Comments on: And What Did you Do in the Great Internet Shortage, Grandad?

By: The Paper Boy

The Paper Boy — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 09:56:24 +0000

Obviously it depends on the network – even getting a full 3G signal on O2 it was woefully slow compared to the other networks… something borne out by the mobile boradband “group test” at the Register (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/05/11/grouptest_uk_mobile_broadband/print.html)

Obviously first thing is to see who gives a signal At least one network does a PAYG with a £2 per day (max 500MB that day) – which is perfect for backup purposes.

By: disgruntled

disgruntled — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 10:34:15 +0000

I did have a dongle – still do, although when I bought it you had to sign up for a month at a time rather than PAYG so I’d need to reactivate it. There was no 3G two years ago, although there might be now. Our neighbour’s iPhone managed to connect but not at any reasonable speed. We’re trying a different router now, but I’m beginning to suspect that crappy broadband is just the price you pay for lovely scenery …

By: The Paper Boy

The Paper Boy — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 23:40:21 +0000

Actually – if there is a 3G signal available to you, it’ll quite possibly be better than the cruddy ADSL you have now…

By: The Paper Boy

The Paper Boy — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 23:38:16 +0000

Exactly Dom, something like a 3 “Mifi” on PAYG – £2 for 1/2 Gigabyte of surfage in 24 hours – perfect as a DSL backup.

Even Bigtownshire has some coverage – it’s possible not ideal (like it isn’t here) where I have to have the MiFi gadget hanging from the curtain rail in the bedroom to get a stable signal, but it’s better than no internet

By: disgruntled

disgruntled — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 19:19:57 +0000

WOL – I’d be stuffed without an internet connection too, in the long run. It’s just nice to have some time off …

Dom – what is this 3G of which you speak?

By: Dom

Dom — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 18:27:05 +0000

You don’t have backup 3G mobile internet in the form of a PAYG dongle, or internet on your mobile? You really are in a rural backwater

By: WOL

WOL — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 17:48:37 +0000

Seeing as how I make my living over the internet, I would be up the proverbial creek without the proverbial paddle if I didn’t have internet access. In my case, doing something less boring would be sleeping on the street!