Re: Dongles
Originally Posted by
Silver Tabby
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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.