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Dongles. Am I just unlucky, or are they problematic?

CookieCookie
edited October 2011 in General chat
As a relative newcomer to the world of computing,and wanting to give the Internet a try, I decided to opt for a Dongle from Vodaphone. I had one for about a year, on the whole it was okay but there were times when I could not get access because there was no available line. Really frustrating, but I accepted this. The original Dongle gave up the ghost a few days ago, and I now have a new one.
Things should be okay, but they are not. Tried to send an Email to my friend earlier, Not a chance. It it very hit and miss.
If this Email arrives on the Forum, it will be a suprise.
Advice welcolmed and needed.
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Comments

  • checkskicheckski
    edited 5:17PM
    Odd word, dongle. A strange mixture of donkey and dangle. I'll say no more.
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  • harpisticharpistic
    edited 5:17PM
    Yup, welcome to the wonderful yet frustrating world of dongles (I agree, BAD choice of name!) - definitely not a substitute for normal broadband. I've not used one for about a year, but when they work, they're slow, and the remaining half of the time... nada. I've tried Three and Voda, both seem as temperamental as each other.

    If you've been using them for over a year now, what about getting regular internet? O2 is good...
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  • KazKaz
    edited 5:17PM
    Go to the Carphone Warehouse and ask them to check which one has the best coverage in your area. I had one from 3 and I had no problems with the connection at all. Fast and reliable.
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  • CookieCookie
    edited 5:17PM
    Sodding thing is working alright tonight!!! Bloody typical!!!!!
    Thank you so very much Harpistic for making me feel that the problem is not me .Please accept a virtual hug.
    Virgin have recently sent a letter to say that there is cable available.
    Who do I choose?
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  • harpisticharpistic
    edited 5:17PM
    Happy to help! I actually have 4 of the wretched things (2 each of 3 & Voda), I've used them when switching providers and then when we had broadband problems in my previous home; I also keep them for when family comes over here for visits. I just find that even when they work "well", they're still much slower than ordinary broadband. And it gets so very infuriating when they refuse to connect, or disconnect... it all depends on how much usage there is in the area at the time, etc.

    I've used O2 for broadband for several years and found them very reliable & affordable - they bought out Be which is one of the best providers. I've been using Virgin since I moved to SG about 6 months ago, though; as you'll see from the active thread on here, there's been quite a few problems with them lately but otherwise they're great, very speedy.

    Those are the two I always recommend - Virgin will probably be able to connect you quicker. And O2 offers a 1-month rolling contract if you're hesitant about committing just yet.
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  • nick_mnick_m
    edited 5:17PM
    I have virgin broadband, which is quite temperamental, and I get many outages (I work from home, so quite important). I back it up with a 3 dongle, which seems to work really well for me. But I use it in the attic of a house, where the reception seems great. I have tried it at ground level, even in Trafalgar Square, and had terrible results. But the combination of the two works really well for me (although, i should really give up on Virgin because they are so bad and never apologize)..
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  • MargoladaMargolada
    edited 5:17PM
    I had a vodafone dongle which hardly had any signal (ground floor flat), before i moved to virgin there were times where i was offline for weeks because of some minor problem with something on the network. o2 broadband can be a good idea if you have a phone with them as they give discounts.
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  • markpackmarkpack
    edited 5:17PM
    I've found Vodafone pretty ropey over the last few years both at home (a bit north of Five Ways) and also when spending too much time staring at my Blackberry whilst walking down Stroud Green Road.

    However, what consistently gives good signal and genuinely fast speed is my Three mobile WiFi hotspot (which as it can put more than one device online at once without any extra cost is also very good value for money if you'd otherwise end up with more than one dongle).
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