Mobile broadband

Annie1960

I'll be moving house soon, and expect to be without my broadband for a while until I get a new phone line etc put in.

In the meantime, I want to be able to use my laptop. I have heard such terms as dongle and mobile broadband, but I don't really understand them.

Can anyone explain if these would be useful for temporary use, is there a website that explains such matters?

I was thinking of going in to Carphone Warehouse and getting one there. Is this advisable?

Thanks for any light you can shed on this subject.

prowla

The service will very much depend upon the signal to and inside your house.

I have a three dongle, and I have to use it with a long USB cable and dangle it off the curtain rail.

stockton_2

I use a mifi (Huawei 586). It is a gadget about the same size as a small mobile phone. I feed it with Network 3 sim cards obtained off ebay. The last sim cost me £20 for 3G. It lasts for 3 months, (once activated) or when it runs out, whichever comes first. Then I get another one. There are no dongles to worry about.

I use it mainly for holidays. It is great for surfing and emails and online shopping but you have to avoid downloading video or watching utube and things like that.

I have always had a good reception from the 3 network (although I have never tried others. It is one of the best computer gadgets I have ever bought.

NiftyDigits

Look here and here to get an idea of what is currently available.

Annie1960

stockton wrote: »

I use a mifi (Huawei 586). It is a gadget about the same size as a small mobile phone. I feed it with Network 3 sim cards obtained off ebay. The last sim cost me £20 for 3G. It lasts for 3 months, (once activated) or when it runs out, whichever comes first. Then I get another one. There are no dongles to worry about.

I use it mainly for holidays. It is great for surfing and emails and online shopping but you have to avoid downloading video or watching utube and things like that.

I have always had a good reception from the 3 network (although I have never tried others. It is one of the best computer gadgets I have ever bought.

What is mifi, and where would I buy it?

wingchun8

if all you need it for is a few emails your mobile phone would suffice most of them have a built in hotspot feature ....just top it up a little more for your laptop/tablet its wireless to! connect to it as you would a regular router ..and away you go ..simples ....just dont do any heavy downloading ...nothing to buy except some credit ...just top up as your normally would assuming you have a data plan on your phone

NiftyDigits

Annie1960 wrote: »

What is mifi, and where would I buy it?

You are jesting...aren't you?

More detail from one of the options on the other thread.

You need to determine if EE, T-Mobile or Three have a good signal at your property before you make a decision.

Annie1960

wingchun8 wrote: »

if all you need it for is a few emails your mobile phone would suffice most of them have a built in hotspot feature ....just top it up a little more for your laptop/tablet its wireless to! connect to it as you would a regular router ..and away you go ..simples ....just dont do any heavy downloading ...nothing to buy except some credit ...just top up as your normally would assuming you have a data plan on your phone

Good idea in principle, but I looked into this when I got my phone (I'm on a 2 year contract). I would have to pay more each month for this, so it's not worth it.

Annie1960

NiftyDigits wrote: »

You are jesting...aren't you?

More detail from one of the options on the other thread.

You need to determine if EE, T-Mobile or Three have a good signal at your property before you make a decision.

Alas no, I'm not jesting. I'm an oldie, not one of the technological generation. I'm visiting the house tomorrow to measure up and one of the things on my list was to test my phone signal (I'm with T-Mobile).

stockton_2

Annie1960 wrote: »

What is mifi, and where would I buy it?

Mifi is a gadget that captures a network signal. When you switch it on it transmits the signal to any local ipods or ipads that are wifi enabled (or to your desktop computer if you have a usb wifi stick plugged in).

You will find lots for sale on ebay. I have a Huawei e586.

Things you will need to think about are: is it unlocked or tied to just one network? Is it Pay as you go? Does it take a standard sim card or a micro sim card.

My own mifi is unlocked, takes a standard sim card and is PAYG.

You can buy a sim card off ebay. When you get it you take the cover off the mifi, remove the battery and then insert the sim card. Put the battery back and the mifi is ready to go. You can always ask the ebay seller if you are not sure if it is the right sim card.

If you get a mifi and are not sure what sim to get or how to put it in just come back here and ask for help.

eddddy

... or you could ask a neighbour if you can temporarily log into their wifi from your house, until yours is set up.


Obviously, this assumes their wifi will be strong enough for your laptop to detect in your house - and you don't mind asking your new neighbours this kind of cheeky question! (And some people might worry that you would get them into trouble by downloading terrorist/illegal stuff!)