Safin

Ok fed up to the back teeth with telstra/bigpond (again) and looking to change internet provider BUT we can't get ADSL so have to go the wireless/mobile option.

Has anyone out there got any recent experience of wireless providers (ie NOT using the phone lines to get it into your house). Good bad or indifferent - slow times of day -dropouts - cost - coverage on the move etc etc

As far as I know I have the choice of
Bigpond/Telstra
Optus
Virgin (tried them last year and crap! lots of drop outs & v slow speeds despite being 3G!)
Vodafone
Dodo

Centurion

Honestly, get a Prepay sim from the various providers you shortlist. I would suggest Vodafone, 3 and Optus. Check your 3G phone signal at your house on all those providers. This will give you an idea of signal strengths for them. Those three all use different towers so you will achieve different signal strengths which is important for data.

As a last resort try Telstra but the 3G offering from them is very very good in terms of quality, but it is expensive. On the plus side once you reach your cap with them then at least your service is slowed and not cut or excess charged on the liberty plans. Sadly they have the best network and they know it.

So after all the shopping around and you have your nice new 3G modem get yourself this :-

http://www.cnet.com.au/netcomm-n3g00...-339294394.htm

Usually $130 from ebay.com.au You plug your 3G modem/dongle into it, chuck it in the window of your house at the best place you get reception. You then have an instant wireless broadband network for your entire house.

We use that system now, as moved into a ADSL no ports twilight zone, and my 3G is indistinguishable from my old ADSL.

Good luck!

Safin

Thanks Centurion.

I have been on Telstra/Bigpond for the last year and have been through 3 of their modems in the last 3 months. Always got excellant signal but frequently no connection despite everything saying there is - even their tech dept stumped. Now thats bad enough when its $50 a month for 5gb but when its going up to $90 in a couple of months then thats not good enough.

Prior to that tried virgin - again good signal but frequent drop outs and slooooow.

Thought Vodafone used the Optus network same as virgin so if they are different then I may try them next. I know I get vodafone and optus signal as at different times had their mobile phones. Not sure we get 3 here in the sticks!

So I think I'll have to do as you say and get a dongle and sim from one of them and then sim only from each one til I am happy - or maybe run a couple of different ones so I can get on with someone! (more $$$$ though doing that)

As a thought does anyone know if i can put another network's sim in my bigpond 7.2 home network gateway?