I've been doing this recently. We've just had a week in North Norfolk where the kids have been off playing and I've been working from a office with a different view each day.
I use a 3G dongle and the Three web site has a reliable map showing what the connection is like. For £10 a month it's gives you some great flexibility.
Thanks for this, I tether my mobile and I have 2 dongles (o2 and 3), but as you can imagine stability isn't guaranteed and most remote places have limited 3G or even EDGE coverage, hence the peace of mind for WIFI.
I run a VPN and can transfer some very large files, so a good wifi connection will ensure I don't have to worry about usage or upload speeds on a variable service.
Anyone else with good experience of wifi on a site?
Point taken.
I often get frustrated with camp sites that say they have wifi and when you arrive it is restricted to reception. I can hardly sit in reception all day and work!
I might just have to make do with a dongle and visit macdonalds or the city centres (BT Openzone) to transfer the larger files!
I'm sure a campsite in the Lakes had good wifi, just can't remember it's name now. Maybe I will plan the trip based on good o2 3g coverage.
Like you said, it's a pain when they advertise wifi and then you find out it's very slow and is limited to the reception and they want £5 for a few hours!
I've been looking at installing a mobile router in my van on a PAYG basis, maybe this will push me on to do it!
bikermike87 wrote:
I've been looking at installing a mobile router in my van on a PAYG basis, maybe this will push me on to do it!
Won't be any quicker than a dongle though will it?
Nope, possibly pick up better coverage in variable spots if I decide to take it to pieces and extend the receiver, my van could be one big aerial. But this still wouldn't be too good for work if I'm in a 2g area.
But it will mean:
I can connect all my mobile devices, iphone, ipad, laptop. Rather than being limited to just Laptop that won't operate for too long without power. My Ipad will last a month on standby and if I just need to check a website etc, it doens't take long and my laptop can stay secure
Oh yeah, there's plenty of good reasons for doing it, and I'm tempted to do similar - main reason in my case is that the wifi devices I tend to carry around are my 2G+Wifi phone and a Linux netbook, possibly soon to be joined by an Android tablet of some description. Try getting any of those to play nicely with a USB dongle
Unlocked Mifi plus English, French and possibly Spanish PAYG sims would be a nice setup.
We have just moved house , so no land line or broadband at the new house , been using my HTC wildfire phone as a wifi hotspot ( one of the many useful things the phone does), Had the laptop , wife laptop, and daughters ipod all using it at once , no issues at all ,connection speed was good too but that will depend on where you are.
dash wrote:Oh yeah, there's plenty of good reasons for doing it, and I'm tempted to do similar - main reason in my case is that the wifi devices I tend to carry around are my 2G+Wifi phone and a Linux netbook, possibly soon to be joined by an Android tablet of some description. Try getting any of those to play nicely with a USB dongle
Unlocked Mifi plus English, French and possibly Spanish PAYG sims would be a nice setup.
Yep, that's my thinking. A box full of eu sim payg cards
Found a good wifi place now, beaconsfield farm in shrewsberry. Well I hope the advertised wifi works!
Will take the dongles as well, but keen to find out about wifi
I think this could be a new topic, in van networks
bikermike87 wrote:
Found a good wifi place now, beaconsfield farm in shrewsberry. Well I hope the advertised wifi works!
Now I know my geography isn't brilliant but the last time I looked Shrewsbury was in the Midlands - not the North! Nice place though
No it's not the north, but I don't think my original post stated the site had to be, "In or around the north, or anywhere special...."
Does this mean shrewsberry isn't special?!
You can tell I was difficult at school
