iPhone5 - internet connection

Cardew

My daughter has a holiday cottage in the remote Scottish Highlands. There is no mobile phone coverage or landline.

In the cottage they have the internet – a very slow wi-fi connection beamed from a transmitter on a distant moutaintop, to a receiver and fed into the cottage to a modem. (a system set up by the Scottish Government)

When I stay there, from this modem I can connect via wireless to my laptop or Ipad. I use Skype to telephone landlines/mobiles(at a charge) or Skype to Skype calls(often the signal strength isn’t strong enough for video).

Now the question. My daughter has an iPhone 5. Is there any way she can connect this phone wirelessly to the router and make and receive calls?

AlecEiffel

O2 tugo lets you use wifi to make and receive calls, 3 in touch does the same. Both are via apps in the App Store. The other networks maybe have similar set ups.

theonlywayisup

If you have BT home phone you can download the BT SmartTalk app and use the wifi + mobile phone as if it were your home phone.

Cardew

theonlywayisup wrote: »

If you have BT home phone you can download the BT SmartTalk app and use the wifi + mobile phone as if it were your home phone.

Thanks,


However as her mobile package is with 02, doesn't this mean she will pay(use) data charges when connected via the BT app to the internet?

theonlywayisup

No, if you have BT at home you can add her (I think it is 4 users the account holder can add) and if she uses the a SmartTalk app over the wifi, it is taken from your BT minutes.

My son is at boarding school but has wifi and a zero mobile signal. He can call me via the wifi through the app using our BT free calls package.

Have a read, it's been ages since I set ours up. Obviously only relevant if you have a BT phone line.

http://bt.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/40735/~/how-does-the-bt-smarttalk-app-work-and-what-are-the-benefits%3F

Cardew

I have a BT Telephone and Infinity internet account at my home address with BT Anytime(landline calls/0800/0870/0845 free 24/7)


The cottage in Scotland has unlimited downloads and laptops/iPads can connect wirelessly - albeit sometimes a very poor signal.


Sorry to appear thick on this subject, but is this link below only talking about data costs when using 3G, not when connected to the router in the cottage.


http://kenstechtips.com/index.php/bts-smarttalk-offers-free-0800-and-discounted-landline-0845-calls-from-your-mobile


Provided she ensures the mobile phone is connected wirelessly to the router in the cottage, 02 will not charge for data(or deduct from allowance) to connect to the router; and all calls to a UK landline will be free. Is that correct?


Similarly my daughter is going to the USA in the summer to join a cruise. She gets 'free' minutes on the ship. Apart from using up those minutes calls home to UK landlines will be free?

jem16

Cardew wrote: »

Sorry to appear thick on this subject, but is this link below only talking about data costs when using 3G, not when connected to the router in the cottage.


http://kenstechtips.com/index.php/bts-smarttalk-offers-free-0800-and-discounted-landline-0845-calls-from-your-mobile

Yes it's only data costs when using 3G/4G.

Routing them through WiFi will cost nothing.

Provided she ensures the mobile phone is connected wirelessly to the router in the cottage, 02 will not charge for data(or deduct from allowance) to connect to the router; and all calls to a UK landline will be free. Is that correct?

That is correct.

Similarly my daughter is going to the USA in the summer to join a cruise. She gets 'free' minutes on the ship. Apart from using up those minutes calls home to UK landlines will be free?

I couldn't tell you. How is she getting "free" minutes on the ship - who is providing them?

Cardew

Thanks.


Most cruise ships have their own internet network like, say, a hotel, and you either pay for the time you spend on line or get a certain amount free access.

jem16

Cardew wrote: »

Thanks.


Most cruise ships have their own internet network like, say, a hotel, and you either pay for the time you spend on line or get a certain amount free access.

Ah right. Provided it will allow her internet access then yes she could do that. However the quality of the access may not be good enough as it's often slow on ships. She would be better to find some free WiFi access in port.

prowla

You can tether a computer to a phone.
However, beware that things like system updates would also come over that link, so leaving them on automatic would be really expensive.