Using Mifi and data sim in France
HI, I hope you can help me.
We are travelling to Brittany soon, our first time caravanning in France. I would like to be able to access the internet whilst there and have 2 children who would also like to message their friends (via tablets/internet not mobile phones).
I have been looking at using my phone as a hot spot or getting a mifi router and buying a data only sim.
I think that UK data is limited when roaming.
Can anyone advise on the best way to do this? Buying extra data for my phone is expensive so I wondered whether a mifi router with a data only sim might be best - but does this need to be a french sim in order to prevent the data being limited?
We will probably be using just for messaging, emails etc as I understand watching tv/films is very data hungry!
I have been researching this but it's not my forte really and I have so many other things to sort out before we go I was hoping you lovely people might have some experience and advice to share?
Thanks in advance!
Comments
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We have an EE Hotspot for data only and £10 per cm gets you a Roaming Pass for the EU.You have to ring up and arrange it or it is £2 per day.We can use our full 30Gb monthly allowance in the EU by purchasing the bolt-on which is charged to our account over and above our normal monthly payment.
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Huawei MiFi seems popular. “Internet with Legs” was also mentioned on another forum and I assume this is one of the Huawei packages available.
Worth mentioning that a high percentage of French sites have free WiFi. You may have to be close to reception to get a decent signal but that has the benefit of limiting browsing time which leaves more space for proper outdoor activities, although I am not sure the kids will see it that way!
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Kate, we went to a dozen or more cheapish campsites in Brittany and most of them had free wi fi that was good enough for the purposes you describe - it was rarely accessible in the caravan and usually meant going closer to the office, but it sufficed.
The more expensive campsites, however, are more likely to charge you for wi fi, and if you are as mean as I am you can instead find free wi fi in (or outside) McDonalds, cafes, bars, motorway service stations , shopping malls, public libraries and tourist offices. We used all those in various places at times for messaging family and friends.
But beware of wi fi via sky high satellite connections on ferries. That really is dear.
Enjoy Brittany.
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But beware of wi fi via sky high satellite connections on ferries. That really is dear.
Indeed, Brittany Ferries have such a service and advise switching roaming off on your phone during the crossing. That worked totally on my iphone but OH’s still linked to the satellite phone system. Wether she would have been charged for any incoming calls I don’t know, she turned the phone off for the crossing. Probably the safest then there is no risk, the charges are exorbitant.
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Do a search on MotorhomeFun, there are plenty of suggestions there but you will need to check them at source to make sure they are still available. One recently recommended was from Lebara. £15 for 30Gb of data.
peedee
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If your on O2 with your phone there is no additional charge for roaming. There is a monthly limit but it was higher than OH’s 15GB so I didn’t register the amount. Also if you have a BT mobile sim, as I do (which uses EE) you are able to request a no charge add on, where as there is a charge if your contract is direct with EE.
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Thank you hitchglitch. I have mixed feelings about the whole browsing thing... I'd rather get the kids outdoors too, but not sure its worth the pain of poor wifi.... not very relaxing to hear them complain
Good to know though that Wifi is usually free. I will check out the Huawei Mifi
Thanks
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If your usage is going to be minimal, then using the site Wi-Fi is your cheapest option. But as many have already suggested, the speed of the site Wi-Fi may well be frustratingly slow.
We always take a MIFI unit, and I tend to purchase a 100/120MB EE sim card from that well known internet site which will be more than adequate for your usage - and as most will have a 12 month validity, you can use it next time you travel.
This SIM card also allows us, via a Fire Stick, to freely access UK television.
Not mentioned, but another option for good value EU internet is to go to your local non branded mobile phone shop and see what they can offer
Happy travels
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I got a text from EE, yesterday saying that I could use my phone in the EU as I do at home with no extra cost - and I'm on a sim only contract - so not paying a lot at all.
I use a TP Link router with a Poynting aerial on a 10' mast outside the van and get really fast internet speeds even in areas where the equivalent phone signal is poor.
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Older contracts, with whichever provider, will continue to enjoy free roaming. Most will have data caps applied, however. Some major players 25gb, some 50gb.
some smaller piggy back networks have an algorithm for data allowance based on the price of your contract.
I just renegotiated my phone contract with my current provider and got a better deal, roaming included for significantly less than my expiring deal. I was on the point of going with Virgin who have a terrific range of roaming options with large data volumes, but the service desk in in the Philippines and my limited contact with them proved a bit difficult.
in fact, Vodafone gave me 40% off my contract and added roaming for free, so I was very happy.
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I use Gifgaff PAYG and for our trip in June bought a £10 goodybag which gave me 15GB. I used it in my 4G mobile phone as a wifi hotspot and connected a laptop and tablet to it.
Connection speed was excellent - around 15Mb/s - and very reliable (at Montoire sur le Loir). I only used about 3 GB in 18 days for email, browsing etc. As it happens. the town has free wifi covering everywhere including the campsite so I needn's have bothered but it wasn't as fast.
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...but their data (in Europe) is capped at 12gb per month so it depends on how much you need.
many folk like to grab a bit of uk tv and may be located beyond the usual satellite footprint, which then pushes folk towards site wifi costs and VPNs or streaming, which will kill that level of data pretty quickly.0 -
Ok! So I got Huawei mobile router and a Lebara sim. I am now i France and I can't get it working. It worked at home!
The router will connect and I have enabled data roaming. But i cant get an internet connection. When I go onto manage router it says the profile is not valid.
Any idea folks?
Thanks
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Kate, if you take the Lebara sim out of the HUAWEI and put it in your phone, does it work in France? Can you browse the net?
this will check that roaming is set up properly on the sim. If it does, then it's likely to be a setting on the HUAWEI.
if it doesn't work then it's the sim and you might be able to check/change sim settings on the phone more easily than when it's in the router.
I know I had to turn on roaming on my Vodafone HUAWEI mifi before it worked abroad.
failing that, it's probably contact Lebara. Good luck.
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Kate, sorry to hear your troubles with the new set up, can’t really help.
fwiw …
I would though strongly warn all that the ‘free’ Public type Wi-Fi set ups are a major source of future unpleasant un-solicited scams & adverts etc finding their way to your devices & email address of any un- suspecting users.
You are after all opening up your device to a common source public provider which are being easily routinely infiltrated by the criminals and mass advert groups who then tag into you. Once your tagged it’s then hard to get removed.
The use of correct protocol when joining into Public Wi-Fi sites & security VPN like NordVPN can assist greatly.
M
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Hi yes the sim works in my phone for calls and internet. The phone recognises the router but won't connect to the internet. When I look at the router settings it says 'profile invalid'.
Any ideas?
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Im a bit confused here (easily done...)...
With the sim in your phone and you can make calls and browse the net the SIM is working and has been configured for roaming.
where I'm confused is why you are trying to connect the phone to the router. Doesn't the router need the sim in it to connect and distribute the signal, enabling devices which don't have connectivity on their own to reach the internet?
a quick google and the only thing I can think of is that the APN Access Point Name is correct on the phone but not on the router. Can you find this setting on the router, what is the model of the router so that I can check the manual.
any other users here know the APN setting for the router?
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Kate, can you check your APN settings on the router with the sim back in and your phone/tablet connected to its network...agree you may not be able to browse the net at this point..
. On my HUAWEI (vodafone supplied) these are my settings and below are what I've found for Lebara.
Name: Lebara Internet.
APN: uk.lebara.mobi.
Username: wap.
Password: wap.
MMS Port: 8799.BUT,
Lebara seem to have a different set for France, Germany etc....mine is set once and that's used all over Europe. Lebara uses vodafone so can't be that different. You may have to confirm with Lebara what the settings are. Good luck.
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I had exactly the same problem with my Huawei router earlier this year. I had bought a new Smarty SIm and it worked perfectly in the UK.
Before going abroad, I activated roaming and thought nothing else of it. Tried to use it the first night we were in France and it would not connect to the internet. Tried it in my phone and the same thing happened. Wife was not pleased as her phone was with Sky mobile and roaming would cost £2 per day.
I tried reconfiguring the APN settings but no joy. I spent 2 hours of my life on a very slow on-line chat with the Smarty helpdesk, but eventually they blamed the router and suggested I contact Huawei.
We were on a 2 month trip to drive to Sicily and back, so I wasn't best pleased to be left with limited roaming data. We managed (just) by using my monthly 12Gb Vodafone data allowance sparingly and also hooking up to any free site wifi.
Having read your tale of woes which is almost identical to my experience, I won't be using Smarty again. They seem a very competitive and friendly organisation but clearly their EU roaming setup is very hit and miss.
My wife is now in the process of switching to O2 which, fingers crossed, will give her EU roaming the next time we venture abroad. I am also going to ditch my mifi unit as both our phones are capable of acting as hotspots if we want to use our laptop and tablets.
Jim
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Jim, I do get the impression that the 'piggy back' networks keep costs low by 'streamlining' (cutting to the bone) customer service areas...I even tried Virgin who had amazing roaming deals but two conversations with (truly lovely but almost incomprehensible) people in the Philippines eventually told me no.
I negotiated the same deal in the end with my own provider Vodafone who gave me a discount of 40% on a new sim only deal, saving me money and resetting the deal re RPI increases.
my Vodafone branded HUAWEI mifi needed no APN settings here or anywhere abroad. I did have to download a HUAWEI app to give me access to ensure roaming was turned on. After that, it just worked.
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yt, I suspect you might be right. I had used my Huawei mifi for 10 years all over the EU with a '3' SIM without any trouble pre-Covid. I let my monthly data plan lapse for 2 years when we were confined to base, but reactivated the mifi unit with a Smarty SIM when we started touring in the UK again. It was very frustrating when we found it wouldn't work on day 1 of a 2 month EU trip
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I'm trying to think of a simple solution from this thread.
We use campsite wifi abroad. If a little out of range our "Motorhome iboost Pro D8 Directional System" usually boosts te signal enough for us to get reception on the pitch. It also allows us to feed the sometimes one device only pass to my tablet and the bosses phone.
If I get a mifi router, is anybody aware of a data only non contract sim that lasts for more than one month once activated, and I can use abroad.
Is this a unicorn horn or does something really exist?
Colin
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Colin, many sim only deals are (or can be) rolling 30 day no tie in 'contracts'. Usually a tad more than the longer 12/24 month deals but great for occasional use. One advantage is that changes can be made easily to say increase or reduce data as you need it.
sote wifi, while sometimes free, can also be €15 ish a month. If your home deal, say, costs that, why not bring it with you and use free wifi sometimes and 4g when it's not.
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I have a Smarty sim in my phone and OH has a Lebara sim in his phone. When out in France earlier this year both of us had no issues.
We have a Mifi with a data sim from 3 in it and that also works no problem.
We have not tried either of the phone sim in the mifi though, so don't know if they would work, will give it a go when we are over there next month.
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