Internet access without a phone line?

[Twincam16]

Is it possible?

I've just received the keys to my new flat, only to find that it doesn't have a phone line installed. Short of getting the landlord's back up by butchering the house having one installed, is there any (not that expensive) way of connecting to tinternet without needing a phone line?

I was thinking maybe something along the lines of mobile internet, but for a laptop, and I'll need full internet access, especially hotmail.

Anyone know how you do this? It's probably blindingly obvious but being a luddite when it comes to computers, you'll have to explain it all in layman's terms.

So, anyone know how I can get internet access on my laptop without a phone line?

[Plotloss]

The Landlord cant really object on any grounds to you having a landline installed.

For the mobile option tmobile.co.uk and look at the webnwalk packages.

[Simpo Two]

Check for unencrypted wifi from the neighbours? (That kept me going for a while with the laptop before I got a wireless router!)

[spants]

there are 3g to usb adapters from tmobile and vodafone.... or see if someone will let you borrow some wifi ;-)

[rich1231]

Twincam16 said:

Is it possible?

I've just received the keys to my new flat, only to find that it doesn't have a phone line installed. Short of getting the landlord's back up by butchering the house having one installed, is there any (not that expensive) way of connecting to tinternet without needing a phone line?

I was thinking maybe something along the lines of mobile internet, but for a laptop, and I'll need full internet access, especially hotmail.

Anyone know how you do this? It's probably blindingly obvious but being a luddite when it comes to computers, you'll have to explain it all in layman's terms.

So, anyone know how I can get internet access on my laptop without a phone line?

Landlord should be fine about a BT Landline, call to ask though first.


If it was one of my flats id not blink an eyelid if asked.

[eltax91]

You can't do it on the cheap, that's for sure. The mobile packages are expensive and also fairly slow speed wise. The landlord can't object to you having a landline installed, anyway, it's prob a selling point when he lets the flat again! It won't make that much mess either.

[SplatSpeed]

ask the neighbours how much they will charge to

A) use their wifi
b) use a network cable between the houses

[RobM77]

My thread from a month or two back might be useful:

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

[freddies_dad]

Twincam16 said:

Is it possible?

Definitely

Twincam16 said:

I've just received the keys to my new flat, only to find that it doesn't have a phone line installed. Short of getting the landlord's back up by butchering the house having one installed

It doesn't have to be butchered, but you would need his permission. Also, it's not cheap (>£150 IIRC) to have a "new" phone line put in.

[Twincam16]

rich1231 said:

Twincam16 said:

Is it possible?

I've just received the keys to my new flat, only to find that it doesn't have a phone line installed. Short of getting the landlord's back up by butchering the house having one installed, is there any (not that expensive) way of connecting to tinternet without needing a phone line?

I was thinking maybe something along the lines of mobile internet, but for a laptop, and I'll need full internet access, especially hotmail.

Anyone know how you do this? It's probably blindingly obvious but being a luddite when it comes to computers, you'll have to explain it all in layman's terms.

So, anyone know how I can get internet access on my laptop without a phone line?

Landlord should be fine about a BT Landline, call to ask though first.


If it was one of my flats id not blink an eyelid if asked.

Do you reckon? I'll see about it - although he seems to be in the process of setting up some bizarre intercom system at the moment and there are a load of wires hanging out of the wall.

So what exactly would BT do? Tack a line to the building and run a phone line into my living room? Is it that simple or will it involve ripping up carpets and floorboards and drilling holes in the doorframes?

He's still umming and ahhing about me putting up a picture hook in my bedroom for a print so lord knows what he'd make of a BT man with a drill.

Shouldn't be anything other than a selling point though, surely.

[Plotloss]

BT will drill one hole from the inside to the outside, pass the cable through this and connect a master socket.

The other end of the wire will connect to some sort of junction box outside the building.

Just have the master socket in the most convenient position and then use a wireless router to minimise wires being run on the internal walls.

I've never had a landlord absurd enough to object to a telephone line being put in, though one did try but then she was a complete nutter anyway.

[spants]

slightly o/t: I dont have a phone line now.... virgin cable broadband and skype does the trick for me

[rich1231]

Twincam16 said:

rich1231 said:

Twincam16 said:

Is it possible?

I've just received the keys to my new flat, only to find that it doesn't have a phone line installed. Short of getting the landlord's back up by butchering the house having one installed, is there any (not that expensive) way of connecting to tinternet without needing a phone line?

I was thinking maybe something along the lines of mobile internet, but for a laptop, and I'll need full internet access, especially hotmail.

Anyone know how you do this? It's probably blindingly obvious but being a luddite when it comes to computers, you'll have to explain it all in layman's terms.

So, anyone know how I can get internet access on my laptop without a phone line?

Landlord should be fine about a BT Landline, call to ask though first.


If it was one of my flats id not blink an eyelid if asked.

Do you reckon? I'll see about it - although he seems to be in the process of setting up some bizarre intercom system at the moment and there are a load of wires hanging out of the wall.

So what exactly would BT do? Tack a line to the building and run a phone line into my living room? Is it that simple or will it involve ripping up carpets and floorboards and drilling holes in the doorframes?

He's still umming and ahhing about me putting up a picture hook in my bedroom for a print so lord knows what he'd make of a BT man with a drill.

Shouldn't be anything other than a selling point though, surely.

LL should be fine unless he is barking.

Do not get a cable line etc fitted without explicit written consent though as they are butchers opf the highest levels of idiocy.

A BT line install should be quick/painless and mess free for you and LL.

[Imadreamer]

You could get a 3G card. Vodafone on a 12 month personal contract currently costs £30 pcm for Internet access of around 1.5Mbps plus a 3 gig monthly download limit.

[Pappa Lurve]

Imadreamer said:

You could get a 3G card. Vodafone on a 12 month personal contract currently costs £30 pcm for Internet access of around 1.5Mbps plus a 3 gig monthly download limit.

Orange and T-mobile also offer these. Not sure about O2 yet.

Any 3g phone shold be able to double as a modem but can be a pain.

[RobM77]

Imadreamer said:

You could get a 3G card. Vodafone on a 12 month personal contract currently costs £30 pcm for Internet access of around 1.5Mbps plus a 3 gig monthly download limit.

Strangely I spent about half an hour on the phone to Vodaphone and no-one had heard of this... I know they exist though as a someone I used to work with had one.

[CUE99T]

3G datacard from Voda with 1.8mpbs access unlimited for 55 quid inc VAT plugs into Laptop.

Also the biggest prob using 3G via the phone is battery it will zap it withing 2-3hrs, tried it and is was also poorer on recpt.

[Imadreamer]

CUE99T said:

3G datacard from Voda with 1.8mpbs access unlimited for 55 quid inc VAT plugs into Laptop.

Also the biggest prob using 3G via the phone is battery it will zap it withing 2-3hrs, tried it and is was also poorer on recpt.

That £55 has just been reduced to £30 for personal or £25 for business. Limit has also gone up from 1GB per month to 3GB. They obviously don't tell you this, if you're an exisiting customer, unless you call them up. The new pricing is on the website.

[cyberface]

Imadreamer said:

CUE99T said:

3G datacard from Voda with 1.8mpbs access unlimited for 55 quid inc VAT plugs into Laptop.

Also the biggest prob using 3G via the phone is battery it will zap it withing 2-3hrs, tried it and is was also poorer on recpt.

That £55 has just been reduced to £30 for personal or £25 for business. Limit has also gone up from 1GB per month to 3GB. They obviously don't tell you this, if you're an exisiting customer, unless you call them up. The new pricing is on the website.

Correct - and the Vodafone business adviser who sold me the original £45 package claimed it was 'unlimited' and I **thoroughly** grilled her on what 'unlimited' meant... it was only once I found out that the 'new' tariffs were 3 GB 'fair use' that I found that the 'old' tariffs were 1 GB 'fair use'. Mis-selling, by proper Vodafone business advisers no less.

Anyway I got them to drop me onto the £25 a month 'unlimited' - I have been told on authority from a Voda techie that the 3 GB limit is 'fair use' i.e. they won't just disconnect you after that amount, it's a QoS thing dependent on other peoples' usage of the network.

I don't do P2P video stuff so it's unlikely to be a big issue for me but this sort of mis-selling is irritating because it would preclude me from downloading a full Linux distro, a beta copy of a forthcoming OS, etc. which can be many GB.

However the Voda HSDPA modem is very nice and high speed - I'd go with this if the reception is good enough to get the full HSDPA at high rate.

On the other hand, a techie I met at the Superbikes last weekend reckoned T-Mobile's HSDPA network gets him 7 Mb/sec... I wasn't aware HSDPA scaled that high, if so it's as good as fixed line broadband.

[bigdods]

cyberface said:

Imadreamer said:

CUE99T said:

3G datacard from Voda with 1.8mpbs access unlimited for 55 quid inc VAT plugs into Laptop.

Also the biggest prob using 3G via the phone is battery it will zap it withing 2-3hrs, tried it and is was also poorer on recpt.

That £55 has just been reduced to £30 for personal or £25 for business. Limit has also gone up from 1GB per month to 3GB. They obviously don't tell you this, if you're an exisiting customer, unless you call them up. The new pricing is on the website.

Correct - and the Vodafone business adviser who sold me the original £45 package claimed it was 'unlimited' and I **thoroughly** grilled her on what 'unlimited' meant... it was only once I found out that the 'new' tariffs were 3 GB 'fair use' that I found that the 'old' tariffs were 1 GB 'fair use'. Mis-selling, by proper Vodafone business advisers no less.

Anyway I got them to drop me onto the £25 a month 'unlimited' - I have been told on authority from a Voda techie that the 3 GB limit is 'fair use' i.e. they won't just disconnect you after that amount, it's a QoS thing dependent on other peoples' usage of the network.

I don't do P2P video stuff so it's unlikely to be a big issue for me but this sort of mis-selling is irritating because it would preclude me from downloading a full Linux distro, a beta copy of a forthcoming OS, etc. which can be many GB.

However the Voda HSDPA modem is very nice and high speed - I'd go with this if the reception is good enough to get the full HSDPA at high rate.

On the other hand, a techie I met at the Superbikes last weekend reckoned T-Mobile's HSDPA network gets him 7 Mb/sec... I wasn't aware HSDPA scaled that high, if so it's as good as fixed line broadband.

HSDPA speed depends entirely on thh network setup. IIRC Voda currently max at 1.8 Mbps and are working on the 3.6 Mbps upgrade. From there its 7.2Mbps which I *think* is as high as HSDPA goes right now. Beware though, with HSDPA data cards, the little box pops up with the max connection speed possible not the ACTUAL speed. So you could be connected on slow old GPRS but the pop up says 1.8Mbps. HSDPA isnt that widespread IIRC you need to be near a population centre to get it....,