Basil Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 Only available until 31st July In case anyone is looking for mobile internet access 3G have a black dongle on offer with 5Gb per month allowance for £7.50 see http://threestore.three.co.uk/dealsummary.aspx?LID=2x23125972&offercode=18M5ECD005 seems a reasonable deal fo anyone looking for this type of thing. Bas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnsandywhite Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 Basil - 2008-07-22 12:18 PM seems a reasonable deal fo anyone looking for this type of thing. Bas :-S Reasonable? I would say it was the deal of the century. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
libby Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 Does this mean then that I can dispence with all land line connections by using only a mobile ? LB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnsandywhite Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 libby - 2008-07-22 1:15 PM Does this mean then that I can dispence with all land line connections by using only a mobile ? LB B-) YES. I converted our son and daughter last year over to 3. They love it and have NEVER gone over the 3GB allowance. Now 5GB for half the price. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bootbags Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 johnsandywhite - 2008-07-22 12:26 PM Basil - 2008-07-22 12:18 PM seems a reasonable deal fo anyone looking for this type of thing. Bas :-S Reasonable? I would say it was the deal of the century. ;-) As you seem such a knowledgable chap, please explain what a dongle is. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordThornber Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 A Dongle is a small plastic item which contains a pre fitted SIM card. It has a wire on it which plugs into your PC via a USB port . You don't connect through a mobile phone or anything else, it picks up the network you have bought into, in this case 3. I've tried one, (not on 3), and it was excellent. I've just done some digging and John is right to say Deal Of The Century, there's nothing gets remotely close. I have never used 3 though so I can't recommend their service levels, signal drops etc. Martyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basil Posted July 22, 2008 Author Share Posted July 22, 2008 libby - 2008-07-22 1:15 PM Does this mean then that I can dispence with all land line connections by using only a mobile ? LB Hi, as has already been said you don't use a mobile. The dongle, in this case a stick like a USB memory drive of old with no wire at all if you look at the link you will see, plugs directly into a USB port on your computer (laptop or desktop) and allows you to connect wirelessly over the mobile network in this case using 3G third generation mobile network. This, theoretically, allows you to gain access anywhere there is a mobile phone signal available. The reason I say theoretically is that as with all mobile solutions, as you will no doubt know with phones, the quality will depend on the strength of the signal. In the case of this dongle it will automatically switch between the latest 'High Speed' data network and the standard GPRS network as and when it is available so the speed is variable. Now to answer your question, yes you could dispence with your fixed landline connection without using a mobile phone as a modem, IF you are in a good reception area however the Broadband speed will depend on the available signal. A friend using this finds the speed better than his fixed line as he is only able to achieve 1Meg on his fixed line but in my case I would find it slower as I regularly achieve 7Meg on my line (those on Virgin optical may achieve up to 20Meg). So you can see that it depends on your own circumstances but for sure if you want mobile Internet and E-mail access without the need for WiFi connection this is an extremely good deal. Remember some sites are charging £6 per hour of use on WiFi, so £7.50 for 5meg (i.e. related to what you download not time) on an independant system is quite good IMO! Bas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnsandywhite Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 http://threestore.three.co.uk/images/mixnmatch/BUILDER_Huawei_160_bla.gif Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sailor girl Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 But don't try to use it abroad - it will ratchet up a small fortune. Vodafone are still the only ones worth looking at for foreign travel IMHO liz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Usinmyknaus Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 You're right there Liz. My 3 dongle is fine in the UK but if I had used it in France last month I would have been charged £30 per megabyte (!) Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basil Posted July 22, 2008 Author Share Posted July 22, 2008 Usinmyknaus - 2008-07-22 4:20 PM France last month I would have been charged £30 per megabyte (!) Bob Not sure where you get that figure as the roaming charge in France for data is £3 per meg according to their website. See http://www.three.co.uk/personal/help_support_/abroad_/pay_monthly_country_details.omp?cid=31444 It's FREE in Italy subject to your agreed allowance (i.e 5Meg). See here to check other areas http://www.three.co.uk/personal/products_services_/mobile_broadband_/gotaquestion.omp By the way I have no connection at all with this offer I spotted it and just thought it was good value comparitively speaking as most are charging £15 or more for 3Meg. My internet phone is on the Vodaphone network and it costs the same abroad i.e. £3/meg for Data roaming. Also they charge £25 /month for 5meg and £15/month for 3meg plus they charge for the Dongle, so you pays your money and takes your choice. I'm tempted with this offer even with my 12 month to run Vodaphone account still active!! Bas Delete P.S. as I need to read further before comment. P.P.S. Well I have read and it seems to me that it will cost you £4.99 /meg on Vodaphone but £9.99 in some selected countries. See http://www.abroad.vodafone.co.uk/index.cfm?do=cost.data&me=a1&nu=1&le=1&sn=s10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyishuk Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 Slightly O/T but can you use Skype on this type of connection ? Rgds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandyatketton Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 I got one (3meg) a few weeks ago through a Quidco link. Not only 7.50 a month but also 13 pounds cash "earnings" from Quidco. Good deal. Sandy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 Just a word of warning. I converted to the '3' network for mobile broadband a few months ago, along with ditching our landline telephones as well, so we are totally 'mobile' now. Since then I have found that the speed can be very slow at times, yes, sometimes it can be good, but a good chunk of the time it can be atrocious. It took me 10 minutes just now to send a short email to someone as it kept dropping the connection or the server not responding due to the lack of a good signal! The mobile broadband is being rolled out quite extensively so there are more and more people now trying to access the service and this in turn reduces the speed of the connection. I still think it's good especially for us where we don't have a choice of land based broadband as we are in the only place in the UK that has a 'local' telephone system (ie NOT BT!!!!), but think carefully before changing and make sure you can have a good play with it in the shop before you purchase. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fred grant Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 alice daren't think what fred would be like without his dongle, my biddies!! f Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Usinmyknaus Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 Thanks for the info Bas. I am not the least bit techhie when it comes to IT - my mobile phone is 8 years old and I still don't know how to bring up the number when asked! I was told that because the way the dongle/laptop operates data would be both sent and received automatically and I would be charged for both elements. All the irritating advertising etc on any web pages viewed would add large amounts of data, especially the unwanted pictures, pop ups etc and that I could easily rack up a bill of £30 for a short session to check weather, share prices, route info etc when abroad. I took that on trust as I know no different. I understand "PC Pro" magazine reviewed all the main dongles for the August edition and their advice when going abroad is to leave ALL of them at home "unless you have recently robbed Barclays". Of mobile broadband PC Pro said "For now mobile broadband is a great accompaniment to your home broadband connection - tomorrow it could be a replacement." The brilliant UK deal you spotted is half the price of the PC Pro reviewer's table entry for the 3 service so it looks like a no-brainer for anyone wanting to use it in the UK. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david lloyd Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 tonyishuk - 2008-07-22 5:56 PM Slightly O/T but can you use Skype on this type of connection ? Rgds Using the link that Basil supplied in the first post it says that it is possible to use skype on this service. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basil Posted July 23, 2008 Author Share Posted July 23, 2008 Usinmyknaus - 2008-07-23 8:26 AM ........ All the irritating advertising etc on any web pages viewed would add large amounts of data, especially the unwanted pictures, pop ups etc and that I could easily rack up a bill of £30 for a short session to check weather, share prices, route info etc when abroad. I took that on trust as I know no different. Of mobile broadband PC Pro said "For now mobile broadband is a great accompaniment to your home broadband connection - tomorrow it could be a replacement." The brilliant UK deal you spotted is half the price of the PC Pro reviewer's table entry for the 3 service so it looks like a no-brainer for anyone wanting to use it in the UK. Bob Thanks Bob for recognising my post for what it was, passing on information to anyone who was interested. With regard to your comments. All I can say is you can set your Laptop to 'Not download pictures' which reduces the amount of the download considerably, you can also stop 'Animated' information which further reduces the downloaded data. For my own part I would/ do only use this type of connection as a mobile solution NOT for my main BBand connection as I like the ability to be able to access my e-mails and post on 'worthy' forums whilst I am away without having to search for WiFi connections. I have done that in the past and whilst it is workable there is nothing like being able to stop up anywhere, even on an Aire in France and be able to e-mail home. Not suggesting that mobile International Roaming is cheap but if you take care how you use it it is not expensive for the convenience either. However with this deal all your UK use up to 5Mb is £7.50 per month and International at £3 per Mb, now I still believe that is a good deal in the current climate, that is not to say that something better may well be round the corner but that is something you will need to consider as it is an 18 month contract. At the end of the day you are commiting to £135 over the 18months and that to me is expendable if a better deal came along. Many pay that out for a new mobile phone if they are PAYG, I certainly know someone who regularly changes theirs every year. Some don't think twice about changing their van after 18months to 2years and that costs thousands! ATEOTD as I said earlier this seems to me to be a good deal for anyone who is in the market for one of these devices, if you are not I'm not trying to make a case for one, or selling them I just happened to pick up on this deal. YPYMATYC. Bas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basil Posted July 25, 2008 Author Share Posted July 25, 2008 Bump to top for AnnPaul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SAS Posted July 26, 2008 Share Posted July 26, 2008 Yes £7.50 a month is a really great deal, but I`ve just got a new mobile phone contract with O2 (sim only) for £25 a month which gives me 600 minutes, 1000 texts and a free bolt-on of unlimited internet browsing. The internet browsing is excellent if you download the Opera browser to your mobile. Mine is the 4.1 version on my Nokia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rupert123 Posted July 26, 2008 Share Posted July 26, 2008 Basil - 2008-07-22 12:18 PM Only available until 31st July In case anyone is looking for mobile internet access 3G have a black dongle on offer with 5Gb per month allowance for £7.50 see http://threestore.three.co.uk/dealsummary.aspx?LID=2x23125972&offercode=18M5ECD005 seems a reasonable deal fo anyone looking for this type of thing. Bas Thanks for this Basil, got mine today. Although i am keeping my broadband connection at home this will be of great use when touring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basil Posted July 31, 2008 Author Share Posted July 31, 2008 Just to remind, this is the last day for this special offer. If you are still not sure I have also only just realised you get 14 days to return it if you are not happy with it. Bas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted July 31, 2008 Share Posted July 31, 2008 Hi Basil Just want to say thanks for bringing this to our attention, too late for me as I'd already signed up to the 3 dongle a few months ago, but I told my brother and he's signed up for one. He's never had internet at home before so this should be interesting! It will be especially useful for him to use it to make Skype calls to New Zealand to his daughter ... should more than pay for itself. One question though ... how the heck did you find it in the first place? If you go to the 3 website it isn't under the normal broadband pages, the online shop or in the offers etc bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basil Posted July 31, 2008 Author Share Posted July 31, 2008 Hi Mel, I hope it works out for him it does look a good offer if it does what it is said. Finding it was a bit odd really as I had 'Favourited' a page from Quidco that had a similar offer, but with a different dongle, that ran out about a month ago and was just deleting some out of date Favourites and just out of habit I was trying them first before deleting and that came up instead. Not sure why as the last time I tried it had said offer finished, I can only think that their web manager uses the same links for different offers from time to time. I am keeping the link and checking from time to time in case anything else goes on it!! So it was pure fluke, thats why I said I came across it when I origionally posted. Bas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordonaldson Posted August 1, 2008 Share Posted August 1, 2008 Dear Gals and Guys, Ahhhhh have I missed something here, ah yes, no, checked out you internet address oh so helpfully printed for us to make contact. Yip, 3G, 5GB, expiriory date 31st August. Hoooooray. Thanks you wonderfull guy and happy motorhoming. Gordon.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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