Internet access in France

iansoady
iansoady Club Member Posts: 419 ✭✭✭
edited June 2018 in Overseas Campsites & Touring #1

We've usually used campsite wifi which isn't always brilliant so this year I decided to try using my phone (a rather old Motorola Razr i) as a wifi hotspot.

I use Giffgaff PAYG as I'm not a heavy phone user so before we left I bought a "Goodybag" for £10. This gave me 3 GB data with unlimited calls and texts for a month.

I found that I could always get a decent phone signal and that although my phone is only 3G / HSDPA the performance was quite adequate even for Google Earth and Street View. It wouldn't of course be up to streaming video etc but I have no interest in that. I used a tablet for reading newspapers etc and an ASUS laptop running Windows 10 for email and web browsing.

Total data usage over 3 weeks was less than the 3 GB allowance - and about .5GB was taken up with a Windows 10 update which I had foolishly left enabled.....

I can recommend this as an effective low cost option.

Comments

  • peedee
    peedee Club Member Posts: 9,388 ✭✭✭
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    edited June 2018 #2

    I do the same but using "Thrèe Mobile" and a monthly subscription. It is only in the last year "Three" has allowed this. Prior to this I used a miFi

    peedee

     

  • Unknown
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    edited June 2018 #3
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  • Landyrover
    Landyrover Forum Participant Posts: 143
    edited June 2018 #4

     I use the MiFi unit from EE on a monthly contract. It has served well in France and Spain where campsite Wi-Fi can be poor to non existent.

  • Unknown
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    edited June 2018 #5
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  • Unknown
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    edited June 2018 #6
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  • EasyT
    EasyT Forum Participant Posts: 16,194
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    edited June 2018 #7

    No idea but I purchased a 24gb 12 month EE sim for £50 from Argos a couple of weeks ago.

  • young thomas
    young thomas Forum Participant Posts: 11,356
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    edited June 2018 #8

    I get 5gb a month on my Vodafone mobile phone plan....60gb a year.

    at home, I use less than a gig per month (as browsing at home is mainly done on a wifi fed iPad) but the 5gb per month is just about right to service our two iPads while away...UK or abroad.....it works just the same and no roaming charges now.

    of course, a free site wifi service will eke this out, but we are happy to rely on the phone if reqd. as above, 3G is very widely available and can't remember not being able to connect, even on Aires etc...

    so, no extra gadgets or contracts, just one contract (£13 per month) no extra charges and drives two iPads and the phone nicely.

  • EasyT
    EasyT Forum Participant Posts: 16,194
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    edited June 2018 #9

    I reckon that if we used mifi for all our 120 nights away we would need just over 40gb. But each month would need just over 10gb. 

    Asda payg is plenty for our limited phone needs

  • SteveL
    SteveL Club Member Posts: 12,310 ✭✭✭
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    edited June 2018 #10

    Last time we went was in the last month of the old system, so took our 3 MiFi with 7 gig, which was fine for a month. Next time we go I will probably just use our two iPhones. (O2 & EE) They have 6 gig between them, which along with occasional site Wifi should be ample.

  • IanTG
    IanTG Forum Participant Posts: 419
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    edited June 2018 #11

    I wonder if BREXIT will have any impact on free-roaming, and therefore using a local (ie French, Spanish etc) SIM would then become better. This of course may be dependant on whether one’s mifi or phone is SIM specific or unlocked?

  • DavidKlyne
    DavidKlyne Club Member Posts: 13,864 ✭✭✭
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    edited June 2018 #12

    Being able to use your phone in another European country the same as you do at home comes from a European Directive. Depending on what sort of deal is struck it is possible that it may no longer be the case. If not compelled to  do so I imagine the various Networks won't lose any time in reintroducing something like the old charging method. One saving grace might be that having got used to being able to use our phones freely in Europe there would likely be a far greater outcry than when we were previously ripped off by the Networks?

    David

  • Unknown
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    edited June 2018 #13
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  • Oneputt
    Oneputt Club Member Posts: 9,145 ✭✭✭
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    edited June 2018 #14

    Generally I go into the local tourist office or Mac Donald’s and get it freesurprised

  • Biggarmac
    Biggarmac Forum Participant Posts: 364
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    edited June 2018 #15

    I have a 3 20gb SIM to use on my mifi.  It was from Amazon and lasts two years - if you have not used it all up by then.  One good thing about it is that the BBC think you are in London and allow you to access the iplayer.  Using my phone on roaming does not allow this.

  • cyberyacht
    cyberyacht Forum Participant Posts: 10,218
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    edited June 2018 #16

    You'd use up 20Gig in pretty short order running iPlayer, I would have thought.

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