jothefw

Hi All,

First trip back to UK in a long time. Last minute, due to family ill health.

As a result I'm playing quick catch up.

Spoken to Telstra and organised international roaming, paid a fortune and I'm sure there are other alternatives but it was the simplest option and I figure it's a work necessity/expense.

I now need a data option, I don't have an unlocked phone.

Obviously I'll use Wifi etc but I'm worried about driving long forgotten, and greatly changed, roads without Google Maps!

Apologies if well covered, I searched but didn't find much, maybe my search was rubbish!

quiltman

Can't help with the data option if your phone is locked - you'll have to use wifi or Telstras partner in UK.
Re mapping. Download Mapfactor and the free open street map maps for UK. As long as your phone has GPS you're good to go. OK , no traffic info, just basic guidance. Works very well, I use it here in Philippines.

Navigator Free | mapFactor, s.r.o.
Alternatively there's Waze. Just google free gps apps for more info.You need one that works offline.
Have a good trip!

GarryP

Well, if you are going to have to have your phone with a Telstra SIM in it for work reasons, then you can't replace it with another SIM, can you?

You can download offline google maps for areas you are likely to drive through, then use wifi at the beginning to set the route. With no data onroute you won't get traffic, but ......

The alternative is to get a cheap smartphone and SIM in the UK. Tesco do cheapy phones from £25 with Moto Gs at around £120-150. Or O2 have a deal on the MotoG Play for £ 90 https://www.o2.co.uk/shop/phones/mot...ype=payasyougo (not sure if unlock codes are available yet).

Could also look at getting a 4G dongle to form a hotspot which the phone then connected through - probably ~£30

jothefw

That's sounding a great idea Garry! Cheers!

GarryP

Thing to consider is IIRC Tesco allow you to do tethering on a PAYG SIM, which means if you got a cheap 4G phone you could both use the phone as a device AND have it act as a hotspot for your main phone - which would give you a UK number.

A hotspot would be £30-40, whereas a whole cheapy 4G phone could be £60-70.

I take it there's nobody you have there that you could cadge an old 4G phone off and stick a SIM in?

Beoz

Buy a cheapy and tether from it. I end up buying a new one each time because they are so cheap they die between visits.

£28 for the last one. It was ok. It tethered, did the internet, email, etc.

Jilliebee

We've just got back from the UK today. Hired a basic automatic car through Europcar and it had a sat Nav included which was great as the Internet coverage across the UK was rubbish! We bought a 4G capable phone when we got to UK to use while there however could hardly get any reception for most of our trip. Put a great downer on our daughters Pokemon Go hunting lol x

Pollyana

Who was the provider? Service can vary a lot depending on the provider. I use EE back home and they are great, outdo Hellstra any day!

winston_1

Why not just buy a cheap sat nav? Or even some paper maps like we always used to do.

livinginnyc

Just jumping in here - There are a ton of GPS apps (TomTom being one) that you can download and use off-line with an iPhone, they range in price (TomTom being the most expensive). They work the same as a sat nav but they will take up a fair amount of storage on your phone (bc of the maps). But they will save you from having to get a cheap phone or pay roaming charges! Just remember to install before planning a trip!

Beoz

You can't do internet, email, etc with a basic sat nav. Might as well get the phone and have a multi purpose tool.

Those roaming packages from Telstra, Vodafone and Optus are a joke. Vodafone is $5 a day. Might be worth it for a week long trip but for anything longer forget it.

Beoz

Also .... Google Maps allows you to "Use offline"

You can map an area you may be travelling in, the use the "Use offline" feature. It downloads the map to your phone. When driving the GPS works if the data is off.

Have done this driving in LA, London, Austria, and Jakarta - not that I drive in Jakarta, but sometimes you need to give the driver your preferred direction .

Amazulu

I've never tried Mapfactor but I've used Waze and found it to be not very good

Copilot is better but still not as good as Google Maps - which now has options to be used offline

Amazulu

I used EE when I was there last year - I can't remember what I paid but it was not much and I had a lot of data

Their 4G is good but not as good as what we get here

For navigation I just used Google Maps. There are other, non-data options but none are as good as GM IMO - and if you have a pre-paid package with plenty of data then you don;t need to worry about using too much (nav apps don't use much anyway)

rasen78

Unlocking your phone should be relatively easy - just a call to Telstra should sort it out.

When I went back in 2013, I just got a cheap PAYG sim card which had a healthy data allowance. Think I paid 25-20 quid for one which allowed unlimited calls and texts, some international calls, and plenty of data - think it was around 8gb. More than enough for using as a sat nav, which I needed as I did a lot of travelling around. I can't remember who it was with, but I picked it up at the airport and it was fine for the 3 weeks I was there. It used the old 3 network I think, which is now EE I believe.