internet in motothome

ldv400

Hi all
The wife and I are moving into the m/home for a month and we were wondering about mobile broadband? we have a dell inspiron 1501 which runs on vista and we were thinking about vodaphone usb modem stick on a 12 month contract it is only for browsing and e-mails can anyone help with opinions or advice ?

Thanks

macman

If you are only in it for a month then isn't a 12 month contract a bit wasteful? I suggest you take a look at 3's PAYG service, you buy the USB dongle (currently £49, but I have seen offers on this for around £39). You can then buy top ups (cheapest is £10 for 1GB, they also do bigger ones for £20 or £30). The only limitation with these top ups is that they only last 30 days-but for your requirements this would be OK.
If I'm going to be away for a week or so I just buy a £10 top up and find this perfectly adequate for basic email and internet.
Do check however that you can get a decent 3G or at least HSPDA signal where you are going to use it-especially as you say you are going to be using it at a fixed location. The coverage is variable. I found most places in London were fine, but when I took it to rural Devon for a week I struggled to get anything above dial up speeds.

iceburn

he can buy a vodafone one which does not have any 30 day timeout period.

macman

Yes, Iceburn you're correct. Vodafone are currently offering a USB dongle for £39 which includes 1GB of airtime. And no time limit that I can see. The only downside on Voda is that the minimum top up is £15, vs £10 on 3. But for one month on 1GB, Voda is now the better deal by £39 vs £59. Wish these had been on offer when I bought mine from 3.

KingL

02 payg is another possible.

£30 for a dongle then £15 for 3GB (expires if not used in a month).

Try and check out the reception where you are before choosing one. Even though Voda say they have coverage all over my town I can't get a signal in my house.

smcaul

Also, look at who your mobile is with. T-mobile for example do web and walk services which you can add tol your contract on a monthly basis. Then depending on which mobile you have you can use it as a modem connected to your laptop. I am sure other providers offer similar products.

baldelectrician

before you go and commit to a deal I would suggest you look at the ofcom sitefinder website and see what mobile masts are close by.

It may be prudent to check and see. You may not need to buy a dongle as most recent Nokia N series phones have good data rates. If the phone is unlocked (£20) all you would need to buy is a PAYG sim and have a go.

peregrin

I may be wrong but I don't think that the networks are giving Sitefinder updated information on new masts etc. due to some spat/disagreement between them and Ofcom last year?