Cheapest way to use a laptop in Greece

Happychappy

Hi,

I am looking at buying a laptop with wi-fi for using in the few places which have wi-fi access in Greece, but at times I will also need to connect to the internet for web browsing etc.

Any ideas on what would be the cheapest option ? I am currently with 02 but looking to change to Vodafone to take advantage of their free mobile phone roaming for the summer, but this doesnt include internet access.

Thank HC

mrJ_5

Happychappy wrote: »

which have wi-fi access in Greece

Happychappy wrote: »

I also need to connect to the internet for web browsing etc.

Not the same? You can browse the internet via wi-fi ... wi-fi is just a wireless signal connecting to a modem (which in turn uses ADSL, SDSL, or any other flavour or method to get you online) to let you go online, no need to confuse the two. Mobile (3G) broadband is another way of getting online....

Happychappy wrote: »

Any ideas on what would be the cheapest option?

Depends on your usage, but be aware that inclusive data caps are only for UK, outside the UK you need to pay per MB - this could amount to £1,000s if you download anything abroad (this includes emails, web pages, You Tube video etc) or upload anything (sending emails, uploading photos to Facebook etc).

Happychappy wrote: »

I am currently with 02 but looking to change to Vodafone to take advantage of their free mobile phone roaming for the summer, but this doesnt include internet access.

Just be aware that you'll be tied in for about 18 months if you opt for a contracted option, and as mentioned previously any inclusive usage is UK only.

macman

Use local wifi-don't even consider mobile broadband abroad unless you want to pay about £7.50 per MB!

Happychappy

Sorry didnt make myself clear, I shall be on a boat for around a month or so around the islands, some of them have free wi-fi which is fine for everything I need, unfortunately most do not and internet cafe's don't exist, which leaves me with having to set up some mobile 3g access for my laptop or phone.

I use google earth a lot to look at different islands, bays and mooring places, apart from that just check emails, weather and a not a lot more. Normally no more than 30 mins a day ?

I have seen a Samsung N110 which seems a pretty neat and lightweight netbook with a good battery life but at 349 a bit dear, are there any other decent net books ? I need around 80gb hard drive so I can load films on prior to leaving UK, no need for dvd/cd player as I use usb sticks, prefer XP to Vista, decent screen 9" is fine, must have a very good battery life and to be charged by a cigar lighter as rarely have access to mains electric ?

Thanks for any help

macman

Even 30 mins per day will cost you, all the activities you list involve uploading and downloading data, everytime your antivirus or Windows updates download, it could cost you dear. Lots of woeful stories on this forum of people going abroad for a week and coming back with a bill for £1000, even though they 'didn't download anything'.
I doubt if the islands have much in the way of 3G access if the rural parts of Greece are anything like the rural parts of the UK, so you could be on dial up speeds much of the time anyway.

benjus

You could always unlock your 3G dongle (many can be unlocked for free, including the £5 one currently on offer from Three) and look for a local mobile company with a PAYG service with data access available. A SIM card designed for use in a mobile phone will work fine in a 3G dongle. For example, in Spain you could use a Yoigo SIM card (€1.20 per day for data access) and in France I'm told you can use an Orange SIM card (€9 per month - I think - for data access). Unfortunately I have no idea what the options are for Greece.

The only thing to bear in mind about using a SIM card designed for use in a phone rather than a dongle is that the download limits may be quite small. It should be fine for checking emails and browsing but it's probably not a good idea to start downloading videos or music. If you exceed the download limits you may be charged some "standard rate" for data access, but the worst that can happen is that you use up all your PAYG credit and then your connection will be cut off.

It may be possible to get a PAYG SIM card designed for use in a 3G dongle, but in my experience most networks only sell these with a dongle included, which of course you would have to pay for. Ebay might be worth a try.

As mentioned above, it would be a good idea to check coverage before you spend any money. GPRS coverage is really only useful for low-bandwidth operations like checking email, very basic browsing and text-only messaging.

I bought my Acer Aspire One for £150 (plus postage) from AcerDirect - it was classed as a grade A1 refurb (damage to box only) with a full warranty. It is the model with 1GB RAM, a 120GB hard disk and Linux installed - but I replaced Linux with Windows XP.

caz567

Happychappy wrote: »

I have seen a Samsung N110 which seems a pretty neat and lightweight netbook with a good battery life but at 349 a bit dear, are there any other decent net books ? I need around 80gb hard drive so I can load films on prior to leaving UK, no need for dvd/cd player as I use usb sticks, prefer XP to Vista, decent screen 9" is fine, must have a very good battery life and to be charged by a cigar lighter as rarely have access to mains electric ?

I've recently been travelling around Europe and bought an Asus Eee PC 901 as it's small and lightweight. Being so small it has a small hard drive, to get around storage issues I bought an external hard drive off eBay and put films, music and photos on it. This solution worked well.

As for getting online, I would definately not use a UK dongle abroad, it will cost a fortune as others have already said.