:

So one day's use of Addie's thingy (€3) would only cost me €500.


JJ :Cool:


jj are ypou smoking the plants you are growing don't you mean yours would cost you 500e @1e a mb the europasim is 3e for 500mb????

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Minxy

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Addie's Euro SIM card thingy is a ridiculous price at €3 for 500 MBs full speed and unlimited after that at reduced speed.

Cripes, I am ONLY paying €1 per MB... (one euro for each megabyte) on my Portuguese Vodafone 3-4G sim card while here in Germany...

AND I had to use it once in France for the footy scores...:cry:

So one day's use of Addie's thingy (€3) would only cost me €500.


JJ :Cool:

This doesn't make sense JJ .... you appear to be saying that YOUR sim is cheaper than the one from Addie, but you are actually stating the opposite! You are paying €1 per mb ... but for €3 with Addie's you get 500mb ... you've been eating too may steak and ale pies again haven't you! :roflmto:

Are you getting your mb and gb mixed up by any chance?

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ukbill

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he has had a dodgy frey bentos pie i think :Smile:
 

Minxy

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I believe it's called sarcasm...


JJ :Cool:

What! You call your pies sarcasm! I know people name their cars and campers ... but pies!!! :ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:

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I will have to reconsider my streaming habits, I guess. I can access Netflix by using Witopia internet VPN which makes my IP address look like it is in the US. I will have to save my pennies for a satellite system.

You can use a TV Sat system and add a internet LNB to have both TV and internet from one dish. A lot cheaper than £3500.
 

Rapide561

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What is the device that is £69.95 per month etc?

I've got an Italian SIM card now as follows:

125 inbound minutes, 125 outward minutes, 250 texts, 500MB data - this whole lot, valid for one week, for ten euro! Bargain! It works in 41 countries at that price.

Russell
 

Addie

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What is the device that is £69.95 per month etc?

Satellite Internet, the package is from Beyond DSL, Russell.

It's not for everyone.

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Minxy

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Am I being a tad "Thick" but why pay for internet use when there is so much free WiFi about in Europe?

Norman

I suppose it really depends on your requirement to have it! If you need it daily, say for work etc, then relying totally on 'free' wifi may not be an option.

So ... where IS all this free wifi in Europe then? :Smile:

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cmcardle75

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Am I being a tad "Thick" but why pay for internet use when there is so much free WiFi about in Europe?

Norman

Because (a) free wifi rarely works and (b) is rarely available outside commercial campsites and restaurants.
 

normanandsue

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Because (a) free wifi rarely works and (b) is rarely available outside commercial campsites and restaurants.

Never had a problem with it not working and I usually stop for a cup of coffee most days. Macdonalds do a great cup of tea.
Must admit availability in Germany is poor in comparison with Spain and France.
 

Addie

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It seems a "fair" price compared to what it has been in the past etc.

You can get a package as little as £15.95/mth now for Europe - but that's 3Gb (2.5GB down and 500MB up)


Because (a) free wifi rarely works and (b) is rarely available outside commercial campsites and restaurants.

Although I am of course bias, I would have to say I don't agree with that view and wasn't what we found spending a year on the road in Europe. As a FON/BT Customer you have access to a great many hotspots across Europe (http://maps.fon.com) and depending on your camping style (aires, beaches, etc) there can often be other opportunities to get online.

As Minx rightly points out though, it couldn't be considered 'reliable' - if you needed internet access for work or to fuel your daily Motorhome Fun addiction:thumb: then you'd be advised to have a 3G backup option at the very least.

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fletch_lives

fletch_lives

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Okay, I am pretty savvy with internet connections, but I am unfamiliar with LNB for my TV dish to enable both TV and internet. Encantador would you please elaborate on this alternative for me and also where can I could get such a device?

Addie you mentioned packages from Beyond DSL. Do you have a URL for them? Google search comes up with some strange sites not related to internet connectivity.

Does anyone know of a device to amplify free WiFi connectivity when near a hotspot? I thought of another alternative would be to get a SIM card for the country I am in with unlimited data like my Orange account in France; any suggestions there? I really would like to get my regular American TV shows that I watch weekly while I travel. You know us damn Americans we have to have our way with everything.
 
Jul 2, 2011
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Okay, I am pretty savvy with internet connections, but I am unfamiliar with LNB for my TV dish to enable both TV and internet. Encantador would you please elaborate on this alternative for me and also where can I could get such a device?

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muddywellies

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Hi everyone, Was just browsing until I saw this post. Signed up so here I am. I'm currently in Limassol,Cyprus and like many places there are a lot of internet cafes which I use all over Europe. There's really no need to buy any special equipment. You just need to organise yourself beforehand to get everything done but you soon get used to your own system of work.

This is what I do because I tend to use the same limited number of web sites for about 80% of my internet time. These are all bookmarked at the top of my page for instant access.

'Internet Cafes' don't mind if I bring laptop with wifi, I also bringA large 2TB usb3 hard drive. I pay about one euro for each hour for FAST downloading. I stay for a few hours at a time.

Write all your emails and save them as drafts in a folder for the task. Another folder previously set up absorbs all your spam-free downloads. These are sent/received first.

I have software that can download whole websites or specific sections of a site. Over time I have about all the websites used regularly on my HD's. When I do download updates they take just a couple of minutes (often less) to bring my files up to date. There is software available that downloads videos and stuff very quickly - 2-3 minutes at a time. I can download most websites (or a movie) in about 6-12 minutes (others will take more certainly) and then take my time researching it at my leisure and the thing works off line just as if it was being downloaded. I'm not talking about Facebook here of course!
So with all this done beforehand when I do get to a cafe I spend most of my visit researching the 20% of websites not on file already. I use duckduckgo.com not google for my searches.

Odd times I use software to download a whole series of movies at a time. I don't download it all at once (last example was Series 1 & 2 of 19 episodes 0f the 'Vikings' 17.5GB). Downloaded in part. Move off to somewhere else. Arrived there to resume downloading from where I left off. I think 3 visits it was all done.
 

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