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Pre loaded data only SIM


Slim

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Not strictly boat related but......

I'm in the process of buying a new car that is internet enabled. To get the best out of it I need to install a data only SIm card. It will accept any network. As title says I want a long term pre paid card. Seemingly data usage is fairly light as most of the time it it just sits there waiting to be 'used.' I've tried to find out more about usage but haven't been too successful. Any suggestions regarding currently available offers would be appreciated.

 

Thanks

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Two thoughts to get you started, I think these are the only ones like this available

 

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Three-Mobile-Pay-Broadband-Data/dp/B01CMD4VKC

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Three-Mobile-Pay-Broadband-Data-Black/dp/B01M3VJ2B2

 

Cheaper on eBay but easier on Amazon

Edited by Loddon
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1 hour ago, Loddon said:

Two thoughts to get you started, I think these are the only ones like this available

 

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Three-Mobile-Pay-Broadband-Data/dp/B01CMD4VKC

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Three-Mobile-Pay-Broadband-Data-Black/dp/B01M3VJ2B2

 

Cheaper on eBay but easier on Amazon

Not cheap.

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10 hours ago, Slim said:

As title says I want a long term pre paid card. Seemingly data usage is fairly light as most of the time it it just sits there waiting to be 'used.'

http://store.three.co.uk/view/searchTariff?sort=priceValue-ascending&deviceType=SIM_ONLY_MBB&deviceType=SIM_ONLY_MBB&expand=includedInternetAllowanceInMB&includedInternetAllowanceInMB=1GB&payGPriceForTariff=0to49.99

 

Not exactly what you asked for but might be what you need! :D

 

It's a PAYG mobile data SIM that gets 200mb of data free every month and you can top up when you need to.

 

It's a bit more effort than a prepaid in advance data card, but if you are only using small amounts of data might be better.  If the car starts eating lots of data you would be better off with a cheap data contract rather than pay as you go.

 

 

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1 hour ago, john6767 said:

Is this just for the telematics/phone home?  Both mine and my wife’s car have the SIM card installed by the manufacturer and it just works.  Is it common to have to supply your own SIM for this?

As I understand it ( no guarantee) the car is equipped with a package "on call" that is already enabled for 3 years. This covers events like a serious accident or airbags going off when a message goes to a dedicated centre who take appropriate action. At the moment this can be extended for a further 2 years for about £60. By inserting a valid sim additional features can be enabled like remote pre warming / cooling , checking vehicle security, remote warning of tampering. It will also turn the car into a hotspot for occupants, access weather forecast, Spotify etc etc. The most benificial addition is that the car communicates with like fitted vehicles which transmits a warning if hazard lights are triggered. 

Look, this is probably the last car I will buy and it just winked at me when I took my present car in for service the other day. 

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2 minutes ago, Slim said:

As I understand it ( no guarantee) the car is equipped with a package "on call" that is already enabled for 3 years. This covers events like a serious accident or airbags going off when a message goes to a dedicated centre who take appropriate action. At the moment this can be extended for a further 2 years for about £60. By inserting a valid sim additional features can be enabled like remote pre warming / cooling , checking vehicle security, remote warning of tampering. It will also turn the car into a hotspot for occupants, access weather forecast, Spotify etc etc. The most benificial addition is that the car communicates with like fitted vehicles which transmits a warning if hazard lights are triggered. 

Look, this is probably the last car I will buy and it just winked at me when I took my present car in for service the other day. 

Mine has all that stuff and more (like tracking the car and voice to breakdown or emergency ) except it does not provide a hotspot, so perhaps that is why you need to provide your own SIM as that could obviously uses a lot more data that the car its self does.  Coming from a technology background I like all this stuff so I was just interested in how it worked for different makes.

 

I got annoyed with mine though, we left the car parked at the marina where the phone signal is not great and I idly checked the app as we were pootling along on the boat, and it told me that the car was unlocked, so I turned the boat round and 2 hours back to the marina, and of course it was locked and alarmed fine.  I think Land Rover may have fixed this now, but the app seemed to be defaulting to unlocked if it could not talk to the car, I was not impressed!

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4 minutes ago, matty40s said:

Strangely enough, Land Rovers tag line for the new Defender is the car that gets better with age. 91 ECUs controlling 21000 internal sensor messages is all updated like a Microsoft computer update.

 

NOWT TO GO WRONG THERE THEN IS THERE!!

I think all recent cars are basically computer systems, servicing is mostly software updates.  I have only had one thing go wrong with the car in the time I have had it, and that was fixed by a software update.

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Not always easy, in my case I had an intermittent fault whereby the ecu shut down, turbo stopped and car went to milkfloat mode i.e.15mph flat out. The magician with his magic computer said vacuum sensor, so duly replaced off, I go to fall into milkfloat mode on a hill, on a motorway when I was doing 69 in the outside lane, suddenly no power and urgent limp to the slow lane to be pushed by the artic's. Went back again, after 4 goes they called in a specialist, I was impressed, but he couldn't fix it either. One day on about the 10th visit an old boy in the garage was watching and decided to wiggle the tubes, suddenly engine went into milkfloat mode, turned out to be a hairline crack in a T piece, when load got high engine tipped slightly and activated the milkfloat mode. So software and computers were useless, but a 60 year old guy who has played with engines for 40+ of them was able to fix it, but he had to get his hands dirty. 

  • Happy 1
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20 hours ago, matty40s said:

Strangely enough, Land Rovers tag line for the new Defender is the car that gets better with age. 91 ECUs controlling 21000 internal sensor messages is all updated like a Microsoft computer update.

 

NOWT TO GO WRONG THERE THEN IS THERE!!

.... and I think you will find that the new Defender can only do some of the updates on the move.  The rest has to be updated by the Dealer (for a fee presumably).  Even a guy I know at JLR rolled his eyes at this "feature" as he's awaits delivery of his Defender.  Delayed for, yes you've guessed it, software updates!

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Dropped into the dealer yesterday to dot a few i's and cross a few t's. I think I've managed to blagg a 100 GB card. It was left with a vague "I'll see what I can do". Time will tell. They were very quiet and both the salesman (sorry, Consultant) and sales manager had time to chat. (I know that's their job). Turns out that the car I've bought (Volvo V90 R Design) was built in China  and shipped to the UK across Russia by train. ?. They're a bit worried about ongoing supplies especially of their electric versions of which there are no UK stocks.

Anyway, thanks to all for their advice and comments

 

 

 

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On 19/02/2020 at 09:06, Slim said:

Dropped into the dealer yesterday to dot a few i's and cross a few t's. I think I've managed to blagg a 100 GB card. It was left with a vague "I'll see what I can do". Time will tell. They were very quiet and both the salesman (sorry, Consultant) and sales manager had time to chat. (I know that's their job). Turns out that the car I've bought (Volvo V90 R Design) was built in China  and shipped to the UK across Russia by train. ?. They're a bit worried about ongoing supplies especially of their electric versions of which there are no UK stocks.

Anyway, thanks to all for their advice and comments

 

 

 

Turns out the China build bit is wrong. Using the VIN number it was built in Sweden. Confirms my opinions of car dealers level of knowledge.

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On 20/02/2020 at 17:24, GRLMK38 said:

You bought a £40K+ car and they "may" be able to include a £20 SIM card, ... is that before or after you haggled the typical Volvo discount of 15%?

After haggling and it was a bit more than 15% . Who knows how fair trade in was. As it happens the card in question is 100gb for 12 months.

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On 22/02/2020 at 09:48, Slim said:

After haggling and it was a bit more than 15% . Who knows how fair trade in was. As it happens the card in question is 100gb for 12 months.

I am glad you achieved a discount, there are lots of people that won't haggle and are giving away thousands.

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One to consider for the future - I have an ASDA SIM, and I buy a £5 data only bundle which lasts a month (and so far I've never used all the monthly allowance).

If you don't have a bundle and buy ordinary credit, it doesn't expire at month end - just when you've used it all.

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13 hours ago, nickhindle said:

One to consider for the future - I have an ASDA SIM, and I buy a £5 data only bundle which lasts a month (and so far I've never used all the monthly allowance).

If you don't have a bundle and buy ordinary credit, it doesn't expire at month end - just when you've used it all.

Which is EE under the Asda brand.

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On ‎18‎/‎02‎/‎2020 at 18:04, GRLMK38 said:

.... and I think you will find that the new Defender can only do some of the updates on the move.  The rest has to be updated by the Dealer (for a fee presumably).  Even a guy I know at JLR rolled his eyes at this "feature" as he's awaits delivery of his Defender.  Delayed for, yes you've guessed it, software updates!

 

Sounds like more systems and control being taken away from the owner. I don't really mind the diagnostic stuff most present day cars have, but that's it.

 

 

 

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