No 3G - Remote Area

Ms_Chocaholic

Hi

We have relatives that live in a remote area, think cows, fields, tractors and not much else. 3G doesn't work in that area at all well, as you can well imagine, sometimes you can connect for a few minutes if you walk round for 10 minutes but nothing for any length of time.

The relatives have a landline but no broadband.

We are due to go and see them in the next few days for a week and I'm going to be lost without any link to the outside world.

Is there anything I can buy/do to enable me to connect - it's just for my mobile, I'm not bothered about taking a laptop/tablet.

Thanks

Ms Choc x

The_ICT_Engineer

Not a lot that you can do, Masts in remote areas are further apart. Often you find dead spots in the oddest of places.

kwikbreaks

A dialup modem + laptop running https://virtualrouter.codeplex.com/ Several PAYG dial up ISPs around stil - e.g. http://freeola.com/dial-up-internet/

It will probably be so slow you'll wish you hadn't bothered and taken a drive to a Maccy D's for their free WiFi instead.

debitcardmayhem

Enjoy the time with them, we'll be here when you get back.

Ms_Chocaholic

The_ICT_Engineer wrote: »

Not a lot that you can do, Masts in remote areas are further apart. Often you find dead spots in the oddest of places.

Yeah sometimes you can lean against a window at an obscure angle and get 3G for a few minutes

Thanks for all your help.

Ms_Chocaholic

kwikbreaks wrote: »

A dialup modem + laptop running https://virtualrouter.codeplex.com/ Several PAYG dial up ISPs around stil - e.g. http://freeola.com/dial-up-internet/

It will probably be so slow you'll wish you hadn't bothered and taken a drive to a Maccy D's for their free WiFi instead.

I don't even think there's a Maccy D's for miles around

Just checked - 12 miles, not as bad as I thought.

PeteDoff

We have NO 2g or anything, however a 3g dongle in a plastic bag hoisted up a tree with a 10m 'active' usb cable does the job - just.

bluesnake

PeteDoff wrote: »

... hoisted up a tree with a 10m 'active' usb cable...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/6m-Telescopic-Fibreglass-Pole-for-Windsocks-Flags-/140471746799?pt=UK_SportingGoods_Camping_Accessories&hash=item20b4c4c0ef

googler

debitcardmayhem wrote: »

Enjoy the time with them, we'll be here when you get back.

Indeed. I thought the whole idea of a holiday was to get away from it all ....

So you're going to spend a week with your friends and ... do what? Check your work e-mail? Your personal mail? Facebook? Twitter?

Defeats the whole point of going away, surely?

Ms_Chocaholic

On an evening, we usually eat dinner and then stay in, have a drink and watch some TV, our relatives are quite elderly so often go to bed about 9.30 if they are not smashed by then!

Things aren't always as they seem!

I'm not an avid TV watcher even at home, I would much rather spend my evenings browsing the internet/MSE on my laptop, I get no joy from watching TV really, even films I struggle to follow the plot and me asking "how do you know ...." during the course of a film isn't enjoyable for anyone.

Therefore I'd prefer to be in the same room and spent part of my evening browsing the internet while they are engrossed in a film. There are no pubs within walking/cycling distance even.