broadband abroad

tiki

Hi I have just bought a new samsung notebook for when we are going to the USA for a holiday and want to use the internet securely ,I have been told that wi-fi is plentiful out there but im not sure how secure it is and really dont want to drive up to a mcdonalds every five minutes to get a connection.A dongle seems to be the answer but all the providers(we are with virgin want a lot for one per month)I was told about a "zoom 3g triband modem" that amazon have for about £70 is this a good deal and all we need (i guess i need to get a pre paid sim card to use out there?)
Thanks

macman

Probably much cheaper just to purchase a PAYG dongle on arrival.

Wannie_2

An option is Virgin Broadband2Go Check the coverage maps to see if it is suitable for you.

aerostar

As this is a moneysaving site, and before you spend money, have you done any research about internet access in the area(s) you are going to, including the hotel/motel that you may be staying at ?

To protect you against your computer being "attacked" on any connection download ZoneAlarm firewall (Free) and only install the firewall nothing else, choose custom install, and make sure that when it detects a new network when you are in a public place including hotels etc, you tell it it is in the public zone, not trusted. This will then stop attempts to connect to your computer by undesirables.

I would have thought that once per day for e-mails would be adequate, and if you are travelling in hire car, you must pass a McD quite often.

tiki

Thanks for your help,It looks like a lot of the hotels have wi fi that is supposed to be secure but we are travelling around a lot so just wanted to check our options(might buy a card out there)

AndrewEd

When you area abroad and there's free Wi-Fi, are you still charged by your UK provider?

macman

No, you are not.