Internet In Europe

[biggirafe]

If only!!!! The main problem I had with my Blackberry phone (along with some other internet phones), is that it automaticly access's the internet to check for updates and emails on it's own, so you end up paying for that as well, hence why mine's staying at home!!

Hi, with my Blackberry you can turn off the bits you don't want or need when you are abroad, You should check out the settings. I always turn off my work email but keep my phone, my boss or customers can text or leave messages for me then if its an absolute emergency. But its quite useful to have the BB just in case

 

[defitzi]

defitzi

I also am keen to see how to get cheap internet without Mcdonalds or an Internet cafe.
Just seen a couple of sites for cheap mobile calls and free inbound calls.
See here, might be interesting to you

What's an International SIM Card? : SIM4travel

and here

https://www.worldsim.com/Default.aspx

I have no shares in this but I have found my o2 with a 10 quid roaming addon as cheap as they come tho I still use cheapies (ask what's available in service stations) as well -like ORTEL in Belge and Auchan in France . Beware tho'- Auchan, tho' it's s'mkts are very very big, is not as widely spread as some others and a bit sparse in the lower half of France! But that being so-it is quite good value-for fones and 8 houirs 3 g is 25 euros AFTER bujying the dongle IF U can do so...see Normas's posting re roaming.

 

[defitzi]

defitzi

Thanks for the shop info, I guess I was not really looking when we were last in France.

Unfortunatley just like telephones USB dongles are locked to 1 network, so if I took my Vodaphone dongle and put a French Orange sim into it it would not work, But you can unlock them with software on your pc to make them network free.

The big issue I have heard is that the french want french ID when you buy a phone or sim card, I guess they do in the uk as well ? Can anyone confirm this?

yup-they do. But give themn any address and they'll probably take it. Your guarantyees won't work of course, as any post will be sent there etc. good idea is use the address of hotel (I use boatyards and/or marinas on rivers or canals). Ifg U want to be tricky invent a boat name -tghen any b umpf will arrive at boat lace, they hold/do nopt hole and uncollected-they trash. Or they look-ah, not one of ours based here-and trash immediatly which is very nice for people cruising who have given friends that address pending their arrival! Similarly, campsite address will probably work but iof one says no then try the next sales place and so on....generally speaking french shopkeepers are rapacious and want the sale-not the fiddle-faddle!

 

[defitzi]

defitzi

.

i've been following this fred...still havn't clue wtf your all onabout

retards
aj

har-har har har totally lost but fascinated!

 

[defitzi]

defitzi

What is frustrating is that we all carry the 3G dongles around with us in the UK, pay £15 per month and they work nearly everywhere. The technology is all over Europe but the providers cant seem to get together and provide an EU wide package. Vodafone managed to waive there passport charges in June, July and August for phone calls which meant I could call all over Europe and just use my normal UK contract minutes. Brilliant, but it didnt include data. If they can somehow do this so we can simply use our dongles at a set tarrif anywhere then problem solved, for ever!

Is there anyone out there in the telecoms industry that can explain why they are reluctant to do this?

It cant be because they are creaming it in when people connect their dongles abroad because as far as I am aware nobody is daft enough to use them outside the UK so we arent getting connected and they arent making any money from us.

Perhaps this will be the next stage over the next 5 years. EU wide tarrifs? Wont hold me breath!

Simple dear watson: they ARE & THEY OWN the whole works abroad too- so pay the piper or kick him arse first out the window and eat lots of Macs or wherever U can get wifi FREE- free IS improving allthetime across Europpe but too many still see it as an axtra ration of dollally instead of an attraction to customers!

 

[Channa]

BG, they deffo dont want POA in the UK I have had to buy two dongles I damaged the first one ( well the dog did). I found Staples the best place £65 but 3 gb come pre loaded.

As for addresses abroad, as Defitzi says great if you are on a site you can get things posted there.

However if you are wilding permanent still not a problem, Visit the local post office and ask if they do' Agence Postale' it is basically their address with your name and Agence Postale on the address of the envelope.

Turn up with your passport as proof of Id and off you go.

I got a UK tax disc sent this way, ( via my parents)along with other correspondence.

Channa

 

[defitzi]

defitzi

What is frustrating is that we all carry the 3G dongles around with us in the UK, pay £15 per month and they work nearly everywhere. The technology is all over Europe but the providers cant seem to get together and provide an EU wide package. Vodafone managed to waive there passport charges in June, July and August for phone calls which meant I could call all over Europe and just use my normal UK contract minutes. Brilliant, but it didnt include data. If they can somehow do this so we can simply use our dongles at a set tarrif anywhere then problem solved, for ever!

Is there anyone out there in the telecoms industry that can explain why they are reluctant to do this?

It cant be because they are creaming it in when people connect their dongles abroad because as far as I am aware nobody is daft enough to use them outside the UK so we arent getting connected and they arent making any money from us.

Perhaps this will be the next stage over the next 5 years. EU wide tarrifs? Wont hold me breath!

DeFitzi
Simple dear watson: they ARE & OWN the whole lot ab road too- so pay the piper or kick him arse first out the window and eat lots of Macs or wherever U can get wifi FREE- free IS improving all the time across Europe but too many still see it as an axtra ration of dollally instead of an attraction to customers!

 

[barryd]

Wifi Antenna update

Hi All

I finally got round to ordering the RepeatIT Wifi Antenna from here Faculty-X Homeplug WiFi & Wireless Antenna Systems After shelling out over £2500 for a new axle I didnt feel like buying anything else for a while! However its hopefully going to pay me back (its a business expense anyway)

At Easter I will be going away to France for a month so will perform a proper trial and report back but initial tests look promising. Just pointing it out of the window in the house (inside) in either direction picks up pretty much all the wifi routers in the village (about 20). Quite a few BT Openzones and a couple of Fon sites but of course Im not a member of either.

It comes with a mounting kit so it easily goes on the top of the rear ladder on the van. Im going to leave the mount fixed to the ladder and its just one bolt to hand tighten onto the antenna when on site. Or I may just point it through a dinette window. Its free standing so I can do either.

I drove to the next hamlet about a mile away and slung the thing on the roof of the car pointed loosely back towards my house. I picked up 3 signals. Its not a good test though as our houses have very thick stone built walls and many locals struggle with wifi within their own houses. (They have been watching me with interest driving around with things sticking out of the van and the roof of my car). Ill probably be accused of being a witch and burned.

The software can be a little tricky to understand as it takes over from the standard Windows wifi connection chooser but its easy to change it back.

I also downloaded some software called Easywifiradar which scans for open systems automatically and logs you in. So far it managed to log me into a BT openzone which isnt too helpful as you have to pay.

So next stop France. Im hoping there will be free stuff to connect to without needing passwords but if anyone knows of any popular subscription services I should know about before I go I would be interested. Also if you have any passwords etc or login details for any you wish to share with me purely for research purposes of this review then I would be grateful.

Cheers
BArry

 

[biggirafe]

Sounds good, if you get fed up with it chuck it in this direction

I would by a phone base station I think it will give you access to Fon and BT Openzone points and is a 1 off payment. Pretty sure that in France they have a similar setup with the french equivilent of BT. But check it out.

 

[AndyC]

Sounds good, if you get fed up with it chuck it in this direction

I would by a phone base station I think it will give you access to Fon and BT Openzone points and is a 1 off payment. Pretty sure that in France they have a similar setup with the french equivilent of BT. But check it out.

Yes, FON operates in France, however someone I know who is touring there reports that many of the indicated FON spots seem to be turned off when he's tried to find them. He's had more luck with open WiFi access. FON is not to be relied on, I think.

AndyC

 

[firefighter]

good stuff!

I love this thread 'cos we're going to italy with van for a month in may and I quite like my internet (Kinda like a security blanket) I've been doing all the research stuff on line and pretty much came up with what everyone else has. I think having looked at it I'm gonna see what's available when I get there as it would appear to be quite expensive to buy or get involved in a product in this country and use it abroadshire!

 

[Nolly]

Try www.mappy.fr or.uk Put in your route and click onto wifi hotspots on the left hand side. It will then give you their locations and if they are free or payable.
I was amazed at how many mcdonalds (which I found to be free) that it's possible to log on just by sitting on the carpark, and I have a bog standard laptop with no gadgets.