Best (cheapest) mobile USB Dongle?
Kolin Klingon
Posts: 4,296 Forum Member
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Don't know if this is the right place for this?
I'm moving house on the 10th and Sky have just said that they can't send a BT engineer to sort out a phone line in the new place till January 16th!!!
So I need some sort of internet to cover the 6 weeks without it.
Are suppliers all much the same or are their ones to avoid?
To say I'm a heavy user would be the understatement of the year, but as long as I only check emails, surf on here and don't download anything or watch any videos, I might be able to scrape by. I reckon about 7 gb a month (does that sound right? I'm on Sky unlimited and so don't check these things)
Any advice gratefully received.
I'm moving house on the 10th and Sky have just said that they can't send a BT engineer to sort out a phone line in the new place till January 16th!!!
So I need some sort of internet to cover the 6 weeks without it.
Are suppliers all much the same or are their ones to avoid?
To say I'm a heavy user would be the understatement of the year, but as long as I only check emails, surf on here and don't download anything or watch any videos, I might be able to scrape by. I reckon about 7 gb a month (does that sound right? I'm on Sky unlimited and so don't check these things)
Any advice gratefully received.
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Comments
Other operators like Orange and Vodafone were doing 1GB at best for the sort of money I pay 3. Things change almost every day in the telecoms market so that may not be entirely true now.
But with 3 I get a fairly consistent 5-7Mb/s speed which is more than adequate for general usage and bearable for downloading. Even streamed a bit of iPlayer over it OK
Oh and if you think 7GB a month is heavy usage you obviously haven't been watching this forum very closely. Even 10 times that is what some on here would regard as "light"
So far the 3 one at £39.99 looks a good starting place (Pay as you go as I only need it for the 6 weeks I will be without a connection) for that price you get 3gb included and then I can top it up from there. Add another 7 GB I think.
And no I don't think 7GB is heavy usage, that's how much I might be able to get it down to if I chop off my hands!
http://www.three.co.uk/Discover/Devices/Huawei/E3231_Standard_dongle
Only I have it with the Premium Dongle
http://www.three.co.uk/Discover/Devices/Huawei/E3256_Premium_dongle
But looks like they don't do it anymore.
Oh and it does come in handy if you are away from home and there isn't a handy public WiFi spot nearby. Or as a back-up if the broadband goes belly skywards.
1 I've inserted the SIM card
2 It's installed all drivers
3 It connected to the 3 website where I registered it
4 to get into My3Account I had to enter my phone number and the last 6 digits of my SIM card
That's when the problems started:
It came up with the message "your new password will be sent in a text to your pc connection manager"
??? What is my "pc connection manager" Where do I get it? Where is my password?
Just as well I'm setting it up now before I move and lose Sky broadband for a 5 weeks.
HELP! PLEASE!
I have found and installed the latest 3connect software BUT it says No Network on its first page and then of course can't do anything. I have tried unplug and repluging the dongle whilst 3connect is running but it still shows No Network.
However, when I plug in the Dongle, Window 7 finds the connection, and goes straight the the 3 site automatically. I can even browse the rest of the internet from there, so there is most definitely a connection!
Just this 3connect software that refuses to detect it. So I can't get the password that they have sent!
It's not a major issue as it does connect without the software and there is a place on the 3 website that shows my usage but I'm sure I will need the password for doing something or other.
Strange when their own software can't find their own device!
So sounds like 3 have changed things if your dongle connects simply by being plugged in. This is what I have to use on my Windows laptop (there is a Mac OS version I use on my work Macbook)
http://support.three.co.uk/SRVS/CGI-BIN/WEBISAPI.dll/,/?New,Kb=Mobile,Ts=Mobile,T=Device,varset_pid=4388,varset_cid=4416,Case=obj%284396%29
Though it does occur there is an Automatically Connect option. Not used it but I was under the impression it still needs 3 Connect to be running.
I just wonder if your device has set itself up to run 3 Connect when the dongle is connected to the PC then automatically connect and minimise itself to the taskbar where it hides away. If you click the arrow icon on the right of the taskbar do you see the 3 icon in the pop up box? If so then 3 Connect is running and that may explain why it doesn't see the dongle if you start a second copy, the first copy has the dongle locked out in effect.
Try opening 3 Connect from that icon, if it is there, and see if that is showing the screen shown in the link above and maybe you'll find the text in that?
When I first plugged in the Dongle, all it did was windows installed device drivers for it, windows then set up a Home network connection for it and then the Dongle opened up internet explorer and opened up Three's main page.
That is where it left me. It didn't install any software, I found that and installed it myself. Maybe it's the wrong software for that type of dongle ???
As I say I am connected to the internet OK but I just can't get the texted pass word as the only programme that receives it, 3connect, can't find the network connection that is there and working just fine.
It's a nightmare! I've tried uninstalling everything and reinstalling it all but end up with the same results.
I'll have a look around and see if I can find another version of 3Connect.
With my three dongle that got me to the admin page and showed recent text messages etc.
Mines a wifi one, but maybe the same thing works on yours?
Typing 3.home when I'm on my sky landline connection, BUT when I switched over to my Dongle connection, up popped the admin page and I could read my text messages!!! I now have my password.
3connect software still doesn't work, but I don't really need it now.
THANT YOU ALL for your help in getting me there!
I wouldn’t guarantee that BT Openreach will get it right on the 16th. It took three attempts and nearly three months for mine. How about using the local pubs hotspot? The bigger chains have free wifi.
Is a good option its about 39.99/49.99 for Pay as you go but offers much better service.
and various provides have the device.
dongles can be very hit n miss depending on the area.
I was in Acton recently o2 and T moblie dongles failed to work went out to Denham and they worked fine..
I don't recall being given an option to auto connect using that option when I installed my dongle but I assume yours did, or did it as default.
Experimenting with that shows that if you connect using the Windows network connection option the 3 Connect software doesn't see the dongle. Fairly understandable really as Windows has grabbed hold of it first.
And I have just noticed that on my 3 account web page my tariff is now described as SIM only 1 month which I'm pretty sure is not what I actually paid for. Not that it matters, as long as it works and they haven't changed the monthly charge I could care less
When you first insert it, it does install drivers and everything it needs (not 3connect) and then just automatically boots up IE and goes to 3's homepage. After that, any time you insert it, it just boots up IE and connects to 3's home page.
With it in and connected, entering 3.home as the URL takes you to an admin page where you can do a lot of things and read your texts. once I had that, I can then get into My3 account and see and do everything I need. So no need for 3conect software at all.
It's nice! Just the price that is eeeeeek! I went for the £39.99 PAYG Dongle that has 3GB already loaded. As long as I don't do anything by view web pages and a few mails, that and another £15 for another 3GB topup, might just get me through.
At least I will be able to get online and chat rather than look at the wall for 5+ weeks.
No I'm not getting any hopes up for even seeing Mr Openreach on the 16th leave alone connect me up without any problems. But at least I now have a backup plan even if expensive.
"local pubs hotspot" What are local pubs? They closed them all down!
I can see their faces as I go into the pub for a beer with a shopping trolley and start setting up my desktop PC
Decided to get a 3 MiFi its amazing.
getting over 1mb upload and 10.1 Mb download and comes preloaded with 1GB of Usage.
took about 5 mins to setup no hassle like the old dongles trying to fly around the room finding a good signal.
I don't know about the signal in the new house as I don't get there till Monday (Arg the packing! :mad:) but where I am now, I just plugged in my USB dongle in the front of my desktop PC and it worked just fine without having to move it around. Hopefully the new place will be the same.
If all goes well I'll be on tomorrow via my 3 USB dongle.
Now to pack everything.........................................................................
When you run out of 3GB it's worth having a look at this-
http://store.three.co.uk/view/searchSimOnly;jsessionid=FFC07A4DB8907A0E7434765C1E4719AB?tariff=3031
It's not pay as you go. It's a sim only 1 month contract thing. You get 10GB for £15pm and you can cancel with 30 days notice.
Good luck with the move.
And here I am in my brand new house with the central heating blasting out - It's luxury!
As for the move itself, what a f***ing nightmare! Tweedle dee and Tweedle dumb as the van movers and I had to show them how to carry things and get them around corners!
But at least I had DS on which to moan and rant about it!
5 weeks to go till I get my Sky back!
Many thanks! I will certainly have a look at that. Cheers for the info.