Vodafone Data Traveller is a Con!

[barryd]

There has been quite a bit of interest and discussion on here about internet access abroad and the Vodafone Data Traveller service has been mentioned a few time by myself and other as a possible cheap way of connecting to the internet abroad.

Basically (we thought) it offers you up to 25mb of data allowance a day for £10 a month or £2 a day. Well, it does but only on your phone. If you plug your phone into your laptop or try and use your sim in a dongle they will know apparently and charge you £10 a day!!!

I just got off the phone to them after a rather heated 45 minute phone call where I tried to get them to explain why they would charge me £10 a month for 25MB a day on my phone for browsing but if I then plugged my sim into a dongle or used my phone as a mobile and did the same browsing on my laptop using just up to the 25MB I would then be charged £10 a day. I never got a straight answer and basically in the end its just the way it is and I think its a bit of a con, loads of people will get caught out.

They reckon they will know if your accessing the internet on a laptop using the phone as a modem or with the sim in the dongle. Im not sure if this is a bluff. She says they always charge £10 a day for anyone accessing the net using a phone as a modem but I know this not to be true as when I hook my phone up to my laptop to quickly check emails abroad I have only ever been charged per MB or part of. Usually between 50p and a £2 for very quickly checking emails on webmail.

So the question is, has anyone yet put this to the test and had their bill?

Until we know more I would avoid this service if your thinking of using it as a cheap means of internet access abroad. Its a shame if its true as it looks initially like a good deal.

I find Vodafone very difficult to deal with. They are renowned for pulling fast ones and on numerous occasions I have questioned my bill when its had dubious amounts on it and always they have been wrong.

BD

 

[Byronic]

When out and about in the UK I am using PAYG o2 Phone Sim with Free TextandWeb in an unlocked dongle modem connected to laptop (for 2 years) and haven't had problems......yet. Perhaps if I were to use my mobile phone as the modem for the laptop this might be liable to discovery, I don't think I'll risk the experiment!
Downside of using Phone sim is that it it has to be removed from laptop and put into the mobile phone to use the Phonecall allowance.

 

[barryd]

The point is that I should be able to decide how I view and use my 25MB. I am quite capable of plugging my phone into my laptop and browsing the web. The phone will still be using the same amount of data it will just be displaying the data on the laptop screen rather than the phones screen. Is it really fair that if I do that every day in a month I will be charged £300 but if I look at the data on the phones screen instead it will only be £10?

Its barmy. I gather from research that the only phone they can definately detect as being tethered is the iPhone. Im pretty sure my old Nokia will be untraceable.

 

[barryd]

Thanks for the reply again

I hear what you are saying but the fact is there is no reason for these huge charges anymore when connecting abroad. All the networks are in place and connected. There isn't anything clever or expensive going on that makes it possible for me to get a data connection in France or Germany it just the legacy of huge data charges from years ago that are really no longer necessary as the technology has changed.

These providers hope they can catch you out. On Facts just now somebody posted about a 15 year old child who ran up a bill of £900 on a recent short trip. They have been forced to pay it. This is what these vultures bank upon. I can pretty much guarantee that the actual costs involved to the providers would have been nearer 9 pence!

We will laugh about this in years to come as it cant last. Its archaic and they are simply using the tactic that "its abroad" to pump up prices as long as they can

 

[Byronic]

I suspect that the tethering of useage to the phone is that laptop bandwith consumption is generally much more demanding than a phone and the service will as a consequence deteriorate.
I have noted over the 5 years in which I have used various 3G Operators, that invariably the services detiorate over time (even though the Operators say they are improving the service) I can only conclude that as the service gets more popular it gets commensurately worse.

 

[the dogfather]

The only way that they'll pick up the fact that you have used a 'tethered' laptop is if the phone uses a different apn (access point) for tethered data. The newer Android and iPhones do this if its configured by the network, they sometimes do this to allow a full throttle connection rather than the restricted rate they allow by phone.

If you have an older phone (12 months old or more) its highly unlikely to do this.

The increasing use of smartphones (massive increase) and apps etc. has put a strain on all mobile phone networks, as a result all are investing heavily, 4G should help but its still a far way off in the UK.

 

[barryd]

That all makes sense. Thanks

I have an iPhone and I have read it is one of the ones they will pick up on. I also have an old but reliable Nokia N95 which I have tethered before no problem. Im going to use that.

 

[Byronic]

Isn't the laptop performance restricted to no more than the phone modem being used? Which may be EDGE or GPRS if using an old phone. Although the Nokia N95 if memory serves me, is only 2 or 3 years out of production.

 

[barryd]

The N95 does 2g, edge and 3g. I have used it on occasions tethered to my laptop before data traveller came out and it worked fine. I got charged the mobile phone rate for data rather than the laptop rate. Its looking like the same thing will happen with data traveller despite Vodabone telling me otherwise.

 

[the dogfather]

Not all 3G phones are the same, some (most new ones) can connect at up to 7.2Mbs.

Not sure if the N95 supports the faster rate though.

 

[fofeg101]

Hey, in a couple of years time the problem will be solved, Worldwide Universal Wi-fi will be with us. The last government here in the UK where looking to get it up and running here by 2012 ready for the Olympics but it might not suite the present bunch of To$$ers we have running things.

 

[the dogfather]

Hey, in a couple of years time the problem will be solved, Worldwide Universal Wi-fi will be with us. The last government here in the UK where looking to get it up and running here by 2012 ready for the Olympics but it might not suite the present bunch of To$$ers we have running things.

Sorry, local WiFi in major cities might happen, I think Norwich trialled it in 2006 but I don't think its still running, but it'll never happen across the whole of the country.

Not without a wireless access point in every hedgerow.

 

[barryd]

Not all 3G phones are the same, some (most new ones) can connect at up to 7.2Mbs.

Not sure if the N95 supports the faster rate though.

Not sure about that but it doesn't matter, its fast enough. Most of the time I will use my wifi antenna but I cant always get online. If I have both I know 90% of the time I will be able to access my low bandwidth webmail from pretty much anywhere but operating it on a mobile device is a pain in the backside (actually the iphone isn't too bad) but I would rather use the laptop.

Wifi will improve. In fact right now in Teesdale where I live they are rolling out a huge wifi program costing £1.5M across the dale. It will eventually provide coverage everywhere but its not free and you will have to have a dongle! Its primary purpose is because there are many areas up here who cannot (STILL) get ordinary broadband on a landline.

Mobile signals however are now everywhere so the infrastructure is there. The mobile providers days of ripping us off abroad are numbered. Legislation is already in place where they are not supposed to let you run up a data roaming bill of more than 50 euros and there is talk of forcing them to lower prices further. They want to keep prices high though and its almost like a Cartel. I suspect however with the growing legislation its only a matter of time before they cave in and one takes the lead with lower international roaming rates.

If anyone is that interested there is a lot of info here BBC News - Could roaming rates be about to fall?

If a 3GB or 1000MB dongle account in the UK costs £15 a month, thats (I think) 0.005p a MB. Typically in Europe you are charged £1 a MB for data unless your on one of the feeble packages being offered. Thats £3000 for 3GB of data as appose to £15 at home. Ive probably got my maths wrong but there is no way that can be right. Why should it be 200 times the price of 3g broadband at home?

We have just accepted it and I think the majority of travelers haven't complained much. Business men and women will have traditionally been on expenses and your average package holiday tourist laying by a pool in Lanzagrotty probably didn't care. We do (well I do) though and I think businesses are getting wise and cutting costs, telling their employees to use wifi when abroad and Joe public and his kids now have smart phones and netbooks and want to stay on touch.

Somethings got to give I reckon.

Viva La Revolution!

Sorry for the early morning Sunday Rant!

 

[Byronic]

Hey, in a couple of years time the problem will be solved, Worldwide Universal Wi-fi will be with us. The last government here in the UK where looking to get it up and running here by 2012 ready for the Olympics but it might not suite the present bunch of To$$ers we have running things.

I think you're very optimistic expecting WW Universal Wifi to be up and running in a couple of years no matter who's "running things"
About 6 years ago a wifi derivation named WIMAX was being trialed in I think it was Los Angeles. The great touted virtue of WIMAX was that its transmission range was said to be 10 or 15 kilometers radius so likely to be relatively cheap to set up. We, ie those relying on early versions of 3g waited with bated breath it never happened. Does anybody know why?
I suspect the present chaotic state of things with a profusion of tariffs and obscure T&Cs suit the Operators just fine. Has anybody ever read the full T&Cs of eg o2 and furthermore have they understood them?

 

[barryd]

Its WIMAX that we are rolling out in Teesdale right now.

No mobile coverage in loads of areas and no ADSL service.

Tests have shown good speed transmition at 11KM.

Im not directly involved in it but I know its costing £1.5 M

 

[Byronic]

So WIMAX hasn't died. I note a previous post mentions a WiFi operation that was trialed in Norwich.....I'm fairly sure this was also WIMAX year 2006 sounds about the right time, seems it wasn't a success I wonder why? Could it be that in "charging" for WIMAX it faces stiff competition eg customers are often already with 3g and in city centres you can usually get WiFi, often free?
Hope the Teeside rollout succeeds though, it may encourage others. I note that on the o2 site they are offering PAYG Roaming at what looks like to me similar rates to UK!!! or was it an illusion? Unfortunately I lost the connection just before typing this post, has anyone else seen this service option?

 

[the dogfather]

Norwich, I believe wasn't WiMax although the WiFi access points used WiMax to connect to the central hub. The end user connected via WiFi.

WiMax would need to be licensed by the government, I would expect in a similar way to the way 3G was, and 4G will be. You can expect the current Mobile Operators to look at this technology if it even gets off the 'testbed' as they already have the infrastructure in place to roll this out.

 

[Byronic]

The operators of 3g had to fork out £20billion? to the Government for the privilege of obtaining the nescessary license.It was like paying money for fresh air, effectively just another tax on the Public because it sanctioned the operators to charge exorbitantly for their services, the prime example being a roaming charge of £3000 for 1Gb of usage!
If WiMAX or something like it rolls out I suspect it will be handled in much the same way, so I don't think it will be quite the panacea we are looking for.
I spend the winters in France/Spain etc and manage with public Wifi hotspots,unsecured networks and sometimes use local sims, not ideal but does at least I get the exercise looking for a connection.

 

[fofeg101]

I think you're very optimistic expecting WW Universal Wifi to be up and running in a couple of years no matter who's "running things"
About 6 years ago a wifi derivation named WIMAX was being trialed in I think it was Los Angeles. The great touted virtue of WIMAX was that its transmission range was said to be 10 or 15 kilometers radius so likely to be relatively cheap to set up. We, ie those relying on early versions of 3g waited with bated breath it never happened. Does anybody know why?
I suspect the present chaotic state of things with a profusion of tariffs and obscure T&Cs suit the Operators just fine. Has anybody ever read the full T&Cs of eg o2 and furthermore have they understood them?

If I remember correctly the proposal was that BT would provide the service and the last government would give them the OK to put 50p on all line rentals to finance it. I understand Universal Nationwide Wi-fi is already available in South Korea.

O.T., 23 years ago my company provided me with a mobile phone, it was literally like carrying a small suitcase around, the Guys in the Pub used to say "Here he comes again, posing with his mobile phone", now, my phone is so small I don't know which pocket it's in until it rings.....progress.??
-

 

[Byronic]

Sure Moores law has had an effect on nearly all technology eg your phone being a fraction of the size of the house brick of twenty years ago with twice the features..... incredible, I have great admiration for the technologists.
Unfortunately Business Practice doesn't seem to progress at the same rate at least not insofar as it affects the consumer.