Dongles for back-up when connection is bad.

Can anyone recommend a dongle to use with my desktop when my connection is bad?

I am generally pleased with my ISP TIMICO but sometimes get poor connection with near or complete "red out" on the BQM monitor. Once I get in touch with them TIMICO the matter is usually resolved fairly quickly.

As a back-up I would like a dongle to use on O2 network as I have a GiffGaff account for my non-smart phone that have for emergency use.

I intend to post this on the GiffGaff forum but know tbb members have a fund of knowledge and opinions.

Thanks in advance for your help.

I don't want to be awkward, but you are looking at ways of (probably paying for) mobile backup, because the ISP you are "generally pleased with" can't provide a reliable service? Allied to the fact that they seem to be able to fix it quite easily when you contact them. Which with most ISPs suggests some sort of capacity limitation and/or traffic management.

I have found the Wifi hotspot feature of Android mobile phones quite easy to get working. Normally I would use a laptop as these generally come with Wifi. There are Wifi USB dongles which would work with a desktop.

I can genuinely say I have never had a situation where I get a poor connection with near or complete red out on the BQM monitor. If that was the case, I would be moving providers and/or looking into whether I had a line fault.

I think the best action is to get this resolved once and for all, not getting a backup to compensate for something which is performing poorly.

What has that got to do with anything I said? Though I was assuming you were talking about several GB if data to backup when I suggested you seemed to be contemplating spending money because of the unreliability of your service.

I suggest you heed ukhardy's advice, which I only hinted at.

I just identified an alternative fallback strategy. The rest of your post appears to refer to the OP. Bedtime?

Two causes, as well as it being bedtime .

Primarily, you replied to me. Your post as now explained was surely a reply to the OP. As it was, because it was a reply to me and yes I was tired, I subconsciously equated your name, Michael, with the OP Mike. Your post being obviously of no possible interest to me adding to the confusion.

Secondarily doesn't the phone wifi hotspot also involve almost certain costly data usage?

As you say, I was in effect replying to the OP, and it remains true that his connection appears to have a problem that he needs his ISP to sort out. I suspect it is something directly controlled by the ISP, such as traffic management. Perhaps incorrectly applied in this case.

I also think the wi-fi hotspot mobile phone feature is a good backup in an emergency. Before that I used a cabled USB connection to a Nokia along with Nokia/Ovi Suite which established the modem driver and data connection on the PC.

But, as Roberto says, if the ISP is having regular outages without nailing the cause then it's time to leave them.

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

Secondarily doesn't the phone wifi hotspot also involve almost certain costly data usage?

Yes, but so would an O2 dongle.

As you say, I was in effect replying to the OP, and it remains true that his connection appears to have a problem that he needs his ISP to sort out. I suspect it is something directly controlled by the ISP, such as traffic management. Perhaps incorrectly applied in this case.

I agree the connection should keep working and that is a problem to discuss with the ISP.