Mobile Broadbad Usage on Laptops

Looking for some advice.

About to buy a smartphone and thinking about dropping our landline and broadband and buying a smartphone with mobile broadband and using the mobile broadband for all internet access.

Currently on a SKY landline and SKY broadband and a cheap pay as you go mobile phone that is barely used.

We rarely use the landline, weeks can go by with out using the phone: current online bill shows 3 calls this month (less than £1 in calls), so we don't really need a mobile and a landline (we don't use the phone much). If we can drop the landline and broadband and buy a new mobile phone on a contract with broadband we can use on a couple of laptops can save some money and have more options for internet access while out.

Internet access required about 20 hours a day, we need unlimited broadband. We don't play online games, don't watch TV online, just the usual web browsing small amount of YouTube... Probably biggest data transfer is when I download website backups (I own around 100 domains), amounts to around 6GB a month download.

Since we don't do online gaming broadband speed doesn't have to be that fast.

Seen a Nokia Lumina 710 at the Carphonewharehouse with 24 month contracts with 3 at under £20 a month. SKY landline and broadband currently costs about £20 a month, so could actually save a few quid a month and have a decent mobile phone IF there's no extra costs using the mobile broadband on a couple of laptops?

I'm not fixed on the Nokia Lumina 710, was about to buy it on pay as you go for £100 because it's got GPS and the Nokia Drive. Wife wants to try something called Geocaching (kind of a treasure hunt via GPS) and we are looking to buy a campervan and a mapping system would be useful and will need internet access on a laptop while on the road.

Not fixed on the network 3, that came out as the cheapest (£16 with 100 minutes call time which is probably enough: though would probably go for 300 minutes at £2 extra) for that phone with unlimited broadband.

I saw on the 3 website something about dongles and suspect it's going to cost more to use the broadband on our laptops.

What would be great is match the SKY landline/broadband costs (£20) a month and end with a smartphone with unlimited broadband we can use on two laptops at no extra cost.

BTW we live in Lincolnshire.

David

You need to check if the mobile phone contract allows "tethering" - the ability to connect your laptop to the phone over WiFi - if not, it might be available as an add on at a cost.

Most smartphones have a GPS these days - Geocaching is lots of fun. There is an official app on the iPhone and probably on Android too, but not sure on Windows Phone, which the Nokia will be running.

Geocaching does exist for windows I think and is android as I have. a lot easier than printouts for holiday or a series then things get disabled and looking for caches marked as not there or some non finds, I like doing on the geocaching app. Still use the GPS (£30 second hand on ebay 2007) every now and then but phone does the most of it now.
Only done 400 in 5 years but now a premium member so get emails when new ons go out upto 3 miles away. Getting off the point of the broadband but geocaching, loads of fun.

Hi

On 3 only the one plan and tyhe most dear alows the phone to be linked to computer, make the phone a portable hot spot and wifi so easy to do but guess on 3 cheap package wont work, was the way when I got last may. Have the one plan unlimited on 3.

check you have a tower near home or a bit pointless. Works at the 2.1Ghz 3 g only so not to good inside so calls cant be made as like the other networks the run at 900Mhx or 1800Mhz for voice so better that getting into buildings. People say on here receintly o2 is bad and 3 good, I find ok but down in our town a bit rubbish in the shops. If a tower need the house, we have ours not 250m straight line.

http://www.sitefinder.ofcom.org.uk/search

Geocaching, loads of fun.
I do on the phone on 3 and works in most places.
up to 400 or so.

http://www.geocaching.com/WP7/

Seams to have windows phone, thought I read somewhere.

In reply to a post by davidclaw:

What would be great is match the SKY landline/broadband costs (£20) a month and end with a smartphone with unlimited broadband we can use on two laptops at no extra cost.

Not a chance.

You might get a smartphone contract with unlimited internet for that price but it won't allow you to use the laptops and even if you get away with it you'll find your connection throttled if you try to use the amounts you are talking about.

If you want to get rid of the landline then a dongle or mifi device will do what you want but for the data allowance you need you'll be over your budget and will have to stick with the PAYG mobile.

You can. I have used the Three one plan (£15 per month) with my iPhone 4 and aal my computers in the house. It truly is unlimited, and fast. I must admit that when I signed up I was surprised that all I had to do was turn tethering on.

No other network does unlimited at a reasonable price that would make it viable to drop your landline.

I stand corrected, you can get a 3 phone with "unlimited" data, which does allow tethering for under £15 a month.

But when you get into the small print you find...

6.5 You must not use Three Services, the SIM or Three
phone number or allow anyone else to use Three
Services, the SIM or Three phone number for illegal or
improper uses. For example:

(d) to download, send or upload content of an
excessive size, quantity or frequency. We will contact
you if your use is excessive;

9.1 We may Suspend any or all of the Three Services you
use without notice if:

(b) we advise you that your excessive use of
Three Services (as may be defined in accordance
with Section 6.7 above) is causing problems for
other users, and you are continuing to use Three
Services excessively;

In other words, you can use as much as you want unless we think it's too much and we don't have to tell you how much is too much up front.

Before you sign up though, make sure you have a decent 3 signal indoors.

And if someone takes the phone out you'll have no internet at home.