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getting internet on the canal

TerryH

By TerryH
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TerryH Engager

TerryH

Posted
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Sorry if this has been answered several time before.

 

I am planning to spend a couple weeks on my NB. I intend to take my laptop so i can surf the internet. However, what is the best method? I an told the broadband speed is very poor, is this the case?

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MikeV Proficient

MikeV

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I've been out for a month using '3' mobile for internet connection and travelling from Skipton down to Coventry. I have not had a single location where I could not get internet. Most locations I have not even had to use the roof mounted aerial and just used the laptop 3G card's inbuilt aerial.

 

Tonight, for instance, I'm getting a ping time of 162ms, download speed of 2.44Mbps and upload speed of 0.33Mbps using the inbuilt aerial. I downloaded a 130Mb file the other day in about 15 minutes. I make that an average of 1.1Mbps - so not too shabby!

 

The easiest way to get yourself on mobile broadband is to get yourself a USB dongle.

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Keeping Up Veteran II

Keeping UpDonate to Canal World

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I'm using a Vodafone USB dongle for the first time this year and have been very impressed. I have just had to re-build my website after someone managed to load some malware on to it. That involved uploading over 200MB this afternoon; it was a bit painful but it got there in the end (now to test my site properly - what a happy way to spend an evening)

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Bodkin Contributor

Bodkin

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I've been out for a month using '3' mobile for internet connection and travelling from Skipton down to Coventry. I have not had a single location where I could not get internet.

 

I'll second that, we've had a '3' dongle for the last 8 months, first using it in Yorkshire and now progressing down south (currently on the Trent & Mersey south of Rugeley). We too have not found anywhere where we cannot get internet and the ping is generally good enough for my husband to play Call of Duty online.

 

'3' do a 30 day contract dongle with a 5gb download limit for £15 per month (10p per meg if you go over so be careful) but unless you're planning on doing a lot of downloading (films, music, iPlayer etc) then that will definiitley be more than ample for a 2 week break.

 

As an added bonus, 3 also offer a 14 day money back guarentee - if you take it all back before the 14 days is up you won't get charged a penny, even if you've used some of your download allowance. And that's speaking from experience as we've done it (when we went over our allowance on the contract dongle a couple of months back).

 

Even if you don't do that (as you're off for 2 weeks anyway) you'll still only be on a 30 day rolling contract which basically means you can call and cancel the contract the day after you take it out, they'll take 30 days notice from the day you call them and then you'll only end up paying for 1 months service.

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Odana Rising Star

Odana

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I have a Vodafone dongle on contract - very happy with it. Occasionally you have to reposition yourself inside the boat, but I can usually get internet ust about anywhere. Even managed to stream the world cup final on the BBC, though I suspect thatused up half a month's allowance. There are loads of shot term contacts out there - worth looking at the mobile internet forumy bit of www.moneysavingexpert.com for discussions of latest deals.

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Mrs Humdinger Contributor

Mrs Humdinger

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3 also do a PAYG dongle. You have to buy the dongle first of course, but then you can just top up ( I think it was something like £10 for 1GB, £15 for 3GB) which then lasts a month. You then just top up as and when you need it. No contract or anything to worry about.

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cotswoldsman Veteran II

cotswoldsman

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3 also do a PAYG dongle. You have to buy the dongle first of course, but then you can just top up ( I think it was something like £10 for 1GB, £15 for 3GB) which then lasts a month. You then just top up as and when you need it. No contract or anything to worry about.

 

I have tried most of them and have to say 3 PAYG is the best I have used for £15 a month I can keep my website updated and surf the net and have rarely used my full £15 in one month.

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Guest

Guest

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I have tried most of them and have to say 3 PAYG is the best I have used for £15 a month I can keep my website updated and surf the net and have rarely used my full £15 in one month.

 

Out of interest what happens when you do??

 

Do you just get cut off until you top up?

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Scooby Proficient

Scooby

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also out of curiosity if you don't use it all, is the balance carried forward?

 

you get charged 10p per mb which is a lot, it happened to me and cost me a lot, best if you use it all dont use it again till new month starts or like me, swap for a 24 month contract and get 15gb for £15 a month that way you wont go over it..

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cotswoldsman Veteran II

cotswoldsman

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Do you just get cut off until you top up?

 

Yes but on 3 there is a queuing system so when you first start put in 2 x £15 and at the end of 30 days it automatically tops up and the same if you go over your £15 per month if you are a very heavy user and I mean very heavy you can buy 7GB of £25

 

also out of curiosity if you don't use it all, is the balance carried forward?

No it is for 30 days

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Radio-Ga-Ga Contributor

Radio-Ga-Ga

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i have a vodafone pay as you go dongle, cant fault it and £15 seems to last forever for browsing and mail etc.

I'm still using a 3g phone on a USB cable (vodaphone) that I started with before dongles came out, 50p a day there is a data limit but often use 10 times that and didn't get hasled for it yet, so you pay 50p for any day of use, whats the deal on the PAYG dongle?

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Jo_ Proficient

Jo_

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Posted (edited)

I'm using 3 as well. I bought the MiFi dongle with a 12gb 12-month load on it - so no contract or monthly payment, just the initial purchase. The wireless aspect of the dongle is excellent; just place it by a window and it connects to up to three devices in the nb. It's a delight and the reception is always first-rate - no need for aerials, sitting on the roof, sitting in the cratch, etc.

 

Not surprising really since 3 have worked hard on their national coverage and are very keen to know if there are black holes on the canal system. They then check the efficiency of the local macrocells and sort it! They even sent the engineer down to my marina to check for coverage. I'm very happy indeed with the whole thing.

 

Jo

Edited by Jo_
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Guest

Guest

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I use my orange phone as a modem for £5 per month. I haven't a clue on the limit but I have never reached it.

Sue

 

I'm thinking about doing this too for when we are on board - I have a Blackberry however and the instructions on how to use it as a tethered modem (as they call it) seem to only come in Swahili....

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Duchess Omnium Contributor

Duchess Omnium

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I borrowed a 3 PAYG dongle but got no reception at all where my boat is (rural Oxfrodshire), so I have a 30 day contract with Orange, which works fine. I had to buy a USB extension cable. I wrap the dongle in a plastic bag and put it out the window. The dongle cost £15 and the contract is £15 a month with 3 GB allowance. I was going to cancel this and just uise my phone, but I think all networks are now limiting phone usage to 500 - 750 MB on new contracts. I don't quite understand that, because I think the dongle and the phone use the same technology -- it is just an ordinary SIM card in the dongle.

 

Most of the networks have a space on their website where you can put in a postcode and see if the coverage is good enough to get broadband internet. You could try plugging in places along your route to work out which network would give you the best coverage. Most of the networks have similar contracts (though I think the 3 one is the most flexible -- it just didn't work for me).

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ditchcrawler Veteran II

ditchcrawlerDonate to Canal World

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I borrowed a 3 PAYG dongle but got no reception at all where my boat is (rural Oxfrodshire), so I have a 30 day contract with Orange, which works fine. I had to buy a USB extension cable. I wrap the dongle in a plastic bag and put it out the window. The dongle cost £15 and the contract is £15 a month with 3 GB allowance. I was going to cancel this and just uise my phone, but I think all networks are now limiting phone usage to 500 - 750 MB on new contracts. I don't quite understand that, because I think the dongle and the phone use the same technology -- it is just an ordinary SIM card in the dongle.

 

Most of the networks have a space on their website where you can put in a postcode and see if the coverage is good enough to get broadband internet. You could try plugging in places along your route to work out which network would give you the best coverage. Most of the networks have similar contracts (though I think the 3 one is the most flexible -- it just didn't work for me).

Passed you yesterday, I went on line just past the marina and all was fine until I was half way past your boat. If you had sat on the gas locker it may have worked

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