Evicted, homeless - what could I use for temporary internet access?

tangerinetee

Had to close my Virgin phone/internet account, as we are being evicted. Probably will end up in Bed & Breakfast, who knows, its all a mess.


Anyway, when we are living in B&B we will have no internet access, which I will need at times, and my son will need for homework.


Should I buy a dongle (don't know much about them) for my laptop? Would it be prohibitively expensive? We may be months in B&B.


Or should I forget that and just my small smart phone for emergencies, which is on a different contract luckily? And maybe go to the library otherwise? I feel rather confused about what to do in this case.


Any thoughts or ideas would be very gratefully received, thank you.

whitewing

How old is your son?

Could you arrange for him to use school computers for his homework, if you explain the situation to school. He can't be the only person in this situation.

PlutoinCapricorn

My library offers free access to members on their own PCs for one hour, and unlimited WiFi for any people who bring their own machines. I have found this very useful. Some libraries will offer free access on their PCs to anyone for 30 minutes.

Free WiFi is available in many places if you have a laptop, tablet etc.

eddddy

Just another option to consider for internet access. Most smartphones can be configured as wifi hotspots. i.e. the phone gives out a wifi signal which your laptop can connect to. It's called tethering.

But you would need to check your mobile contract to see if it allows tethering. If it doesn't, you can see if upgrading your contract would be cost-efficient. But it may be much slower than your old Virgin connection.


(And as whitewing says, make sure your son's school is aware of the situation. They should have policies for pupils with no internet access at home. Perhaps doing homework in the school library or public library is a sensible option anyway, rather than a cramped B&B room.

A usb memory stick for transferring work between school computers, library computers and your laptop may also be useful.)

DigForVictory

+1 for school & libraries.
Hoping things improve for you!

Nodding_Donkey

You can currently get a Mobile Data sim with 3 for £15 per month for 10GB which should be enough. It's on a 30 day contract so you're not tied in. Mobile dongles are as cheap as chips now.

NiftyDigits

Waste of money to get a dongle. A MiFi is much more useful.

You can pick up a MiFi unit for £25 here, unlock it for a Pound or less; here as an example. Use up the 2GB allowance, then to use it with any data SIM, PAYG or contract.

If you can find one, PC World may have a few Alcatel Y800 4G modems left @ £19.97. Product code: 066084 On a one month contract, you can give EE 30 days notice once you have activated it. Unlock here. So you can get an unlocked 4G MiFi for as little as £30.97. Again to use with any data SIM...including the 6GB/90 day EE data SIM for £14.99.

CM66

if you get really stuck Mcdonalds and Starbucks both offer free Wifi