Mobile broadband for laptop

[DavidW]

Hello,

I have a new laptop PC with Windows 8 and I want to put mobile broadband on it.
At present I don't have any broadband connection, including at home. The laptop
will be mostly for light-use internet browsing (rarely for huge downloads) and I
would like the cheapest plan possible. Ideally that would the broadband
equivalent of a mobile phone plan in which credits don't expire (such as
Savvytel), but I know of no such plan (seems not to be offered by Savvytel or
Amaysim).

I would like suggestions for the cheapest plans for light use.
Also, what USB modem should I get?

Thanks.

[Pelican]

"DavidW" <n...@email.provided> wrote in message
news:kjd4l6$m7j$1...@speranza.aioe.org...

A new laptop without built-in wi-fi? If you have that, and you are only a
light user, look for convenient free wi-fi. Fairly cheap plans available,
and no USB modem required.

[DavidW]

Pelican wrote:
> "DavidW" <n...@email.provided> wrote in message
> news:kjd4l6$m7j$1...@speranza.aioe.org...
>> Hello,
>>
>> I have a new laptop PC with Windows 8 and I want to put mobile
>> broadband on it. At present I don't have any broadband connection,
>> including at home. The laptop will be mostly for light-use internet
>> browsing (rarely for huge downloads) and I would like the cheapest
>> plan possible. Ideally that would the broadband equivalent of a
>> mobile phone plan in which credits don't expire (such as Savvytel),
>> but I know of no such plan (seems not to be offered by Savvytel or
>> Amaysim). I would like suggestions for the cheapest plans for light use.
>> Also, what USB modem should I get?
>
> A new laptop without built-in wi-fi?

Don't know what it has in wi-fi. If it would be most unusual not to have it,
then maybe it does, but it's not much good if there's no wi-fi provider for it.

> If you have that, and you are
> only a light user, look for convenient free wi-fi. Fairly cheap
> plans available, and no USB modem required.

I need to use it at home, where I don't have wi-fi or a broadband connection.

[Gordon Levi]

Do you have a mobile phone that provides tethering or a portable hot
spot <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tethering>? If so, you can use your
phone as the broadband modem. My mobile phone plan includes more than
enough data for your needs but I don't know the pricing for pay as you
go.

[DavidW]

I don't think so. It's an old phone that just has the basics. Anyway, I don't
mind getting a USB dongle modem at a reasonable price. It'll be cleaner and
simpler than connecting my phone to it.

Savvytel and Amaysim both offer 1GB for $9.90 per 30 days, or about 1c per MB.
For Amaysim it's 5c per MB beyond 1 GB - a massive 5x markup. I would have
thought that someone would offer cheap pay-as-you-go at a similar rate or maybe
a little more, so you pay for only what you use. Don't people hate flushing
money down the loo at the end of the month if they haven't used up their
allocation?

When people download movies, doesn't it cost them a lot for the download? A
movie would be several GB, so the cost would be getting towards that of a DVD of
the same movie.

[Don McKenzie]

On 03-Apr-13 8:59 AM, DavidW wrote:
> Gordon Levi wrote:
>> "DavidW" <n...@email.provided> wrote:
>>

> Savvytel and Amaysim both offer 1GB for $9.90 per 30 days, or about 1c per MB.
> For Amaysim it's 5c per MB beyond 1 GB - a massive 5x markup. I would have
> thought that someone would offer cheap pay-as-you-go at a similar rate or maybe
> a little more, so you pay for only what you use. Don't people hate flushing
> money down the loo at the end of the month if they haven't used up their
> allocation?

Amaysim also offer an add on: 10gb $99.90 (365 days) all in Oz.
which may suit you.

Cheers Don...



--
Don McKenzie

$30 for an Olinuxino Linux PC:
http://www.dontronics-shop.com/olinuxino.html

The World's Cheapest Computer:
DuinoMite the PIC32 $25 Basic Computer-MicroController
http://www.dontronics-shop.com/the-maximite-computer.html
Add VGA Monitor/TV, and PS2 Keyboard, or use USB Terminal
Arduino Shield, Programmed in Basic, or C.

[DavidW]

Don McKenzie wrote:
> On 03-Apr-13 8:59 AM, DavidW wrote:
>> Gordon Levi wrote:
>>> "DavidW" <n...@email.provided> wrote:
>>>
>
>> Savvytel and Amaysim both offer 1GB for $9.90 per 30 days, or about
>> 1c per MB. For Amaysim it's 5c per MB beyond 1 GB - a massive 5x
>> markup. I would have thought that someone would offer cheap
>> pay-as-you-go at a similar rate or maybe a little more, so you pay
>> for only what you use. Don't people hate flushing money down the loo
>> at the end of the month if they haven't used up their allocation?
>
> Amaysim also offer an add on: 10gb $99.90 (365 days) all in Oz.
> which may suit you.

Yes, I had a look at that. I suppose I shouldn't sneeze at a measly $100/year,
even if I don't use it all, and if I use it up sooner I can just pay for another
365 days at that point so I'm never paying the excess rate.

[Frank Slootweg]

If, as you indicate, cost is less of an issue, and you would like the
best Australia-wide coverage, you could even consider ... <drum_roll>
... Telstra, 12GB $180 (365 days):

<http://www.telstra.com.au/internet/mobile-broadband/prepaid/rates/?&red=/internet/mobile-broadband-prepaid/rates/&red=/bigpond-internet/mobile-broadband/pre-paid-mobile-broadband/rates>

One of my Aussie rellies has this and he is very satisfied with it.
Works wonders on our trips, including those in rural, outback, remote,
<whatever> Australia, because if there's *any* coverage at a particular
location, that always is at least Telstra's NextG.

[DavidW]

Frank Slootweg wrote:
> DavidW <n...@email.provided> wrote:
>> Don McKenzie wrote:
>>> On 03-Apr-13 8:59 AM, DavidW wrote:
>>>> Gordon Levi wrote:
>>>>> "DavidW" <n...@email.provided> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Savvytel and Amaysim both offer 1GB for $9.90 per 30 days, or about
>>>> 1c per MB. For Amaysim it's 5c per MB beyond 1 GB - a massive 5x
>>>> markup. I would have thought that someone would offer cheap
>>>> pay-as-you-go at a similar rate or maybe a little more, so you pay
>>>> for only what you use. Don't people hate flushing money down the
>>>> loo at the end of the month if they haven't used up their
>>>> allocation?
>>>
>>> Amaysim also offer an add on: 10gb $99.90 (365 days) all in Oz.
>>> which may suit you.
>>
>> Yes, I had a look at that. I suppose I shouldn't sneeze at a measly
>> $100/year, even if I don't use it all, and if I use it up sooner I
>> can just pay for another 365 days at that point so I'm never paying
>> the excess rate.
>
> If, as you indicate, cost is less of an issue, and you would like
> the best Australia-wide coverage, you could even consider ...
> <drum_roll> ... Telstra, 12GB $180 (365 days):

I wasn't even going to look at Telstra because I just assumed that I'd get a
worse deal there than anywhere else, but that one doesn't look too bad. I know
you need Telstra if you are in a remote area, but I will be city-bound almost
always. Of course with Telstra there is decades of pent-up detestation that I
would have to overcome. What they charge for a landline is criminal, and I've
been paying it for decades. As a hated company I consider Telstra to be at
least half-way towards Microsoft, which makes it very bad indeed.

>
<http://www.telstra.com.au/internet/mobile-broadband/prepaid/rates/?&red=/inter
net/mobile-broadband-prepaid/rates/&red=/bigpond-internet/mobile-broadband/pre-

[Krypsis]

I use an Optus pre-paid arrangement which costs me $130 for 15 Gigabytes
over 365 days. Optus have lesser deals but this one suits me best. I
bought a WiFi dongle/router at Harvey Norman when they were on special
for $50 and they came with 6 months/8 Gig of data. I bought it thinking
it might be useful when I was out and about with my laptop and it has
certainly proven to be so. There's an 8 gig cap on any given month. I
never use all the data anyway as I regard it as a convenience. If I need
it, it's there!

I too dislike Telstra - with a passion. I live in a Telstra free zone
and I'd like to keep it that way.


--

Krypsis

[DavidW]

Krypsis wrote:
> On 6/04/2013 8:22 AM, DavidW wrote:
>> I wasn't even going to look at Telstra because I just assumed that
>> I'd get a worse deal there than anywhere else, but that one doesn't
>> look too bad. I know you need Telstra if you are in a remote area,
>> but I will be city-bound almost always. Of course with Telstra there
>> is decades of pent-up detestation that I would have to overcome.
>> What they charge for a landline is criminal, and I've been paying it
>> for decades. As a hated company I consider Telstra to be at least
>> half-way towards Microsoft, which makes it very bad indeed.
>
> I use an Optus pre-paid arrangement which costs me $130 for 15
> Gigabytes over 365 days. Optus have lesser deals but this one suits
> me best. I bought a WiFi dongle/router at Harvey Norman when they
> were on special for $50 and they came with 6 months/8 Gig of data.

Dick Smith is selling the Optus 3G modem for $49, though you only get 3GB for 30
days.
Optus is probably my best option because the Optus network is used by Amaysim,
which has some cheap deals. Amaysim said I could probably use the Optus modem
without unlocking it, though they couldn't guarantee I wouldn't have problems.
If I do have problems I can use dc-unlocker.com to unlock it. Or I can just use
Optus. Their 365-day deals are not too much different.