Telecommunications across the Channel

[RogerGW]

I'm off on a three-month tour of northern Europe in a fortnight. Most of the time I'll be in Scandinavia & Finland.

 

I would like to stay in touch with family, friends and business while there but without incurring the kind of costs I know await the unwary.

 

I will be using my laptop computer, which I need for work and for photo editing. (Relying on a mobe or a netbook wouldn't be feasible.)

 

Internet connection for the computer is presently through either of two dongles, one from Orange and the other from 3. Both are on pay-monthly contracts which don't expire until well after my return.

 

My main mobile is a BlackBerry on a pay-monthly contract with Orange. I also have a couple of unlocked Nokia phones, with PAYG SIMs from O2 and T-Mobile respectively.

 

I'd be glad of ideas on affordable Internet and mobile phone tactics.

 

TIA,

 

Roger

[Guest JudgeMental]

we just returned form being stuck in Thailand for a month......My son was likewise stranded in Trinidad & Tobago, and my daughter is travelling through S/E Asia on a gap year trip currently in Bali.

 

No problem with com's as we all have blackberry's. BBM is IMO the most fantastic way of communication. instant messaging and pictures.....brilliant

 

there is also email and Skype. my daughter uses Skype (calls not video) on her wi fi enabled I Pod, as long as she can get wi fi.....God Bless Mc Donald's for something!

 

when I was her age and went travelling for 4 months my folks received 3 letters and a couple of post cards......

 

you need to get a package from your provider to use BBM and data abroad...£15 a month with T Mobile.

[Brian Kirby]

Text is generally cheapest for simple communications, and works wherever a phone signal is available.

WiFi at free hotspots allows internet access, and from that, it seems most UK broadband providers' mailboxes can be remotely accessed.

Failing access to your "home" mailbox, hotmail or similar internet mail accounts will allow access via WiFi or internet cafés.

[RogerGW]

Thanks, both.

 

Wifi courtesy of Macdonald's seems the thing for email, Web browsing and Skype from the laptop. Fortunately, I've got Web access to my own domain email. I've also got Google and Yahoo mail, so sending wouldn't be a problem.

 

I've had a look at the Orange travel bundle, which offers calls to the UK at 28p a minute. Is that competitive, do you think?

 

I'll have to check with them the cost of texting and of getting and sending Googlemail on the BB.

 

Regards,

 

Roger

[Guest JudgeMental]

Be aware the your dongles if used in Europe can be prohibitively expensive!*-)

 

check roaming rates with suppliers, and then don't take info verbally over the phone!

 

most buy a dedicated euro dongle for this purpose ...

[RogerGW]

Be aware the your dongles if used in Europe can be prohibitively expensive!*-)

 

Thanks. I shall refrain from dongling while abroad.

 

Roger

[RogerGW]

I've been putting to use the good advice I've been given here and elswhere. I have a Fonera+ on order (see http://tinyurl.com/ambmah ), which I'll install at a friend's house. This week I'll get an Alfa-type connector (see http://tinyurl.com/3yw4mxz ), plus an aerial on a magnetic base I can put outside, for better WiFi connection.

 

While searching for relevant bits, I came across something called Bzeek (http://www.bzeek.com ), which might be useful to other forum members. This is free software that lets you turn your laptop (or other device) into a WiFi hotspot. The value of this to me is that I can connect to it with my BlackBerry in WiFi mode to do free surfing and mailing on it (as well as on the laptop, of course).

 

It's rather pointless at the moment, as the laptop is working off data from a 3G dongle. Over the Channel, though, I'm hoping the underlying channel will be either MacFi or Fon or similar. That'll cut some of my BB costs. Shame they don't do Skype for my model of it (8900).

 

Regards,

 

Roger

[malc d]

When in Norway a few years ago we found that there was free internet use in public libraries.

When 'abroad' we have always got by using text messages plus the occasional use of internet cafes.

Very cost effective.

Just depends how much communicating you need to do.

 

Sounds like a great journey anyway - have a good trip !

 

 

 

 

 

[RogP]

McDonalds , Starbucks and Apple Stores all have free WiFi

 

worth checking the places you plan to visit to see if any of these establishments are local to where you are going.

 

However word of caution , these 'free' hotspots do get targetted by hackers so make sure you have the relevant security measures in place.

 

(FYI The Gadget show did a feature on hacking at Hotspots might be worth taking a read of their website).

[RogerGW]

Thanks for the tips, gents.

 

Regards,

 

Roger

[Peter Highe]

Hi

 

You don't say if you are staying on campsites, but if you are, most sites in Northern Europe have good WiFi and we have invested in a booster on a long USB cable (to gain height). This is often free but usually cheap and is a much better signal, and cheaper than our Alden satellite internet system and is certainly cheaper than international roaming charges on a dongle.

 

We also have Skype, including Skype Out for phoning ordinary phones throughout Europe and this currently costs £32 a year for unlimited (audio and video) calls, and though I think the charges are changing, this is going to remain the cheapest way of making phone calls when online.

 

Peter

[RogerGW]

Thanks for the suggestion, Peter. I can't tell yet how I'll play it but expect I'll be doing a mixture of sites, aires and 'wild' camping.

 

Since my last posting, I've done some online shopping with Wifi-Antennas (http://www.wifi-antennas.co.uk/ ), part of Allendale Electronics. They're sending me a package of wifi adapter ( http://tinyurl.com/35st8kj ), separate 9dBi aerial, extra cable and magnetic base (so I can put the aerial on the roof)

 

Yep, SkypeOut is very useful. Been a subscriber for years.

 

Cheers,

 

Roger