Inter web thingie for France...

[AIDY]

I'm off cruising for 6-8 weeks this summer.... and want to use the internet onboard. I guess i will be Cruising the french biscay / atlantic coast to the solent.

I currently use a vodafone pay as you go dongle for the UK south coast with my netbook.... but never used the internet in france or the C/I's before....

Whats best.... purchase a french dongle similar to the vodafone one ???

sign up to net aboard ??? really only want to look at emails and the weather.

or anything else.

 

[nimbusgb]

Get your local dongle ( modem ) opened to all networks ( unlocked )

Buy local sim cards in the country whose network you are using.

PS: You may have to use a special software from the sim provider - usually downloadable from their website. My Huawei modem ( UK 02 network subsequently unlocked ) does not even detect that the Wind network exists in Greece unless I change over to the Wind network manager on the lappy, even when standing right below the tower in Levkas!

 

[johnabbott893]

PS: You may have to use a special software from the sim provider - usually downloadable from their website. My Huawei modem ( UK 02 network subsequently unlocked ) does not even detect that the Wind network exists in Greece unless I change over to the Wind network manager on the lappy, even when standing right below the tower in Levkas!

Have you tried using the Huawei 'Mobile Partner' connection manager software. It is available from their website. With that software and the correct APN and settings you ought to be able to connect using any SIM. That is the theory. It would be interesting to know if it works in practice.

Of course, it may be easier to use the connection manager software provided by the local SIM supplier rather than trying to find the relevant settings.

 

[Richard10002]

I dont think France has a competitive PAYG SIM for mobile broadband. You may be better finding a marina with free or cheap wifi, or cafes with free wifi if you buy a drink, or straightforward internet cafes.

 

[dk]

Been there done that - spent a fortune on Vodafone, who charged me for roaming as well as data, so whilst awaiting emails i was clocking up standard EU call charges instead of just paying for downloaded data. Vodafone blamed it on their French partner, SFR, who themselves denied all knowledge. Got fed up (thank God it was PAYG not a monthly account) and stuck to internet cafes from then on, which are a much better/cheaper bet if you're coming ashore frequently. Very few decent wifi spots in marinas too!

 

[richardm47]

Alderney is roaming ...

I lost a small fortune in Alderney with my Vodafone payg dongle. £30 credit whisked away in less than 5 mins. So beware - probably all the CIs are classed - and charged - as if they are a foreign country!

 

[Robin]

Sign up for Netaboard WiFi and buy the 24hr one, that is 24 hours of use not one day and is usable in all their locations which are many. Netaboard also allow you to access MeteoFrance website for weather information without logging in and using credit, even better. Orange WiFi operates in La Trinite, more expensive than Netaboard. Concarneau has it's own system which is free to visitors in the marina but wasn't working last time we were there.

We use a Hawking Mini Dish WiFi booster and could often find 'free' unencrypted sites for a quick email download and weather check. Some bars and places like McDonalds give free WiFi so you can buy a beer and use it there or even better once you have the code, hook up to it from the boat. In St Peter Port their WiFi is unreliable and now you have to go ashore to sign up and get the access code. However we found 3 or 4 free sites (hotels and bars mostly) and hooked up easily enough to them from outside the marina on the outer pontoons.

Dongles in France get very expensive sadly as others have reported.

 

[AIDY]

thanks all.... as i thought netabord or having a pleasnt coffee or beer ashore sounds good and using the free wifi

 

[DaveRo]

This might be of interest:
http://www.t-mobile.co.uk/services/boosters/eurobroadband/

 

[Richard10002]

This might be of interest:
http://www.t-mobile.co.uk/services/boosters/eurobroadband/

Wish that had been available last summer

Bloody useful though. £40 for 200Mb is actually quite good if you cant find a local PAYG deal. In 2006 I subscribed to an Italian WIND PAYG Sim which gave 200Mb per month for about £30, for international use - managed quite well with it for rationed browsing and emails. I also subscribed to one of those compression services, so effectively got more than the 200Mb per month.

 

[LadyInBed]

This is also a possibility sfr.fr/internet-mobile
However, as in the UK they only last 15 days at a time.

Pass 20 Min........................... 3€ (valid 24h)

Pass 1H..................................7€ (valid 15 days)

Pass 3H.................................16€ (valid days)

Pass 8H.................................26€ (valid 15 days)

Pass 15H...............................39€ (valid 30 days)

Pass Journée......................... 9€ (valid from activation of the pass until midnight the same day).

 

[Grehan]

I cover this as best I can on the Grehan website - page titled Mobile Communications (Voice, Email, Internet) On Board in France I'm using a 3G SFR connection right now to post this, from deepest Aquitaine.

 

[Sea Devil]

Most almost - almost all French Marina's have wifi - internet access. Some you can subscribe to on-line with the credit card - some like La Rochelle you pay first at the office...

Mainly the connections are very good and it costs around 1€ a day.

Stacks of café's in seaside towns have free wifi access - well you buy a coffee or a beer!

Michael

 

[Ex-SolentBoy]

Am I the only one who finds this whole situation absurd? Many of us fork out for "unlimited" use contracts in the UK. These become meaningless when we cross borders. Whilst I do understand that the providers change from country to country, it is ridiculous that we cannot, in the EU (let alone worldwide) have a simple phone contract that works anywhere.

I am surprised that the politicians who spend so much time hopping from country to country have not yet realised this problem and fixed it for us. Ah yes! They don't pay their own phone bills - we do!!!!

Sorry, unhelpful rant over.

 

[FB122]

Le MACDRIVE !!!

Having lived over here in the Eurozone for a few years now I can swear by good old Macdonalds . They have free WIFI in most outlets and if you park in the car park you can normally pick it up without a purchase !
Are the Poles voting for UKIP yet ?

 

[Duffer]

Free Internet

Treguier marina has a free internet PC in the lobby. Very handy for checking weather last summer while waiting for gale to pass! Anyone know of any others?

 

[reginaldon]

I lost a small fortune in Alderney with my Vodafone payg dongle. £30 credit whisked away in less than 5 mins. So beware - probably all the CIs are classed - and charged - as if they are a foreign country!

Frequently I get welcomed to France, even when I'm in my Lounge - go down the back garden to make a reasonable mobile call.