Dongles

[harkatlisten]

My other half has said he would like a Dongle for Xmas so he can connect to the internet when away in caravan. What do I need to look for and which would you recommend?

[another-view]

I would recommend not buying one. Even the best are pretty much useless and should be used only in a real emergency. The connection quality is poor at best.

Buy her something else instead.

[Dodger666]

Whilst I agree, generally, with the sentiments of another-view, I assume you realise that installing a dongle on your PC doesn't automatically mean you can connect to the internet in a caravan. There would have to be a local mobile broadband internet access point for you to connect to, and you would probably have to subscribe to use it, unless it's free. The only other way is if you can connect to mobile broadband via your mobile phone.

http://www.moneysavin...heap-mobile-broadband

[tamborine]

Dongles are replacing phone lines......If you have mobiles & dongle you dont need BT services!

http://www.broadband-...earch|crid:4589356939

[Changing_man]

make sure the dongle has a reliable fan!
dodgy fans can cause them to make weird noises

[ChuckFickens]

What on earth has a link to a comparative of Virgin medias internet services got to do with the question?

As others said they are not a guaranteed way of connecting, the coverage for mobile internet is patchy at best when you get outside the larger towns.

they can also get very expensive very quickly if you go over the allowed download limit.

[Jumbuck]

I use mobile all the time and the package I have is with 3 mobile which, for £15, provides 15 GB per month which is more than enough. Common deals are for just 3GB per month which might be too small depending on the amount of internet activity, and as Chuck 'IT God & Lord of the Cyber Wave' Fickens says they can be quite punitive when it comes to exceeding the limit..

This might give you all the info you need http://www.thinkbroadband.com/mobile-broadband

[hc4361]

Don't forget you can also buy them on pay as you go, which is ideal for secondary use when you are away from your home broadband connection.
Dodger666 is confused between a wife adapter dongle and a mobile internet dongle, which does not use a wifi connection.
Fan? There is no fan in an internet dongle.
Go to each site- Vodafone, Tmobile, Virgin, O2, BT and use their coverage checker to make sure he will receive a signal in the caravan. They find the best deal - they are changing all the time.

[alfgbt]

Hi, I use a T mobile pay as you go dongle, I belive it is the only one that does pay as you go no other charges. Basically its £15.00 per gigabyte ,with no time limits on the use of it. coverage is good , a 3G connection around most towns & when you cant get that a gprs wherever you can get a mobile phone signal.Set up right the connection I find pretty good, speed wise, ideal for when your away on hols ect. Just make sure you set the computer up so that programs dont update whilst using it or you will quickly use up your quota.if your only browsing the internet , checking mail ect, you will be suprised how little it uses.Hope that helps you.

[harkatlisten]

Thanks everyone for your comments although it still sounds very confusing. (well I am female).