PAYG Wifi?

[manxmike]

I've bought one of those clever little wifi devices that take a sim card and give you wireless internet connection on board.

Now all I need is a PAYG sim card to put in it.

All the ones I've come across are contract - no use to me, I only need it for a couple of days a month. I live on the Isle of Man and pop across to my boat once or twice a month for the weekend - contract would be an expensive way of doing things!

OK, I can get any number of PAYG sims, but they're principally voice and text, I need data only.

 

Has anyone found such a sim?

[Jayseaess]

Check out Giff Gaff they do a Data only sim

 

I use them for my phone works fine on O2 network

[cuthound]

Gift Gaff do PAYG data sims. Part of the Telephonica group, so use the 02 network (good for voice, less so for data).

 

Edited to make it say what I meant

Edited December 6, 2014 by cuthound

[TaffyRon]

I've bought one of those clever little wifi devices that take a sim card and give you wireless internet connection on board.

Now all I need is a PAYG sim card to put in it.

All the ones I've come across are contract - no use to me, I only need it for a couple of days a month. I live on the Isle of Man and pop across to my boat once or twice a month for the weekend - contract would be an expensive way of doing things!

OK, I can get any number of PAYG sims, but they're principally voice and text, I need data only.

 

Has anyone found such a sim?

pc world do data only sims about 8 quid payg

[Paul C]

They all do a data SIM PAYG, but its a case of finding it - sometimes they're called tablet SIMs, etc. Also look at the 1 month contract packages, which are effectively very similar but could work out cheaper.

[OldGoat]

Firstly - is your dongle 'unlocked to all networks'.

 

Secondly it depends where your boat is. There's a lot of areas with poor coverage, either none at all or only good service from a particular supplier.

in my experience general good coverage in descending order is provided by:-

'3'

EE

O2

Vodafone

 

(O2 is about to be bought back by BT so expect diminishing service.....)

 

All the above sell mobile sims at around the same price. Voda have a limited data (250Mb) month package that's cheaper than the rest.

 

I like 3 'cos their website - for top-ups on the fly is clear and fast and gives me good coverage where I want it.

Voda's site is usable but very slow.

EE does - or at least it did in the days that I used it allows you to send a text from the dongle to buy a topup.

 

If you could be specific exactly where you want to use the device you can either go to the various websites to get a coverage projection or possibly ask on here.

 

 

[TaffyRon]

Wherever ive been on the system my 3 dongle only works in a window

[Paul C]

Wherever ive been on the system my 3 dongle only works in a window

 

Leave it in the window then, or better still get a mi-fi unit with an external aerial socket and use an external aerial.

[smileypete]

Depends how much data is needed and what networks give a decent signal at the boat.

 

For very light use could use a standard PAYG '3' SIM on the 3-2-1 tariff which gives 1p/MB for data, but bear in mind that with PAYG normally you have to use some credit on calls/text/data within 180 days to keep it connected:

 

http://www.three.co.uk/Store/SIM/Pay_As_You_Go

 

Or for heavier use a 30 day or 90 day SIM which come with a preloaded amount of data, eg:

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/EE-4G-Network-Standard-Micro-Sim-6GB-Data-Card-with-90Days-Validity-/360922089336

 

If you're heading to the boat over Christmas period, have a look at the recent topic about EE SIMs with free data.

 

cheers, Pete.

~smpt~

Edited December 6, 2014 by smileypete

[TaffyRon]

Leave it in the window then, or better still get a mi-fi unit with an external aerial socket and use an external aerial.

it is mifi, it works enough in the window so wont bother getting external aerial. Tried others, imo 3 has the best cut coverage

[OldGoat]

MiFi and mobile phones are blimmin' marvellous - but radio / wireless signals can't pass through steel. It doesn't matter which phone company is providing the signal....

I'm sure the owner of either Valhalla boats would confirm.

In a reasonable signal strength area a window is good enough fro some signal to pass through.

For better results a cheap whip aerial from eBay (around £14 on a good day) gives better results.

 

Some of the SIMs mentioned above are intended for mobile phones - and won't work in a MiFi or dongle - if anyone knows otherwise please let me know!!

 

3 says their SIMs never expire, but Voda say you must use the SIM every 180 days (best to set up an account with them). However they are unclear internally as to what actually constitutes 'use'

[smileypete]

Some of the SIMs mentioned above are intended for mobile phones - and won't work in a MiFi or dongle - if anyone knows otherwise please let me know!!

 

Ive tethered a tablet to a phone with a Three 321 PAYG SIM in it with no problems, but using pay per MB at 1p per MB.

 

I suspect if using large amounts of data with the AYCE addons, they will look very hard at whether the SIM is in a dongle or tethering, or not!

 

cheers, Pete.

~smpt~

Edited December 6, 2014 by smileypete

[Detling]

I use 3 data only sims either one month or the three month one depends how long I am on the boat for in my Mifi with external aerial . Most sims only last a specific time after activation and also have a data cap. The new EE one mentioned as I read the T & C's you have to use £10 calls and texts per month to qualify for the data, maybe I misread though. I have found discounted sims on both Amazon and E-Bay and have never bought in a shop.

[Slim]

I' ve got a 3 mifi that I use on the boat (sometimes). I've always bought PAYG (data only) on e bay, sometimes 1g/1 month, sometimes 3g/3months. Not looked on e bay recently but in the past it seemed that good deals came and went. Pre christmas didn't seem a good time to buy.

 

 

Frank

[Arthur Brown]

My findings are that data seems to expire (used or not) in 30 days. I currently use a 3 dongle with 7Gb for £20, the old Voda dongle needed to be topped up in a Voda store only and was £20 for 3GB.

[Alan Saunders]

Plus points for Three data SIMs:

1/ Connecting to the Three website is free (via a Three SIM); you can check the data rate before you top-up wherever you happen to be..

2/ Data usage shown online is up-to-date.

3/ The SIM does not expire if you do not use it.

4/ Three claims 21Mb/s versus, e.g. Vodafone 3G+ at 7Mb/s.

 

Pay per day is £2.99 for 500GB but I believe it expires at midnight on the following day (check the T&Cs). e.g. If you buy on Saturday morning it expires at midnight on Sunday.

 

Alan

[nb Innisfree]

 

Ive tethered a tablet to a phone with a Three 321 PAYG SIM in it with no problems, but using pay per MB at 1p per MB.

 

I suspect if using large amounts of data with the AYCE addons, they will look very hard at whether the SIM is in a dongle or tethering, or not!

 

cheers, Pete.

~smpt~

I suspect 3 don't mind as it's not unlimited data, £10 per gb isn't exactly cheap if large amounts are used but is in small ammounts especially as it has no expiry date. On that basis it's unbeatable.

[john6767]

I suspect 3 don't mind as it's not unlimited data, £10 per gb isn't exactly cheap if large amounts are used but is in small ammounts especially as it has no expiry date. On that basis it's unbeatable.

As far as I know all 3 pay as you go Sims expire at a time after first use either 1 3 or 12 months. I have never topped one up but I think top ups expire after a month. I always buy the 3gig/3month one as that seems to average out on my usage ok.

[nb Innisfree]

As far as I know all 3 pay as you go Sims expire at a time after first use either 1 3 or 12 months. I have never topped one up but I think top ups expire after a month. I always buy the 3gig/3month one as that seems to average out on my usage ok.

I've had a 321 sim for a couple of years now 3p per min, 2p per text, 1p per mb, no expiry date. Tried to get another one for the mrs from a 3 shop last year, they tried to tell me they only last a month, wouldn't have it so I ordered one online. Their shop staff often don't know their product.

[john6767]

I've had a 321 sim for a couple of years now 3p per min, 2p per text, 1p per mb, no expiry date. Tried to get another one for the mrs from a 3 shop last year, they tried to tell me they only last a month, wouldn't have it so I ordered one online. Their shop staff often don't know their product.

That is not a data sim though, that is a phone sim.

[nb Innisfree]

That is not a data sim though, that is a phone sim.

Yes, I was responding to Smileypete's post by suggesting a 321 sim could be used unchallenged by 3 in a dongle or mifi.

[Paul C]

it is mifi, it works enough in the window so wont bother getting external aerial. Tried others, imo 3 has the best cut coverage

 

If a signal is weak, then using an external aerial can boost the speeds quite nicely, thus opening up other possibilities than Three. Three is quite strong in rural areas, hence a favourite for those on the canals etc, but gets quite congested at peak times in more urban/suburban areas. I did a bunch of speed tests comparing O2 and Three data SIMs, and have an EE PAYG data SIM to try out too to compare with.

[Alan Saunders]

There seems to be some ambiguity about what we or the providers mean by 'expires'. e.g. I had an O2 PAYG SIM with £17 credit that I did not use for 90 days (because they provided no service at my location) so I have lost that £17 and very inconveniently the associated mobile number.

 

Bulk data MB and voice minutes may be limited to a month but on e.g. my Vodafone PAYG ('phone) I now top up as necessary and these expensive credits do not 'expire'. OTOH, I probably do make at least one call every 90 days.

 

I am reasonably confident that my Three data SIM will not expire.

 

Alan

[nb Innisfree]

There seems to be some ambiguity about what we or the providers mean by 'expires'. e.g. I had an O2 PAYG SIM with £17 credit that I did not use for 90 days (because they provided no service at my location) so I have lost that £17 and very inconveniently the associated mobile number.

 

Bulk data MB and voice minutes may be limited to a month but on e.g. my Vodafone PAYG ('phone) I now top up as necessary and these expensive credits do not 'expire'. OTOH, I probably do make at least one call every 90 days.

 

I am reasonably confident that my Three data SIM will not expire.

 

Alan

Unless things have changed recently 3 don't do a data only PAYG sim without an expiry date.

 

Edited to add 'PAYG'

Edited December 7, 2014 by nb Innisfree

[john6767]

Unless things have changed recently 3 don't do a data only PAYG sim without an expiry date.

 

Edited to add 'PAYG'

That is what I said above as well. If someone knows better can they post a link to where I can get and non-expiring 3 data sim.