Dongles?

mummy2threeboys

Forgive me im a bit of a tecnophobic! Im thinking about ditching my wireless service from virgin media, my netbook is also wireless. Ive heard that i can get a dongle that i just plug in and use? Is it as simple as that do i not need a wireless router..singal to pick up from..(please don't laugh lol) if so how does it work pay as you go , precharged? I use about 3 hours a day. im on basic tv , basic wireless and basic phone and we still pay £45 a month and ive already phoned up and got the best deal every six months. Do you think this is a reasonable amount? My phone bill is only actually about £3 a month as i use my mobiles 100 free mins and texts for £10 deal, Thanks for an input x

reallyAnnoyed_2

It's called mobile broadband. 3 (the phone company) has the best mobile broadband deals. I have their £15/ month rolling microsim contract (means you can cancel it anytime - giving 30 days notice) and get 10gb data allownece every month.

The most important thing about mobile broadband is that it MUST NOT be treated as an alternative for home broadband. As the name implies, it is mainly for use when you are out and about. If you are a heavy user (like play online games, watch television / movies online, use services like BBC iPlayer ) then this is not for you - and any additional data will cost you an arm and leg.

jason1231972

I used to have a mobile broadband dongle with T-Mobile. It was £15 per month for 3gb (way more than enough for simple browsing, not enough for even moderate downloading).

The package was as such that even when you hit 3gb, you can still browse (with no additional charges), but sites like YouTube, etc. wouldn't load after 4pm on each 'over' day.

So the price and package was reasonable.

The speed and reliability of the internet connection was very poor. Absolutely fine for emails, Facebook, forums, etc., but virtually impossible to watch videos, etc.

mummy2threeboys

oh thank you both, lots to think about xx

Lensman_2

Sorry if this is stating the obvious...

Your current wireless will be using a router to connect to the internet via cables that are made for the job. On this you will have virtually unlimited data that you can download.

The dongle connects via spare capacity on the mobile phone network. This is used for voice, text and data. Because it is not dedicated it seems slower. It also needs good reception to work well and that is not always available. Either way it will likely be slower. I get 30 Mb at home and my dongle has (very rarely) hit 3 Mb.

Also, it depends on your internet usage. My T-mobile dongle has a 3 Gb limit. I don't download films/software but I would say I am a fairly heavy user - reading forums an watching a bit of iplayer/youtube. I use about 75 Gb a month... So, for me the 3 Gb gets used up very quickly and would be no good for a permanent solution.

Really, my dongle is very useful for the odd trip for work where I am in a hotel for the night and just need to keep up with news, emails and forum posts. Not much else.

For £15 I would buy one and try it for a month. If it doesn't work you have wasted £15 and still have a 'proper' connection.

If it does then cancel Virgin!

Good luck.