How the first part panned out
MiFi and 3 +3 GB sim arrived as promised Saturday. Rosie arrived here in France very late Sunday evening but I and didn't open the package until 2 days ago.
Tried lots of different things on the 3 website, half the time it was down or only parts were working, the iPhone 5 release is always given as the cause due to overloading their website.
What a strange society to have this herd like rush to buy a new phone within days of release when most (all?) have a perfectly good working phone.
The instruction with the Huawei E586 are basic, but just about convey enough to get you going. The 3 sim would probably work but was only going to try it when I understood a little more.
Access to parts of the 3 website require that you have a 3 account, but the MiFi device and 3 PAYG sim were bought from a small business so didn't have any form of contract with 3.
Tried to register the sim but found that difficult due to one question on the 3 registration page "enter mobile/device number" which since yesterday has changed to " Mobile Broadband number " . The only device is the Huawei so that was entered but no go. Over the next 24 hours tried many times and received the message that this part of the system wasn't working.
Phone 3 and asked why, iPhone 5 was again the answer, wrong.
The only reason was, if I had looked at the help on the Log In page (but I wasn't registered so didn't pay that page or it's help any attention, I concentrated on the Registration Page and it's help) it reads your device number is on the piece of plastic that the sim card is attached to, encroyable as I had never thought of the protective piece of plastic for the sim as a device before.
Soo, 'device' number and last 6 digits of sim entered and I am registered, all done from France Mel.
Read a little more now about data, and it's exactly as Dubiousp wrote "If its pay as you go it will not work of your normal balance you have to select international top up on your account"
Decided to activate the sim to check my balance, put it in an old basic Nokia (still hadn't looked at how to work the Huawei so thought I would use something I understood) and bingo it all registered automatically with texts to confirm.
Checked my data account balance for the 3 sim and it shows nil, but this was a new 3 GB sim card? Read further and not only can you not use your UK data allowance (on PAYG) out of the UK, but 3 will not allow you to see your UK data account if you are not in the country.
Phoned 3 and told can't use UK data overseas but had to buy 'Abroad' data.
Back to website but can't buy any data, tried many times and got to final page then message that page isn't working. Having now seen this when trying to register I phoned and asked why, yes you are there before me, it's the iPhone 5 launch.
Can you sell me data, no sir but another department can. Very helpful Indian man explained a few things including the iPhone, but sold me the 'abroad' data and then checked through my account why I could register my UK address or buy data, sorry but can't find any reason at all sir but I will register your address and card then you can buy as you want when you log on.
No I can't even now as it appears 3 have restricted a lot of things if you leave British shores.
Checked with my account and sure enough the 'abroad' data is there and waiting.
Although being abroad I can register the 3 UK data sim I can't use it. The 3 month expiry will either run from registration or from first use, don't know. Too weary to phone 3 again and although everyone was polite and tried quite hard to be helpful, very few knew the right answers to my non regular questions.
The 'abroad' data has no expiry by the way.
Put the 3 sim at last into the Huawei and again it registered itself and was operational. Again no problem activating the Huawei while in France.
The 2 WiFi devices we have both recognised the MiFi immediately, laptop logged on 'just like that', the BlackBerry PB a bit more fiddling around but did the same (probably as I don't really know how it works yet.
The MiFi picks up our quite weak local transmitter signal as well if not better than the phones.
3 and Vodafone use the same French partner by the way, at least in this area.
Mel I haven't got as far as buying a non UK sim, but don't anticipate having a problem using any of these devices from here.
Someone who is younger or with a much better IT understanding will have arrived at where I am now much quicker, but apart from 3 UK data being invisible abroad and not being able to pay online for data anyway (I will in future continue to phone 3's 0800 sales number and ask to speak to someone who can sell me some data whenever I am out of the country), the UK supplied sim, MiFi, and tablet all registered and interact easily here.
The end.
MiFi and 3 +3 GB sim arrived as promised Saturday. Rosie arrived here in France very late Sunday evening but I and didn't open the package until 2 days ago.
Tried lots of different things on the 3 website, half the time it was down or only parts were working, the iPhone 5 release is always given as the cause due to overloading their website.
What a strange society to have this herd like rush to buy a new phone within days of release when most (all?) have a perfectly good working phone.
The instruction with the Huawei E586 are basic, but just about convey enough to get you going. The 3 sim would probably work but was only going to try it when I understood a little more.
Access to parts of the 3 website require that you have a 3 account, but the MiFi device and 3 PAYG sim were bought from a small business so didn't have any form of contract with 3.
Tried to register the sim but found that difficult due to one question on the 3 registration page "enter mobile/device number" which since yesterday has changed to " Mobile Broadband number " . The only device is the Huawei so that was entered but no go. Over the next 24 hours tried many times and received the message that this part of the system wasn't working.
Phone 3 and asked why, iPhone 5 was again the answer, wrong.
The only reason was, if I had looked at the help on the Log In page (but I wasn't registered so didn't pay that page or it's help any attention, I concentrated on the Registration Page and it's help) it reads your device number is on the piece of plastic that the sim card is attached to, encroyable as I had never thought of the protective piece of plastic for the sim as a device before.
Soo, 'device' number and last 6 digits of sim entered and I am registered, all done from France Mel.
Read a little more now about data, and it's exactly as Dubiousp wrote "If its pay as you go it will not work of your normal balance you have to select international top up on your account"
Decided to activate the sim to check my balance, put it in an old basic Nokia (still hadn't looked at how to work the Huawei so thought I would use something I understood) and bingo it all registered automatically with texts to confirm.
Checked my data account balance for the 3 sim and it shows nil, but this was a new 3 GB sim card? Read further and not only can you not use your UK data allowance (on PAYG) out of the UK, but 3 will not allow you to see your UK data account if you are not in the country.
Phoned 3 and told can't use UK data overseas but had to buy 'Abroad' data.
Back to website but can't buy any data, tried many times and got to final page then message that page isn't working. Having now seen this when trying to register I phoned and asked why, yes you are there before me, it's the iPhone 5 launch.
Can you sell me data, no sir but another department can. Very helpful Indian man explained a few things including the iPhone, but sold me the 'abroad' data and then checked through my account why I could register my UK address or buy data, sorry but can't find any reason at all sir but I will register your address and card then you can buy as you want when you log on.
No I can't even now as it appears 3 have restricted a lot of things if you leave British shores.
Checked with my account and sure enough the 'abroad' data is there and waiting.
Although being abroad I can register the 3 UK data sim I can't use it. The 3 month expiry will either run from registration or from first use, don't know. Too weary to phone 3 again and although everyone was polite and tried quite hard to be helpful, very few knew the right answers to my non regular questions.
The 'abroad' data has no expiry by the way.
Put the 3 sim at last into the Huawei and again it registered itself and was operational. Again no problem activating the Huawei while in France.
The 2 WiFi devices we have both recognised the MiFi immediately, laptop logged on 'just like that', the BlackBerry PB a bit more fiddling around but did the same (probably as I don't really know how it works yet.
The MiFi picks up our quite weak local transmitter signal as well if not better than the phones.
3 and Vodafone use the same French partner by the way, at least in this area.
Mel I haven't got as far as buying a non UK sim, but don't anticipate having a problem using any of these devices from here.
Someone who is younger or with a much better IT understanding will have arrived at where I am now much quicker, but apart from 3 UK data being invisible abroad and not being able to pay online for data anyway (I will in future continue to phone 3's 0800 sales number and ask to speak to someone who can sell me some data whenever I am out of the country), the UK supplied sim, MiFi, and tablet all registered and interact easily here.
The end.
