Bit of help please

IpreDictDeatH

Hey just looking for a bit of advice RE: broadband. Im totally clueless so please excuse my ignorance. Basically i want internet usage in my apartment but without all the fuss of phone lines etc... Am i right in assuming that a dongle into the back of my laptop is both a hassell free and cheap alternative to a more traditional set up?

I dont need lots of upload space/speed or download speed as i just want the net for browsing and email. Id like the package to be around the 30euro a month mark or under too. Is a dongle the correct way to go then? What about signal? My partner has bad signal on her vodafone iphone in the flat, does that have any influence in who we should go with?

Many thanks, in advance.

jor el

IpreDictDeatH wrote: »

Am i right in assuming that a dongle into the back of my laptop is both a hassell free and cheap alternative to a more traditional set up?

No, not in the slightest. Mobile Internet devices cause far more hardship to the end user than any other form of Internet access.

IpreDictDeatH wrote: »

My partner has bad signal on her vodafone iphone in the flat, does that have any influence in who we should go with?

Well that would definitely suggest that you should avoid Vodafone then. The other networks may be no better, or worse. There's no way to know without testing them, and any recommendation you receive from anyone else is worthless to your particular location.

bealtine

IpreDictDeatH wrote: »

Basically i want internet usage in my apartment but without all the fuss of phone lines etc... Am i right in assuming that a dongle into the back of my laptop is both a hassell free and cheap alternative to a more traditional set up?

with mobile you could be lucky and but then again you might not, it's a bit of a lottery as to if you'll get a decent service or not.

I'd suggest looking into Fixed Wireless providers in your area might suit your needs better.

IpreDictDeatH

Ok, thanks for the info folks. I got completely the other opinion from someone who uses 02 dongle, so good to get both sides. He said it works fine and that they told him that your phone signal has no bearing on you being able to get a good internet signal on the dongle. They said it was two completely different signals.

Unfortunetly fixed wireless just isnt an option. So might have to just chance my luck and try a few different dongle options.

jor el

IpreDictDeatH wrote: »

They said it was two completely different signals.

They have no idea what they're talking about. It's the exact same thing, which is part of the problem. Internet users are sharing the exact same bandwidth with phone users, and phones get priority.

One thing though, is that mobile phone signal and potential connection speed or quality are not related. Full signal does not mean high speed, you could have no Internet connection even with signal. Network congestion is independent of speed, and if you have a poor signal, then even increasing it may do absolutely nothing for you.

IpreDictDeatH

Ok, cheers. you've been very helpfull. I suppose i should go for either 02 or meteor then, seen as we have bad vodafone signal in the apartment. Im just wary of signing a 12 month contract and finding out it doesnt work. Any idea on what the cost is of breaking the contract with these companies?

Thanks again.

IpreDictDeatH

Just an update on this thread. I ended up getting meteor dongle and it works fine in my basement apartment. The speed isnt the fastest in the world but i am very happy with the signal. Just incase anybody else has a similar issue as i did.

bealtine

IpreDictDeatH wrote: »

Just an update on this thread. I ended up getting meteor dongle and it works fine in my basement apartment. The speed isnt the fastest in the world but i am very happy with the signal. Just incase anybody else has a similar issue as i did.

Your experience with mobile midband is of very little use to anybody else really. You are lucky in that you get a decent connection others even 2 doors down from you might not be so lucky.

IpreDictDeatH

Well it's usefull in that its a positive story in relation to usb internet. It's just as useful as a negetive story that says its all a bit hit and miss. My friend has it also, with 02, and he is extremely happy too. So it is usefull to let people know that it is possible atleast.

foggy_lad

IpreDictDeatH wrote: »

Well it's usefull in that its a positive story in relation to usb internet. It's just as useful as a negetive story that says its all a bit hit and miss. My friend has it also, with 02, and he is extremely happy too. So it is usefull to let people know that it is possible atleast.

Very true, i have the meteor service at the moment and it is usually good speeds and signal in Carlow except when they lose the 3G signal like this morning:), i have tried the o2 service in the past and it too was ok for a while but as more customers were sent their dongles and set up at the start of each month my service got worse and worse and finally got so bad they allowed me cancel after 8 months as it did not meet their own service standards.

mobile "broadband" is highly unpredictable due to it being mobile and also because it is marketed as a replacement for full service broadband when it should only really be used for light occasional use, as back up for fixed line and cable services or when on the move.

Mr.Biscuits

Best advice for anyone that is interested in midband is: get a good modem.

I had to become a serial killer to vent my frustration with Three and O2's signal until I bought an E586 and in the same apartment, my signal is never below 1.0mbps and sometimes even as high as 4.0mbps.

Using an ordinary USB stick at times I was lucky to get 0.40mbps and had pings of almost 1000, regularly.

Well worth investing in, if you can afford one, from my experience at least.