Keith T Posted February 3, 2008 Share Posted February 3, 2008 Hi, as we're currently 'in between' homes, I have no landline and as NTL are discontinuing the service following the takeover by Virgin, spotted an ad for mobile internet...... I'm sure most of you are aware of it, but it is simply a modem which connects into the USB port onthe computer. Having looked arouand at the offers from various suppliers i went for Three (3) network, which gives me 1gb (about 30 hrs) per month so they quote, for £10 per month subscription based on 24 months contract, no charge for the modem. (Other shops liake carphone warehouse and Phones 4U charge for teh modem!) It can be increased to £15 which triples the time/downloaded amount per month. Other suppliers have their own pricing but this seemed the best, and so far the signal and speed is excellent. Much more convenient and far cheaper than the £6 per mour over 24 hrs from theCaravan Club!Would be interesetd in other contributors expereinces on this syetem, and I may in fact keep it current even when I get back to a landline for the broadband connection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basil Posted February 3, 2008 Share Posted February 3, 2008 Hi Keith, I was looking at these myself but as the roaming costs are high abroad, where it does work and it does not work in most of Europe, it is a no no for me I like the idea though and will continue to watch it in the hope that it might become of use to me. It would be useful at those times when a 'hotspot' was not available, I am also considering the Datawind Pocketsurfer 2 whose conectivity should be over a wider range but I have issues with those as well. You compare the costs to CC WiFi, but remember anyone with a BT Broadband gets free access to these via their BT Openworld account as well as any other Openworld or partner 'hotspots' including those abroad so your observed cost comparison is not that good for everyone, in fact for anyone in my position it is far worse. Bas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyishuk Posted February 3, 2008 Share Posted February 3, 2008 If you subscribe to BT Broadband you can use the BT Fon, never tried it, others may have. http://www.btfon.com/ rgds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basil Posted February 3, 2008 Share Posted February 3, 2008 tonyishuk - 2008-02-03 8:54 PM If you subscribe to BT Broadband you can use the BT Fon, never tried it, others may have. http://www.btfon.com/ rgds You also have to subscribe to Fon, free with BT, however just IMO I believe you need to consider very carefully before allowing all and sundry access to your Broadband even on this basis. Bas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ventoux Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 Basil - 2008-02-03 6:02 PM but remember anyone with a BT Broadband gets free access to these via their BT Openworld account as well as any other Openworld or partner 'hotspots' including those abroad Bas This sounds interesting Basil, what is the coverage in France like? Could I pay the BT £10 per month BB here and pick up 'partner hotspots' in France? Is there an internet link with info on this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basil Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 Ventoux - 2008-02-05 8:40 PM This sounds interesting Basil, what is the coverage in France like? Could I pay the BT £10 per month BB here and pick up 'partner hotspots' in France? Is there an internet link with info on this? Hi Ventoux, Not sure what the BT £10 per month is, so far as I know Option 1 Broadband is their cheapest option and is £8.95 per month for the first 6 months then rising to £17.99 for the remainder of the contract. This minimum option includes the free 250mins use per month and yes you can use the partner hotspots in France, we use this all the time allowing free phone calls home with Skype. Details on Home BT site www.bt.com Bas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ventoux Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 Yeah its the £8.95 Basil. I looked at their site but can't view foreign hotspots without downloading I.E.5 ... This laptop is only a year old :-S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted February 7, 2008 Share Posted February 7, 2008 Ventoux - 2008-02-06 10:53 PM Yeah its the £8.95 Basil. I looked at their site but can't view foreign hotspots without downloading I.E.5 ... This laptop is only a year old :-S If by I.E.5, you mean Internet Explorer, I assume you must be on I.E.4? If correct, are you sure of the age of you laptop? The current version of I.E. is 7, which I have been using for around a year and was MS copyrighted in 2006. Even if you only bought the laptop a year ago, it seems it may have been on someone's shelf for quite a while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tracker Posted February 7, 2008 Share Posted February 7, 2008 If your version of IE is genuine and not a pirate copy you might be able to go onto MS's website and download the latest version for free. You can also update windows and any other MS software at the same time. Costs nothing to find out? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ventoux Posted February 7, 2008 Share Posted February 7, 2008 It was a bit late when I posted that last night. :'( Yes I have I.E.7 on this laptop. Just re-visited the FON map pages and realise the pop up window said 'Fon maps run best with I.E.7 - Download here'. I was assuming because the pop-up appeared I didnt have it :-S Anyway the deal looks interesting. Searched 'Nice - France' and there's loads of hotspots :D However, I found last year that 90% of 'Hotspots' notified by Tourism Offices did not work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia Posted February 8, 2008 Share Posted February 8, 2008 I am soon to move where I will not be able to have a landline so I started to investigate USB modems some time ago. 3G seemed a good idea but I live in an area where 3G masts are in short supply and they told me that their modem will only work at broadband speeds. However, I found T-Mobile "Web 'n Walk" which will work at dial-up speeds if 3G network speeds are not available. I was without broadband for some time at home and used this system quite successfully even though I am not supposed to be able to get any kind of signal where I live! Sometimes I even managed to obtain broadband speeds. I have also used it successfully when travelling while parked in motorway service areas and on most campsites. The contract is for 24 months at £20 a month, the modem was free and there is no usage limit (although they charge for text messages). To send emails it is necessary to log on to the web. I have not tried it abroad yet though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basil Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 Ventoux - 2008-02-07 8:16 PM Anyway the deal looks interesting. Searched 'Nice - France' and there's loads of hotspots :D However, I found last year that 90% of 'Hotspots' notified by Tourism Offices did not work. We use it extensively in France and Germany and find we are able to find 'hotspots' in most places we wanted them and that the list on BT Openworld is accurate. A change we noticed last year however was that where there were many 'open' connections, that I personaly would not use due to the illegalities involved, the majority now appear to be security locked so I don't know if the French have had a 'heads up' and become more aware of the dangers of leaving unsecure connections, but it makes it easier to select the genuine ones. Bas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.