3G mobile internet access (USB modem/datacard)

IM

APOLOGIES FOR DUPLICATING POST FROM THE INTERNET BOARD, BUT NO-ONE WAS ANSWERING OVER THERE (AND ANYWAY, I SUSPECT THIS IS THE PLACE FOR MY QUESTION...)

My in-laws live on a canal boat, and as a result do not have a land-line telephone (they did have one, but they found they couldn’t travel very far…:rotfl: ).

My M-i-L is keen to get internet access though (they have a laptop), and I’ve been trying to do some digging about the relative benefits of the networks’ 3G USB modem/data-card products.

One thing is clear, and that is that – presumably because these are seen as ‘business’ products – there are none of the handy click ‘n’ compare websites out there, similar to those for mobile ‘phone deals etc.

Anyway…

I’ve been recommended the T-Mobile “Web ‘n’ Walk” plan by someone in the know. The thing I don’t understand though, is the fact that there are two offerings - “Web ‘n’ Walk Plus” and “Web ‘n’ Walk Max” - at £29 and £44/month respectively (http://www.t-mobile.co.uk/shop/mobile-phones/internet/laptop/ ).

The only difference I can see, is that one includes VOIP calls and the other doesn’t. I admit that I know very little about VOIP, but I don’t see how this works – how can T-Mobile tell if you are using your connection for a Skype call rather than just browsing the web?

Vodafone only appear to have one plan - £25 for ‘unlimited’ access….

Have I just talked myself into recommending the Vodafone deal to the M-i-L, or could she get stung down the line if she tries to use VOIP?

everythingblogcast

Well how offing will they be using it.

If they can bare with slower then dailup speed then GPRS on Orange is good, £1 until midnight when you sent a text off to orange.

I got T-moile to call me about their plans and still confusing, they seem to only allow small bandwidth "allowance - for someone on these forums) so you will have to pay more because if you download a lot say that they go onto iTunes and bought a few adlums you have to pay more. So maybe the Vodafone will be best.

ubergeek

I have been using the T-Mobile Web ‘n’ Walk datacard for Internet access for quite a while now and I am more than happy with it.

Vodafone, however, does have better coverage than T-Mobile, but their prices quoted don’t include VAT.

Currently, there are three methods of using Web ‘n’ Walk:

Bronze Option: Use a mobile phone – Using the Flext 25 tariff and Web ‘n’ Walk gives you both mobile voice and data access for about as cheap as you can get. Ensure that the phone you get can act as a modem (via Bluetooth or USB) for your computer and is HSDPA (High Speed Download Packet Access). I know quite a few people who use this option with no problems at all.

Silver Option: PCMCIA Card or USB adapter contract – This is the one pushed by T-Mobile for data access. With reference to the VoIP question, T-Mobile can tell by looking at something called “Traffic Shaping”. The fact that they have a different (more expensive!) plan for its use would indicate that they enforce this; however, I can’t confirm this.

Gold Option: 3G Wireless Router – By using a Web ‘n’ Walk PCMCIA Card and a Linksys WRT54G3G router, more than one computer can access the Net via WiFi. http://www.dsl-warehouse.co.uk/product.asp?pr=WRT54G3G for details on the router.

IM

ubergeek wrote: »

Silver Option: PCMCIA Card or USB adapter contract – This is the one pushed by T-Mobile for data access. With reference to the VoIP question, T-Mobile can tell by looking at something called “Traffic Shaping”. The fact that they have a different (more expensive!) plan for its use would indicate that they enforce this; however, I can’t confirm this.

Given that Vodafone don't mention VoIP, does this mean they don't differentiate, and that calls would be included in the £25/month (albeit +VAT)? A £14/month mark-up for VoIP calls sounds a bit steep...

ubergeek

It looks like Vodafone have recently changed their pricing for mobile data to match T-Mobile, as it used to be £25 less VAT for only 250Mb per month.

As for the VoIP issue, the terms & conditions are only available after submitting your payment details on the website! I think a quick phone call would be in order before applying online.

Mobile data could be the killer app for the 3G networks (just like SMS was for the 2G/GSM).

After the billions paid out for the licences to the govt, it looks like the networks are trying to recoup the costs involved.

faza20

Hi everyone.

Working for Vodafone, I can tell you our T & C's do say that VoIP in not included in the package prices. It can be charged at up to £2.35 per mb.

ubergeek

faza20 wrote: »

Hi everyone.

Working for Vodafone, I can tell you our T & C's do say that VoIP in not included in the package prices. It can be charged at up to £2.35 per mb.

That's a bit steep isn't it? :eek:

It's almost as bad as international roaming rates!

mmillie

I came across this advert this morning, which you might be interested in;

http://www.dabs.com/Article.aspx?articleid=419

It is £25/month from vodafone for PC, with a 3GB/month fair use limit, but no restriction on type of traffic - i.e. VOIP is fine.

Martin

IM

Hmmm...

So the differential of £15/month for the two T-Mobile plans equates to around 6 meg of VoIP calls on Vodafone?

What does 6 meg actually 'look' like in terms of calls?