Mobile broadband question

sbsquarepants

I have 2 phones (work and personal) on 2 different networks, reception on both is patchy at best were i live. I'm looking to get mobile broad band for my lap top but will the reception be the same as for the phones? I have no land line and would rather do with out getting one if possible. I'm basically looking for a cheap but useable option for occasional recreational use, i'm by no means an internet junkie! Any help or recommendations would be appreciated. Thank you

Sponge Bob

sbsquarepants wrote: »

I'm looking to get mobile broad band for my lap top but will the reception be the same as for the phones?

Yes unless you have the Dovado unit in the attic maybe or a Repeater of some sort. Where do you live ??

jimmyjim11

which networks do you have ?

3 usually have the best coverage but not necessarily the best service

Walkman

sbsquarepants wrote: »

I have 2 phones (work and personal) on 2 different networks, reception on both is patchy at best were i live. I'm looking to get mobile broad band for my lap top but will the reception be the same as for the phones? I have no land line and would rather do with out getting one if possible. I'm basically looking for a cheap but useable option for occasional recreational use, i'm by no means an internet junkie! Any help or recommendations would be appreciated. Thank you

If your looking for advice you would be best to let us know what area you live in. You may be a 3 NBS coverage area

missyfirefly

it's not the same signal but the general rule of thumb is if you've awful signal for your phones it's probably gonna be the same for mobile broadband.

the others are right maybe try one from another network and test around different parts of the house before getting a router. there's generally a 7 day return on the modems so it's worth a go, you could almost trial them all if you were inclined. Most of the providers have coverage maps on their sites also.

jor el

sbsquarepants wrote: »

Any help or recommendations would be appreciated. Thank you

Use one of the phones to do a network search, and see if there are any 3G networks in your area. No point recommending anything if it's not even there.

jimmyjim11 wrote: »

3 usually have the best coverage but not necessarily the best service

Outside of urban areas, Three's coverage tends to be crap or non-existent.

missyfirefly wrote: »

it's not the same signal

Eh, yes it is. It's the exact same.

missyfirefly wrote: »

there's generally a 7 day return on the modems so it's worth a go, you could almost trial them all if you were inclined. Most of the providers have coverage maps on their sites also.

Yes, O2 do a free trial right now, some of the others have a buy and return policy. The coverage maps tend to be optimistic though.

Walkman

3 coverage is quite extensive outside urban areas, I have a 3 mobile and in most areas I visit I find I have 3g coverage. Also O2 do NOT do a free trial. A deposit is required to avail of the trial.

sbsquarepants

Sorry, was away for the weekend, i live in tallaght. The phones i have are O2 and meteor, reception on both is perfect at the back of the apartment but terrible at the front, to the point where if someone rings they usually get a "can not be reached at this time" message but then as soon as you move to the back of the apartment it comes through as a missed call. If the router was located in the back where the signal is strong would it's own signal be strong enough to be picked up in the front? Or is there some sort of booster or relay that will do the trick? I don't want to be only be able to access the web from my bedroom!
Thanks for the help folks

missyfirefly

The type of signal difference you're experiencing isn't strange for an apartment block as structures can blocksignal.

I'd still recommend getting a trial modem though and if you can get 3G signal in one part of the apartment then maybe get a router that will send the signal around the rest of the apartment wirelessly. So you won't be stuck just using it in your bedroom.

jor el

Walkman wrote: »

Also O2 do NOT do a free trial. A deposit is required to avail of the trial.

Well they're not likely to give you a modem and let you walk away with it without some sort of security deposit. It is a free trial because they don't charge you for the usage, and they give back the deposit.

mk6705

Vodafone tend to have the best 3G coverage, followed by either 3 or O2 and than Meteor. Vodafone, 3 and O2 cover most parts of towns in the country, though you might find, particularly with Three and O2 that there are patchy areas. In rural but not remote areas it's quite likely you'll have coverage. In remote areas it's unlikely you'll have coverage, unless Three have coverage there for the NBS, however the NBS is a joke and should be avoided if possible. Give a read through the Three problems mega-thread above before considering. Meteor cover the cities and the towns from the midlands to the East coast, and Letterkenny in Donegal. Closer to the East coast it's likely you may also get coverage in some rural areas.

Mobile broadband is usually unreliable and fairly slow. You won't get 7.2Mb. Ever. It's likely to disconnect alot and, may work one day and not the next. In the case of Meteor, Vodafone and O2, if you don't have 3G it'll jump to EDGE or GPRS. EDGE is quite usable as a backup, and can be faster than 3G at times. GPRS is slow.