Mobile broadband

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hippox

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Thought we might skip wifi and buy one of those USB dongles. But is it possible to buy a pay-as-you-go one in one country, say Spain, and then use in France, Italy, Greece etc without incurring punitive roaming charges? A bit like one of those Europe-wide phone SIM cards?
 
I think you are 2 years ahead of your time... Possibly the best bet right now is a T-Mobile contract which will charge you about £1.50/MB for data anywhere in europe, unfortunately thats still rather exorbitant compared to what you would pay for a wifi connection where one is available.

Second to the cost is the patchy availability of good quality cellular data connections outside major cities, this can leave you often either without a connection, or connecting at a low rate or with a very unstable connection which could feasibly drive you to distraction for anything other than sending/receiving email.

It would be good to hear a positive experience to the contrary but I have a strong feeling if you go down this route you will end up signing up the WiFi with an amount of glee whenever it is available.
 
Local SIMs are the best route right now IMHO. But not all countries have PAYG data sims for sale, some are contract only. We've found, right across France, that 3G is usually pretty good where it can be got, which is certainly not everywhere, not even some fairly big towns. Otherwise it's GPRS which can be perfectly satisfactory and can be got most places.
We bought an Option GlobeTrotter PCMCIA device http://www.option.com/products/globetrotter_hsdpa_72.shtml and then got the SIM (contract) from Orange France, SFR offered similar deals.
There have been a number of threads on YBW about mobile broadband in Spain and Italy, Portugal and some other places as well, I think.
 
This is a subject I think IMO I know something about. The user that says you Are ahead of your time is somewhat correct. We use several 3G/HSDPA connections in preference to a WiFi or Broadband; on the boat, on the move, in the office in a hotel, etc. The quality of service is generally OK in major cities and sometimes even good. IN other places it is patchy but probably usable as long as you don’t want to use skype or do any video/audio streaming. The technology is getting even better and more widely available.

Now for the bad bit – whilst the technology is OK the cost varies hugely and is constantly changing.

I use the connection professionally. SWBO is in this business (sort of) and I need a constant conection to work. We lose the costs as a business expense but make no mistake it is VERY expensive to roam (easily several hundred pounds a month) with one connection and very difficult to find/get the best connection as you move from one country to another. When you find a ‘cheap’ way to use the data services the operators move quickly to change the tariffs. This happened recently in Greece and else where there were some very goo PAYG data deals available….

Individual operators (t-mobile, telefonica, vodaphone, fredsmobile etc…) offer various tariffs and they change with the weather. Right now Vodaphone has a good ‘roaming’ data tarrif but t-mobile and 3 will probably update theirs once they work out how to do so. Then someone else will probably have a better offer just in that country but you may have difficulty in finding it.

Italy actually has a law stopping you form getting a ‘pay-as-you-go’ sim if you are not resident (something to do with money laundering). The good news it’s not actually implemented in practice so you can get one in practice.



Good luck /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

PS – please let me know how you get on as I would be interested to hear the outcome of your research
/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
WiFi

I should also add that finding free (a.k.a stolen?) WiFi inland (in France) is not easy - well we haven't found it easy. There's always sitting at McDonald's etc. if you're near one and don't mind the thin film of ketchup. Paid WiFi at marinas etc. varies in cost from the reasonable to the not-so-reasonable. We also now depend on a reliable connection, so that means 'cellular comms' not WiFi. But this conclusion is likely to vary according to personal needs and circumstances.
 
Re: WiFi

hmm, having snatched wifi here and there on a six-month trip last year, i was hoping technology might have rapidly moved on to usb dongles for mobile broadband. maybe it's even worth getting a dongle and pay-as-you-go sim as you arrive each country. but if the coverage's patchy...
 
Re: WiFi

I 've been using a PAYG vodafone dongle all summer in the Balearics, purchased for 79 euros in Palma Mallorca. It has been excellent. Worked in all three main Islands and data could be purchased in chunks or if not for 60 euros unlimited a month. Pricey but very nice to have. Streamed radio 4 all day.

P.S. using it right now.
 
Re: WiFi

Yep, using BBC iPlayer to listen to old programmes is also fab. But will you be able to use the dongle in France, Italy etc without the charges going crazy? Do Vodafone Spain do any sort of deal?
 
Re: WiFi

Quite apart from whether a PAYG broadband connection from one country is feasible/economic roaming to another country (ruinously expensive?), I'd also be interested to know if the dongle thingy can be unlocked (like mobile phones can be) from one (national) operator so as to be able to be used in another country and a different (local) operator's SIM.
 
Re: WiFi

[ QUOTE ]
.... can be unlocked

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes they can. Process varies depending on the type of device you have but usually involves downloading the unlock program and then paying the original operator for their unlock code. Or you may fing a backstreet shop that will do it for you (for a fee of course!)

/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

try http://www.fonefunshop.co.uk/Unlocking/nextgen/datacard.htm

or just search in goggle or some such tool...... /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
Italy actually has a law stopping you form getting a ‘pay-as-you-go’ sim if you are not resident (something to do with money laundering). The good news it’s not actually implemented in practice so you can get one in practice.

[/ QUOTE ]It's dead easy to get an Italian PAYG sim for data. We use Wind but I hear that TIM is good. I don't believe that the law prevents you from getting the sim however, they insist on taking your passport details - which they seem to do with some diligence. We have bought three sims - two for our mobiles and one for the PCMCIA data card and had no probs. €6 per month unlimited for data. Phone calls are at a reasonable price but you often get charged for incoming calls!
 
Re: WiFi

Vodafone's UK purchased dongles come unlocked and I am using one right now with a Portuguese PAYG sim. No probs...
 
Re: WiFi

Incidentally, I'm using a new 3 Dongle and I find that YouTube videos take about 15 minutes to load a 3 minute clip, and BBC News video clips are impossible to watch at all.

Is that just 'ow fings are, or is there something wrong with my equipment *cough*?
 
Re: WiFi

You are probably connected via GPRS in your location. If 3G is available the speed is excellent - better than my fixed line broadband at home. My only experience of GPRS (in a fairly remote part of Portugal) was similar to yours. It's not the fault of the dongle.
On my modem (Huawei E220) a fixed green light indicates a GPRS connection and a fixed blue says 3G.
 
Re: WiFi

Lor', I didn't even know I had a choice...

So if it's GPRS, how do I change it? The modem I have is one of these:

handsets_mobile-discovery0.gif
 
Re: WiFi

Although there are settings (probably) along the lines of "Always connect to GPRS" (or to 3G) within the control panel of whatever connection software you're using, essentially it's the geography/coverage that determines whether there is 3G and connects you to it, or there isn't and gives you GPRS instead.
3G is the 'mobile' equivalent of broadband but it's not available everywhere for installation infrastructure reasons, or simple geography/land form. GPRS is the 'data' equivalent of ordinary mobile phone comms, is very widely available but is slower. As it is my guess, you have discovered.
Apologies to comms experts if my explanation is overly simplistic. It's as my teeny tiny brain understands it. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
 
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