dongle

[oneotu]

Hi all
I've heard of "dongles" for the internet when you are away from home but can someone tell me how to use one, where to get one and will they work in Spain and if they do how do I it set up?
Thanks in advance

[BillyGoat]

Depends if it's contract or pay as you go - although both similar in function.

PAYG

You buy the dongle on the network operator of your choice (Three, T-mobile, etc) with an amount of data on - 1GB, 3GB and 12GB are quite typical.

You plug the dongle into your computer and install the software.

The first time you use the dongle on the internet is when the countdown starts. You NORMALLY have to top up the data similar to a PAYG mobile phone when:

a) you have used your allotment of data (most of the softwares or providers give you a running total)
or
b) when a time has elapsed (on Three it's 1month for the 1GB, 3 months for 3GB and so on).

Once you've ran out, you top up with a web portal, voucher or phone up.

I like this one as I don't need a dongle all year round.

Contract
Very similar, but like a mobile phone contract - typically 12, 18 and 24 months in length.

You get a set amount of data you can use each month.

Go over the data limit and depending on the network, you may be faced with addtional charged.

Roaming

While technically you COULD take your dongle to Spain - it's like mobile phones, your data is going to last seconds.

Best bet is to get a dongle in Spain that is on the phone network of your choice - make sure the location you intend to stay have network coverage.

Dongles are typically networked locked - this means if you brought an O2 dongle in the UK and got a Spanish SIM card, it won't work. You can get them unlocked, but it's usually simpler to get one in the country you wish to use it.

Hope that helps.

BG

[oneotu]

Thanks Billygoat
Great answer to my post