Welcome to Motorhomefacts, we are a thriving motorhome community (Largest in Europe). Why Not JOIN NOW and get instant access to more of the website. It costs nothing to join and only takes a few minutes. We have 200,000 different people visiting our site monthly and this amount of motorhomers in one place guarantees a fast response to any questions you may have. We also have unique facilities not found elsewhere such as our Online Logbook, stopover tracker, Motorhome directory with Ebay type feedback and the largest repository of motorhome campsites reviews found anywhere
Thinking of buying a lap top so we can stay in touch with the world whilst we tour France during August.
Bit frustrating really. Went to PC world, family chose a lap top and broad band contract man went off "computer says no" after all that they had sold out of the one we had settled on! Walked away.
However, whilst abroad we cannot find a clear answer on the cost of broad band use.
What do you guys do and what does it cost? Appriciate the possability of Wi-Fi but it could be hit and miss.
When abroad I use wi fi on the campsites when there is a reasonable fee, but very often it is free on many Spanish sites.However the roaming charges on dongles and phones can be excessive.
have a search on here for a lot of previous comments and information.
A lot depends on the usage you want.
Campsite WiFi connections are sometimes 1 euro an hour or more while others are free and many are unreliable but still useable.
If you are an occassional user, a small laptop with good battery life is good for use in McDonalds and other free hotspots but you may have to make a point of going to them when you want a connection.
Otherwise, in Europe you may find it is better to get a data enabled sim card in the country you are going to. There are some very good deals to be had in Italy, Spain and Portugal, for instance.
Be very wary about using a UK sim in Europe - most ae exorbitantly expensive when roaming.
Patrick
France has WiFi (pronounced WeeFee)in many supermarkets and often FREE WEEFEE at that. Also as mentioned in MacDonalds but I never used this. Roaming data horrendous price if using a UK dongle (wireless modem) Vodafone Pay As You Go possibly best for occasional use in UK or 02 which allows access to "The Cloud" in UK. In UK probably some advantage in Pay as You Go although O2's definition of Pay as you Go is 1 day, 1 week and 1 month. Vodafone charging more realistic so the data you buy has to be used within 90 days I think rather than O2 which has to be used by the day, the week the month no data carried over. 1 month on O2 is £15 and gets you 3GB. Every salesperson O2 3G Vodafone etc. laughs when you mention roaming charges!! I think something like £3 a mb. 1mb of data gets you very little NB it is not 1GB for £3! o2 have roaming charge of £20 uupfront for 10mb I think but the advice is try and buy in the country you are using. Big debate in France about broadband provision at the moment I think so probably the hardest country to find definitive info about?
Mobile broadband costs have come down considerably since 1st July. However, 3 are now charging £1.25/mb and T Mobile are at £1.50/mb. Work it out, that is £1250 to £1500 per gb.
Bit expensive if you are caught unawares.
Gerry
WiFi is increasingly available in the UK (CCC costs £125 a year) and, more importantly, is more often available abroad free or cheaply. I am currently piggybacking on someones unsecured WiFi in northern Germany.
Dongles are getting cheaper for use in the UK, but roaming charges are still horrendous for data, worth considering is a "3" dongle for three months in the UK, but whilst it will work in towns and cities, the response times will be very poor in the counntryside.
We have the Alden Netmaster which provides satellite Internet as well as TV and Radio. It works out at €7 for each day on which you use it and the kit is not cheap, but you can use it anywhere you can "see" the satellite. The download speeds are quite good but uploading is slow - sending photos is a no-no. It does support Skype phone calls though.
Many campsites now have WIFI. During a recent long trip I would say about 80% of the sites we stayed on (all ACSI) in France had WIFI and for several that was free. I was only ripped off once - 2 euros for 30 minutes but I had to make an urgent transaction.
In Spain I park outside hotels and piggy back on to their connections but its a bit hit and miss. Some bars have free WIFI if you buy a drink. Its easy really but I must admit not to using it very much as there are much better things to do.
Many campsites now have WIFI ..............................>.
The number is growing.
Checking the Camping Cheques campsite book the number is growing rapidly.
There is also a greater number of of campsites giving Wi-Fi across the campsite and onto the pitches rather than a smaller designated area.
Chateau le Verdoyer, the French campsite where we have our mobilehome has had Wi-Fi available around the office/bar area for some years but this year has had 3 masts erected and Wi-Fi is now available right around the site. Much more convenient.
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum You cannot attach files in this forum You cannot download files in this forum
All times are GMT + 1 Hour Page 1 of 2Goto page 1, 2Next
Morocco
and many are unreliable but still useable.
