anybody using a mifi wireless 3g modem on board?

wotayottie

wotayottie

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intend buying a tablet this month and it seems to me that there are far more options if it doesnt have to have built in 3g connectivity. And this could easily be achieved on board by using a mifi 3g modem

presumably I would still have to buy a tablet with built in gps or face messing around with a blue tooth gps and a mifi modee. could they even be used at the same time? anyone know?
 
I'm connected via 3G MiFi right now. Fast enough to stream iPlayer etc and reasonable data costs.

Don't see why you couldn't connect a Bluetooth GPS dongle simultaneously as one would be on the tablet's WiFi, the other on its Bluetooth.
 
I recently bought a 3G Mobile WiFi, a great device and it seems to work almost everywhere.
A few cautions, however
- where will you sail? As far as I can tell from the literature the data cost for roaming outside the UK is prohibitive.
- and make sure you check what 3-mobile charge you; I am currently enjoying weekly deep and meaningful conversations with their call centre on the subject of double charging for a single device.
 
wotayottie said:
intend buying a tablet this month and it seems to me that there are far more options if it doesnt have to have built in 3g connectivity. And this could easily be achieved on board by using a mifi 3g modem

presumably I would still have to buy a tablet with built in gps or face messing around with a blue tooth gps and a mifi modee. could they even be used at the same time? anyone know?
Click to expand...

I've been using a Three Mifi for over a year now, (Canals, not the sea), and it works fine. 15Gb per month for £20 inc. the Mifi gizmo. Usually get speeds around 7Mb, and occasionally as fast as 13Mb.

Having said that, I'm thinking of getting a Samsung Galaxy S3 on Three's The One Plan, which will give unlimited tethered data as well as updating from my old 3GS iPhone.

Nexus 7 32Gb at £199 seems to be a "no brainer" at the moment.
 
Another vote for Three MIFI. The latest models seem faster than my older one by about 50%.

If you need GPS then get a Bluetooth model.

Most tablets operate with Bluetooth and WIFI from a MIFI quite independently.
 
> 3G Mobile WiFi... As far as I can tell from the literature the data cost for roaming outside the UK is prohibitive.

In the fifteen countries we visited we bought a local sim card, the local and international calls were much cheaper than roaming as were wifi costs.
 
hrchivers said:
I recently bought a 3G Mobile WiFi, a great device and it seems to work almost everywhere.
A few cautions, however
- where will you sail? As far as I can tell from the literature the data cost for roaming outside the UK is prohibitive.
- and make sure you check what 3-mobile charge you; I am currently enjoying weekly deep and meaningful conversations with their call centre on the subject of double charging for a single device.
Click to expand...

Thanks but the (tentative ) plan is to buy an unlocked mifi modem off ebay and to carry two or three payg sims because my experience has been that no network offers a good connection in every port.
 
Richard10002 said:
Having said that, I'm thinking of getting a Samsung Galaxy S3 on Three's The One Plan, which will give unlimited tethered data as well as updating from my old 3GS iPhone.
Click to expand...

caution. dont know why but my galaxy 1 when tethered to my lappy either by blue tooth or cable is sloooooooow. much more so than my current 3.com dongle. and slower than the phone on its own.
 
wotayottie said:
caution. dont know why but my galaxy 1 when tethered to my lappy either by blue tooth or cable is sloooooooow. much more so than my current 3.com dongle. and slower than the phone on its own.
Click to expand...

Is your Galaxy 1 on the same network - Three?
I think the Galaxy S3 uses HSDPA+, like the Mifi. I don't think HSDPA+ existed when the Galaxy 1 came out - I may be wrong :)

Haven't done a deal yet, and ought really to wait till mid 2013 as my Mifi contract doesn't end 'till September.... But boys toys and all that!
 
To make the matter a little more complicated, could one of the mifi 3g modems be used as a router to set up a wireless network on board?
 
Is anyone using a MIFi router in low signal areas where you get Edge/ GPRS rather than 3G.
If so which router are you using?

John
 
Ex-SolentBoy said:
If you have a smartphone you could just tether that and save paying for an additional data plan.
Click to expand...

Not the answer because:

1/ when cruising you need access to more than one network
2/ tethering seems to slow down access speeds
3/ [phone interruprions

Maybe its because I'm west country based in summer but I've found it worthwhile to have access to three networks and even then some places are difficult
 
wotayottie said:
Not the answer because:

1/ when cruising you need access to more than one network
2/ tethering seems to slow down access speeds
3/ [phone interruprions

Maybe its because I'm west country based in summer but I've found it worthwhile to have access to three networks and even then some places are difficult
Click to expand...

That is not my experience.

You need access to whatever network is best in a particular location. You might just as well carry an additional SIM for the phone. Much cheaper.

Tethering does not slow speeds. It's still wifi.

I can do phone and data at the same time. In fact, we tether several iPads at the same time as well.

I am also based in the West Country. Three works best there for me.
 
NB Willawaw said:
The Three MIFI which is a Huawei model does both GPRS and 3G, but I don't know how you would fare with this in Italy.
Click to expand...

Provided it's unlocked we'll buy a local sim so shouldn't have any problem. Do you know which Huawei model 'Three' use?

Incidentally for anyone going to Italy all Mobiles sold there are unlocked by law.

John
 
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