benandbarbara Posted March 11, 2010 Share Posted March 11, 2010 we are planning a two month trip to Europe this summer, and I plan to buy a laptop to keep in touch, I think that I want a laptop and not a netbook as I can also use it at home for other uses. But I thought that I would also get a pay as you go 3G dongle to connect to the internet, but I have been told that it works out to be very very expensive in Europe, has anyone any experience of this? your help is appreciated. Many thanks Barbara :-S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teflon2 Posted March 11, 2010 Share Posted March 11, 2010 Not realy my area of knowledge but I suggest you contact berti's winter trip on motorhome matters as he seems to be able to connect to the internet constantly (mcDs) seem to be his favorite. John 8-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted March 11, 2010 Share Posted March 11, 2010 Hi Barbara - welcome to the mad house. :-D This has been discussede many times on here but the search facility is 'temperamental' to say the least! Basically, the use of any dongle of any sort abroad will be very, very expensive. By far the best way to get connected abroad is to either: 1) Visit your local McDonalds outlet and buy yourself a cup of coffee (or a burger if you are partial to them! :$ ) and take advantage of their free wifi connection. 2) Scan using a wifi 'sniffer' programme (there are free ones on the internet you can download), which will 'sniff' out wifi signals where you are and if you're lucky you might find one that is not protected and/or public and free to use. 3) Use an internet cafe, or a library where you may have to pay a small fee to access the internet on their equipment. For your laptop, try to keep it lightweight, and make sure you have a good battery life as some don't last long at all. We've just sold our laptop as it only had an hour's battery life (3 years old) and bought a netbook with at least a 7 hour battery life. As you can make use of a laptop for other purposes, then make sure that what you get suits your needs and don't just buy what the salesman wants to sell you. You can, of course, utilise your laptop to watch DVDs and TV (with a suitable TV dongle). As for dongles themselves, if you want one to use in the UK occasionally, see if you can get hold of one of the old model Vodaphone ones as the credit on those doesn't expire at the end of 30 days like the new model's credit does. I can't remember the model number but someone on here will tell you. :-S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike88 Posted March 11, 2010 Share Posted March 11, 2010 I use a laptop abroad but am seriously thinking of getting a Netbook. They are lighter, more portable, easier to hide and generally better for carrying around. Many of the sites we have stayed on do not have WIFI reachable from the pitch meaning that you often have to take your laptop to a place on the site where WIFI can be received. A 10" screen would be fine. Battery life is also important when on the move and those Netbooks with 7 hrs + would be an absolute bonus. On my laptop I seem to be able to get around 2 to 3 hrs max which is a problem. I think I've talked myself into buying one - a Samsung I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 benandbarbara - 2010-03-11 8:15 PM we are planning a two month trip to Europe this summer, and I plan to buy a laptop to keep in touch, I think that I want a laptop and not a netbook as I can also use it at home for other uses. But I thought that I would also get a pay as you go 3G dongle to connect to the internet, but I have been told that it works out to be very very expensive in Europe, has anyone any experience of this? your help is appreciated. Many thanks Barbara :-S Unless you want to write essays, the simplest and cheapest - free WiFi apart - is to use text on a mobile phone. It also has the advantage that you can use it anywhere there is a phone signal, which is pretty much everywhere these days. Then, when you get a WiFi connection, you can indulge in the more lengthy messages. Most providers seem to allow remote access to your regular mailbox via their website on a secure (or at least, password protected) connection, so although you won't use your normal e-mail programme, you can pick up and clean up what is accumulating on your normal, home, mail connection as though you were at home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SAS Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 I agree with Brian. Do you actually need a laptop or notebook as well as a mobile phone? I have a Nokia 7390 that I have downloaded the Opera Mini browser onto http://www.opera.com/mini/ and I can do most things on my phone that I can on my laptop. Read my emails, ask and answer questions on my favourite forums, read the news, etc. Opera will format everything with the option of either portrait or landscape view and it will look and perform same as your laptop. I am a Top Contributer on a certain forum and have never felt the need to take my pc with me. I can go on Msn or Facebook through Nimbuzz, view Google maps, play games...you can do a lot of things with your mobile phone and its always `wireless` and easy to charge. I have an o2 simplicity sim on a rolling month to month contract that I am not tied to for a particular length of time and it costs me £20 a month with 1000 texts, 600 minutes and unlimited internet browsing. My husband has an iphone and of course that`s the dogs n*ts with all the apps you can download onto it. If you have wifi on your phone then the best way to conect abroad is through a hotspot like McDonalds or an unsecured connection if you want to keeps the cost down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klyne Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 I have taken my laptop to Europe for some years now. My current one has a 17inch screen which is a bit bulky and I may in time go back to a smaller one but not a netbook as they are two small for me. I do a lot of photo editing whilst away, for just internet a netbook might be fine. As to connecting to the internet whilst you are away I usually find that WiFi is the best and cheapest option and sometime free. It will also depend whether you stay on campsites as they often tend to have WiFi now. It would be lovely if we could use the mobile broadband in Europe but it is very expensive, especially if using roaming. I have a contract Vodafone dongle and to give you some idea of costs they charge £10 a day with a 50mb download allowance. That is pretty expensive. Some Networks charge £1.50 a MB which is even more expensive. With Vodafone you can connect your laptop via a suitable mobile phone as a modem and the Vodafone charge for that is £5 a day for 25MB download allowance. Buying mobile broadband in Europe is no where near as good value as it is in the UK so might not be as worth while option especially if you are visiting several countries. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derek500 Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 It depends where in Europe you're going. I bought a 3 dongle and unlocked it for free. (google will help). In Spain I put a Simyo PAYG sim card in and in Germany an Aldi one. I'm still looking for a cheap PAYG card option for France. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Decorator Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 Barb When using a Dongle and to save air time, I always copy the messages to, say Microsoft Office and then do all the replies and paste them back onto the Dongle again. Admittedly this is only in the UK, the model No is K3565 it’s an older version which has no cut-off time limit as long as its used every two months or so. Jon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
worky Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 hi Barbara and anybody else who may be interested. If you're looking for a bargain 3g simcard these may be of interest http://www.ebuyermobile.com/free-3-sim-card/ I contacted the company selling them and was told there's no time limit on them so have ordered a couple myself and at £2.50 each with £10 airtime on I thought they were worth a punt Clyde Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkc Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 Just a thought on the email topic, I bought an Ipod Touch in January. and find it a really brilliant piece of kit, it does a lot of the things a netbook does, i.e connects to the web, stores photos , music. You can get small "Apps" to connect to things like Ebay Facebook, at a touch. It is very convenient to use at most of the hotspots you find while touring as you do not need to take the van to the wireless point to pick up your emails, weather forecasts, etc, and it is free to use after the initial purchase. Not the complete answer, the small keyboard is a challenge for large fingers but I'm over the moon with mine, and find it a real boon here in Spain, and it should be even more useful travelling back through France. Regards PKC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madmaggott Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 Just a thought for those of you who have said that they intend to buy a new lappie with longer battery life. If this is your only reason for buying a new one you could just buy a new battery with longer life instead. I believe you can just take out the old battery and put the new one on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GJH Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 Madmaggott - 2010-03-12 1:27 PM Just a thought for those of you who have said that they intend to buy a new lappie with longer battery life. If this is your only reason for buying a new one you could just buy a new battery with longer life instead. I believe you can just take out the old battery and put the new one on. Possibly depends on the model of machine. It certainly applies to netbooks. The original battery that came with ours only lasts a couple of hours but I bought an extra one which lasts 6 hours. Graham Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randonneur Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 derek500 - 2010-03-12 10:57 AM It depends where in Europe you're going. I bought a 3 dongle and unlocked it for free. (google will help). In Spain I put a Simyo PAYG sim card in and in Germany an Aldi one. I'm still looking for a cheap PAYG card option for France. I have an Orange France Sim PayGo that I didn't need when I bought a new phone. Unfortunately that was August 09 and I have just tried it in my old phone and it says Invalid Sim. If you want to try to get it re-instated then email your address and I will post it to you. Normaly if you haven't used the Sim after 6 months then that is when it is invalid. E.LeClerc do their own Sim that doesn't lose its credit I believe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyishuk Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 Has anyone used / played with/ an external wifi aerial ? There was a marine aerial advertised in MMM for about £75, which I thought was not overly expensive considering the price of a USB dongle and 4 metres of dongle cable purchased seperately. rgds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazza454 Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 Madmaggott - 2010-03-12 1:27 PM Just a thought for those of you who have said that they intend to buy a new lappie with longer battery life. If this is your only reason for buying a new one you could just buy a new battery with longer life instead. I believe you can just take out the old battery and put the new one on.You can replace the battery on any laptop or netbook, equally you can use them direct from the mains without the battery inserted.A good site that I have used for replacement batteries is - http://www.global-laptop-batteries.co.uk/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 The ebuyer sim sounds like the one that's for free on the Three website: https://www.three.co.uk/Pay_As_You_Go/SIM_Only/Free_SIM/Fill_in_your_details Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
worky Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 but you don't get it loaded with £10 of airtime for £2.50 Clyde Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 Ah, but it does say you get £10 credit if you keep your number ... which is what I would think most people would want to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
worky Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 Does keeping your number really matter if you're only going to be using it in a dongle as a means to getting internet access ? Clyde Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 Doesn't really matter, but some people just like the same number, if it means you get the £10 credit then why not? It still saves £2.50! That could buy a couple of very nice sticky buns, or bar of chocolate ... or bag of chips and scraps and mushy peas ..... oooooooo ... I'm hungry now. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benandbarbara Posted March 19, 2010 Author Share Posted March 19, 2010 Thank you everyone for all of this helpful stuff!! I like the idea of a dongle and PAYG sim in each country, so thanks again. Happy Motorhoming!!! (lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rod_vw Posted March 19, 2010 Share Posted March 19, 2010 One extra useful little item that I have loaded on my Laptop running Windows 7 is 'Vistumbler'. Vistumbler is a program that will find wireless access points within range of your wi-fi receiver and show their encryption status etc. Vistumbler is available from http://www.vistumbler.net Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kontiki Posted March 19, 2010 Share Posted March 19, 2010 At the moment Portugal seems the easiest place to find free wifi, it is often in shopping centres, libraries & tourist information offices. I am currently at the aire at Batahala & picking up wifi from the tourist info office. :-D Have managed to find somewhere almost everywhere I tried. Another option is the Fon setup, you buy the router (unless your with BT) then you leave it on to allow others access to your connection & in turn you can use a Fon conection anywhere around the world. The router costs about 30 quid but it's a one off payment. I have used the daughters BT login to access the web through the Fon service, so it does work. Many places I look for internet I can see connections available through them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnP Posted March 19, 2010 Share Posted March 19, 2010 If you have a laptop it is easier to hide if it is covered with a protective skin. When stored in a bulky carrying case it is big and obvious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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