Wifi Dongle

[The red bag]

We're staying in a house for one week in November that does not have Wifi.

Does anyone use an internet dongle that gives you Wifi access? If so, who do you use and roughly how much is it?

Thanks.

[Kong]

I don't see how having a wifi dongle will be of any use in a place without wifi. You can have a mobile dongle that will give you access to the internet via a mobile service but that will probably involve a contract just like a mobile phone and is expensive if you need heavy data usage.

[EuroTrash]

You can get a payg sim card and stick it in an unlocked mifi device, no need to get a contract, and the devices aren't expensive as such but if it's only for a week and never to used again you might be cheaper just using a smartphone. And - if the place is a bit out of the way, make sure that whatever operator's sim card you use, gets a signal there.

If Orange has a good signal you could get a Domino but 40€ for the week...?

https://abonnez-vous.orange.fr/residentiel/equipements/domino-3G-E5220.aspx

[alittlebitfrench]

Given the gîte does not have wifi, I am betting there is no reliable mobile signal either.

If you stop off in Tours you will be fine. All 4G around here. LOL.

[Kong]

WIFI is a means of intercommunication within an establishment, it's not a connection like ADSL via a phone line or satellite. If the gite doesn't have a connection to the internet with some sort of router which is an internet device you will need a dongle as mentioned above which connects via a mobile to a mobile provider such as orange etc.

[EuroTrash]

I think maybe we have a problem of terminology here.

A mifi device is a mobile wifi router.

You stick your data sim card in it, and you can then connect a number of pcs / tablets / smartphones to it to access the internet. So the whole family can sit at home and connect their devices to it and it's exactly like as if they were connecting to wifi adsl (except probably more expensive.

A dongle, as I understand it, is essentially a USB stick that needs to be plugged into a computer to work. A mifi device doesn't.

[AnOther]

[quote user="alittlebitfrench"]Given the gîte does not have wifi, I am betting there is no reliable mobile signal either.[/quote]Have you dusted off your crystal ball again or did I miss where the OP said he was staying in a Gite ?

Any reason it can't just be somebody's holiday gaffe where the number and length of visits doesn't warrant an ISP contract ?

Or to blow your other baseless supposition out of the water it could be that 3 or 4g coverage is excellent again negating the need for an ISP for short or irregular occupation ?

[alittlebitfrench]

Woooo...AnOther....have you just banged your toe or something and decided to take it out on me. I warned you about those romanesque sandals you insist on wearing. LOL

You make a fine point though, I asuummed it was a gîte. But then again a gîte is house. It is the same flipin thing.

If the house is ruralish then there may be/probably be limited signal. Certainly the case whenever I go away to a rural location in France. You end up in the garden on a ladder with one arm reached out trying to connect to facebook to tell all your friends that you having a wonderful time in France . You then get struck by lightning or shot by the local chasse who think you are a wild boar......on a ladder with a phone. The internet is very dangerous in rural France.

Personally I would not jump through hoops getting a wifi dongle thinghy unless you were certain you could have some kind of signal. Even more so if it is a thick walled stony gîte/house/chateaux type building. Mobile signals don't like those types of houses.

A local 'things to do' guide book will be more practical....or 'Kane and Abel'....or 'Brexit for dummies'. No sorry that is the FE actives topics. You need internet for that.

[Judith]

You may well find that a local cafe or the tourist info will have wifi freely available, though the cafe will expect you to buy something of course.  It's what my sister does when she gets to her house in France with not internet / wifi access. Or could you not manage without for a week??  It is meant to be a holiday I presume.