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can a prepay broadband sim card be bought without having to buy a modem

  • 26-01-2010 7:24pm
    #1
    estreetb
    Closed Accounts Posts: 228 ✭✭


    can a prepay broadband sim card be bought without having to buy a modem and if so where can they be bought from?


Comments

  • #2
    muchos04
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 215 ✭✭muchos04


    Good question, i want to know the answer too!


  • #3
    jor el
    Closed Accounts Posts: 16,713 ✭✭✭✭jor el


    Depends on the operator. For Three, yes, Meteor no, not sure about O2 and Vodafone.

    SIMs can be bought in any phone shop.


  • #4
    Walkman
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,224 ✭✭✭Walkman


    With 3 yes. you just buy a 3pay sim, log into my3, when you go to buy an add on set it as a modem and the internet add on's become available


  • #5
    muchos04
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 215 ✭✭muchos04


    What about Vodafone?? Anybody know??


  • #6
    estreetb
    Closed Accounts Posts: 228 ✭✭estreetb


    O2 doesnt allow it. you must buy the modem.

    Is there any bricks and mortars stores where you can buy an unlocked modem.

    I know ebay sells them but dont trust tech from them


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  • #7
    mickger844posts
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 4,483 Mod ✭✭✭✭mickger844posts


    muchos04 wrote: »
    What about Vodafone?? Anybody know??

    I bought a Vodafone sim online for 10 euros last week for usage with my unlocked MIFI modem. Registered the sim online and it asked me there what my primary usage was and i said Mobile Broadband. Now i get the options for daily weekly and monthly add ons. Been using it with my itouch and its working fine. Speeds a little bit faster than Three i find.


  • #8
    muchos04
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 215 ✭✭muchos04


    Where online did you buy it? Does not have to be a HDSPA SIM or something to that effect!!!!

    I take it there is a difference between the Irish and UK SIMS being sold online?

    Oh so many questions!


  • #9
    mickger844posts
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 4,483 Mod ✭✭✭✭mickger844posts


    muchos04 wrote: »
    Where online did you buy it? Does not have to be a HDSPA SIM or something to that effect!!!!

    I take it there is a difference between the Irish and UK SIMS being sold online?

    Oh so many questions!

    Got it from the Vodafone.ie store. All sims are the same there are no sims dedicated to different speeds.


  • #10
    muchos04
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 215 ✭✭muchos04


    Thanks for that. I was told on a Vodafone forum that some the mobile broadband SIMS card cofigured differently to work with the internet not wap or something to that effect??


  • #11
    mickger844posts
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 4,483 Mod ✭✭✭✭mickger844posts


    muchos04 wrote: »
    Thanks for that. I was told on a Vodafone forum that some the mobile broadband SIMS card cofigured differently to work with the internet not wap or something to that effect??

    Don't know anything about that but the one i got works no problem.


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  • #12
    Amalgam
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,026 ✭✭✭Amalgam


    estreetb wrote: »
    O2 doesnt allow it. you must buy the modem.

    Is there any bricks and mortars stores where you can buy an unlocked modem.

    I know ebay sells them but dont trust tech from them

    Not wanting to sound smart, do it yourself!

    It takes seconds to unlock just about any modem.

    http://www.dc-unlocker.com/


  • #13
    muchos04
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 215 ✭✭muchos04


    Cheers for that. Do you know if i can configure a normal phone payg sim card to work as hsdpa mobile broadband sim?


  • #14
    estreetb
    Closed Accounts Posts: 228 ✭✭estreetb


    Amalgam wrote: »
    Not wanting to sound smart, do it yourself!

    It takes seconds to unlock just about any modem.

    http://www.dc-unlocker.com/


    theres **** all point unlocking the modems when the sim cards wont work in them. Not wanting to sound smart youi wanker


  • #15
    Amalgam
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,026 ✭✭✭Amalgam


    estreetb wrote: »
    theres **** all point unlocking the modems when the sim cards wont work in them. Not wanting to sound smart youi wanker

    Cheers for that. You're unlocking a modem purchased in an Irish store, any data SIM you have will work at that point.
    muchos04 wrote: »
    Cheers for that. Do you know if i can configure a normal phone payg sim card to work as hsdpa mobile broadband sim?

    You have a solution in this thread, which is to buy a 3 SIM, then select your modem and data package.


  • #16
    jor el
    Closed Accounts Posts: 16,713 ✭✭✭✭jor el


    estreetb wrote: »
    theres **** all point unlocking the modems when the sim cards wont work in them. Not wanting to sound smart youi wanker

    There's no need for that. Take a week off, and learn to be civil when you return.


  • #17
    muchos04
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 215 ✭✭muchos04


    Thanks for the informative reply Amalgam. Just a quick one though. If for example today I went online and bought a phone sim from a well known online mobile phone shop for 9.99 would this work the exact same as a data sim. What I am getting at is, is there a difference in sim cards in a mobile broadband modem or a new mobile phone? Some people say all sims are the same and others say that they are different? What do you think? I would just purchase an unlocked modem and a 9.99 sim if i thought i would get the same speed (HSPDA) broadband and confguration. Let me know your thoughts on this one.


  • #18
    jor el
    Closed Accounts Posts: 16,713 ✭✭✭✭jor el


    The SIMs are all the same. The operator may not allow you to buy and apply the broadband add on though. That's the difference.


  • #19
    muchos04
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 215 ✭✭muchos04


    Thats great Jor el, thanks for that. So all the SIMS are the same. Its just that i read a forum on one of these mobile phone operators websites and one of their advisors were saying the SIMs were different when somebody asked this question as they already had the modem. Surely that is misleading from them?


  • #20
    uncanny
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 64 ✭✭uncanny


    estreetb wrote: »
    O2 doesnt allow it. you must buy the modem.

    O2 allows prepay broadband sim only now.
    But you can only buy it online.


  • #21
    adm
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 342 ✭✭adm


    uncanny wrote: »
    O2 allows prepay broadband sim only now.
    But you can only buy it online.

    I got one in store and popped it into my unlocked 3 modem. worked no problem.


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  • #22
    uncanny
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 64 ✭✭uncanny


    adm wrote: »
    I got one in store and popped it into my unlocked 3 modem. worked no problem.

    Thanks adm!

    I was gonna pay 15 squid for one online and have to wait until the middle of next week for it to arrive in the post.

    I popped into town this morning and the o2 shop have them for a tenner. Result!

    Mind you if they told you the APN and the username somewhere it would help, for anyone else setting up 02 prepaid sim only heres the details to create a profile with huawei mobile connect software

    APN (static) open.internet
    Authentication chap
    Access Number *99#
    Username gprs
    Password gprs

    I'm on my daypass now and will buy a 30 day topup tomorrow.


  • #23
    muchos04
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 215 ✭✭muchos04


    Hey there,
    Hi was told that normal phone SIMs would not work in a broadband modem. Is this not the case?

    I guess I could just by a modem on ebay then and stick an O2 pay as you go SIM and it would work? Or would it??

    The person at the store said that I would not get the same speeds or something!

    Muchos04


  • #24
    uncanny
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 64 ✭✭uncanny


    muchos04 wrote: »
    Hey there,
    Hi was told that normal phone SIMs would not work in a broadband modem. Is this not the case?

    When you activate a sim it's normally set up as either a voice or a data service. normally you pay a lot more for data on a voice sim, so putting a voice sim into a 3g modem might work, but you'd be better off using a dedicated data sim price wise.

    I stuck the 02 prepaid sim into my unlocked huawei e169 and i get 7.2mbps sync speed. speed depends on the coverage and the modem you're using.

    Should be no problem buying an unloced modem on ebay and using one of these prepay sims in it.

    any of the huawei 3g modems would be fine, you can create a profile for any carrier's 3g network using the mobile connect software


  • #25
    watty
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 32,417 ✭✭✭✭watty


    My O2 data sim would not work in Data Modem in Slovakia. The O2 Voice Sim worked in Ireland or Slovakia, but hugely more expensive for data. This was a couple of years ago.

    "Data" SIMs used to work in phones too, but you'd get billed top rate for voice calls in addition to monthly bill.


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