Car Mi Fi

[James]

I am aware lots of sites will have Wi Fi access and you can have 3g on your phone/tablet.

Our IPAD is not the 3g version and when on the move, signals can be weak. I wanted mobile internet in the van without having to make major alterations.

I am sure this topic has been covered but for newer members/owners I have gone for a 3 Mi Fi mobile router. They are tiny, about the size of a mobile, maybe smaller. I have gone for Pay as you go so just a one off price (£85), and I will top up before we go away.

They have a base unit they sit on and charge, and the base unit plugs into the wall. You could take the base unit with you and charge in the van but nonetheless once charged you have a pocket size mobile router.

We didn't want dongles as we wanted to be able to attach multiple devices and to be honest, they seem okay to use in the home.

Anyway, we are away this weekend, initially staying with my Dad who lives in St ives in Cornwall then camping at a site on Sunday near Stonehenge, so we will be testing it out.

I know there are any number of solutions to internet in the van, I just thought i would post this as another option.

A couple of pics

MiFi charging in its dock.

MiFi in the van, this in a rear cupholder just to give you an idea of size

And this is Betty - shameless opening her side door

James

 

[Martin]

Thanks for posting that James, we also do the same and are with 'Three' the only problem we find is the campsites we stay in barely have a singal let alone 3G/HSPA :headwall I have even started looking at the Three coverage map before we stay somewhere .. sad i know!

 

[m4rky]

Hi James

You have made a sound purchase there my friend

I have one of these in my truck and it is fantastic - Its by far the best wifi / mifi that I have ever had on the road and I've tried a few

The beauty of these things is that you can connect up to 5 devices to it at a time - So we have our laptop, iPad and Kindle connected to it when out and about - Oh and the iPhone too sometimes

Great piece if kit

 

[James]

Hi James

You have made a sound purchase there my friend

I have one of these in my truck and it is fantastic - Its by far the best wifi / mifi that I have ever had on the road and I've tried a few

The beauty of these things is that you can connect up to 5 devices to it at a time - So we have our laptop, iPad and Kindle connected to it when out and about - Oh and the iPhone too sometimes

Great piece if kit

How much charge do you get out of it once it is out of the dock?

James

 

[m4rky]

I works for about 5 hours flat out - I use mine everyday as I'm away from home most of the week and I charge it everyday

I use the internet for everything including FaceTime etc

5GB is more than enough for one months usage

 

[Harbourmaster]

I would point out that 4G is likely to be rolled out in the near future - much much faster than 3G and will allow proper online gaming etc. A PS3 in the California would be a Godsend in those cold winter evenings!

 

[Silverfox]

Have you any idea of the costs of using when in France and Spain, it sounds like a great bit of kit(I'm definately not a techno) - being that i would probaly only use it in Europe, would it be better to get one and have a contract over there, forgive me if I'm being stupid and spoiling your Sunday with stupid questions - going over to France and Spain in September, hopefully for 8 - 10 weeks and then back next year for an extended tour if all goes well in September, so could be a worth while investment.

Cheers

Kevin

 

[m4rky]

Have you any idea of the costs of using when in France and Spain, it sounds like a great bit of kit(I'm definately not a techno) - being that i would probaly only use it in Europe, would it be better to get one and have a contract over there, forgive me if I'm being stupid and spoiling your Sunday with stupid questions - going over to France and Spain in September, hopefully for 8 - 10 weeks and then back next year for an extended tour if all goes well in September, so could be a worth while investment.

Cheers

Kevin

Hi Kevin

The costs can be astronomical as you will pay roaming charges if using a UK SIM in Europe. You are right in saying it is better to buy a SIM for each country you travel in.

I have a UK and Southern Ireland SIM for mine as that is where I spend most of my week. Other than that if I'm in France I tend to stop and try and find free WiFi. As of yet I have not seen a Europe wide SIM

Mark

 

[Silverfox]

Thanks Mark - much appreciated

 

[Andy]

Problem with getting a local sim (French, Italian, etc) when in Europe is that I believe they require you to have a local bank account & address (ie in that country)

 

[Graham]

Cant you buy local sim cards out of a machine at most airports now?

 

[Stu]

A friend of mine has one of these and says it's very good. He's unlocked it using a code purchased from a guy on eBay which worked fine and you would likely need to do if trying to use other SIM's.

 

[m4rky]

You can get foreign SIM Cards here

http://www.0044.co.uk/

 

[Andy]

Cant you buy local sim cards out of a machine at most airports now?

You can get foreign SIM Cards here
http://www.0044.co.uk/

OK so that put me in my place !! My info on this is obviously very out of date !!!!!
(he crawls back under the stone from where he came)

 

[m4rky]

Cant you buy local sim cards out of a machine at most airports now?

You can get foreign SIM Cards here
http://www.0044.co.uk/

OK so that put me in my place !! My info on this is obviously very out of date !!!!!
(he crawls back under the stone from where he came)

:lol: I only know because my kids tell me Andy otherwise I would be stuck too!

 

[Andy]

That's where I went wrong (not), no kids !!

 

[murray0710]

Also, if you have an iPhone on the 3 network then you can use this basically as a wireless lan when out and about if you have a 3g signal. I use it to watch Sky sports on my ipad. On pay monthly it doesn't cost anything and the facility is available on other networks but some do charge.

Jim

 

[choplee]

Also, if you have an iPhone on the 3 network then you can use this basically as a wireless lan when out and about if you have a 3g signal. I use it to watch Sky sports on my ipad. On pay monthly it doesn't cost anything and the facility is available on other networks but some do charge.

Jim

Is it am app Jim ?
I have heard you can use the iPhone as a router for an iPad ,but don't know how to start looking at doing it

 

[murray0710]

It comes as standard on the iphone (google iphone and tethering) but your mobile operator can block/charge you for it. Go to Settings --> General --> Network and scroll down. You should then see an option ' Setup Personal Hotspot'. I need to pay on my phoen which is on vodafone but my wifes is with 3 and it lets you effectively set the iPhone as a wireless router. You can see it from your iPad, or other devices, and it's just a matter of slecting and entering the network password whic hyou get from the iPhone screen when you set it up. After that it connects seamlessly.

 

[murray0710]

Just had quick check and it's 'the one plan' on 3 that gives you it as part of the package.

 

[choplee]

Oh ok ... Yeah my iPad not got 3G and iPhone with orange ,so I'll have to look into it and see ..

 

[Stu]

My iPhone is on Vodafone and I am able to use tethering without an extra charge but obviously within my data allowance.

I think you may need IOS4.3 or later.

 

[Martin]

Most high end Android devices now have this built in also, I think everyone at Hollands Wood was picking up my wifi network !

If you are on Three you can't use Tethering as part of the 'all you can eat' data bundle, so you will be charged the standard data rate, I basically buy an add-on each month for £4 and I get a total of 3GB to use. I would always check with your operator first before using tethering as some don't allow it.

 

[Martin]

On a similar subject, Three now offer unlimited data when in Europe, however it is £5.00 per day which could work out expensive, best stick to wifi !

 

[coordinated]

Oh ok ... Yeah my iPad not got 3G and iPhone with orange ,so I'll have to look into it and see ..

My iPhone's on Orange. I pay £5pm extra for the tethering (though that doesn't include any extra data for the privilege!).
The iPad pairs easily with it - useful for downloading TomTom traffic to the iPad.