On 12/16/06, Ashley T. Howes, Ph.D. lists@ashleyhowes.com wrote:
I'm looking for advice regarding truely mobile internet access. I'm going to be doing a lot of travelling around the UK early next year and want to get onto the internet as and when I want.
I can sort out a wireless card for my laptop, so if there is an access port (at the hotel, or via BT) all is OK. My question is about access outside of this. I've had a brief look at services from Vodafone (my current mobile provider) who offer a 3G USB dongle which offers 'broadband' type speed. Not sure if this will work with Linux, but I would use Windows if needed.
However, 3G coverage is still limited, and it's unclear what happens if you move out-of-range, e.g. does the dongle just stop working, or does it continue with a slower protocol? The slowest option I expect would be GSM from my phone (bluetooth between Mac and phone), but I expect this would be charged per minute and outside of my inclusive minutes if to a 0845 internet access point.
3G should fall back to GPRS. I don't have 3G so I use Bluetooth and my phone to 'dial' Vodafone's GPRS on *99# (priced per KB). Otherwise I'd suggest finding a non-geographic phone number for an ISP, but they tend to require a subscription.
Regards, Tim.