using 3g dongle in france
Author
Discussion

sawman

Original Poster:

5,170 posts

260 months

Saturday 27th March 2010
quotequote all
Off to france on monday, anyone know if i can just use my dongle over there or do i need to contact the vodafone"help" line to turn it on??

cheers

s


Soft Top

1,493 posts

248 months

Saturday 27th March 2010
quotequote all
No problems at all, especially if it is a contract one but seriously be careful. You probably don't pay anything to use it over here as it is all covered in your monthly payment but to use it abroad will cost about £6 per MB - bearing in mind many web pages these days can be touching 1MB this is very scary and bills well into the thousands are very common when people don't realise the costs
involved.

I myself had an issue in Spain once when I didn't realise that Windows was helpfully downloading updates in the backgroud using a 3G card! £300 down the drain but luckily the company picks up the TAB. Still the dividends were £300 lighter that year!

sawman

Original Poster:

5,170 posts

260 months

Saturday 27th March 2010
quotequote all
Soft Top said:
No problems at all, especially if it is a contract one but seriously be careful. You probably don't pay anything to use it over here as it is all covered in your monthly payment but to use it abroad will cost about £6 per MB - bearing in mind many web pages these days can be touching 1MB this is very scary and bills well into the thousands are very common when people don't realise the costs
involved.

I myself had an issue in Spain once when I didn't realise that Windows was helpfully downloading updates in the backgroud using a 3G card! £300 down the drain but luckily the company picks up the TAB. Still the dividends were £300 lighter that year!
cheers, yes it is a contract one, i just need to be able to access emails, and book hotels if my plans change!

s

Stevenj214

4,941 posts

258 months

Saturday 27th March 2010
quotequote all
sawman said:
Soft Top said:
No problems at all, especially if it is a contract one but seriously be careful. You probably don't pay anything to use it over here as it is all covered in your monthly payment but to use it abroad will cost about £6 per MB - bearing in mind many web pages these days can be touching 1MB this is very scary and bills well into the thousands are very common when people don't realise the costs
involved.

I myself had an issue in Spain once when I didn't realise that Windows was helpfully downloading updates in the backgroud using a 3G card! £300 down the drain but luckily the company picks up the TAB. Still the dividends were £300 lighter that year!
cheers, yes it is a contract one, i just need to be able to access emails, and book hotels if my plans change!

s
You'll probably be far cheaper paying for local wi-fi

sawman

Original Poster:

5,170 posts

260 months

Saturday 27th March 2010
quotequote all
Stevenj214 said:
sawman said:
Soft Top said:
No problems at all, especially if it is a contract one but seriously be careful. You probably don't pay anything to use it over here as it is all covered in your monthly payment but to use it abroad will cost about £6 per MB - bearing in mind many web pages these days can be touching 1MB this is very scary and bills well into the thousands are very common when people don't realise the costs
involved.

I myself had an issue in Spain once when I didn't realise that Windows was helpfully downloading updates in the backgroud using a 3G card! £300 down the drain but luckily the company picks up the TAB. Still the dividends were £300 lighter that year!
cheers, yes it is a contract one, i just need to be able to access emails, and book hotels if my plans change!

s
You'll probably be far cheaper paying for local wi-fi
good point. I'll keep an eye out for that.

off_again

13,917 posts

264 months

Saturday 27th March 2010
quotequote all
Yeah, be VERY careful - but everyone has mentioned this so far.

Costs vary according to the provider and if you can use a partner network, but either way, its a license to print money. My most recent bill was over 600 quid, but that was for quite a bit of data from 3 separate Euro trips - so it quickly adds up!

sawman

Original Poster:

5,170 posts

260 months

Saturday 27th March 2010
quotequote all
off_again said:
Yeah, be VERY careful - but everyone has mentioned this so far.

Costs vary according to the provider and if you can use a partner network, but either way, its a license to print money. My most recent bill was over 600 quid, but that was for quite a bit of data from 3 separate Euro trips - so it quickly adds up!
I can see i might have to go to mcdonalds or somewhere - just need to touch base a couple of times so shouldnt be too onerous

jjones

4,490 posts

223 months

Saturday 27th March 2010
quotequote all
scary stuff indeed, watch for windows updates when you connect the 3g, keep an eye on the vodafone 3g software for amount downloaded. 3gs can download pretty rapidly so even a few minutes could cause a big bill.

andyps

7,819 posts

312 months

Saturday 27th March 2010
quotequote all
Turn off all your automatic updates, windows, anti-virus etc. and if possible use a web based email programme to check for messages as they mean you only need to download the ones you want to see rather than that amusing 6mb video attachment someone forwarded to you.

Alternatively, get a PAYG card when there for data. I am going this week and intend to look out for one but don't know who is best for this at present.

off_again

13,917 posts

264 months

Sunday 28th March 2010
quotequote all
Two more comments:

1) If you get a 3 dongle, and use a 3 network (not a partner one) then you can use your allocated data, even abroad
2) Don't use Orange Wifi if you have an Orange UK dongle (like I did), even wifi is charged per MB and it cost a fortune too!

mcflurry

9,190 posts

283 months

Sunday 28th March 2010
quotequote all
AFAIK Orange France offer a PAYG internet sim with half a gig for EUR 19 if the dongle's unlocked, or SFR can sell you a dongle and 1gb for EUR 39 smile