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MiFi : Connection via data sim and WiFi Box


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Can anybody tell me who provides the best value  French data only sim that goes into these devices .I am thinking of getting one as they provide WiFi for up to 8 devices some of them as I have ditched FT  and Orange Broadband  at the house .

Are they easy to set up ?...I rather like gadgets that search and  connect themselves as in France I have not got a 14 year old on hand to deal with the technical  stuff  .These are the things I had in mind .

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1311.R6.TR11.TRC1.A0.H2.Xmifi&_nkw=huawei+mifi&_sacat=0&_from=R40

 

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We bought a bouyges telecom box nomad with which you can connect up to ten devices. It is quite an expensive way to get connected but as we don't live in France, it has proved to be the least expensive way for us to be connected.

We do not have a land line but need to be able to keep in touch so the nomad was our best option -you can just buy the sim.
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[quote user="Frederick"]

Can anybody tell me who provides the best value  French data only sim that goes into these devices .I am thinking of getting one as they provide WiFi for up to 8 devices some of them as I have ditched FT  and Orange Broadband  at the house .

Are they easy to set up ?...I rather like gadgets that search and  connect themselves as in France I have not got a 14 year old on hand to deal with the technical  stuff  .These are the things I had in mind .

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1311.R6.TR11.TRC1.A0.H2.Xmifi&_nkw=huawei+mifi&_sacat=0&_from=R40

[/quote]

They seem to be 4G devices, do you have 4G where you live as I thought it was mainly restricted to big towns and cites. We can't even get 3G where we live.

As said it is not like the UK where you can get 'all you can eat' data usage. Data is quite expensive in France but it is getting better.

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Thanks for the replies... I shall have to find out if 3 or 4 G  ...  I have a Lycamobile  fr sim I use for calls in a mobile phone ... That is not expensive and just for emails  a couple of times a week I  wondered if there was a similar pay as you go one for just for data in  these things ?

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[quote user="Frederick"]Thanks for the replies... I shall have to find out if 3 or 4 G  ...  I have a Lycamobile  fr sim I use for calls in a mobile phone ... That is not expensive and just for emails  a couple of times a week I  wondered if there was a similar pay as you go one for just for data in  these things ?
[/quote]

If you have a 3G or 4G phone when at your house in France it should tell you. On Android phones you will normally see 3G or 4G at the very top next to the signal strength bars. If you don't have either then you are on the old very slow system. I personally think that at the end of the day it will be the data cost that gets you as the device seems to suggest you may have more than one person using it at the same time.

The only time I used data was to try out the GPS mapping system on my mobile. I only went 4 km down to Quillan and back. The cost of the data (because it downloads the 'tiles' of map as it goes) would have meant a taxi would have been cheaper.

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[quote user="Quillan"]

The only time I used data was to try out the GPS mapping system on my mobile. I only went 4 km down to Quillan and back. The cost of the data (because it downloads the 'tiles' of map as it goes) would have meant a taxi would have been cheaper.

[/quote]

If you have an iphone I can recommend Pocket Earth.  Minimal cost and you can download maps in advance and thereby avoid data roaming charges. I have the UK and France downloaded. Works a treat. I believe and Andoid version is in the pipe.

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We have the Orange-badged version of the Huawei device (called a Domino) which I bought as a backup as we only have Wimax to the house. It is great to use when travelling and on holiday but totally useless as a backup at home as, I have discovered, we only have 2G here in the middle of nowhere :)

Still, I bought it online from the Orange boutique and it was less than half the price of the shop version.
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[quote user="tinabee"]We have the Orange-badged version of the Huawei device (called a Domino) which I bought as a backup as we only have Wimax to the house. It is great to use when travelling and on holiday but totally useless as a backup at home as, I have discovered, we only have 2G here in the middle of nowhere :)

Still, I bought it online from the Orange boutique and it was less than half the price of the shop version.[/quote]

Thank you for your post TB.... I think I had better put the purchase on hold until I find out more about the cover we have ... Appreciate all the replies  many thanks .

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I've had one of these for the last two years, on a contract with Bouygues. When I got it, it was (and still is) €9.90 a month "sans engagement" and the principal reason I got it was because I don't have a sim card slot on my ipad.

The signal is fairly dire. Varies a lot with atmospherics and whereabouts in the house I use it. That's confirmed by my UK phone, which chooses the best network connection and swaps between Orange and Bouygues all the time.

Connecting even a couple of devices to it and making any attempt to use them at the same time slows them down still further, and a lot of the time I might as well be on dial-up. Experience has taught me to do the stuff I really need to do at certain times of day when the signal and speed is bearable.

I get a monthly data allowance - which doesn't roll over - but if I exceed that, I can still connect, it's just slowed down. Which, when the "fast" connection is already so slow, is beyond painful.

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[quote user="You can call me Betty"]I've had one of these for the last two years, on a contract with Bouygues. When I got it, it was (and still is) €9.90 a month "sans engagement" and the principal reason I got it was because I don't have a sim card slot on my ipad.

The signal is fairly dire. Varies a lot with atmospherics and whereabouts in the house I use it. That's confirmed by my UK phone, which chooses the best network connection and swaps between Orange and Bouygues all the time.

Connecting even a couple of devices to it and making any attempt to use them at the same time slows them down still further, and a lot of the time I might as well be on dial-up. Experience has taught me to do the stuff I really need to do at certain times of day when the signal and speed is bearable.

I get a monthly data allowance - which doesn't roll over - but if I exceed that, I can still connect, it's just slowed down. Which, when the "fast" connection is already so slow, is beyond painful.

[/quote]

Good to know . C M B .Thank you for the information     That is a mind changer for me .Looks as if I might have wasted my money given  location  signal probs as well     Thanks for your post.. I will stick with the  free WiWF offered in the bar / cafe 's

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