internet connection choices

[paulmx3]

i need to get a decent internet connection for my mum for her laptop.

she doesnt have a landline although she does have a bt connection to the property,and cant have cable fitted.

she wont be dowloading films lots of music or programme files,her main uses would be email,sending the odd photo web browsing chatting and internet shopping.

would a mobile dongle be suitable in this case,what is the connection and speed like for the uses mentioned above.

what is a typical usage for these purposes,i notice virgin do 1 and 3gb options at £5 and £15.

any advice appreciated.

[bigsinky]

3 do mobile internet for £15

[homealone]

i need to get a decent internet connection for my mum for her laptop.

she doesnt have a landline although she does have a bt connection to the property,and cant have cable fitted.

she wont be dowloading films lots of music or programme files,her main uses would be email,sending the odd photo web browsing chatting and internet shopping.

would a mobile dongle be suitable in this case,what is the connection and speed like for the uses mentioned above.

what is a typical usage for these purposes,i notice virgin do 1 and 3gb options at £5 and £15.

any advice appreciated.

First thing to check with 'mobile broadband' is what coverage is available in your Mum's area - this may differ across networks, so e.g. vodafone may have better coverage than O2 - also, speedwise, 3G coverage is preferable to GPRS.

Secondly paying 'per gigabyte' can be fine for simple surfing, reading forums, downloading email - but downloading files or streaming media can soon eat up any data/bandwidth 'credit' & it becomes expensive.

I'm currently trying out a vodafone 'top up and go' package - mainly to use when I'm away from home with my laptop & don't want to pay the silly money for hotel wifi access.

A recent session lasting nearly 2 hours, that involved only surfing the web, reading & posting in this forum & looking at email cost less than a quid..

- but I can't get a stable connection at home - which reinforces the point about coverage if you want to use mobile broadband in a specific location - can you borrow a dongle to try where your mum lives?

[paulmx3]

will see what options are available with regards coverage,speed isnt a major issue as she is slow herself....:D

[moaningmags]

:bsmack: On behalf of your mother :D

[homealone]

will see what options are available with regards coverage,speed isnt a major issue as she is slow herself....:D

most networks should have an online tool to check coverage

e.g. vodafone have

http://online.vodafone.co.uk/dispatch/Portal/appmanager/vodafone/wrp?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=template12&pageID=PPP_0026

into which you can enter a postcode to find out what any particular area should provide - it is only a guide, though, as local conditions can mean some locations get a weak signal due to surrounding buildings, etc