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09-03-2018, 06:35 PM
1

Dongles

Can dongles be used to access the internet instead of subscribing to the regular ISPs such as BT or TalkTalk ? One of my friends threw this at me this morning - and i have never even heard of dongles.

Surely if they could be used - everyone would do it and BT & Co would go bankrupt. Can anyone enlighten me please??
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09-03-2018, 06:36 PM
2

Re: Dongles

Originally Posted by Silver Tabby ->
Can dongles be used to access the internet instead of subscribing to the regular ISPs such as BT or TalkTalk ? One of my friends threw this at me this morning - and i have never even heard of dongles.

Surely if they could be used - everyone would do it and BT & Co would go bankrupt. Can anyone enlighten me please??
You have to pay to top up a dongle.
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09-03-2018, 06:45 PM
3

Re: Dongles

You pay as you go with a dongle

For some people who can not get decent broadband via the phone line but get good 4G reception so a dongle is the way to go for them
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09-03-2018, 07:33 PM
4

Re: Dongles

They tend to work out more expensive to use than using regular Broadband.
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09-03-2018, 09:13 PM
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Re: Dongles

Thank you everyone - I am clueless about these things !
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09-03-2018, 09:29 PM
6

Re: Dongles

Originally Posted by Silver Tabby ->
Can dongles be used to access the internet instead of subscribing to the regular ISPs such as BT or TalkTalk ? Can anyone enlighten me please
To explain then . . .

Usually a PC/laptop gains access to the internet through either a cable plugged into it (direct connection to a network like in the work office) or via it's built in WiFi transmitter/receiver.

So at home people are generally using that WiFi unit to connect to the home router which connects to the internet via the provider (ISP) like BT etc.

However, we also see plenty of people accessing the internet using their mobile Smart phones. In this instance they are using the mobile phone provider (Vodafone, Three, O2 etc) and their phone networks to access the internet rather than using WiFi.

A dongle is simply the equivalent of a mobile phone condensed into the size of a USB stick. It has all the parts of a mobile phone that allow it to receive and transmit data but obviously no screen or buttons.

Plugging a dongle into your PC/laptop simply allows the machine to connect to the internet using that specific phone network instead of WiFi. As such you would need a phone contract just the same as any mobile phone and that can be an expensive way to access the internet. When you refer to dongles what you are actually talking about is Mobile Broadband.

The benefits of WiFi are that it is generally free, you can find WiFi hotspots all over the place, coffee shops, dept stores etc.

The benefits of Mobile Broadband are that no matter where you find yourself, you can connect to the internet over that mobile phone network provided there is a mobile phone signal. So when there's no WiFi spot available you can pop the dongle in and connect regardless. The downside is that you need a phone contract or PAYG equiv and this will cost you significant money.

To be honest dongles have been out for many many years. The advent of the smart phone largely removes the need for them.

This is because if you have a smart phone you can invariably set it up to act as WiFi hotspot. Your PC/laptop sees the phone listed in the available WiFi list like any other WiFi network and connects to it. The phone simply relays everything to the phone network.

So, if you have a Smart Phone you don't need a dongle.

Back in the day, before smart phones, I used a Mobile Broadband dongle for a while. It was really convenient to be able to connect to the internet anywhere at anytime.
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09-03-2018, 11:14 PM
7

Re: Dongles

Thanks Realist.
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09-03-2018, 11:36 PM
8

Re: Dongles

Originally Posted by Silver Tabby ->
Can dongles be used to access the internet instead of subscribing to the regular ISPs such as BT or TalkTalk ? One of my friends threw this at me this morning - and i have never even heard of dongles.

Surely if they could be used - everyone would do it and BT & Co would go bankrupt. Can anyone enlighten me please??
Funny you should mention that. I just bought one. They are old technology now replaced by mobile phones used as hotspots.

However I have a specific use for one when I travel because in remote areas the only provider is often Telstra under its universal service obligation. As I normally use a much cheaper provider, in the past I have carried a spare mobile phone and bought a Telstra SIM card when travelling.

BUT because it is generally a dying piece of technology it is dirt cheap - I just bought a Telstra 4G wifi version including SIM card for $19 (£10). The advantage for me is that in remote areas I can plug it into any USB power source such as a phone charger and connect up to 5 devices.



Naturally you can plug it directly into a computer and it gets the data directly from the dongle but I can also connect my mobile phone to the wifi and use services such as Skype or Whatsapp to talk to relatives etc where the phone would not normally be working.



It is locked to Telstra but as I will only be using it to connect to the Telstra network that is hardly a problem. Eventually I will probably get it unlocked but it is not necessary.

BTW it is Telstra branded but it is just a rebranded Huawei E8372


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Silver Tabby
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10-03-2018, 07:09 AM
9

Re: Dongles

Thank you Bruce.
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10-03-2018, 11:54 AM
10

Re: Dongles

Originally Posted by Silver Tabby ->
Can dongles be used to access the internet instead of subscribing to the regular ISPs such as BT or TalkTalk ? One of my friends threw this at me this morning - and i have never even heard of dongles.

Surely if they could be used - everyone would do it and BT & Co would go bankrupt. Can anyone enlighten me please??

..
 
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