# Mobile internet



## PaulC (Nov 8, 2008)

Hi

I've just bought a "3' mobile PAYG "dongle" for connection to the internet. It works like a treat, just plug in to a spare USB2 socket and as long as you have credit and a signal the WWW is yours. I found the 1GB for 10 pounds is more than enough.


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## Deleted member 207 (Nov 8, 2008)

Our daughter in Rome lashed out on a 3 dongle, not fully understanding the Italian fine print in the contract. She then started Skypeing (is there such a word) us with video and voice calls (all free haha) - about 300 Euros later she realised that going over the 1gB limit is just too easy.

But it was great while it lasted.

She's back to hunting free wireless networks again!!

She told us that she learnt the hard way with emails as well - always use webmail to look at your inbox before reading the email, people can send videos or pictures in an email that chew up 1gB very quickly. With webmail you can delete an email without reading it, using Outlook Express and the likes usually downloads the email straight to your hard drive and ruins your limit very quickly.


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## PaulC (Nov 8, 2008)

Yes videos do eat up the credit pretty damn quick and "youtube" downloads the video staight away!! But if you go PAYG then you will not go OTT and roaming abroad can run quite expesive,


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## Deleted member 775 (Nov 8, 2008)

quite right *****  computers, tvs, dvds, satellite systems!!!! when we go off in the van its to enjoy some free time away from away from everyday life. too many things to do we have a tv in the van but never really use it, but cannot do without our compendium of games oh!! and a pack of cards


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## PaulC (Nov 9, 2008)

Hey I'm a very light user and I've just checked my usage and I've just used 200Mb out of 1Gb and I'm half way through my time limit.


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## carol25singer (Nov 9, 2008)

The other good thing about the PAYG 3 dongle is that when you're not using it i.e. you're not away from home you don't have to put credit on it.  Thanks for the tip about checking your Emails abroad - I've been trying to find a map of Macdonalds in Portugal but no luck so far - only so I can go on line for free!  Or it could be to have a McFlurry!


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## PaulC (Nov 9, 2008)

*FAO Roger*

I thought Skype to Skype was free! Or was she skyping via another method?


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## salopian (Nov 10, 2008)

*dongles !*

hi there everybody from a new member ! i only have a lap top that i use all the time from my MH. it is an "orange" dongle that costs £15 per month for unlimited use. do not use abroad as the roaming costs are prohibitive ! i use orbiter camp sites in portugal and they generally have WI>FI on all their sites.


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## carol25singer (Nov 10, 2008)

Am I right in thinking that Skype to Skype is free but you have to be online to use Skype, so that abroad it can still be expensive - Orbitur sites for us, we're waiting for our Orbitur Card.


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## urbtaf (Nov 11, 2008)

salopian said:


> hi there everybody from a new member ! i only have a lap top that i use all the time from my MH. it is an "orange" dongle that costs £15 per month for unlimited use. do not use abroad as the roaming costs are prohibitive ! i use orbiter camp sites in portugal and they generally have WI>FI on all their sites.



Is it compleatly free, apart from the £15, we are going to have to work when on the road and are struggling to find a system without hidden nasty charges


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## carol25singer (Nov 11, 2008)

The Pay as You Go 3 dongle that I have cost £40 and then you top it up with £10 credit which I think lasts 1Gb or 30 days, I've not ran out of GB it's always been the 30days when I loose because I have some credit left.  However I still think the best thing with the PAYG dongle is that if I'm not away in the van I don't have to buy any top up until I'm going away and want to use it in the van again.  3 have a calculator thing on their web site that you complete and then it tells you which mobile broadband service you would be best using.  Different charges of course if you're abroad.


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## chigman (Nov 12, 2008)

carol25singer said:


> The Pay as You Go 3 dongle that I have cost £40 and then you top it up with £10 credit which I think lasts 1Gb or 30 days, I've not ran out of GB it's always been the 30days when I loose because I have some credit left.  However I still think the best thing with the PAYG dongle is that if I'm not away in the van I don't have to buy any top up until I'm going away and want to use it in the van again.  3 have a calculator thing on their web site that you complete and then it tells you which mobile broadband service you would be best using.  Different charges of course if you're abroad.



And thats me as well,for the exact same reasons.

steve


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## PaulC (Nov 25, 2008)

Just some experiences of using my dongle over the last month or so. With a signal strength of 5 power bars the best speed I have had is about !Mb and the worst is about with 3 powerbars is 250Kb which means downloading podcasts can be a pain. Youtube is a bit hit and miss but if you have capture software than it's not a problem, because you can view the video offline. After about a 28 days of use I have a lot of credit left so it becomes download city!


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## Marc008 (Nov 25, 2008)

I have a '3' PAYG dongle. At first I was very pleased with it but recently I've been finding the connection is often unreliable. I find I'm driving around to different areas where I know there is a good signal and even with full signal showing it keeps dropping the connection, or slowing to a crawl. I drive to near another aerial and it's perfect. 
Getting a bit fed-up with it to be honest but looking on the web it sounds like the other companies have problems too.
Guess I have to grin and bear it.


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## sagart (Nov 28, 2008)

Much prefer to use a Bluetooth Usb to connect my phone to the laptop, can't be bothered to waste money on a subscription!


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## flower3bird (Nov 28, 2008)

MARCO008 - do you reckon that the problem might be contention as these services get more users?  Have you tried asking your supplier for an explanation if you feel it is getting worse? 

ALL - do you have to buy the dongle over and above the PAYG usage costs?

This has been a really useful posting as I am about to invest.  Thanks


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## Deleted member 4850 (Nov 29, 2008)

sagart said:


> Much prefer to use a Bluetooth Usb to connect my phone to the laptop, can't be bothered to waste money on a subscription!


When I did that a couple of years ago it was hideously expensive...can you recommend a phone network/package? Many of the places I go only get a good Vodafone or 3 signal.

This is a really informative post - thanks guys!


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## Marc008 (Nov 29, 2008)

Yes, flower3bird, I did have to buy the dongle outright first to use PAYG.
If you have a subscription I think you get a free dongle but I decided to go for PAYG. I guess my connection problem could be to do with an increased number of users, but I have not yet spoken to 'Three' about it. If it continues I will drop into the shop where I bought the dongle and complain. I believe that the 'three' network was developed earlier in the more northern parts of the country so may have less problems. 
Marc


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## sagart (Nov 30, 2008)

Never bothered too much over the cost (Vodafone) as, according to an enquiry at their shop in Torquay I can't use my phone the way I do, so they said they had no data rate for me...I do love their technical support!
My spare phone, a Sony Ericsson P910i, automatically switches to an O2 emergency network when it can't get a Vodafone signal. I assume that's because O2 has general coverage up here.


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## maldwyn (Nov 30, 2008)

PaulC said:


> Hi
> 
> I've just bought a "3' mobile PAYG "dongle" for connection to the internet. It works like a treat, just plug in to a spare USB2 socket and as long as you have credit and a signal the WWW is yours. I found the 1GB for 10 pounds is more than enough.


if you have just got it(3 dongle) cancel the contract asap,you will find that it wont work on 99% of sites in the UK.I was gullible enough to believe the sales assistants promise of expanding coverage in march last year and cant cancel the contract now as it is over the three months cool off period.It is costing me £15 per month and wont even work at home!Cheers Maldwyn


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## PaulC (Nov 30, 2008)

*FAO Maldwyn*

If you notice in the posting I went PAYG!!! But of course it will only work where there is a signal.


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## Deleted member 4850 (Nov 30, 2008)

maldwyn said:


> if you have just got it(3 dongle) cancel the contract asap,you will find that it wont work on 99% of sites in the UK.



It's info like this that makes this site so worthwhile! Thanks mate! Does anyone know if Vodafone coverage is as good as their maps claim in England & Wales? It's the best network for the south west of Scotland but are there dark corners of the UK where it's no good? Knowing me, those are places I'll want to go!


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## sagart (Nov 30, 2008)

Works in my garden and dining room....dead in the rest of the house. Vodafone blame it on the Cuillins!!


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## bevo (Dec 3, 2008)

*mobile internet*

hi
   just bought a 3 payg dongle starter kit from carphone whorehouse £97.50 for 12 gig of usage spread over 12 months, that works out quite cheap.

 live long and prosper


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## messenger 2.5td (Dec 3, 2008)

bevo said:


> hi
> just bought a 3 payg dongle starter kit from carphone whorehouse £97.50 for 12 gig of usage spread over 12 months, that works out quite cheap.
> 
> live long and prosper



Hi Bevo,what is the coverage like where you live and more importantly nationally nothing worse than buying something and then finding it's unsuitable and having to persuade shops to take things back,some shops aren't to fussy as long as they make a sale won't warn you of the pitfalls.Andy


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## bevo (Dec 3, 2008)

*mobile internet*

hi messenger 2.5
                       we live in the northwest reception ok here they tell me at carfone that 3 has a 90% coverage over the uk, but time will tell.

let the force be with you


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## PaulC (Dec 27, 2008)

I've just seen in the Vodafone catalogue, their are now selling a PAYG dongle that has no time limit on the top ups, at least thats how I read it! £15 for 1GB and as I'm a light user I going to jump ship, I think!


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## stewnjo (Dec 28, 2008)

I've a "3" dongle on contract £5 per month 1G download. Works fine even when in France in the summer although a lot slower.

Stewart


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## flower3bird (Dec 29, 2008)

We have just settled on an O2 pay-as-you-go dongle.  Reason - we have 50 days to try it out and if we don't like it to take it back for a full refund.

ALSO you can buy 'airtime' in increments of a day/week/month  so as our useage in the MH will be sporadic it felt like a good idea.  When we want to use it we just top it up according to how long we are away for.  

Not even taken it out of a box yet so not sure of it in terms of 'useability and coverage' yet


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## Deleted member 775 (Feb 15, 2009)

any updates on these dongles as i am looking into them, looks as if we are gona take the van for an extended break end of march time so need one to keep in touch .


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## TWS (Feb 15, 2009)

I took out a contract with 3, it hasn't let me down yet, very easy and simple to setup.

Tom


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## paulamy (Feb 15, 2009)

mandrake said:


> any updates on these dongles as i am looking into them, looks as if we are gona take the van for an extended break end of march time so need one to keep in touch .



hi mandrake, have had  a t mobile web an walk for a year now ,i pay 20 pounds a month no other charges gives me 3 gig a month never had a prob.its not as fast as home b,band but i would not go back to it.use it on the home computer when were here just unplug an stick it in the laptop when were away.i think the 3 gig is down to 15 a month now . chose t mobile cause at the time the dongle was free. same network as my mobile never really have reception issues apart from the usual in extreme places


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## BedfordMJ (Feb 15, 2009)

I have a vodaphone one which works ok. No idea what it costs as my partner pays the bill and I never asked him.


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## sagart (Feb 16, 2009)

Living on Skye where mobile phone reception on any network is patchy, I use a Vodafone Pay as you Go dongle on my laptop rather than a contract.
Seems OK if you stick to the software with it (Mobile Connect Lite).
If you download and install the full package from Vodafone I find, at least with my HP G70-111EM, it disables the internal wireless.


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## flower3bird (Feb 16, 2009)

We chose the O2 PAYG offering in the end, after lots of research.  The reason is that we concluded our useage was going to be sporadic as it is only for use when off in the van.  As that can be anything from a couple of days, to weeks at a time, none of the contracts seemed to fit.  I hate the idea of having a contract that we are spending out on to just sit in the cupboard between trips.  With O2 you can buy as little as a day at a time.  

Do you also know about BT Fon?   If you have a BT Broadband service then you can sign up to Fon for free.  If you have their BT Homehub you are then expected to allow open access to part of your service (a small proportion of your link is programmed for open access but the remainder remains secure and private to you).  As a BT Fon user you are then entitled to X amount of free WIFI time via other Fon users BBand lines or the BT Openzone places (often at motorway services etc).  On the BT Fon web site is a very detailed map of where other BTFon users are, so you can identify the road before you drive by trying to pick up their signal 

If, like us, you live in a relatively quiet place off the beaten track the chances are your service won't be used that often........... but you can bet we'll be using theirs 

Overall I think this is a splendid idea from BT, when you consider the propensity for us to all have BBand/WIFI systems in our houses these days.  It starts to look like a decent 'open network' more or less anywhere you go......... and surely that is what the internet is all about


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## derekfaeberwick (Feb 16, 2009)

Hiya,

      I have a contract Vodaphone dongle and have used it for about a year now. Never yet failed to get a signal of some description, and usually quite a fast one. I'm a long distance driver covering the whole country and find Vodaphone to give the best phone coverage. Unfortunately the dongle is quite slow at home or I would bin my broadband home connection,(Orange). When the blue light, 3G, shows the Vodaphone is just as quick as my home connection.

    Hope this is some help,
                                     Derek.


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## Deleted member 775 (Feb 16, 2009)

ive been looking whats on offer, and 3 seems a good bet as coverage is a lot better nowadays.


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## Pioneer (Feb 16, 2009)

I used a T Mobile Web and Walk for my Wifi for a couple of years in UK, then went touring Europe and carried on using it throughout, OH dear!! The bill was criminal to say the least. Now I rely on a free wifi connection, when I can get it. The BT Fon looks a good idea, will look into that, I am already on BT Broadband.

Happy Camping


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## Deleted member 775 (Feb 16, 2009)

as for free internet access there are at least four unprotected connections round me, that i could access quite easily . but i dont think piggybacking is ethical or really legal, but then again if they dont protect themselves whose fault is it in the end .


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## flashingblade (Feb 16, 2009)

*voda*

i too use a voda dongle. it picks up signal in some pretty secluded places and haven't been anywhere there isn't a signal yet. speed is ok ( compared to bloody ntl/virgin cable ). if you're out and about a lot, aim for the one with better coverage. to me, speed isn't as important. poss that's age creeping up !!


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## hymercamper (Feb 16, 2009)

TWS said:


> I took out a contract with 3, it hasn't let me down yet, very easy and simple to setup.
> 
> Tom



I've had a contract with 3 for nearly 12 months now and have had hardly any problems think there was only once i could'nt get a signal and i have done a lot of travelling about with it
rob


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## Deleted member 775 (Feb 16, 2009)

seems as if i will give 3 a go, it will be a few weeks untill i need one but it is looking the best one .


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## marc2 (Feb 17, 2009)

I've also got a 3 PAYG dongle thingy and it works pretty well. Rather than plugging the stick into the computer, I use a 3 foot USB extension lead plugged into the stick's own lead, then hang the dongle up in the van. This combination seems to boost the signal by 2 bars.


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## Polly (Feb 17, 2009)

Hia
Brother has been in Spain and southen France (well down the bottom of France) since middle of December 2008 had plenty of  e mails, so i asked him if he was using a dongle (!!!!!!)  yes so I am hoping he is going to say it was with 3 as that's the one that seems to get a good rating from the forum
He's Back in march ----- he's a caravanner but we will not hold that against him
 I've just  e mailed hom to find out which  one he uses and how he rates it


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## AIKIDOMO (Feb 18, 2009)

*vodaphone dongle*

Just a point.
Vodaphone now do a 1 gb dongle with unlimited usage ie, it does not run out after a month, look on ebay.
It costs 15 pounds a top up though, but if you are a lite user like me who only uses the internet in the van for occassional surfing and the odd email its certainly  value for money, the coverage is equal too, if not better than 3 also. 
Comes pre loaded with 15.00 credit also.


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## TWS (Feb 18, 2009)

I'm up in Fort William as I write this, I'm using my 3 dongle, my wife sat in the back of the M/H and was able to to use the laptop most of the way up from Durham, the only real poor area for cover was from Calender up to Glencoe, the Internet is great for keeping my wife quiet on trips, she sits in the rear of the M/H for most of the journey, stops her asking me how long and are we nearly there.

Tom


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## ajs (Feb 18, 2009)

.

so where do yer get a free ... sorry ... 3 dongle from then 

 regards
aj


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## Hazy-thoughts (Feb 19, 2009)

mandrake said:


> seems as if i will give 3 a go, it will be a few weeks untill i need one but it is looking the best one .




Check which dongle you buy Mandrake and anyone else thats looking to purchase. I looked into all the different options and found that 3 provided everything I wanted. I decided to go PAYG and visited my local Curry's...............Big mistake 

The numpty on the shop floor knew less about them than I did (or thought I did)  He showed me a lovely black dongle, which they were doing on special offer £69.99 for the dongle and three months or 3 gb usage. Spot on.
Now I asked him at this point if there was a difference between the Black and the white dongles and was definitely told *NO*

You guessed it there is, the one I have bought only uses a high speed dial up and only gives me a maximum of 1.3 g. No use for skyping, or doing anything quickly. I went back to Curry's, but unfortunately the lad that sold it to me has now left, and the manager is absolutely positive his staff wouldnt have made a silly mistake like that. So I am lumbered with a slow connection unfortunately, as I am too tight to go and buy another dongle.

Coverage wise, I have had no problems at all, from South Coast all round Midlands and beyond.
Check this page out it tells you the difference between the various 3 dongles. 
http://threestore.three.co.uk/payg/?modem=1


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## PawneePilot (Feb 19, 2009)

PaulC said:


> Hi
> 
> I've just bought a "3' mobile PAYG "dongle" for connection to the internet. It works like a treat, just plug in to a spare USB2 socket and as long as you have credit and a signal the WWW is yours. I found the 1GB for 10 pounds is more than enough.



Ipod Touch and wifi hotspots work well for me.

MSN, E MAILS, Google etc.


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## Deleted member 775 (Feb 20, 2009)

went into our local mobile shops in barnsley, and the staff there seems as knowledgeable as me  only wanted to sell me a package costing 100 quid or so . wqith limited downloads . so i am taking more advice from on here and the internet sites that are around seems as if i can buy a 3 white dongal(dident think any difference in colour ) for 20 quidish and then a simcard that gives unlimited downloads for 10 quid a month lasting 3months at first looks as if i need to do a lot more reserch untill i find out the best deals after all a months of research can save a lot of money


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## PaulC (Feb 20, 2009)

Vodafone do a genuine PAYG dongle, not like "3" where you have to top up every month. Although it is cheaper for larger credits.


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## sagart (Feb 21, 2009)

PaulC said:


> Vodafone do a genuine PAYG dongle, not like "3" where you have to top up every month. Although it is cheaper for larger credits.


This is why I use Vodafone (as well as for its coverage up here). There is no time limit on credit unlike others where it, efectively, expires...I may only use mine twice a month at this time of year so Vodafone's method is far more useful.


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## Polly (Feb 23, 2009)

Hia
please bear with me on this
But if you take out eg 12months or 18 month contract  what happens at the end of the contract?


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## Bigmerc (Feb 24, 2009)

I had a 12  month contract with 3 and at the end you have to give 30 days notice to end the contract on exactly 30 days before the last month. Not before or after.If after they carry on the contract.


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## Polly (Feb 24, 2009)

Hia
But when the contract finishes can you use your dongle

Can you use on another network or is it blocked (is that the word) like when you have a phone on contract????????

Like a phone can you have it unblocked????????

or are you left to start looking for another dongle or system?????


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## Deleted member 775 (Feb 24, 2009)

as far as i know the dongles can be unblocked as per phones and other sims can be inserted .http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/30-DAYS-UNLIM...ryZ75548QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


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## robjmckinney (Feb 24, 2009)

*3 deals*

Just signed up for 3 dongal contract, £5 a month for 45 hours a month online!

Don't know if it's a good deal but should allow a bit of rooming in the summer!


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## orian (Feb 25, 2009)

Is that for use in UK only or can it be used in Europe?


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## PaulC (Feb 25, 2009)

I believe all dongles can be used in Europe but at a very high price, so it's not worth it! Unless other know different!


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## robjmckinney (Feb 25, 2009)

*3 Deals*

I am not sure waiting for it to arrive in the next few days, 18 mth contract, 45 hrs allowance then 10p a megabite after your allowance. After the 18 mths you can maintain contract at the £5 if you wish, no doubt technology will move on and we will get a faster dongal by then!

My partner in crime set it up and if it is as read sounds a reasonable deal but she has no idea of overseas use so we will have to wait for the fine print!


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## Bigmerc (Feb 25, 2009)

Polly said:


> Hia
> But when the contract finishes can you use your dongle
> 
> Can you use on another network or is it blocked (is that the word) like when you have a phone on contract????????
> ...




yes you keep the dongle i still have mine and use it on  PAYG on 3 you just buy a sim card £1.75p stick in and away you go 
I also have the software for unlocking the Huawei E220 dongle which i found on the internet.
If anybody wants it PM me with your email Address i will send it to you


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## robjmckinney (Feb 25, 2009)

*3 Deals*

Hi,

Further to my 3 deal or not as salesman indeed stated and rather complicated in exactly we have as a 'deal'. Basically as a 3 customer we get the £15 1 GB monthly deal for a fiver, you get free access to 3 site and Google, some may find that useful if you use Google mail. For using it in France and Spain it is £3 a MB to use email services!

For the clever people who know how to switch your mail to Google temporary which can be done as I have Virgin directing my old NTL account to MSN for the last ten years this could be a cheap option for email. If you wish to browse the internet in general regularly, perhaps not so good. I dread the ideal of opening a Google account because of over complicated passwords a wiseman could have relatively cheap email for the UK. The European travel like everything gets complicated and expensive and probably worth a heavy user using a local dongal supplier or atleast the sim!

For us while we are disgusted at the dishonesty of the salesman we may find while keeping within the Google umbrella a cheap option. Our intention is only to view mail while away and prevent the build up of thousands of emails plus little info on the area. What we have is two weeks once we install to experiment whether we can use it wisely and cheaply!

The saga continues.................


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## Deleted member 775 (Feb 25, 2009)

could you get a different sim for when you are in europe as you do in a phone  as sims are interchangeable in the dongle,assuming that it is unlocked that is. then it may work on all systems as per a mobile phone


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## Motorhomer (Feb 25, 2009)

robjmckinney said:


> Just signed up for 3 dongal contract, £5 a month for 45 hours a month online!
> 
> Don't know if it's a good deal but should allow a bit of rooming in the summer!



Hello


Can you post the actual offer link as the cheapest i can finsd is £7 50 a month as a customer of 3 already


Thanks

Motorhomer


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## robjmckinney (Feb 25, 2009)

*3 Deals*

Hi,

The deal was from three direct over the phone, you know the type, phones you every so often. But we do have a contract phone deal from them 500 mins talk or text messages free for £18, the best we could get at the time, 6 mths ago. 

I did have a text message from three with a freephone number so why not ring them on this number 08003589141, they state 'get broadband for £5/month. That's 50% off. Comes with 1 GB/month for 18mths. Only till 31st March. Call now. T&C apply OptOut@M3'

I think the end of the message is a email address!


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