IPAD Data plans

intercepter

Can someone tell me please are there any Irish service providers supplying a "Pay as you go" data plan ? In other words, You buy credit (say 2Gig of download) and you can use it over any period of time. I dont know of any.

Assuming there is isnt...With the release of the Ipad 2 on the 25th March...does anyone think that 02, Vodafone , Three etc will look at reviewing their existing price plans that they currently have for the Ipad

lasno

My sister has an Ipad, she is payg with O2, €20 per month, 5gb allowance.
No contract, no bills. I'm sure the other operators have similar offerings.

seamus

You can get a standard 3Pay SIM and purchase a 500MB data package at a fiver a go every time you run out. Can't see it costing more than a tenner a month (at most) tbh.

They also have a similar plan to O2 - 15GB per month for €20. But it's a rolling contract.

Again, Vodafone have an identical 30-day plan to O2; €20 for 5GB allowance. Vodafone's too though is a rolling contract rather than a top-up affair.

As far as I can see nobody does a "Buy data, use forever" plan. They all allow you to buy data and use it for a month.

ConorF

I am a very light 3G user as I nearly always have the iPad in a wifi zone, but wanted a pre-pay sim in there for the rare occasions (usually on holidays) when I needed 3G.

I took the advice of the following thread and went for a vodafone microsim:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055984078

I'm happy with it.

ironclaw

If you happen to have an iPhone, there is a hotspot feature in the pipeline. So you'll only need a Wifi iPad and a standard data plan.

Danbo!

ironclaw wrote: »

If you happen to have an iPhone, there is a hotspot feature in the pipeline. So you'll only need a Wifi iPad and a standard data plan.

...and a hotspot plan on top of that. Seeing as you cannot use your standard data for tethering, i assume they will introduce a hotspot package. There is an app for jailbroken phones that turns it into a wifi hotspot using your standard data allowance. Really considering jailbreaking just for that feature.

godtabh

Danbo! wrote: »

...and a hotspot plan on top of that. Seeing as you cannot use your standard data for tethering, i assume they will introduce a hotspot package. There is an app for jailbroken phones that turns it into a wifi hotspot using your standard data allowance. Really considering jailbreaking just for that feature.

Three don't charge this

redout

As regards tethering/personal hotspot I just find the paltry 2GB a month from Vodafone to be too little if using your allowance from the iPhone 4 to an iPad. Might be better off just getting a 3G iPad 2. I suppose it depends on the user but I easily surpass 2GB a month on the iPhone and depend heavily on home wifi.

I think tethering is 1GB on vodafone.

alexlyons

The Personnel Hotspot feature is only for iPhone 4.

It works really well, am using my developer beta and its good. If it's just light browsing on the iPad to and from wifi zones (bus from home to work/college) then your data allowance from your carrier will be grand.

Curious as to how the carriers know if the usage is from tethered data? I'm using a factory unlocked iPhone so all features are available to me.

ironclaw

alexlyons wrote: »

Curious as to how the carriers know if the usage is from tethered data? I'm using a factory unlocked iPhone so all features are available to me.

There is no way to check. However, if they noticed extremely heavy usage or bandwidth in play, it might arouse suspicions. But why would they mind, your paying for the data anyway. I'm with Meteor on the iPhone 4 and 1GB is plenty. I believe Meteor have no problem with tethering.

alexlyons

ironclaw wrote: »

There is no way to check. However, if they noticed extremely heavy usage or bandwidth in play, it might arouse suspicions. But why would they mind, your paying for the data anyway. I'm with Meteor on the iPhone 4 and 1GB is plenty. I believe Meteor have no problem with tethering.

Ye I'm of that mentality too. I'm paying for it so I'll use it. I keep an eye on it to make sure I stay within my allowance. They have no leg to stand on if they claim any usage within the allowance is abnormal. I'm paying for it so I can use it all if I like!!

intercepter

Ive a jailbroken 3rd Gen Iphone. I bought the MYWI 4.0 app recently and have been running some tests. Using my Laptop I power off my wifi router and turn on the Wifi Tethering option. I browse the net for around 20mins (Youtube,HTML sites etc) and then after downloading around 15mb of content I stop. The strange thing is everytime I look at my bill (Im with O2) I cannot find any record of it. I can see plenty of occurences where Ive used the 3G using the Iphone when out on the road but nothing when tethering. Can anyone explain

Hobbes

I have a data sim for my iPad from Vodafone. It is 10GB a month for $20. But only in Ireland. Outside of Ireland the price shoots up. It is a one year contract.

Tethering will work out more expensive, as will a phone sim.

rivalius13

alexlyons wrote: »

The Personnel Hotspot feature is only for iPhone 4.

It works really well, am using my developer beta and its good. If it's just light browsing on the iPad to and from wifi zones (bus from home to work/college) then your data allowance from your carrier will be grand.

Curious as to how the carriers know if the usage is from tethered data? I'm using a factory unlocked iPhone so all features are available to me.

Carriers can set a different APN in carrier settings to be used for tethering, which is how they track it.

Blazer

Danbo! wrote: »

...and a hotspot plan on top of that. Seeing as you cannot use your standard data for tethering, i assume they will introduce a hotspot package. There is an app for jailbroken phones that turns it into a wifi hotspot using your standard data allowance. Really considering jailbreaking just for that feature.

The app itself costs about $25 but pretty good.
Only thing though is battery life rapidly starts to drain on the iphone as a result.
I use my iphone for this and tbh really sry I got the wifi model of the ipad over the 3g model.
Grand for casual browsing but when you're travelling etc you don't want your phone going dead on you.

Bigcheeze

Hobbes wrote: »

I have a data sim for my iPad from Vodafone. It is 10GB a month for $20. But only in Ireland. Outside of Ireland the price shoots up. It is a one year contract.

Tethering will work out more expensive, as will a phone sim.

Use the live apn and you won't pay for roaming.

fifth

I've got a jailbroken iPhone 4 on Meteor billpay with 10Gb of internet for €25 (includes texts/mins aswell). The PDAnet hotspot app cost me around €12 but it's the handiest thing ever when my fixed broadband goes down at home I can just use the iPhones 3G connection.

I plan on using this with iPad 2.

ironclaw

funkyflea wrote: »

I've got a jailbroken iPhone 4 on Meteor billpay with 10Gb of internet for €25 (includes texts/mins aswell). The PDAnet hotspot app cost me around €12 but it's the handiest thing ever when my fixed broadband goes down at home I can just use the iPhones 3G connection.

I plan on using this with iPad 2.

10GB? What plan is that?

fifth

It's billpay lite €10 per month, plus the 10Gb data add-on for €15.

intercepter

Some great info on this thread. thx for all the replies...

On a side note...my second question i originally posted was

With the release of the Ipad 2 on the 25th March...does anyone think that 02, Vodafone , Three etc will look at reviewing their existing price data plans that they currently have for the Ipad and bring out some new ones...they've been stagnant for some time now....

whiterebel

intercepter wrote: »

Some great info on this thread. thx for all the replies...

On a side note...my second question i originally posted was

With the release of the Ipad 2 on the 25th March...does anyone think that 02, Vodafone , Three etc will look at reviewing their existing price data plans that they currently have for the Ipad and bring out some new ones...they've been stagnant for some time now....

Yes, knowing O2 and VF they'll increase their prices......:mad:

Bigcheeze

intercepter wrote: »

Some great info on this thread. thx for all the replies...

On a side note...my second question i originally posted was

With the release of the Ipad 2 on the 25th March...does anyone think that 02, Vodafone , Three etc will look at reviewing their existing price data plans that they currently have for the Ipad and bring out some new ones...they've been stagnant for some time now....

I doubt if the operators are too bothered about the iPad. Only something like 50,000 have been sold here and probably less than half are 3G models. Of the 3G models a lot are probably pre pay so theres feck all money in it for them.

intercepter

Fair point but still where there's business they'll care. I think the last review of all plans was last July. Surely they need to revise the plans. Personally I would love a Pay as you go plan.

ie. If i buy 5Gig of data I can use it whenever I like

seamus

Bigcheeze wrote: »

I doubt if the operators are too bothered about the iPad. Only something like 50,000 have been sold here and probably less than half are 3G models. Of the 3G models a lot are probably pre pay so theres feck all money in it for them.

They're going to start getting big traction in business. We have a few hundred "higher-ups" who've had laptops for about ten years and Blackberrys for about five years. They don't really need laptops - all they do is read their email, review any documents they're sent, and surf the web. Laptops do this, but they're big and bulky. Blackberrys (and recently iPhones) do email well but they're too small for anything else. iPads (and other tablets) do all of these things well without the bulk and slow startup of a laptop.

You'll find the business world embracing tablets in general, which is where the operators will start seeing their data plans pay off and in turn they should start competing on them.

50,000 also sounds small, but there will be a period before they become widespread popular (if they're going to). The original iPhone appeared to have barely sold in Ireland - I didn't know anyone who had one.

culabula

Bigcheeze wrote: »

Use the live apn and you won't pay for roaming.

You pay 2€ a day for just 50mb.

culabula

intercepter wrote: »

Some great info on this thread. thx for all the replies...

On a side note...my second question i originally posted was

With the release of the Ipad 2 on the 25th March...does anyone think that 02, Vodafone , Three etc will look at reviewing their existing price data plans that they currently have for the Ipad and bring out some new ones...they've been stagnant for some time now....

3? stagnant? Not!

culabula

intercepter wrote: »

Fair point but still where there's business they'll care. I think the last review of all plans was last July. Surely they need to revise the plans. Personally I would love a Pay as you go plan.

ie. If i buy 5Gig of data I can use it whenever I like

There is no shortage of PAYG plans. All the operators now propose data plans. 3 is far and away the best. You can get a microSIM and pay them 5€ for 500mb on an ad-hoc basis.

Bigcheeze

culabula wrote: »

You pay 2€ a day for just 50mb.

I thought that was only on prepay and bill pay came out of the bundle ?

culabula

Bigcheeze wrote: »

I thought that was only on prepay and bill pay came out of the bundle ?

Yes, billpay iPhone voice plans with data. But not an iPad data plan.

intercepter

culabula wrote: »

There is no shortage of PAYG plans. All the operators now propose data plans. 3 is far and away the best. You can get a microSIM and pay them 5€ for 500mb on an ad-hoc basis.

I had a look at the 3 web site but couldnt find any details regarding the €5 for 500mb you mention. Could you please post a link as I would be very interested in this !

culabula

intercepter wrote: »

I had a look at the 3 web site but couldnt find any details regarding the €5 for 500mb you mention. Could you please post a link as I would be very interested in this !

Simply go into any 3store, get a PAYG microSIM, stick on (say) 20€ then buy one or more data add-ons at 5€ a pop. If you buy 4, these will 'queue' and will seamlessly seque with one another as you either use up each 500mb or 30 days goes by, whichever is sooner.

Repeat.

seamus

intercepter wrote: »

I had a look at the 3 web site but couldnt find any details regarding the €5 for 500mb you mention. Could you please post a link as I would be very interested in this !

http://www.three.ie/products_services/priceplans/prepay/index.html

See the section under "3Pay Add-ons".

Can't say I'm loving the new website.

sweetie

intercepter wrote: »

I had a look at the 3 web site but couldnt find any details regarding the €5 for 500mb you mention. Could you please post a link as I would be very interested in this !

is this the difficult to get 'italian' sim that has been mentioned before?

BBMcQ

seamus wrote: »

http://www.three.ie/products_services/priceplans/prepay/index.html

See the section under "3Pay Add-ons".

Can't say I'm loving the new website.

This is brilliant aswell, €9.99 for 1gb monthly contract, specifically for the iPad then you can add on your €4.99's as seamas says.

culabula

sweetie wrote: »

is this the difficult to get 'italian' sim that has been mentioned before?

No, this is 3IRL. The Tre.it SIM must be sought in Italy, but it isnt that difficult and works like a charm.

Brendygg

Iv a iphone wit vodafone, can I get a mini sim and use my 2gb on the Ipad?

redout

Brendygg wrote: »

Iv a iphone wit vodafone, can I get a mini sim and use my 2gb on the Ipad?

I dont believe so but what you can do is take your microsim from the iPhone and put it in the iPad. A bit of a chore and obviously takes away your phone capabilities though. Interestingly enough here in Spain some of the networks give you a free microsim to use in your iPad if you have an iPhone with them on contract and as they offer unlimited data you dont have to pay any extra monthly fee. Irish networks could certainly learn from this.

quad_red

culabula wrote: »

Simply go into any 3store, get a PAYG microSIM, stick on (say) 20€ then buy one or more data add-ons at 5€ a pop. If you buy 4, these will 'queue' and will seamlessly seque with one another as you either use up each 500mb or 30 days goes by, whichever is sooner.

Repeat.

Bought a 3pay sim today and a voucher for ten euro credit.

Put sim into iPad and it worked. As in, it shows full signal 3 in top left.

But when I went to the 3 site to register the sim and add the credit it ****ing well texts the bloody password to my number.

A text I obviously can't read cos the sim is in the iPad.

How did you guys get around this?

culabula

quad_red wrote: »

Bought a 3pay sim today and a voucher for ten euro credit.

Put sim into iPad and it worked. As in, it shows full signal 3 in top left.

But when I went to the 3 site to register the sim and add the credit it ****ing well texts the bloody password to my number.

A text I obviously can't read cos the sim is in the iPad.

How did you guys get around this?

Don't you have another handset or one that you could borrow for a few minutes to receive the SMS?

quad_red

culabula wrote: »

Don't you have another handset or one that you could borrow for a few minutes to receive the SMS?

The only handset that will take a microsim is an iPhone 4.

Don't know anyone with an unlocked/3 iPhone 4 to do this.

Is that really the only way?

culabula

quad_red wrote: »

The only handset that will take a microsim is an iPhone 4.

Don't know anyone with an unlocked/3 iPhone 4 to do this.

Is that really the only way?

Put it in any unlocked handset, doesn't have to be an iPhone.

culabula

quad_red wrote: »

The only handset that will take a microsim is an iPhone 4.

Don't know anyone with an unlocked/3 iPhone 4 to do this.

Is that really the only way?

Go into a 3 shop tomorrow, explain and ask to borrow a handset for 30 secs?

culabula

quad_red wrote: »

The only handset that will take a microsim is an iPhone 4.

First of all, you can ask for a microSIM adaptor in most phone shops.

But you can easily position the chip over the connectors in any phone by trial and error, close the gate and boot up in the normal way. It will work.

culabula

quad_red wrote: »

Bought a 3pay sim today and a voucher for ten euro credit.

Put sim into iPad and it worked. As in, it shows full signal 3 in top left.

But when I went to the 3 site to register the sim and add the credit it ****ing well texts the bloody password to my number.

A text I obviously can't read cos the sim is in the iPad.

How did you guys get around this?

BTW, this should not prevent you from logging into My3 on the iPad.

In Safari, simply go here : http://mobile.3ireland.ie/837_sc/postPayFreeUnits.do

and see if you can then navigate to buying the add-on.

Registration not necessary.

quad_red

culabula wrote: »

BTW, this should not prevent you from logging into My3 on the iPad.

In Safari, simply go here : http://mobile.3ireland.ie/837_sc/postPayFreeUnits.do

and see if you can then navigate to buying the add-on.

Registration not necessary.

Link doesn't work.

culabula

quad_red wrote: »

Link doesn't work.

Rats, it's the postpay link, though I thought it worked anyway.

Try changing the wording to prepay?

chabsey

quad_red wrote: »

Bought a 3pay sim today and a voucher for ten euro credit.

Put sim into iPad and it worked. As in, it shows full signal 3 in top left.

But when I went to the 3 site to register the sim and add the credit it ****ing well texts the bloody password to my number.

A text I obviously can't read cos the sim is in the iPad.

How did you guys get around this?

Yeah it's idiotic, exactly the same thing happened me after I had to endure the 3 shop's idea of customer service ('sales' person who didn't know anything about how the microsim could be used, was dismissive of my questions and far more interested in chatting to his mate / anyone else). Not even a vague hint that to get the thing working you'd need a phone that can take a micro sim, I called 3 phone support and was told to put the microsim into my IPhone 3Gs!! Told them I couldn't and they had to call me back after consulting the oracles of sim design and finally realising the sim was too small.

Their advice? Go back to a 3 shop and ask to borrow an IPhone 4!

In the end I used someone else's phone to activate it but it's such a hassle when up until that point everything runs quite smoothly. 3's phone help wasn't unfriendly, just utterly clueless about something I'm sure must happen quite often.

culabula

chabsey wrote: »

Yeah it's idiotic, exactly the same thing happened me after I had to endure the 3 shop's idea of customer service ('sales' person who didn't know anything about how the microsim could be used, was dismissive of my questions and far more interested in chatting to his mate / anyone else). Not even a vague hint that to get the thing working you'd need a phone that can take a micro sim, I called 3 phone support and was told to put the microsim into my IPhone 3Gs!! Told them I couldn't and they had to call me back after consulting the oracles of sim design and finally realising the sim was too small.

Their advice? Go back to a 3 shop and ask to borrow an IPhone 4!

In the end I used someone else's phone to activate it but it's such a hassle when up until that point everything runs quite smoothly. 3's phone help wasn't unfriendly, just utterly clueless about something I'm sure must happen quite often.

Don't worry 3 Italy do exactly the same thing, although it has to be said that this method is not the dedicated iPad SIM from 3 Ireland.

However, I note that 3 Italy now send push notifications to my iPad so someone is thinking, after all.

ComeraghBlue

I didn't have any of these issues, just type in 'my3' in google when on 3G and up comes the account and usage, didn't have to sign in as it recognised my number and does it automatically

culabula

ComeraghBlue wrote: »

I didn't have any of these issues, just type in 'my3' in google when on 3G and up comes the account and usage, didn't have to sign in as it recognised my number and does it automatically

Correct, then save that bookmark to home screen or bookmarks menu.

quad_red

ComeraghBlue wrote: »

I didn't have any of these issues, just type in 'my3' in google when on 3G and up comes the account and usage, didn't have to sign in as it recognised my number and does it automatically

Nope. Just tried that. Safari cannot open this page. Data not allowed on this connection.