i wanted a mobile dongle to use when away
i must say shops were very open about coverage
02 said poor reception in north coast and enniskillen
3 said very poor coverage
orange was best coverage
Ally
Founder
Gender: Location: Muckamore, Antrim Age: 56 Homepage:motorhomecraic.com Posts: 32912 Registered: 08 / 2011 My Motorhome: Lunar Roadstar 780 Base Vehicle: Fiat 2.8 JTD
I recently bought a 3 mifi from the 3 store in Drogheda. I gave it a proper test over last weekend when we took a team of racing cyclists to compete in the Kanturk 3 day race. I put the mifi in its cradle and plugged it into a small inverter in our motorhome. (the cradle apparently improves the reception)
We used the motorhome as team HQ for the three days and had the mifi running continuously with up to five devices connected simultaneously. The devices included an IPad, an IPod, an IPhone, an HTC Android mobile and a Windows notebook. The access for email and internet on each device was excellent. We were easily able to download each days results and to send our reports home.
I then experimented with the mifi running on its own battery on the drive home to Belfast from Kanturk via Fermoy, M8, M7, M1. I had email access the whole way on my HTC with its own data roaming turned off.
I haven't used the mifi in the North yet but I know that the coverage will not be as good.
Conclusion: brilliant device so far
Drew
Ally
Founder
Gender: Location: Muckamore, Antrim Age: 56 Homepage:motorhomecraic.com Posts: 32912 Registered: 08 / 2011 My Motorhome: Lunar Roadstar 780 Base Vehicle: Fiat 2.8 JTD
I did some more testing of the mifi last weekend. Admittedly I was on my motorbike rather than in my motorhome (boo, hiss, etc from the audience!)
I stayed south of Belmullet, near the end of the Mullet peninsula on Friday night - easily able to check email, facebook, forums.
Saturday, stopped for lunch at a picnic table in a layby near Mulranny. Signal not quite as good but able to check everything with reasonable speed.
Saturday afternoon, stopped for photos of a stone cross in middle of nowhere west of Galway. Signal showed 'H' instead of '3G' but still able to get emails.
Saturday evening, stayed in the Lakeside Holiday Park, Mountshannon, Co Clare. There was wifi available but not at my end of the campsite. I couldn't even get a signal on my mobile but by putting the mifi into its cradle I was very surprised to get respectable internet access.
Sunday morning Limerick centre - full 3G, perfect access.
Sunday afternoon, photo stop at Monaincha Abbey, 3k east of Roscrea. I could have done with my trail bike to get along the boreen to this one! I still got full internet access, albeit at a slightly reduced speed.
Summary - this tiny device seems to be perfect in the south of Ireland. I mostly work via the internet so this could really increase our use of our motorhome.
Ally
Founder
Gender: Location: Muckamore, Antrim Age: 56 Homepage:motorhomecraic.com Posts: 32912 Registered: 08 / 2011 My Motorhome: Lunar Roadstar 780 Base Vehicle: Fiat 2.8 JTD
After all this time I have purchased an UNLOCKED MIFI from HERE if it arrives in time I plan to try it at Belturbet. I have an Irish 02 Sim that I can top up online by just using the phone number. Also plan to get a Three SIM both UK and Ireland, so if there is no o2 signal I can use it and vice versa. Top up small amounts on each.
what's the difference in using that mifi yoke & tethering off a mobile with the sane sim installed?
In theory - feck all
But the options an Unlocked MIFi opens up with different sims etc- I know I been in LOADS of occasions where I have no 3g/4g but someone on a different network has full data.
Also, I can switch my data off so I am not roaming on my mobile yet use a different sim for that country.
Didn't get using the MiFi at Belturbet, wrong sim with me. Got my Three UK sim today and give it a whirl, wow! amazing bit of kit and faster than my home broadband, although that's not hard.
Looking forward to trying it on our next trip away.
the fat controller
Eat's Sleep's craic
Gender: Location: Moira, Craigavon Age: 61 Homepage:fincaangelacat.com Posts: 9485 Registered: 04 / 2012 My Motorhome: Benimar Tessoro 481 Base Vehicle: Ford Transit
With the plan three are offering from the uk I might just get a mifi for the motorhome as both orange and O2 currently don't have great roaming rates on data. Anyone I know who has one has nothing but good things to say about them for both reception and speed.
Ally
Founder
Gender: Location: Muckamore, Antrim Age: 56 Homepage:motorhomecraic.com Posts: 32912 Registered: 08 / 2011 My Motorhome: Lunar Roadstar 780 Base Vehicle: Fiat 2.8 JTD
I was reading it earlier and I think it does, the tethering only applies to phone sims on all you can eat data plans, where as the data ones have 1gb for 30days
Ally
Founder
Gender: Location: Muckamore, Antrim Age: 56 Homepage:motorhomecraic.com Posts: 32912 Registered: 08 / 2011 My Motorhome: Lunar Roadstar 780 Base Vehicle: Fiat 2.8 JTD
Didn't get using the MiFi at Belturbet, wrong sim with me. Got my Three UK sim today and give it a whirl, wow! amazing bit of kit and faster than my home broadband, although that's not hard.
Looking forward to trying it on our next trip away.
Ally, Don't forget to report on this when you get to use it.
Ally
Founder
Gender: Location: Muckamore, Antrim Age: 56 Homepage:motorhomecraic.com Posts: 32912 Registered: 08 / 2011 My Motorhome: Lunar Roadstar 780 Base Vehicle: Fiat 2.8 JTD
Ally, remind me what sim you are using in the MiFi?
Also cost/usage allowed per month or quarter & lastly how much to use it over the border or in France?
I think I did cover it but anyhow...
Using a Three SIM, I also have a Three Irish sim.
Both PAYG - UK one valid for 3 months with 3GB of data, purchased of ebay for £11.90- just search for 3G data Sim. But if you visit three.co.uk you will see all the other options for pay monthly and PAYG. Ebay was cheaper than the three website - go figure!
Irish sim, purchased of three.ie by Dave "Eirebus" as the website would not allow me to buy it in the North. Purchased for €5 with 1GB of data but can be topped up at anytime.
French sims are available on Ebay as are other countries.
If it was a LOCKED one it would be but as it is unlocked and can take any sim, you need to log into it via a web browser but only when you change the sim.
Pretty easy - connect to it via wifi, open a browser and connect to it by typing 192.168.1.1 in the address bar and hitting enter.
Then go through the "easy setup wizard" to let it know what sim is in there.
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