Free wireless internet and cheap 3G broadband article discussion

taff007

It uses the same network, but make sure you can get 3g coverage in your area (is there a symbol to show this on your phone), as access over the 2g network is very poor (if not impossible).

labp04

" . . . . any advice appreciated before we go to expense...."

I think 3 still offer a money back guarantee with no questions providing the sim hasn't been used for more than 3 consecutive days and the whole caboodle is returned within 14 days.

Sounds like you cant lose and in honesty I aint found anywhere mine doesnt work. Recommended!

Jeonat1

In terms of the whole not being to load a page on a 2G connection, there is a technical problem with 3 that prevents it if the MTU (Maximum Transmission Unit) for your computer is set too high, however it works fine over 3G/HSDPA.

I change mine to 576 (the default is normally around the 1500 mark), whenever I need to use 3's 2G connection and then it seems to work fine. On my computer (Mac OS X) it resets back to the default on the next reboot.

I have no idea how you would go about doing this on Windows, but it works for me on both OS X and Linux.

Wee_Bargain_Hunter

Do you have to get extra/ different security if you use this?

travel_freak

Hi AlanJRobertson and Hopefullyuseful1

Many thanks to you both for your helpful, informative replies.

Hopefullyuseful1, please could you explain how the 14 days peace of mind terms work? Is it actually honoured without having to battle? If I order it and use it and find that the connection is no good can I simply cancel and return by saying just that? I don't intend to abuse this at all and if the connection is good I'll be more than happy to keep it but by the same token I don't want to be caught in a long contract with a lousy connection and find myself having to pay again for wireless and losing a battle to cancel with Vodafone if in fact it doesnt work well.

I plan to rely on this as my sole internet connection which I also use for work from home so it would be disastrous if it didnt work and I was tied in to paying for a year or two.

up until now I've had AOL wireless which until the last few months has been fine but actually now is dire (as other people have said on another thread) it keeps cutting me off and has become really slow and unreliable. With AOL I'm paying £9.99 a month but I would be more than happy to switch to Vodafone on their £15 a month deal with the dongle thing provided it is reliable.

One more stupid question but does the dongle thing work not only on a laptop but also on a main computer as I would like to have the flexibility to use both.

Many thanks again for your help.

metaphase

travel_freak wrote: »

One more stupid question but does the dongle thing work not only on a laptop but also on a main computer as I would like to have the flexibility to use both.

It will work fine on either - it's even possible to buy a wireless router that supports USB dongles so you can provide WiFi to your house from a 3G connection, but that's maybe just going a step too far

jdo_2

Thanks to all who have contributed to this thread, it has really helped me decide on the best broadband for me to get. I am going for the PAYG 3 Mobile broadband, and have a couple of quick questions:

1) From buying online, I have a choice of three dongles, the pink and white ones appear to be the same, and a black one which is a slimmer model (ZTE MF622 USB Modem). Are there any differences I should be aware of between these, such as quality of service, ability to unlock, anything else?

2) I'm a student, so want to take advantage of the £50 off the price of the dongle. I've had a 'run through' of buying on line, and after choosing my dongle it asks for my university e-mail address. On entering this, I go to the payment page, where the price of the dongle is still shown as £99. Can anyone who has bought this deal online clarify whether I will get charged £49 or whether I get charged £99 and have to somehow claim back the £50 off?

bluey1981

Can anyone who has ordered the 3 dongle tell me how long it took to arrive?

I ordered one last Friday and selected Saturday as my delivery day but still haven't received it or had any further email updates as promised.

Is this normal or should I contact them?

starmountuk

Hi im interested in getting mobile broadband, at the moment im with bt option 2, can i get mobile broadband on a pay as you go system were u simply buy a top up card as you would with a mobile phone no contract? as i dont have a credit card and dont want to use direct debit
thx

taff007

Jeonat1 wrote: »

I change mine to 576 (the default is normally around the 1500 mark), whenever I need to use 3's 2G connection and then it seems to work fine. On my computer (Mac OS X) it resets back to the default on the next reboot.

I have no idea how you would go about doing this on Windows, but it works for me on both OS X and Linux.

Could you tell me how to change the MTU on the mac. I've done a search and found how to do it in Terminal for the airport, but can't work out how to change the USB modem settings.

Thanks