Dongles

[mjulian]

Am just about to buy my first laptop and would like to buy a dongle so I can access the internet occasionally. A dongle has been suggested as a good first step. Can anyone recommend a relatively cheap to run dongle? I do not want to download films, music, etc. or do gaming - only access the internet occasionally. Most of the ones I've looked at charge for 60 days but if you don't use it within that time, you lose it - hence I'm looking for the cheapest option.

Any assistance will be very gratefully received!

Many thanks.

[hc4361]

Do you have a smart phone? Mine has a wifi hotspot that allows anything to connect to it, using the phones data allowance when wifi isn't available.

[mjulian]

No, I'm afraid I'm an OAP and only have a very ancient mobile!

[hc4361]

This is straightforward. After buying the dongle, it costs £2 a day; £7 a week or £15 for a month's internet.
http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/t-mobile-e3131-pay-as-you-go-mobile-broadband-dongle-14553709-pdt.html

This one may suit your needs better:
http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/vodafone-k3770-pay-as-you-go-mobile-broadband-dongle-with-two-30-day-250mb-top-ups-11096978-pdt.html
A top up is £5 and is valid for 30 days (use it or lose it). It doesn't give a huge amount of data but will be fine for surfing and emailing.

[mjulian]

Thank you so much - the Vodafone option sounds great - don't mind losing £5 / month if I don't use it. You must admit, for a first timer, the whole dongle issue was a complete minefield - I kept trying to read all the small print but there was just so much.

thanks a million for your help - I'm very appreciative.

[ladybirder]

I hope it works for you mjulian but a word of warning. My daughter, plus her neighbour 2 doors down, both have dongles and have to sit in their doorways to get proper uninterrupted reception as they can't get it inside. Stand outside, no problem. Same with their mobile phones, no reception indoors.

[pdq1]

Can be extremely slow at certain times of day.

[albaqwerty]

We have a vodafone dongle, bought from Argos at 25 quid which included 15 quid (sorry, pound sign not working)
At first we had 30 days, or 120 hours access, then it changed but has changed back again to 30 days etc.
They (vodafone) do have a new one out, at 24 quid, including the 15 for more mg or gb (I get lost in techno-speak)