Dongle query

Old Oct 8th 2010, 7:37 am
  #1  
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Default Dongle query

OK right, words of one syllable answer please as I don't understand anything about it.

We can't get broadband internet where we live in Spain. However, we can get a mobile phone signal. A friend informs me a dongle would do the trick.

Is this so and what would I ask for? I am in the UK at the moment and would prefer to get one from there because of the language problems(I don't understand it in English, let alone Spanish!). Will this work and what do I ask for?

If I hasve to get one in Spain, what do I ask for?

Mobile phones are on Orange (English) and Movistar (Spanish)and the computer has an English operating system, if this is relevant.

Thanks all and I'm happy to supply further information if necessary.
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Old Oct 8th 2010, 7:52 am
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Default Re: Dongle query

Originally Posted by scampicat
OK right, words of one syllable answer please as I don't understand anything about it.

We can't get broadband internet where we live in Spain. However, we can get a mobile phone signal. A friend informs me a dongle would do the trick.

Is this so and what would I ask for? I am in the UK at the moment and would prefer to get one from there because of the language problems(I don't understand it in English, let alone Spanish!). Will this work and what do I ask for?

If I hasve to get one in Spain, what do I ask for?

Mobile phones are on Orange (English) and Movistar (Spanish)and the computer has an English operating system, if this is relevant.

Thanks all and I'm happy to supply further information if necessary.
Getting one from England would not be right - whilst it might work, you would be paying international rates for your connection.

Movistar do a good dongle and quite reasonably priced. Basically, you get internet connection via the Movistar network. So, if you get good Movistar (mobile) signal, then it should work fine.

Just go into a movistar shop and look at their promotional material. In there they show a picture of a dongle being plugged into a laptop.
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Old Oct 8th 2010, 7:59 am
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Default Re: Dongle query

Hi

Your current mobile phones aren't relevant, nor your computer operating system.

If you buy in England, your costs will be very high in Spain.

Decide between pay as you go and contract - contract is (or at least was) 39 Euros per month + IVA. Pay as you go is expensive - I'm sure someone will tell you exactly how much but I believe it is 2 Euros plus each day you use it.

They can be unreliable and slow, it depends very much upon location. I used Vodafone for over a year with some success but eventually it was just too frustrating.

Ask for Internet movil.
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Old Oct 8th 2010, 8:04 am
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Default Re: Dongle query

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=686807


This previous thread may help.
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Old Oct 8th 2010, 8:15 am
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Smile Re: Dongle query

Originally Posted by scampicat
OK right, words of one syllable answer please as I don't understand anything about it.

We can't get broadband internet where we live in Spain. However, we can get a mobile phone signal. A friend informs me a dongle would do the trick.

Is this so and what would I ask for? I am in the UK at the moment and would prefer to get one from there because of the language problems(I don't understand it in English, let alone Spanish!). Will this work and what do I ask for?

If I hasve to get one in Spain, what do I ask for?

Mobile phones are on Orange (English) and Movistar (Spanish)and the computer has an English operating system, if this is relevant.

Thanks all and I'm happy to supply further information if necessary.
I am doing this response on my vodaphone dongle. So yes they work but for reasonable response you need to have 3G reception on your phone. Here we cannot get vodaphone Spain but we sit just across the river from a Potuguese vodaphone mast so get a great 3G signal from them and as a result bought over there with €10 time included for €59 and top ups at €10 for 10 hours online time which lasts 6 months if you do not use it but we do so no probs.
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Old Oct 8th 2010, 10:32 am
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Default Re: Dongle query

We have a Vodafone dongle which is for 2 hours per day usage, unlimited downloads, and we get reasonable speed and it has been reliable. We find 2 hours per day more than enough as we don't need it for work. It costs 19€ + IVA per month.
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Old Oct 8th 2010, 11:14 am
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Default Re: Dongle query

We have used a Pay as you go UK Vodaphone mobile and it worked well in spain, but it is expensive to use. I would not recommend that route if you intend using it a lot.

If you are looking for a more permanent solution, broadband without landline. I would suggest you speak to Telitec > http://www.telitec.com/

See here discussion re broadband without landline using telitec > http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=547670
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Old Oct 8th 2010, 2:31 pm
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Default Re: Dongle query

It depends on what company gives the best 3g reception.

I use a Vodafone dongle plugged into a wireless router.
This is on 24/7 and provides satisfactory Internet access at all times.
I work from home over the Internet and a reliable connection is essential for my business.
My family can also connect and access the Internet through the wireless router whenever they wish.

Speed varies between about 250 - 1500 kb but averages out at about 500kb. This is perfectly sufficient for email, vpn, remote access, browsing, downloading, in fact pretty much anything except streaming movies.

There is no download limit either and it all costs about 40€ plus iva per month.

Been using this setup for about two years now and am generally pretty happy with it.
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Old Oct 8th 2010, 4:54 pm
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Default Re: Dongle query

I think the first thing you need to consider is the amount of DATA that you will be downloading (or uploading) using your dongle USB. This is important because some deals offer small amounts of data and others an unlimited amount. Clearly you don't need to get one with Unlimited downloading 24/7 if you only want to use it modestly.
Maybe you know this already but if not then this gives a guide:
http://online.vodafone.co.uk/dispatc...pageID=MB_0005

In my limited experience you need to be sure that your reception of a 3G signal is good. Maybe a friend with a 3G enable phone or even laptop can test the signal strength using their mobile phone company and you can try more than one?? Vodafone and Orange seem to offer better deals that Movistar however in my area a Phonehouse shop sometimes has deals.

3G is the faster data transfer system now used and worth reading about it if you are not familiar. Just Google 3G.
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Old Oct 8th 2010, 7:05 pm
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Smile Re: Dongle query

Originally Posted by billgates
It depends on what company gives the best 3g reception.

I use a Vodafone dongle plugged into a wireless router.
This is on 24/7 and provides satisfactory Internet access at all times.
I work from home over the Internet and a reliable connection is essential for my business.
My family can also connect and access the Internet through the wireless router whenever they wish.

Speed varies between about 250 - 1500 kb but averages out at about 500kb. This is perfectly sufficient for email, vpn, remote access, browsing, downloading, in fact pretty much anything except streaming movies.

There is no download limit either and it all costs about 40€ plus iva per month.

Been using this setup for about two years now and am generally pretty happy with it.
Thats the one I would like . Strange but true we get a terrific vodaphone Portugal signal but a rubbish Spanish one so for now we are stuck. Do you havea landline number with your set up?
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Old Oct 8th 2010, 7:08 pm
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Default Re: Dongle query

Granada is a big province. If you are near one of the metropolitan areas you will most likely find a convenient hotel / cafe with free internet access
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Old Oct 8th 2010, 9:21 pm
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Default Re: Dongle query

Originally Posted by Nige
I think the first thing you need to consider is the amount of DATA that you will be downloading (or uploading) using your dongle USB. This is important because some deals offer small amounts of data and others an unlimited amount. Clearly you don't need to get one with Unlimited downloading 24/7 if you only want to use it modestly.
Maybe you know this already but if not then this gives a guide:
http://online.vodafone.co.uk/dispatc...pageID=MB_0005

In my limited experience you need to be sure that your reception of a 3G signal is good. Maybe a friend with a 3G enable phone or even laptop can test the signal strength using their mobile phone company and you can try more than one?? Vodafone and Orange seem to offer better deals that Movistar however in my area a Phonehouse shop sometimes has deals.

3G is the faster data transfer system now used and worth reading about it if you are not familiar. Just Google 3G.
I wouldnt recommend using either Vodafone, or Movistar, or Orange, there are much better deals to be found from the Minor players who buy bulk time on the" Big Boys network"

For Example MASMOVILE, have a very good deal at the moment, wherein you can get the dongle for about 39€ ( or provided it is Network unlocked any dongle will do including one from the UK). MasMovile are based on the Orange network and Pepephone are based on the Vodaphone network, so as long as you can receive either one of the big boys the lower cost operator deal will work ok.
see here for the Masmovile deal ( the 1Gb @ 14.90€ per month with no commitment is a good deal!!)
http://www.masmovil.es/mobile-internet
Remember if you can get Orange signal good, this will be just as good.
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Old Oct 9th 2010, 12:51 am
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Default Re: Dongle query

Thanks all for your replies.

I will ask my husband to look at them.

We do have a landline but Telefonica told us our line was not suitable for the broadband even though ADSL is available in our village. We had the line put in when we bought the house six years ago. Also it is expensive imho, we pay 22 euros a month just for dial-up, the ADSL is something like 40 euros a month. We have dial-up intenet on Telefonica's Tarifa Plana.

Seems from what I've read that the dongles are expensive too. That's just Spanish prices I suppose. In the UK my son pays £20 a month for 24 hour really fast internet and phone combined. But I'm well aware Spain is not the UK.

We are up in the mountains in the middle of nowhere. We can get access to Broadband relatively locally from several places, but we just wanted it in the house.

Last edited by scampicat; Oct 9th 2010 at 12:56 am.
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Old Oct 9th 2010, 11:39 am
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Default Re: Dongle query

Originally Posted by Solarwhizz
I wouldnt recommend using either Vodafone, or Movistar, or Orange, there are much better deals to be found from the Minor players who buy bulk time on the" Big Boys network"

For Example MASMOVILE, have a very good deal at the moment, wherein you can get the dongle for about 39€ ( or provided it is Network unlocked any dongle will do including one from the UK). MasMovile are based on the Orange network and Pepephone are based on the Vodaphone network, so as long as you can receive either one of the big boys the lower cost operator deal will work ok.
see here for the Masmovile deal ( the 1Gb @ 14.90€ per month with no commitment is a good deal!!)
http://www.masmovil.es/mobile-internet
Remember if you can get Orange signal good, this will be just as good.
SOLAR - do you use MAS MOVIL ? I have previously sen their stuff but have not yet switched to use them partly because my data needs are more than 1 GB per month and they charge , for example, 3.54 cents for each extra MB you use over the 1 GB ...so if you use 2 GB per month (which in my experience in the winter months is quite easy to do) the monthly cost would shoot up to €35 plus the initial cost or say around €50. (There are 1,000 MBs in 1 GB.)
So hence my point about the usage and the 'small print' especially the amount of data included in the cost as well as the speed offered. Maybe MAS MOVIL is good for the light user happy with under 1 GB per month which admittedly includes many people.

Last edited by Nige; Oct 9th 2010 at 11:45 am.
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Old Oct 9th 2010, 1:24 pm
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Default Re: Dongle query

Originally Posted by Nige
SOLAR - do you use MAS MOVIL ? I have previously sen their stuff but have not yet switched to use them partly because my data needs are more than 1 GB per month and they charge , for example, 3.54 cents for each extra MB you use over the 1 GB ...so if you use 2 GB per month (which in my experience in the winter months is quite easy to do) the monthly cost would shoot up to €35 plus the initial cost or say around €50. (There are 1,000 MBs in 1 GB.)
So hence my point about the usage and the 'small print' especially the amount of data included in the cost as well as the speed offered. Maybe MAS MOVIL is good for the light user happy with under 1 GB per month which admittedly includes many people.
Yes Agreed, I keep generally keep within the 1GB,
If I wanted more I would probably opt for a monthly contract , but I like the no contract commitment deal,,,
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