OT: Mobile broadband in UK

Hi,

sorry for abusing my own forum for an off-topic question :wink:

What’s the best option for getting mobile broadband Internet access on my laptop (and possibly iPhone) in the UK for, say, two weeks? I own an unlocked 3G USB modem, so I’m basically looking for some cheap pay-as-you-go SIM and data plan.

What’s the best network, and how much would I have to pay for a SIM and two weeks (or one month) of Internet access? For example, I saw that T-Mobile is offering free SIMs and Internet access for £1/day.

Torben

Best I could suggest is to try a comparison site like these:
http://www.top10-broadband.co.uk/mobile_broadband/
http://www.broadbandgenie.co.uk/mobilebroadband/pay-as-you-go
http://www.broadband-expert.co.uk/mobile-broadband/?s=contract&o=asc&c=4

Sorry I can’t be more help than that, because I don’t use mobile broadband, and until I got a Compaq Presario 1520 last week (which a friend was about to throw into the bin! :o) I didn’t have a laptop either.

PS: The laptop is now used by my wife to play FreeCiv; but then, it DOES only have 256MB of RAM! :smiley:

PPS: If you’re visiting Edinburgh, please let me know by e-mail! Would love to meet you!

BFN
CAD

T-Mobile and Three.co.uk offer USB mobile dongles with a data/time allowance. Three.co.uk offer a dongle with 3Gb/3month for £40 - a relative uses this particular unit and in our town-centre location have seen around 150-200kb/s down.

Many places offer free WiFi (particular the major coffee shops), so you may be able to “hop on” for nout :slight_smile:

Be sure to have VERY GOOD anti-malware and firewall software installed if you choose to take that option. :wink:

BFN
CAD

Or just use a Mac :wink:

Three seems to be good option, their network is said to be very reliable. I would however prefer a SIM-only offer as I already own a USB dongle. And I’m sure their dongle is locked to their SIMs, so it renders useless once I return home.

They do offer free SIMs on their website, but I cannot tell if they can be used for Internet as well.

Macs aren’t as completely free from malware attacks as Apple owners would have you believe. For a start, they are as prone to wi-fi ‘keylogging’ or ‘drive-by’ hackig as any other hardware.

Given the already low price (<£1 a day?), does that really matter? And correct me if I’m wrong, but doesn’t the USB dongle for laptops effectively ‘include’ the equivalent of a SIM?

I’m sure that if you send a quick e-mail or similar enquiry to 3 (it is ‘3’ and not ‘Three,’ by the way), they will quickly tell you whether their SIMs include Internet access.

BFN
CAD

But that sort of attack (Wi-Fi sniffing and the like) cannot be prevented by any firewall or anti-malware software - the only thing you can do is to encrypt any connection you make, e.g. using a VPN.

When it comes to “classic” malware - malicious software that installs on your PC and does bad things on it - Macs are very safe, because there haven’t been any major security holes in the OS itself, and even if there’s a security hole in a 3rd-party application like e.g. the web browser you’re using, the malware cannot install itself into the system because the system folders are write protected for ordinary users.

It wasn’t until Windows Vista that Microsoft realized that write-protecting the system and program folders for ordinary users is actually a good thing, and introduced UAC. This is why I had to change the place where mAirList stores its configuration, you remember?

Given the already low price (<£1 a day?), does that really matter? And correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the USB dongle for laptops effectively 'include' the equivalent of a SIM?

I’m pretty sure that there’s a SIM card inside the USB dongle when you buy it. The question is: When I buy only the sim card without a dongle, can I use it in my existing dongle? You’re probably right, the mAirList forum is not the correct place to ask this questions, it’s better to ask the 3 support :slight_smile:

By the way, please check your e-mails, Cad.

I’d like to put in a vote for Vodafone’s mobile broadband! They do some cheap pay and go options (£15 will give you 3gb data) and the modem is only £25. We use their mobile broadband for streaming OBs back to the studio, excellent fast coverage.

Chris.

Actually, I think Torben has a) arranged everything and b) already left (car willing ;)), but I’m sure he’ll appreciate the thought!

BFN
CAD

Worth a try :slight_smile: hehe

I ended up buying an O2 pay-and-go SIM with the “Unlimited Internet” option (£5 + £10 top-up), and it works fine in both my iPhone and my existing USB dongle. We’re currently in Bradford, coverage is excellent here, but I expect it to become worse as we head into the Scottish wilderness.

AHEM! That’s really somewhat racist IMHO.

OK, there are a FEW dead spots in Scotland, but not as many as you might expect. How do you think all the idiots who get stuck on Scottish mountains etc. call the emergency services to rescue them, hmm? :wink:

PS: the UK emergency services number is 999, FYI. :stuck_out_tongue:

BFN
CAD

Sorry, no offence intended.

I saw coverage maps of several UK networks the other day, and it looked like the Scottish highlands (I’m NOT talking about the metropolitan areas!) aren’t the best place to go when it comes to 3G coverage.

One thing you’ll notice about Scotland - when you go somewhere, you travel up hill. On your journey back, you travel up hill :wink:

[quote=“Torben, post:14, topic:6627”]Sorry, no offence intended.

I saw coverage maps of several UK networks the other day, and it looked like the Scottish highlands (I’m NOT talking about the metropolitan areas!) aren’t the best place to go when it comes to 3G coverage.[/quote]
No problem. :slight_smile: True enough, SOME mountain areas aren’t technically ‘covered’ because the signal strength is quite low, or there’s a mountain peak between you and the nearest base station. But it’s generally not too bad. I’d suggest that you ask a local person in the specific area you’re visiting if they know about the coverage in the area where you’re going.

BFN
CAD

Thanks for the Gargle Blaster and the beer, Cad.

Sincerely, it was my pleasure!

BFN
CAD