[sn1975]

Hi all,

I’m looking for recommendations for an inexpensive pay-as-you-go 3G or 4G mobile phone which allows tethering or the ability to create a personal wi-fi hotspot and share the data connection with an Apple iPod Touch.

Also, which network/s work out the cheapest for pay-as-you-go data and have the best coverage?

Many thanks in advance.

Kind regards.

[swb1964]

Almost any phone will do this. I can do it easily with my core prime (cost £95) but I'm sure there are cheaper options.

As for the second question it depends how much data you are talking about. Three are best for pure pay as you go but other networks have bundle options worth looking at if you intend to use more than 500 meg a month or so.

As for the best coverage, that really does depend. Generally speaking Three and EE are considered to have the best coverage but there are plenty of places where only O2 or Vodafone work and plenty more where there is no signal at all.....

[d123]

Quote:

Originally Posted by swb1964

Almost any phone will do this. I can do it easily with my core prime (cost £95) but I'm sure there are cheaper options.

As for the second question it depends how much data you are talking about. Three are best for pure pay as you go but other networks have bundle options worth looking at if you intend to use more than 500 meg a month or so.

As for the best coverage, that really does depend. Generally speaking Three and EE are considered to have the best coverage but there are plenty of places where only O2 or Vodafone work and plenty more where there is no signal at all.....

You forgot to add the caveat that Three don't allow tethering on PAYG, so maybe not for the OP.

[BKM]

Quote:

Originally Posted by d123

You forgot to add the caveat that Three don't allow tethering on PAYG, so maybe not for the OP.

Not that they have ever bothered me about the occasional use of tethering on 321 PAYG!

[d123]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BKM

Not that they have ever bothered me about the occasional use of tethering on 321 PAYG!

Anecdotally, tethering seems to work more often on older sims, any sim issued since the crackdown on tethering seems to have a much lower detection threshold. I've seen it happen with an old 3Pay sim and a new 321 sim used side by side and the 3Pay sim will happily tether while the 321 sim will get the tethering block pop up within a minute or 2 of tethering. Sims used in same devices (android or iOS) and tethering to same devices (iPad or laptop).

I've no idea why, but the newer sims seems for more sensitive to being caught tethering.

Further to that, recommending a service which specifically prohibits tethering by saying "well, it might work" seems like a pretty poor idea, imo.

[JurassicMark]

Can only speak about what I have, which is a 1st gen Moto G 4G on Tesco PAYG. It's one of the most respected budget smart phones and I'm happy with mine.

You can purchase data bundles which range from £5 per month for 500MB to £20 per month for 8GB. Don't know how competitive these are.

My phone/Tesco allows tethering and its use has not been restricted so far.

[d123]

EE, Giffgaff, Tesco,and Vodafone allow tethering on PAYG.

https://www.cable.co.uk/guides/whats...for-tethering/

[BKM]

Quote:

Originally Posted by d123

Further to that, recommending a service which specifically prohibits tethering by saying "well, it might work" seems like a pretty poor idea, imo.

I wasn't really! I had no idea the SIMs varied so widely on this issue and just assumed that 3 did not mind for limited use.

In fact I had totally forgotten that I was NOT supposed to do this and used it quite a lot on a 4 day trip to North Yorkshire in November without it complaining! I was only tethering an iPad to an IPhone so everything I was doing could have been done (but smaller!) on the iPhone.

[swb1964]

Sorry I genuinely didn't know you couldn't use tethering on Three PAYG.

I only thought unlimited packages didn't allow you to tether.

[d123]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BKM

I was only tethering an iPad to an IPhone so everything I was doing could have been done (but smaller!) on the iPhone.

One of the reasons I think that the networks are being unreasonable idiots by not allowing tethering on paid for data (like 321) or fixed allowance plans.

[swb1964]

Quote:

Originally Posted by d123

One of the reasons I think that the networks are being unreasonable idiots by not allowing tethering on paid for data (like 321) or fixed allowance plans.

Yes- I always assumed you could do that. As I see it, if I buy 2 gig of data from my network then that data is mine to use as I want. I can understand the need for caps on unlimited plans, but not on pay as you use or fixed allowance bundles.

Ho hum.

[BKM]

Quote:

Originally Posted by d123

One of the reasons I think that the networks are being unreasonable idiots by not allowing tethering on paid for data (like 321) or fixed allowance plans.

I also have several 3 "mobile broadband" data-only SIMs which I use in a MiFi box. This is a different sort of "fixed allowance" and seems OK on 3's (rather strange!) tethering rules.

[Redcoat]

I suppose 3's experience with a minority of customers on the former One Plan abusing the f**k out of tethering makes them weary of it at least for no-limit data.

Of the networks regarding tethering, to the best of my knowledge Vodafone & EE allow tethering on both contract & PAYG, O2 allow tethering on contract but not PAYG (though if you only hook up occasionally and don't take the piss they don't seem to mind much) while 3 have tethering available on contract albeit on capped amounts if you have AYCE handset data. Most MVNOs don't allow tethering, the few that do include Asda Mobile, Tesco Mobile and giffgaff, though with GG you'd have to be a glutton for punishment to try tethering with them!

[d123]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BKM

I also have several 3 "mobile broadband" data-only SIMs which I use in a MiFi box. This is a different sort of "fixed allowance" and seems OK on 3's (rather strange!) tethering rules.

By their very nature mobile broadband sims are almost always tethering, either in a mifi or USB dongle. There are no tethering restrictions on them.

Handset sims are a different kettle of fish

[millimole2001]

With a similar situation to the OP I ended up getting an inexpensive 3G MiFi which I used with my FoggMobile SIM until they pulled the plug last October - I've ended up with Mobi-Data who run off the back of three at £5 for 1G /month