Mobile Broadband

kellyjohn

Guest
can anyone suggest best mobile broadband for general use emails also experiance of coverage around the country cheers john and shakey jakey:cheers:
 
Hiya John....I've been using a three dongle for over three years now. I get 5gb of download for £15 a month and very rarely go over 1gb though that's only me using email and internet.....I've found the coverage excellent, even in the west of Scotland.
If you talk to the sales staff in a 3 shop though, they will try to fob you off with something that costs more. Don't let them.
 
It depends how heavy a user you are. If you are fairly light (eg email/browsing) I would buy a Three 1Gb data sim from 7dayshop.com.

There is good UK cover and fast speeds in many places but you only get 1 month from first use before it expires. A 3Gb sim will last up to 3 months depending on usage.

I believe these are still best value compared to the other options BUT the prices have still gone up unacceptably over the last few months. At the moment a 1Gb sim will cost you £6 [URL="http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=111986[/URL]. I still think it is a rip off but not as bad as some.
 
Three is best especially in dodgy areas. I tried vodaphone recently; it was rubbish compared to Three.

Bear in mind the coverage and download speeds they show you on the maps, and what you actually get in real life are two different things. Espec at peak times, though in remote areas the problem is actually getting a signal at all!
 
Well I use a Three Dongle, it's pay and go and I buy £15 top ups and this gives me 3 gig , the great thing for me with it is that I can allow it to die for up to 12 months and just buy a top up and start using it again , and as we are out of England for months at a time it is a great bonus.The coverage through out the UK has proved to be very good and I am well pleased with it , I am currently using it now as we don't have a Phone line here at home because we are away so much and only use the dongle, it can be topped up at £10 £15 and £25 for more or less Giggly Bites as we call them, top ups last for 30 days whether used or not, It is possible to use it in Europe too but I don't bother as when away we chill and leave the world behind.
 
Firefox said:
Three is best especially in dodgy areas. I tried vodaphone recently; it was rubbish compared to Three.

Bear in mind the coverage and download speeds they show you on the maps, and what you actually get in real life are two different things. Espec at peak times, though in remote areas the problem is actually getting a signal at all!
Click to expand...

I bought a Vodafone dongle last year and only used it for a short time. It was slow with very poor coverage. Generally a waste of money.
We have BT Broadband at home and this allows free use of BT openzone via "hotspots" while we are out. Not ideal but cover is increasing.
 
thanls for replys is it best to buy unlocked 3g dongle and buy sim or buy all at shop as package
 
kellyjohn said:
thanls for replys is it best to buy unlocked 3g dongle and buy sim or buy all at shop as package
Click to expand...

Definitely buy it as a package.... less hassle.....But, as I mentioned before, watch out for the sales pitch.... they will try to sell you something that you don't want.
 
I agree with everything that has been said about 3,,,IMO it is the only choice.

I also have access to BT FON and BT Openzone, but I never seem to park up near one. :/

Be prepared to notice the different if you travel outside the UK...SFR in France charges €35 for 1 gb.





Polly
 
thanks all will go shop tomorrow and see whats available great advice as always cheers all
 
Like the others on here, I also use the 3 dongle on pay as you go, and only buy a top-up when I plan to use it.

It gives generally good performance, usually better than my BT Openzone or FON, even in built up areas where I'm within range of BT hotspots.

In some areas where the signal is a bit dodgy, I improve it by "dangling my dongle" from a cheap 5 metre telescopic fishing pole (£5.50 online) using a usb extension cable (£2.50 online).

I have often improved the signal from an intermittent 2 bars to a good strength 4 or 5 bars by doing this, instead of having to drive around looking for better spot.
 
I first of all looked at all the info re mobile broadband on Money Saving Expert: Credit Cards, Shopping, Bank Charges, Cheap Flights and more, and clicked through to whatever comparator was recommended. I already knew that I wanted PAYG since I only needed mobile BB for short trips over the summer etc. I also looked at the Cashback Sites Maximiser on moneysavingexpert to see who was offering cashback for PAYG.
I decided to go for O2, on the basis they offered free access to BT Openzone (not deducted from amount you have paid for) where it was available, and a very handsome amount of cashback, meaning I got a da dongle and a data allowance for virtually nothing.
As an insurance policy, I thought it might be a good idea to get another dongle on a different network, so having read 3 was the best overall in terms of coverage, and not seeing any stupendous cashback offers from them, I went onto Ebay from where I purchased 2 unused dongles with 3GB data allowance on them at something like 12 squid each.

So I was as well-prepared as anyone could have expected me to be, but could I get a signal from either of them at the CC site on Cheltenham Racecourse? (Had managed to get a reasonable connection whilst camping on the racecourse itself a couple of days earlier). Since they start to expire once you have started to use them, I am thinking of getting on to O2 and complaining (not sure how I can complain to 3 if I didn't buy them from them directly!) and asking for an extension till I get a chance to start using it again! Before Cheltenham, I was in Aberystwyth, then Welshpool, and the signal from O2 was very intermittent (and especially slow in Welshpool).
 
Concur with all the above. If you are travelling country wide, 3 is by far the best to have, though you still hit some major gaps, and driving one end of a car park to another can make the difference between no signal and getting on line.

If you are mostly in one part of the country, it may be worth you having a look at the coverage maps for mobile internet (NOT mobile phone coverage - two different things!) and seeing which they say should be best for you.
 
Why should data be time limited

Thinking of getting a dongle at some time, but I'm totally underwhelmed by the arrogance of the mobile providers with the idea that it's acceptable to buy something and then be told if you don't use it within 30 days it will just vanish.

Would we accept this if we bought a tank full of 'magic' fuel that evaporated on the 30th day of being in your tank if you didn't use it?
 
winks said:
Thinking of getting a dongle at some time, but I'm totally underwhelmed by the arrogance of the mobile providers with the idea that it's acceptable to buy something and then be told if you don't use it within 30 days it will just vanish.

Would we accept this if we bought a tank full of 'magic' fuel that evaporated on the 30th day of being in your tank if you didn't use it?
Click to expand...

Yes it is a minefield finding the right thing for you. The worst thing of all, for me, is the way they have just put the prices up 300% in no time at all. Presumably there are so many youngsters buying IPhones and Android phones that the operators know they will get away with it.

If it helps you come to a decision, I bought an unlocked 'mifi' from Amazon (glorified dongle that works as a wifi router/hotspot) for £80. With that I can put any SIM card in. It is the SIM itself that expires if you buy it as a pay as you go item. With Three, 1Gb will run for 1 month, 3Gb for 3 months and 12Gb for a year.

The knack is to know how much you are likely to use/ need.

I buy 2 or 3 x 1Gb SIMs from 7dayshop.com then use them as/when I am travelling in the UK.
 
winks said:
Thinking of getting a dongle at some time, but I'm totally underwhelmed by the arrogance of the mobile providers with the idea that it's acceptable to buy something and then be told if you don't use it within 30 days it will just vanish.

Would we accept this if we bought a tank full of 'magic' fuel that evaporated on the 30th day of being in your tank if you didn't use it?
Click to expand...

I agree, but it is no different to capped landline connections. Even PAYG phones give you the credit for more than that.

With 3, I seem to recall you can buy a year's package...but you pay more and, if you don't use up your Gbs you lose more
 
We use T-mobile. Ranges from £2 for 1 day, £7 for week/any 7 days in month to £15 per 30 days. We opt for the £15 for which you get 1gb - which lasts us about 2 days! The beauty of the T-mobile one is that they do not cut you off when the 1gb's up, you get 'limited service': We are both on the internet for several hours a day every day, using emails, social sites, ebay etc. We're not bothered about films, games etc., so T-mob is definitely the only one for us... :)
 
I have a vodafone pay as you go that rolls over as long as it's used every 160 days it can be very slow & not very good cover though.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who viewed this discussion (Total:0)

Back
Top