Internet Access with a Mobile

Information and help in the IT field of computers, internet, ISP's, mobile and fixed line telephones plus satellite TV systems.
User avatar
Trooperman
Resident
Posts: 1074
Joined: Mon Sep 11, 2006 4:40 pm
Location: Fuente de Piedra

Internet Access with a Mobile

Postby Trooperman » Sat Aug 27, 2016 6:06 pm

I anticipate soon moving house and living in temporary accommodation that has no fixed phone/Internet connection. But it has a perfect mobile signal.

I know it's been covered, probably, many times before, but I was wondering what the current received wisdom is about the best way to connect to the 'net using a PAYG Sim card or dongle.

By "best", I mean not hideously expensive, but effective.

I already have a Movistar PAYG phone which works just fine and a laptop which could take a dongle (if that's still the way to go?)

As a result of retirement, I've rather lost touch with what's the up-to-date technology :lolno:
nil illegitimum carborundum

User avatar
jamesbowker
Andalucia.com Amigo
Posts: 48
Joined: Fri Feb 07, 2014 4:11 pm
Location: Loja

Re: Internet Access with a Mobile

Postby jamesbowker » Sat Aug 27, 2016 10:20 pm

Hi I use Carrefour's service http://www.carrefour.es/telecom/interne ... /mas-info/ The standard option is 100mb daily for €1,21 but you can buy 1gb and 3gb bundles for €10/20 respectively which expire after 30 days. Carrefour uses the 3g Orange network and I generally have excellent reception even in the rural village near Loja where we spend most of our time. You can tether Android tablets/devices but not Apple, I believe. The real benefit is that you're not tied in, it is a pay as you go service, although there is a minimum spend of €3 monthly to maintain the service. There are plenty of other options of course and Carrefour's is not the cheapest but this is what works for me. Good luck in finding something that works for you and please feel free to ask any further questions.

User avatar
gerryh
Andalucia Guru
Posts: 8046
Joined: Sat Jan 12, 2008 6:17 pm
Location: Cajiz, Malaga

Re: Internet Access with a Mobile

Postby gerryh » Sun Aug 28, 2016 9:16 am

Your choice, for internet access via a PAYG Sim card or dongle, depends entirely on the quality/ strength of the 3G/ 4G signal you can get from Vodafone, Orange, Movistar or Yoigo her you will be living.
If only one of them is available then you have no choice other to accept the deals they offer or that are offered by a reseller who uses their network.
Of course the cheapest way is to take your laptop to a local bar that offers free WiFi and use it there for the price of a drink.
Cheers
Gerry
Gerry Harris

CurtThoughts
Tourist
Posts: 13
Joined: Mon Sep 26, 2016 3:46 pm
Location: United State

Re: Internet Access with a Mobile

Postby CurtThoughts » Wed Oct 26, 2016 10:30 am

I guess it all depends on how strong the signal is. Carrefour offers some good deals. As Jamesbowker said above, you can 3gb of data for €20 which is pretty good. If it were me I'd go with a prepaid sim from Vodafone. It's a pretty good deal: https://www.vodafone.es/c/particulares/ ... -spain-vf/ €15 a month will get you 1.5gb of data and 60 minutes call time. I wouldn't worry too much about not having a fixed internet connection either. You can do just about most things that need to be done on the internet from your phone now anyway.
Last edited by CurtThoughts on Thu Oct 27, 2016 8:18 am, edited 1 time in total.

northandsouth
Resident
Posts: 458
Joined: Tue Nov 26, 2013 7:00 pm
Location: Casares

Re: Internet Access with a Mobile

Postby northandsouth » Wed Oct 26, 2016 4:41 pm

https://www.hitsmobile.es/en/tarifas-pl ... ernacional

This is what I use, €18.90 per month 2GB and 250 minutes including international calls to landlines and mobiles. There are several packages available to suit varying budgets. I've been with them for 6 years now.

User avatar
Trooperman
Resident
Posts: 1074
Joined: Mon Sep 11, 2006 4:40 pm
Location: Fuente de Piedra

Re: Internet Access with a Mobile

Postby Trooperman » Wed Jan 11, 2017 3:06 pm

I thought I'd update the forum now that my move to a non-internet house is imminent and now that I have pursued all those options mentioned peviously above.

Firstly, it seems that all major phone companies are reluctant to do much (if anything) without a contract and 24 months seems to be the tying in period that's the norm. I received flat refusals when I asked about temporary PAYG access from: Carrefour; Yoigo; Vodaphone; Orange and Movistar. Only Yoigo (with whom we have a PAYG phone) mentioned the possibility of "tethering" and using the existing phone as the "dongle/modem". That option I didn't want as it's not always going to be appropriate for the phone (my wife's) and the laptop (mine) to be in the same place.

Finally, I went, yesterday, to Carrefour in Los Barrios, which is a vast hypermarket and which had a Carrefour sales girl as well as the others above. All refused to consider PAYG - stern face - shaken head :cry: :cry: :cry: Then I saw a phone lock-up shop within the Carrefour concourse with Yoigo products and "BINGO" there was a modem in the display cabinet (39 euros) and after making my case and being persuaded that contract was better (yeh! for whom?) I bought it and also bought a SIM for 20 euros on a PAYG basis - no bank details, just passport and residencia. With a free gift of an additional 5 euros of access and a small discount, I got what I wanted for 54 Euros.

So, it IS possible.......but it's bl@@dy hard work :lolno: :lolno:
nil illegitimum carborundum

CielodeCadiz
Andalucia.com Amigo
Posts: 40
Joined: Wed Dec 14, 2016 8:35 pm
Location: California USA

Re: Internet Access with a Mobile

Postby CielodeCadiz » Wed Jan 11, 2017 9:21 pm

Has anybody tried "Mundo"? They have a pre-paid SIM card with 2 GB for 9 euros IF you can use your smartphone as a "hot spot". I used them for very economical voice access but not yet for Internet.


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 26 guests