Internet when away (1 Viewer)

[hogger]

Hello Campers

I've had a look through some of the posts on this but more confused by the array of methods. Wondering about internet whilst away. How do you all do it? at the moment I have an 02 sim only with my iphone. I'm a technophobe so can I use my phone data to connect to my lap top? bluetooth? personal hotspot bla bla.....It's all gobbledegook to me. I don't want to go into a phone shop and get sold a crap deal. We'll only be doing the UK this year obviously

 

[Googlebot]

I have an EE SIm in my phone with a generous data allowance.My teenager son as the cheapest EE monthly contract and I got the same for my Huwaei E5577 router.I then move my data around the other devices as needed.EE has best coverage which is why the emergency services us it I believe.If in a poor signal area just pop it out on the roof in a plastic bag.Link it up to an Amazon firestick

The Emergency Services were supposed to be using it now, it got bogged down as some major projects do. EE upgraded masts for nationwide 4G coverage as that’s what we were switching over to use instead of the airwave system and EE won the contract.

 

[Headrush]

I have a sim only deal from ee which, for £20/month gives me unlimited calls and texts plus 200gb data. Also as a bonus, any streaming video such as Netflix or amazon prime does not count towards your allowance.

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[Two Owl Ones]

Hello Campers

I've had a look through some of the posts on this but more confused by the array of methods. Wondering about internet whilst away. How do you all do it? at the moment I have an 02 sim only with my iphone. I'm a technophobe so can I use my phone data to connect to my lap top? bluetooth? personal hotspot bla bla.....It's all gobbledegook to me. I don't want to go into a phone shop and get sold a crap deal. We'll only be doing the UK this year obviously

hi hope this is of some use to you,we bought this MIFI wireless router unlocked to any network,whilst away i pop my sim card in and can use lots of devices etc laptop ipad we have a 3d dvd player with all the apps on so if we wish can use the netflix or amazon prime app amongst a lot of other apps so all in all a good bit of kit, https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/29365044...d=link&campid=5338547443&toolid=20001&mkevt=1

 

[Nirvanauk]

I simply use my iPhone to tether it to my iPad. So simple. I currently get 60gb of data and only pay £21/ month.

 

[Clive Mott]

Tethering to your phone is by far the easiest. Turn on this feature in Settings and set an easy password for you. Then when you turn Tethering on your phone becomes a WiFi router and you will find it when you go into WiFi on your laptop. Connect as you would at home. The main caveat is that you have loads of data with your sim deal. There are some cracking deals around with one as low as ten pound a month for 30 gig. We watch TV using this method in Spain.

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[Minxy]

Tethering to your phone is by far the easiest. Turn on this feature in Settings and set an easy password for you. Then when you turn Tethering on your phone becomes a WiFi router and you will find it when you go into WiFi on your laptop. Connect as you would at home. The main caveat is that you have loads of data with your sim deal. There are some cracking deals around with one as low as ten pound a month for 30 gig. We watch TV using this method in Spain.

Even cheaper if you're willing to do a 'cashback' deal ... £8 for £100gb a month.

 

[goozer321]

After a bit of thought. I'd like to keep it as simple as possible ( I need that) I don't mind increasing my data allowance/payment so could I then tether my phone to lap top?

As simple as possible - download your netflix shows before you go

 

[casagodfrey]

We got O2 to upgrade our package, quoting the Smarty package as a reason to move providers. We had two phones on O2 SIM-only both at £10 per month for 8Gb data. I phoned O2 to say we were thinking of swapping and asking if they could price match. There was no hesitation, they said yes. We got 31Gb data on both phones with minimal effort taking us from a combined data allowance of 16gb to 62gb without changing provider.

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[goozer321]

After a bit of thought. I'd like to keep it as simple as possible ( I need that) I don't mind increasing my data allowance/payment so could I then tether my phone to lap top?

Simples: Unlimited data sim for tethering, but signals can be ropey. Download your netflix shows in advance, no signal necessary.

 

[IanFraser]

You can take Smarty SIM only deal. 50 GB data for £15 a month rolling contract. You can tether to any device. I use it to work away from home. Smarty uses Three's network which sometimes drops off in remote areas though.

We do the same, you forgot to mention as part of the rolling contract you can increase/decrease the amount of data you need from month to month. When we're not away in the van and using data I reduce it to smallest data package which is also very cheap in the grand scheme of things. Ability to tether wifes phone & tablet - her data package is a smaller one - is great too.

 

[TR5]

Whichever way you choose to go, here are a few items of information for you.

The MiFi's are basically a router as you have at home, but use the mobile signals for data, rather than either landline or fibre for your home wifi.

Huawei are the most popular mifi's, so here's some info on what the numbers mean:-

Huawei model codes

E5 = Defines it's a Mifi (they all start with 5)
E5* = *Highest number is best in range and signal, so....
E59 = Best...
E59* = *No's 1 - 6 = 3G, 7 - 9 = 4G
E597*= *Good battery power and/or LED displays

So E5986 mean MiFi, best in range/best signal pickup, good 4G, good battery life and LED display.
Buy the cheapest you can find - and you WILL be disappointed with it! A decent MiFi will cost in the region of £100 or just over!
Also a decent MiFi will pull in a good data-usable signal when a phone can't.

Always look for 300mbps speed, as this is double the speed of cheaper
models that run at 150mbps. There maybe even faster ones available now/soon.

(mbps = mega bits per second)

A decent MiFi will always pull in a stronger signal than a phone, and many will provide data downloads and uploads faster than a phone.
Many MiFi can be attached to an outside aerial, but can also be placed anywhere within range to where you use it, to gain the best signal. (Personally, I've never found a need for an outside aerial). If there is no signal, it won't make any difference anyway.

If it is for occasional use, a Smarty data sim is a good plan, as not only considerably cheaper than others, but just a monthly contract, and if you turn off auto-renew, you can just pay for the month's you want to use it. It needs to be used once every 6 months to stay active. Personally I prefer to keep my phone separate for this very reason, and in the longer term it works out cheaper.

Hope this helps, I know it is a minefield until you get your head around it.

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[TheDogMan]

We use a 4g 3 mifi, we use it for my laptop and at the same my family use it for 2 ipads, thats on the road or parked up, its about £20 per month and worth it

 

[minesapint]

You can take Smarty SIM only deal. 50 GB data for £15 a month rolling contract. You can tether to any device. I use it to work away from home. Smarty uses Three's network which sometimes drops off in remote areas though.

Yes I use smarty 30gb for £10, just make the phone a mobile hotspot, works great.

 

[minesapint]

Something like a HUAWEI mifi , I think the E5577 is popular with funsters. I have the 5200 and it works fine.

China is listening to you.

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[tomm]

We"ve gone from being with landline providers , mobile phone providers etc , for sometimes years , to our now having no long term loyalty whatsoever to any given company ,

We now have no landline at home . When it was there we didnt even know the number associated with it , so basically £20 plus a month standing charge / rental for an unused utility .

For now , our set up is.

At home and in van.......... Huawei 5577 mifi......... In the van , mifi is connected to a poynting roof aerial.

Smarty 30 day contract unlimited data sim @ £18 per month for internet // streaming etc .
One of our phones has an ee sim , 30 day contract 22Gb data @ £10 a month . ( plusnet )..unlimited minutes and texts
Our other phone has a vodaphone sim , 30 day contract 30Gb data @£10 a month. ( talkmobile )...unlimited minutes and texts

Porting preferred numbers is now so easy , there is no problem or delay in doing so.

Also we wanted to minimise the chances of no signal state when travelling in the van , as our van usage now tends towards fairly out of the way places ....... Hence why we opted for 3 x different network providers .

Yes I know we could possibly get more data per month contracts , but we dont want 12 // 18 // 24 month etc contracts .

 

[AndyVW]

SIM cards, Service providers, and the deals that are offered, change so quickly, So the best one is the one thats right for you.
It has been mentioned here but by far the most successful system is to have an antenna out side of your van,
The MH over the years have evolved into better insulated and stronger lighter materials making them more and more like a Faraday cage (blocks signals)
my own is a very good example of this, So after various single test two external antennas were fitted to the outside, and connected to a Huawei B525-73BD, This difference over my phone is amazing ( when inside the van).
The second antenna will boost a detected wifi signal, (park in a Macdonalds car park ) or a Free offer from a camp site.

When the van is not being used the SIM card is removed and put into an Alexa thingy in our kitchen.
Picture of the antennas on van.
Andy

 

[Gellyneck]

A decent MiFi will always pull in a stronger signal than a phone, and many will provide data downloads and uploads faster than a phone.

Just posted this in another mifi thread. Not scientific measurements but ..........

Last week in D&G had 3-4 splodges on the 3 sim e5577 mifi (without external aerial).
Mobiles had - 3 @ 1-2, O2 @1-2, EE @0-1 and Vodafone @ 0-1. All in 2 new Xiaomi Note 10 Pro's.
Didn't really need to make phone calls and if so would probably have used wifi calling.

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[nickw22000]

Hello Campers

I've had a look through some of the posts on this but more confused by the array of methods. Wondering about internet whilst away. How do you all do it? at the moment I have an 02 sim only with my iphone. I'm a technophobe so can I use my phone data to connect to my lap top? bluetooth? personal hotspot bla bla.....It's all gobbledegook to me. I don't want to go into a phone shop and get sold a crap deal. We'll only be doing the UK this year obviously

 

[Puddleduck]

I only check email once or twice a day when away, and also download books onto the kindle so I use my (basic) phone as a mobile hotspot and tether my laptop / kindle to the hotspot created by the phone. I thought it might be very technical to do but is was simple even for me. There are probably step by step instructions or Youtube videos of every possible make and model of phone that shows you how to do this. BUT some PAYG packages do not allow for mobile hotspots - which is why I changed to a monthly plan (turned out cheaper overall as well).

If people remember using "flash sessions" when the internet was charged by the minute then that is similar to what I do. I tend to delete the garbage and copy and paste into a work processor anything needing an answer. Then I close down the hotspot and disconnect the phone from the network. I can then answer the email using the word processor and reconnect and open up the hotspot again so I can copy and paste replies to each email - not forgetting to disconnect the phone when I'm done.

If I wasn't so mean I could pay for more internet time of course! For £4 a month (iD mobile) I get 150 mins of calls, unlimited texted and ? Mb of data. Not sure of the data as it rolls over and I have 500 Mb at the moment. I think the new deal is £6 or £8 a month and includes unlimited calls. It all depends on how you use your phone and the package. I know my sister used to pay £50 a month and was on her phone constantly due to her job. We had quite a disagreement about it as I thought constantly taking calls and sending emails when visiting people was very rude. If a manager can't have time off then there is something wrong with either to workplace ethic or the manager - but then maybe I am old fashioned.

Some campsites do have internet access as do some libraries and there are public hotspots around as well.

 

[nickw22000]

Hello Campers

I've had a look through some of the posts on this but more confused by the array of methods. Wondering about internet whilst away. How do you all do it? at the moment I have an 02 sim only with my iphone. I'm a technophobe so can I use my phone data to connect to my lap top? bluetooth? personal hotspot bla bla.....It's all gobbledegook to me. I don't want to go into a phone shop and get sold a crap deal. We'll only be doing the UK this year obviously

Loads of answers but I can't see one which responds to your main question which is is how do you connect. On your iPhone, go to settings, the fifth setting down is 'personal hotspot'. Switch it on. On your laptop/tablet or whatever, click on wifi, and you will see a symbol that looks like two interlocking rings and whatever you call your phone - Hogger's iPhone maybe? Click on that, and you'll have to enter the password shown in 'personal hotspot' on your phone. After you've done it once, you won't have to re-enter the password, no-one else can connect to your phone data without your password.

It's worth trying things on your current SIM, because if everything you do is within your data capacity, there's no need to change anything. If you want more data, then you may choose to buy more from O2 or switch to another supplier, many good people on here have offered their recommendations. If it works well for you, job done. If you find that your signal isn't great in your moho, you may choose to install mobile wifi (mifi) which will usually provide a stronger signal and a faster connection due to magic and the external aerial which avoids signal interference from other electrical items in your van. We did exactly that, and can now get wifi on sites where we couldn't when we tethered. Good luck!

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[GeeCee]

Simples: Unlimited data sim for tethering, but signals can be ropey. Download your netflix shows in advance, no signal necessary.

Can you download to a laptop? Whenever I've look at this it's not been possible. It seems Netflix and Amazon only allow you to download to phones and tablets.

 

[MrTVR]

160gb of EE data for £20pm tethered from my phone to iPad & laptop.

Plenty of data to stream Netflix, iPlayer, youtube, etc.

 

[grumpyjock]

Hello Campers

I've had a look through some of the posts on this but more confused by the array of methods. Wondering about internet whilst away. How do you all do it? at the moment I have an 02 sim only with my iphone. I'm a technophobe so can I use my phone data to connect to my lap top? bluetooth? personal hotspot bla bla.....It's all gobbledegook to me. I don't want to go into a phone shop and get sold a crap deal. We'll only be doing the UK this year obviously

That’s what we do and seems to be enough to get us by.
you can go the whole hog, but we like the fact that sometimes you can’t find things and people can’t find you either

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[Blaydon]

Hi Folks,
I have a Vodafone contract (SIM Only) that gives me 100MB Data a month. I work away and use it all day as a hotspot to run my computer - emails, documents, some Youtube and a few other things.
When we are away it in the Motorhome, we use it for emails, site searches the link to the Firestick for TV and internet searches. Always check out whats good in the next town we visit.
I pay £20 a month for the contract which also gives unlimited calls and texts. I get 250MB in Europe too. Not too sure how long that will last but they say it is good at the moment - If only we could go over and use it!

One thing to watch about hotspot - it does use battery on your phone. I have been told you should not use it with the phone plugged in on charge all the time as this kills the battery. let the phone battery run down to about 10% then charge it back up to 90%.
So far we have had no problems. I did buy some long leads for the phones so they can be on charge and still accessible - about £3 on Fleebay.
I hope this helps

 

[hogger]

Simples: Unlimited data sim for tethering, but signals can be ropey. Download your netflix shows in advance, no signal necessary.

how do you do that?

 

[hogger]

Loads of answers but I can't see one which responds to your main question which is is how do you connect. On your iPhone, go to settings, the fifth setting down is 'personal hotspot'. Switch it on. On your laptop/tablet or whatever, click on wifi, and you will see a symbol that looks like two interlocking rings and whatever you call your phone - Hogger's iPhone maybe? Click on that, and you'll have to enter the password shown in 'personal hotspot' on your phone. After you've done it once, you won't have to re-enter the password, no-one else can connect to your phone data without your password.

It's worth trying things on your current SIM, because if everything you do is within your data capacity, there's no need to change anything. If you want more data, then you may choose to buy more from O2 or switch to another supplier, many good people on here have offered their recommendations. If it works well for you, job done. If you find that your signal isn't great in your moho, you may choose to install mobile wifi (mifi) which will usually provide a stronger signal and a faster connection due to magic and the external aerial which avoids signal interference from other electrical items in your van. We did exactly that, and can now get wifi on sites where we couldn't when we tethered. Good luck!

many thanks for the advice. I've been off for a while as I'm into all things chocolate related just now, Me and her indoors are thinking of new phones at the mo and considering 5g but unsure if it's worth it

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[hogger]

Many thanks everyone. I disappeared for a while there as my passion switched to everything chocolate but we're off to Devon and Cornwall at the end of the month so back again!