Internet access via a dongle on my laptop.

[Mick and Maggie]

I have worked in IT for more years than I care to think about. I shall soon be waving good bye to my gigabit connection and looking to do the odd email and a bit of surfing from the boat via a 3G dongle.

 

I see that Vodaphone, 3, Orange, O2, T mobile and Virgin seem to offer a plethora of 3G options.

 

Anyone want to expand on the joys and pitfalls of their experience of any of the above?

[NB Willawaw]

I used to use a Vodafone dongle, but got fed up of having it hanging out of the window to get a signal.

 

I now use the new MIFI dongle from 3 which allows me to put it out in the cratch and transmit a Wi-Fi signal through the boat.

 

So far, so good - seem to get much better signals and speeds.

Edited April 13, 2010 by NB Willawaw

[grahoom]

I use an O2 pay as you go dongle, and I get a good signal with it.

[Mike C]

I have had a Vodafone 3g Dongle for nearly 2 years and find it has been very good but email was a problem until they launched vodafone 360 which has been without problem. A 3m USB extension lead gets the unit close to a window which can make a lot of difference

 

- I have no reason to change and find that I have good or better connection speed than others on different networks. Each provider produces a coverage map on there own websites which may assist you if you know where you are likely to be based for more of the time.

[koukouvagia]

We have a 3 dongle which works pretty well up and down the GU with the notable exception of Braunston. You'll see boaters congregating at the seat halfway up the hill from Butcher's Bridge clutching their laptops and i-phones since it's the only place you can get a signal.

However, when we were in Braunston last week, the signal on the boat was excellent . Has someone at last upgraded the network in the area or was it a fluke?

[clovey]

We have a 3 dongle which works pretty well up and down the GU with the notable exception of Braunston. You'll see boaters congregating at the seat halfway up the hill from Butcher's Bridge clutching their laptops and i-phones since it's the only place you can get a signal.

However, when we were in Braunston last week, the signal on the boat was excellent . Has someone at last upgraded the network in the area or was it a fluke?

When I purchased my Vodafone Dongle there was no time limit for usage on the 3gb of download you get, for me no music or video downloads my £15 top up lasted a who year about 100 days out and about. Don,t no if this deal is still available

[Keeping Up]

When I purchased my Vodafone Dongle there was no time limit for usage on the 3gb of download you get, for me no music or video downloads my £15 top up lasted a who year about 100 days out and about. Don,t no if this deal is still available

They don't offer this deal on the latest dongles, you have to find one of the old ones - on eBay for example - and then be very careful not to drop it in the canal.

[ditchcrawler]

We have a 3 dongle which works pretty well up and down the GU with the notable exception of Braunston. You'll see boaters congregating at the seat halfway up the hill from Butcher's Bridge clutching their laptops and i-phones since it's the only place you can get a signal.

However, when we were in Braunston last week, the signal on the boat was excellent . Has someone at last upgraded the network in the area or was it a fluke?

Strange, I am on 3 and have had a good signal opposite "The Boatman" and also on the puddle banks. Overall I think 3 has improved greatly over the past 12 months. This was very noticeable in the Market Harborough and Foxton area. Last year I struggled, This year no problem.

[Guest]

I have worked in IT for more years than I care to think about. I shall soon be waving good bye to my gigabit connection and looking to do the odd email and a bit of surfing from the boat via a 3G dongle.

 

I see that Vodaphone, 3, Orange, O2, T mobile and Virgin seem to offer a plethora of 3G options.

 

Anyone want to expand on the joys and pitfalls of their experience of any of the above?

 

I only boat occasionally but this has been one of the most frustrating aspects about being away from my home (fast) broadband connection

 

We have a Vodafone dongle and it's generally pants wherever we have boated including the Leeds & Liverpool, Norfolk Broads, Ashby Coventry and the North Oxford. Around Braunston is notoriously bad for a mobile signal as an example.

 

Connection speed has generally always been a PITA. This is not helped by using the dongle in what is essentially a large biscuit tin, just not conducive to a fast connection speed at all. Add in some of the remoteness of the areas you pass through and you are IMHO on a losing wicket.

 

We are away this weekend for 2 weeks around the Leicester ring (forthcoming heavy showers and flood conditions permitting) - and the plan is to ditch the laptop and just use my BlackBerry which is on Orange to keep in touch with email and this forum while away. Not saying it's going to be faster - just can't see the point of lugging a laptop to keep in touch when generally it won't be faster.

 

When we have our own boat we intend to investigate a better solution (and they do seem to exist) than just a dongle and laptop - they can be a real pain.

[AlanJ]

Does anyone use Skype through the 3G dongles?

 

I would be interested to know which providers allow it through their gateways. I know on my Windows Mobile phone, Vodafone won't allow me to install Skype on it

Edited April 13, 2010 by AlanJ

[ditchcrawler]

Does anyone use Skype through the 3G dongles?

 

I would be interested to know which providers allow it through their gateways. I know on my Windows Mobile phone, Vodafone won't allow me to install Skype on it

3 actively encourage it

[NB Willawaw]

Yes I use Skype on both my Vodafone and 3 dongles, but mainly in text.

[kendo]

I've got a PAYG 3 dongle. Which isn't as fast as our home connection (naturally), but it does work inside the boat, which i'm particularly chuffed about. Didn't expect to be twitch gaming via a dongle, as my laptop is pants, anyway. The only big downer on it.. is the 'You must use it all within 30 days, or lose it' ruling that other people have mentioned.

[Robbo]

I have worked in IT for more years than I care to think about. I shall soon be waving good bye to my gigabit connection and looking to do the odd email and a bit of surfing from the boat via a 3G dongle.

 

I see that Vodaphone, 3, Orange, O2, T mobile and Virgin seem to offer a plethora of 3G options.

 

Anyone want to expand on the joys and pitfalls of their experience of any of the above?

 

I use o2 at the moment but it's £15 per month for 3Gb. As I tend to take my laptop home (parents!) to download podcasts I'm looking at other options. One I've seen is from orange where it's £28 a month for 10Gb (or £13 for 1Gb, £18 for 3Gb) but unlimited between 12am and 9am, you also get the better/faster dongle and it's a 12month contract. knock £3 off those prices if you don't want the unlimited hours bit.

[jelunga]

I have bought an O2 contract, mainly because their dongle was the only one with a stated antenna socket. So I aslo bought an antenna on fleabay. The dongle sits on the lapton, and the antenna pokes out through the aft pigeon box.

 

Works fine

 

Keith

[Ange]

We started off with the PAYG Vodafone dongle where the topup doesn't expire after a month - found the reception variable. The problem was we were using more than 1GB per month, so it turned out to be an expensive option. We've retired it, but know that we have it if we can't get a signal on our new dongle.

 

The new one is a Three dongle - it's a monthly plan, so although we have a direct debit set up we can cancel any time with a month's notice. It costs us £15 per month for 5GB, which I thought was pretty good and means we can actually download from BBC iplayer now and then. The dongle cost us £25 with 5GB on it. The reception's variable again, I think it's always going to be difficult in remote places and easier in towns.

[imnogeek]

check coverage for your area before you buy and try and get a dongle which can take an external antenna.

[sueb]

I use my orange phone as a modem. I am happy with the coverage and service.

Sue

[Ray]

Don't think that we've managed a so called 3G connection with our Vodafone PAYG dongle in all the cruising that we've done over the last year.

 

There have been one or two places where the signal is poor, bordering on the impossible - and our normal mooring is one of those.

 

On the other hand, my T-Mobile telephone on a monthly contract, seems to repeatedly suggest that it has a 3G signal almost everywhere we've been except, yes, you've guessed it, where we moor the boat! If T-Mobile offered a PAYG, non time limit facility I'd take it like a shot.

[NBMike]

I use my orange phone as a modem. I am happy with the coverage and service.

Sue

 

Could you please explain how that is done , Sue? I have an Orange Blackberry. I get my emails etc but my fingers are just too phat to surf. I'd love to connect my laptop to the phone.

Mike

[adam1uk]

We have a 3 dongle, which has worked in most places. Strangely, moving just a few feet can have a dramatic difference on the strength of the signal. We found it was much better hanging in the window, and we now have a magnetic ariel which goes on the roof, with a cable which plugs into the dongle. It makes the signal even better as it's that much higher.

[sueb]

Could you please explain how that is done , Sue? I have an Orange Blackberry. I get my emails etc but my fingers are just too phat to surf. I'd love to connect my laptop to the phone.

Mike

My phone came with a lead to connect it to the computer and I believe I downloaded the software from the phone site. I have a sony Ericson satio, but I have done it with Nokias and an HTC.

Sue

[Québec]

On Vodafone for my mobile, but no Vodafone coverage at marina. Invested in the 3 MiFi dongle. After initial disappointment but following some excellent customer service from 3 including a re-setting of the faulty local mast, very pleased with it. Signal pretty soilid with only very occasional drop-off which usually self-corrects. Skyped various family members last weekend in North America and Middle East.

[Mick and Maggie]

Well, first of all, thanks for sharing some of your ideas and experiences.

 

My own web based research has found coverage maps for the popular providers published on the web (September 2009) Ofcom, the UK’s independent regulator for the communication industries has finally published 3G coverage maps for the five UK mobile operators – 3, Vodafone, O2, T-Mobile and Orange.

 

http://mobilebroadbandblog.co.uk/2009/09/o...-now-available/

 

Two providers, 3 and orange would seem to give the best coverage in the UK for the major canal routes.

 

http://mobilebroadbandblog.co.uk/wp-conten...3G_coverage.jpg

 

This is 3's own coverage map which seems to show a bit more coverage than the ofcom maps.

http://www.three.co.uk/Help_Support/Coverage

 

http://mobilebroadbandblog.co.uk/wp-conten...3G_coverage.jpg

 

I am now looking at current contract deals. (3 seem to be offering a wide range of possibilities) I also want to identify the best hardware dongle available on 3 and so far the ZTE MF622 seems to fit the bill.

 

I have also an additional requirement for fitting an external antenna to improve reception on board. This magmount antenna could be utilised to improve reception. An additional 5dbi would be a useful amount of gain plus the additional reception from using an external to the cabin space antenna would be a plus.

 

http://www.panorama-antennas.com/shop/ante...d2009-5-mm.html

 

There are loose coupled signal boosters available - I am a bit wary of such devices and their efficency. Much prefering a direct connection, giving signal gain from the antenna on receive and transmit which would only be a boosted receive signal with the signal boosters.

[Byeckerslike]

I have had a Vodafone 3g Dongle for nearly 2 years and find it has been very good but email was a problem until they launched vodafone 360 which has been without problem. A 3m USB extension lead gets the unit close to a window which can make a lot of difference

 

- I have no reason to change and find that I have good or better connection speed than others on different networks. Each provider produces a coverage map on there own websites which may assist you if you know where you are likely to be based for more of the time.

 

In my experience, Vodafone have the best country wide coverage.