Mobile Broadband with 3

[Killer_K]

hey all,

Has anyone here have Mobile broadband with Three? If so, can you please share you experience with reception issues and customer service?

PS: Calls to their tech support team on 500 have cost me a fair bit over the last couple of days.

 

[c9679]

Reception varies depending on your location, we sell tonnes of the pay as you go dongles to people with Canal boats and they work great... however there are always places where you dont always get reception

What do you need to know from Technical support???

 

[Killer_K]

my modem speed drops down to 56kbps in a very good reception area but three claim it should be more then that so spent 20 mins on the phone them making me do some speed tests and etc but still the same.

so in a dilema whether to cancel it or stick with it. its ok in some places, i'm in chester now and its good here, it was average in north wales but not so good when i was in west yorkshire

 

[c9679]

It does sound like its just the area your in mate, I dont think their tech support would be able to do anything about it, other than running tests, then telling you there is nothing that can be done... however the modems arent that fast though compared to broadband that goes through BT or Virgin... it shouldnt be that low though, you could try getting it unlocked and try other sims in there to see if any of the other networks would be better for you, however you may find the same issue with different areas even with Vodafone and Orange

 

[K]

im looking at getting one of these but none of the networks seem to update their coverage.. so i dont want to waste money to see if it works..

has anyone tried in dg7 2ex??

sorry for hijacking

 

[c9679]

Just try a pay as you go sim from the network your interested in, in an unlocked phone... If you get ok reception the broadband should work for you ok, however it isnt a permanent solution as a replacement for home broadband it is for people who travel, and just want to check emails view a few sites, etc, not really great for torrents and stuff like that

 

[Killer_K]

PAYG test is not always good as on m 3 mobile phone I get full reception but when I plug the USB dongle in I only get 2 bars but depending on where I am at the time either its pretty good or its really sh*t.


Kalipo - you can return it within 14 days if you not happy (if bought online or over phone), if bought from shop then you have three days to return it. But do read the small print - with 3 the catch is that u don't use it for 3 or more consecutive days.

 

[c9679]

Try the Three modem sim in your Three handset...

 

[uknutz]

My own personal experience is that I found it best to connect the modem via a USB extension lead. If I plugged it straight into my laptop the is no room to move it around to get a better reception, with a cable you can. From my desk if i position the modem around the back of the laptop I get a much better reception than to the side of it

 

[K]

Kalipo - you can return it within 14 days if you not happy (if bought online or over phone), if bought from shop then you have three days to return it. But do read the small print - with 3 the catch is that u don't use it for 3 or more consecutive days.

i might try that.. dont have a 3 phone though do i need one?? just thougha dongle and sim would do .. never actually had experiance in this lol

 

[c9679]

You dont need the three phone, I was just saying that to test if the sim is getting full reception on a phone, then it could be the dongle that is faulty or something

 

[K]

You dont need the three phone, I was just saying that to test if the sim is getting full reception on a phone, then it could be the dongle that is faulty or something

Cheers , will look for a cheap and nasty one then.. we dont have t'tinernet there because bt is expensive to run down the hill.. we used 2g but it was mega slow.. around 4k.. not good enough.. this was on voda and o2.. its a second home would love a little faster net

 

[c9679]

All the networks now provide a broadband service using those dongle, so try to go with one that your using for your calls, e.g if your on T-Mobile go for theirs. I think the cheapest at the moment are either 3 or Voda, most the dongles can be unlocked so if you go for the cheapest on pay as you go, you should be able to swap the sim if it doesnt work for you however you will have to get one of the sims that does broadband

 

[Killer_K]

i might try that.. dont have a 3 phone though do i need one?? just thougha dongle and sim would do .. never actually had experiance in this lol

just came across this (see below) on another forum - much cheaper solution for testing to see if 3 mobile broadband is suitable for your needs as well as to test reception. Maybe this is what C9679 was getting at yesterday - sorry mate it was late and i was slow ... LOL

"Buy a cheap PAYG three sim, use the internet monthly bolt on for £5 for 2gb. Use phone as a tethered device."

I think you can order a 3 simcard free...check net for freebies section on HotUKDeals then all you need is a phone to test this....ask around someone may have an old three phone lying around...it doesn't have to be a decent phone.

i'm gonna try what uknutz suggested

 

[c9679]

lol, you can also buy the Three sim cards on ebay... Or before buying the broadband contract with them just get the pay as you go version first instead, they were doing their cheapest modem for £29.99 which comes with the sim

 

[K]

my lg viewty is 3g..could i use the sim in that?? already used it as a 2g modem...


02 doesnt offer 3g in that area... infact the reception is pish poor.. 1 bar is a strugle.

 

[c9679]

Should be able to as long as the phone is unlocked... The problem is there are quite a lot of places where 3G signal is poor no matter what network your on, however u can buy 3g sims for other networks and try them in your phone first to see how the reception is... If its good in your area then go for broadband on that network

 

[Killer_K]

guys, just thought below info may come in handy for some one.

just been on the phone to TMobile to check how much it will cost me to call the f****** weasels at 3 for the tech support from my TMobile contract phone.

calling 0870 7330 320 from TMobile will cost 20 pence per minute
calling 07782 333 500 (number provided by 3 for people calling from outside UK) - from TMobile this number is included in your free alowance.

now i want to find out whats the matching landline number for 0870 7330 320 because i hate the f****** and i don't want them profiting from people like me dialling the 500 or 0870 number.

I've check saynoto0870 but its not listed there. Can anyone tell me how i can find the local number to this 0870 number.

 

[c9679]

Put your Three sim into your phone and call 333 from it???

 

[K]

right, checked the coverage of all 4 networks.. no coverage in that area.. however.. when i go up i can pick up cable and wireless guernsey 3g and manx 3g