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Mobile Internet

Ksenos
Newbie
Posts: 3
Registered: ‎27-11-2007

Mobile Internet

As a long-time & generally satisfied PlusNet User who is planning to be living permanently aboard a boat in the not too distant future, and thus will no longer have a landline, I wondered of PlusNet have any plans to enter the mobile internet market or if not can any users make recommendations of which provider to go with?
Thanks in anticipation
Chris
9 REPLIES 9
chillypenguin
Grafter
Posts: 4,729
Registered: ‎04-04-2007

Re: Mobile Internet

PC Pro have an article in their August edition, on-line version http://www.pcpro.co.uk/features/212520/mobile-broadband-the-verdict.html
But it is also important to investigate the coverage where you intent to moor your boat.
What type of boat, as the construction such as the metal of the cabin on narrow boats will cause problems getting a reliable signal. This can be overcome by mounting the USB adaptor outside of the boat (but in a water proof housing), also a mast my help, as elevating the antenna will improve the signal.
It is also possible to use old satellite dishes and cantenna.
Chilly
geewizz
Grafter
Posts: 1,125
Registered: ‎01-08-2007

Re: Mobile Internet

Quote from: chillypenguin

What type of boat, as the construction such as the metal of the cabin on narrow boats will cause problems getting a reliable signal.

Would that not enhance the signal?
Quote
It is also possible to use old satellite dishes and cantenna.

Oooh, aaah, Cantenna!
SteveA
Pro
Posts: 1,847
Thanks: 106
Fixes: 3
Registered: ‎17-06-2007

Re: Mobile Internet

Quote from: geewizz

Would that not enhance the signal?

Actually its a good way of draining the battery on mobile phones as a steel cage swallows a lot of signal.
I've just got a 02 card (from work) so am hoping to try it on the boat soon
Strat
Community Veteran
Posts: 31,320
Thanks: 1,609
Fixes: 565
Registered: ‎14-04-2007

Re: Mobile Internet

A work colleague of mine lives aboard a narrow boat and the marina where he is almost permanently moored recently installed a WiFi set-up for which they pay a monthly charge roughly equivalent to a land line broadband.
Windows 10 Firefox 109.0 (64-bit)
To argue with someone who has renounced the use of reason is like administering medicine to the dead - Thomas Paine
itsme
Grafter
Posts: 5,924
Thanks: 3
Registered: ‎07-04-2007

Re: Mobile Internet

Marina near me, less than a mile, have several free wi-fi sites. I occasionally use them to test incoming traffic to my server  Wink
Ksenos
Newbie
Posts: 3
Registered: ‎27-11-2007

Re: Mobile Internet

Hi Folks. Thanks for your replies, yes, I will be living in a steel box  Smiley (i.e. a narrowboat) so the idea of putting the dongle outside in a plastic box had already occurred to me, I use a similar wheeze to get my wireless network to reach my workshop at the bottom of the garden. Excellent article at http://www.pcpro.co.uk/fe...roadband-the-verdict.html Chilly! Given my local coverage it will probably be between Vodafone & 3 but will have to find some one who uses 3 to check out coverage for real.  We are supposed to be able to get Orange but in fact signal strengths are very poor locally! We probably won't be at a marina but it may be worth checking out if they offer wi-fi as it could influence our decision as the ability to use VOIP would be a real asset and it seems most of the mobile companies don't like you doing that (wonder why  ::))
Thanks again for your input
Chris
Valencia
Grafter
Posts: 31
Registered: ‎24-06-2008

Re: Mobile Internet

I have been on 3 Mobile Broadband for 8 months as well as PN. I live no more than 200 metres from one of their big towers and get a full five bar signal, and I have found the service to be diabolical.
I'm forever getting drop outs and although I pay for 3.6Mbps, I in fact only get on average 250Kbps. When I complained, I got told the usage is high in your area, so I tried it at
3 in the morning and I actually got 620Kbps (everybody was still talking in their sleep). When I complained again, I was told my contract states that as long as I get GPRS rate
(48K) my service is binding
Go for one of the others, try to get a demo or trial, Vodaphone offered to test my location with a laptop, but alas I didn't take them up on their offer and went for 3 instead
puddy
Grafter
Posts: 1,571
Registered: ‎10-06-2007

Re: Mobile Internet

I use three mobile internet service and had have no problems at all. I get a 3gb download service for £7.50 a month plus a free modem which I unlocked flashed and sold on ebay for £40.
I now use a intel mini-pci card to download from in my Dell inspiron 1525 laptop even though 3 said it will never work and I must use their 3 usb modem.
puddy
grimme
Grafter
Posts: 241
Registered: ‎01-08-2007

Re: Mobile Internet

I have a similar issue with the 3 service woeful download and upload speeds when I am showing HSDPA signal on the e220 dongle. Best speed ever was 382 down 56 up - usually around 120 down 56 up.
But I do only pay £7.50 a month for 3gb.
I borrowed a T-mobile sim and e220 dongle and ran tests from the same laptop, in the same location each getting a 1 bar signal on HSDPA (I believe 3 and T-Mobile share their 3g masts?)
T-Mobile got 1882 download 352 upload
3 got the 382 download 56 upload
3 mast is closer to me than the T-Mobile one!
Astonishing difference in speeds - I just cannot believe that everyone has signed up to the 3 service leaving T-Mobile users all the bandwith they like to play with!