I want to get a mobile that I can use to get my laptop onto the internet, Our landline connection is terrible and our broadband is now going down on almost a daily basis. Its not worth the £30 a week for landline and broadband. I have a very dull phone that I only use for texting so I need some help.

Do you have to get a phone thats specifically used for this or will any phone that goes on the internet work?

Does anyone have any recommendations?

cheers

Get a 3G phone at least, ideally one that supports HSDPA and/or EDGE.

Not all 3G handsets can be 'tethered' (which is what you want). Check before buying. I have used Nokia N series (N95/85) successfully as tethered mobiles for data access. Nokia provide software that is very easy to use (I'm assuming you're on Windows).

Some mobile contracts come with data allowance, some don't. If you use a data connection outside of your contract allowance (usually a cap on Mb) it will get costly very quickly.

Orange have the best 3G connectivity in terms of population covered (recent OFCOM report) so check out their deals.

I'd better say at this point I work for Orange, though I wont directly benefit if you signup ;)

good point I have a Mac and no orange (mobile) signal. Tried to get through to orange to check whether this is the same for the internet signal but could not get past the hold music-is it the same network coverage for mobile and internet?

ps just read the end of your post-is there a reason why I can't find an email address for orange? Its so much easier than phoning. Maybe Im just being stupid and can't find it on the website.

good point I have a Mac and no orange (mobile) signal. Tried to get through to orange to check whether this is the same for the internet signal but could not get past the hold music-is it the same network coverage for mobile and internet?

I would imagine if you can't get an Orange signal now, that wouldn't change any if you got a newer phone with a data package.

Sounds like you would need to investigate coverage of 3G networks in your area from the various networks.

ok, thanks for your help:)

Why not buy a USB mobile broadband stick. Assuming its for your PC/Laptop. O2 do a pay as you go one for about £30 for the stick, then you just top it up as and when. Its £2 for 500Mb which lasts 24 hours.

I have considered this, it would be better if I only had one thing that could do both if possible, I guess the usb things are better for internet browsing?

You need a phone that has HSDPA to get best speed.

I've got a three USB dongle that does about 0.3 Mbps in Sheffield (they claim "upto 3.6meg"
(Best was 1.4 Mbps, but that was in london)

The latency is not great, so is slower than you may expect.

Generally speaking I've found it to be flaky, but only use it when on the move.

You can get some good deals these days. e.g. £80 for Three USB dongle + 1Gig a month for 12 months, just shop around.

I'd suggest seeing if anybody you know has a phone / dongle you can try before buying.

Cheers

Nigel

I bought an old w890i off ebay just for this purpose,and thats what im using right now on 3.

I bought the 3 mifi router thing the other day, it'd come down to £49.99, you can get it £10-15 cheaper, but I opted for another contract which means I get 15GB for £15 a month, and yes another usb dongle (which I can sell, inc pay as you go sim) and i'll get a £15 reimbersment in a month.

The beauty of this is I can place it in the kitchen where the signal is good and then connect to it from the living room using upto 5 computers at once.

I don't have a 3G network in my area, but it does indicate that it is using HSDPA (which I believe is better?).