3 mobile broadband

fayraz

csj wrote: »

I would also be most interested to know of other users of Three's broadband internet. I've just moved into a flat with no live BT line and the Three offer looks very tempting and flexible starting at around £10/month. What are Three customers' views of mobile coverage around the country - I'd need to use it both in the Devon and Nottingham areas. Has anybody had any problems with Three in setting up this newish form of broadband.

I was in exactly the same position I moved into a flat temporarily and I did not want to sign up for a 12 month contract with BT or Virgin, so I started looking at mobile broadband and found 3 is the cheapest.

The coverage where I am in Bradford is very good; I hit speeds of around 1MB, I signed up for the 3GB plan, which is more than enough for general web browsing and emails. Check on the 3's coverage checker to see if you are in a Turbo area; http://www.three.co.uk/personal/coverage_/broadbandCoverageChecker.do

pizzaboy

I recently started a thread about this,and im keen to learn more about it,i have an n95 which comes with a modem,so its just a case signing up as an add on i think,then connecting phone to laptop or desktop.Id like to ditch my virgin cable connection and phone line,and maybe just go for a really cheap deal for home to be on the safe side,for about a tenner,but i cant find anymore info or reviews on the product anywhere.

csj_2

I went into the 3 shop in Torquay to check out how this product actually worked. We're not in a Turbo area here yet and it really showed. I tried a couple of sites (ebay and icesave) which I know to be relatively slow loading on dial-up and they seemed equally slow on the 3 system and nothing like other broadband systems I've experienced. So it looks like I'll not sign up yet - Turbo is not due here yntil at least February and I'll check agaian then.

It's a great idea and product if speeds are fine and must be something that will go down well if and when speeds (and the companies involved) are up to par.

fayraz

csj wrote: »

I went into the 3 shop in Torquay to check out how this product actually worked. We're not in a Turbo area here yet and it really showed. I tried a couple of sites (ebay and icesave) which I know to be relatively slow loading on dial-up and they seemed equally slow on the 3 system and nothing like other broadband systems I've experienced. So it looks like I'll not sign up yet - Turbo is not due here yntil at least February and I'll check agaian then.

It's a great idea and product if speeds are fine and must be something that will go down well if and when speeds (and the companies involved) are up to par.

Your right do not bother if you are not in a Turbo area, in some areas I connect with 3G and its painfully slow.

nickp8

There are also Wireless broadband ISPs. You dont need a phoneline. You get the service wirelessly. They normally only operate over a small area. Check if there is one in your area.

Here is one list of wireless opeartors: http://www.ispreview.co.uk/cgi-bin/listman/exec/search.cgi?search=1&perpage=20&marknew=5&lfield12_keyword=wireless&sort_order=1,abc,forward&template=_search_wireless.html

Also if you want to subscribe to SKY TV and broadband, if you ring them up and tell them you want to subscribe but need to pay BT £125 to activate the line they will credit your SKY account with £125.

travel_freak

Hi,

Please can anyone who has tried the new 3 mobile broadband service comment on how well it works, how reliable the connection is etc?

I've been with AOL broadband for some time but am now moving between different bases and don't want to double up on the cost of ISP and phone lines, so this new 3 deal seems ideal. I think Vodafone offer a similar service with a datacard(!) but it is much more expensive than the 3 deal.

I would need to be able to get a reliable connection in the UK and ideally would like to be able to access from Spain from time to time.

Any advice gratefully received.

Many thanks.

inmypocketnottheirs

May not be a totally helpful answer, but I have been using an o2 data connection. I can surf the interweb on my Nokia N95, or use it via the bluetooth connection with my laptop.

On top of my talk bundle, I pay £7.50 month for upto 200MB of data. Where there is a 3G signal I get a pretty fast connection.

However one warning, using data connections whilst abroad is extremely expensive. I resulted in a bill of about £80 after a trip to Holland and Belgium recently. It is much better to find a hotspot or use an internet cafe.

HTH

Hopefullyuseful1

travel_freak wrote: »

Hi,

Please can anyone who has tried the new 3 mobile broadband service comment on how well it works, how reliable the connection is etc?

I've been with AOL broadband for some time but am now moving between different bases and don't want to double up on the cost of ISP and phone lines, so this new 3 deal seems ideal. I think Vodafone offer a similar service with a datacard(!) but it is much more expensive than the 3 deal.

I would need to be able to get a reliable connection in the UK and ideally would like to be able to access from Spain from time to time.

Any advice gratefully received.

Many thanks.

Hi Travel_freak,

I don't have any information on the 3 deal, but I did notice you were a little unsure on the deals that Vodafone could offer you so I thought I'd help there

Vodafone do offer a Mobile Broadband and they have recently changed their price plans for this service. On the price plans page you will also see links to information on coverage within the UK, and which networks we have agreements with for roaming.

JKB_3

I signed up to 3's Mobile Broadband service about six weeks ago via Carphone Warehouse in Hull. I'm constantly on the road and usually use hotel wireless connections which are very expensive and not all that reliable. I therefore chose 3's most expensive high-traffic option as it would still work out much cheaper than the £9/day I pay at Premier Travel Inns.
It's been a complete waste of time and money. I've got a 3G signal exactly twice in all that time and it normally reverts to a GPRS signal instead which runs at 56 kb. Even when it seems to be working it won't give me access to Google or eBay and it picks up a handful of emails then drops the connection.
According to the built-in diagnostics the modem iteself is working correctly and as far as I can see my firewall and virus checker aren't interfering with it at all.
I've got a few more avenues to explore with 3 before I hand the affair over to someone like trading standards, but the message from me is:
Don't touch it with a bargepole!

inmypocketnottheirs

JKB wrote: »

I signed up to 3's Mobile Broadband service about six weeks ago via Carphone Warehouse in Hull. I'm constantly on the road and usually use hotel wireless connections which are very expensive and not all that reliable. I therefore chose 3's most expensive high-traffic option as it would still work out much cheaper than the £9/day I pay at Premier Travel Inns.
It's been a complete waste of time and money. I've got a 3G signal exactly twice in all that time and it normally reverts to a GPRS signal instead which runs at 56 kb. Even when it seems to be working it won't give me access to Google or eBay and it picks up a handful of emails then drops the connection.
According to the built-in diagnostics the modem iteself is working correctly and as far as I can see my firewall and virus checker aren't interfering with it at all.
I've got a few more avenues to explore with 3 before I hand the affair over to someone like trading standards, but the message from me is:
Don't touch it with a bargepole!

#


Hmmm, 3 network....?

As per my post above I have a Nokia N95 on o2 which I use as a modem on my laptop. Obviously dependant on where I am, when I get a 3G connection it is pretty good. However on 56K all it is good for is downloading email, which can be slow - but I have never had a problem with dropping the connection.

I was with 3 a few years ago, just on a PAYG deal, and there customer service was dire. One of the few good things about o2, is their customer services are UK based.