Internet access

[haggis]

I have just changed to o2 from ee because they offered me a good deal but their Internet service is rubbish

With ee I seldom had a problem getting Internet access while boating but I find that I seldom get access with O2.I regret changing and we are now looking at someway of accessing the Internet while afloat

Comeback ee all is forgiven

Haggis

[andyberg]

I have just changed to o2 from ee because they offered me a good deal but their Internet service is rubbish

Haggis

so what made this deal such 'a good deal' if their internet service is rubbish?

[Paul C]

How long have you committed for? If it genuinely doesn't work, did you check coverage beforehand and what did this say? Basically, is possible to get out of a (long) mobile contract if there's no service, but they don't do it often and put a bunch of hurdles up.

 

If you move to another network, get a PAYG SIM card for the lowest amount and try it out first, to avoid an expensive mistake.

[twbm]

You'll need to give a few more details before you get good advice. Do you get coverage for phone calls? What data package have you got? Is the phone 3G or 4G, is it set up to use best data signal?

[BargeeSpud]

If you are having this sort of trouble, then go back to O2 & tell them you're not happy & why & can they cancel your contract, giving you your mac code so you can take out a contract with another service provider. You shouldn't have any issues with O2 about it, as I know providers come across this problem quite often & will usually come across.

 

Good luck.

[Paul C]

PAC code, for mobile phones. MAC code is for moving household broadband.

 

PAC - porting authorisation code

MAC - migration authorisation code

[haggis]

To try and answer the questions.

I asked O2 what their coverage was like and their answer reassured me.for phoning it seems to be OK but for Internet it is a bit dicey. Better today though so it probably depends on area

My contract with ee was not up till 31/08 and as we were setting out for several weeks boating that day,I paid to leave early. On shopping around O2 beat ee hands down and I moved to them. We are now boating so not easy to back track

 

I was with O2 before and they were fine but that was before mobile Internet.

I will stick with them but will look at other network mifis

Haggis

[Mal in Somerset]

We've just got back from a month travelling around the Midlands - Braunston to Stone via Coventry and back via Stourbridge, Birmingham and Stratford canal. We did a bit of experimenting with various networks as we worked our way around as I need phone and internet access for work purposes. O2 was generally the worst for both phone and data with little or no coverage in rural areas. Three was good for data whilst EE came out best for both phone and data and we often had good 4G coverage with EE in built up areas. Having said that O2 occasionally came good where 3 and EE were both out of signal. We're still working out prices before deciding how to organise things, as the data services can work out very expensive if downloading and streaming, but it looks like we are heading towards 2 phones on pay monthly (one on O2 and one on EE) with extra PAYG data via a 3 Mifi and/or a 4GEE Wifi and a couple of old EE/O2 PAYG phones for emergency calls.

 

We would be interested in others' thoughts and experiences.

[matty40s]

O2 are probably a close 2nd behind Vodafone ( remember them) for Internet awfulness.

If you stated you were a boater when you signed up, and can't get a decent signal, O2 are usually good enough to cancel your contract almost straight away.

[OldGoat]

Everything is very parochial - which is completely illogical - because the communications are mobile, so 'One' would expect consistent coverage wherever One is.

In your dreams.....

 

In my years of cruising, though constrained by the narrowness of any particular waterway, I have found - from best to worse signal strength / and usability:-

 

• Three
• Orange / Tmobile (when separate companies their coverage was broadly similar)
• O2 - well only reported because their area was said to be The Midlands and we live Darn Sarf.
• Vodafone anywhere apart from city centres and then.....

To confuse / compound matters more - until I found the bliss of operating my connection through a WiFi unit, switching between different operators usually meant (particularly Voda) choosing a different dongle with variations of software all of which were mutually exclusive and confuse med and my laptop no end (Computer says 'no connection...')

 

I've settled on Three, their PAYG rates are better than the rest, you can top up easily online etc, etc.

 

Different for folks with contracts, so the above may well be misleading.

 

 

[Alan Saunders]

To try and answer the questions.

I asked O2 what their coverage was like and their answer reassured me.for phoning it seems to be OK but for Internet it is a bit dicey. Better today though so it probably depends on area

My contract with ee was not up till 31/08 and as we were setting out for several weeks boating that day,I paid to leave early. On shopping around O2 beat ee hands down and I moved to them. We are now boating so not easy to back track

 

I was with O2 before and they were fine but that was before mobile Internet.

I will stick with them but will look at other network mifis

Haggis

We may be at cross-purpose here, are you looking for a 'phone or a MiFi (mobile WiFi)? Three still offer the most generous 'phone tethering packages but their dongle/MiFi data deals, whilst cheaper than others, are not 'unlimited'.

 

I cannot recommend Vodafone generally but on the K&A they have the best coverage and much of it is now 4G. I have had various Vodafone cards and USB dongles for ten years. My Vodafone and Three 3G dongles often needed to be raised on an external mast to get a decent signal so I was careful to ensure that the Vodafone MiFi would accept an external aerial. In practice my Vodafone MiFi, suspended at mid window level has a good to excellent signal. My Moto E, lying on the table below window level, has a poor signal but it is connected to the MiFi for data. One day, no doubt, I will moor in a location where I need an external aerial but I will have moved on before an expensive aerial arrives and the Moto E does not have an eternal aerial socket.

 

Possibly, the larger modern 'phones and MiFis can accommodate a more efficient internal aerial? My 'phone would also work better if I suspended it at mid window level.

 

Having two modems, maybe one contract and one PAYG, is good. Having them both unlocked and inserting a SIM from the best local provider is ideal.

 

HTH, Alan

[Rickent]

We have an ee osprey , 15g £20 a month rolling contract.

Struggle to get 4 g where I am but get 3g+ which is perfectly adequate for internet browsing and you tube videos.

[Naughty Cal]

I have just changed to o2 from ee because they offered me a good deal but their Internet service is rubbish

With ee I seldom had a problem getting Internet access while boating but I find that I seldom get access with O2.I regret changing and we are now looking at someway of accessing the Internet while afloat

Comeback ee all is forgiven

Haggis

If you have only just changed you may be able to cancel the contract on the grounds that the reception is rubbish.

[BargeeSpud]

PAC code, for mobile phones. MAC code is for moving household broadband.

 

PAC - porting authorisation code

MAC - migration authorisation code

 

My bad, thanks.

[haggis]

Having raised the subject,I feel I should give an update

..

I am "managing " with my O2 Internet access on my phone but it is definitely not as good as I had with ee

We have tried tethering from my phone to an ipad but it was not brilliant but when we tried it the O2 signal wasn't great so no big surprise

I am making do with a hit or miss Internet access and so far I have had a decent signal at some point during the day. When we get somewhere that has ? phone shops (probably Northwich when we get onto the Weaver) I will do a big more research on the subject. However we are boating and Internet access is not the most important thing on the agenda

I do love my Xperia Z3 though!

 

Haggis