We're about to head off into the distance having sold up and will have no base. We want to use the internet on the road to check emails etc, download info on places we visit, and generally keep in touch with the 'other side'. Can someone give us ideas about wireless broadband - is it expensive? do you have to have a landline as well (we won't have one of those). What are the best plans you can get?
Doug and Dusty said
06:51 AM Jul 21, 2008
The only option at this time is Telstra Bigpond , get the Modem, not the card, modem plans a slightly cheaper, there are other ISP'S like Vodafone,Optus,Dodo,and so on but mainly in the larger towns and cities can service be had, going by some of the websites of the other providers ...ie Optus etc there is a big upgrade taking place , December 2008 is mentioned,hope it is up and running by then because I can't wait to get away from the ripoff Bigpond, Don't get locked in on a 2 year contract with Bigpond, better to buy the modem outright , If I were looking for wireless for a 1st timer I would give Vodafone a look, there was a couple here at El Arish and they could check email but it was only at dial up speed, if in a larger place like Cairns then it would have been at Broadband speed, and no you do not need a landline phone service connected, check out the Optus and Vodafone websites for cheaper plans and coverage.
Webmaster said
07:09 AM Jul 21, 2008
Hi Retirees, Great to hear that you'll be hitting the road soon. There was a good discussion about this topic on the forum recently (page 3), here's a link:
It's probably worth thinking about how much you'll use the internet on the road before you sign up for a plan. Lots of places, such as internet cafes, libraries, caravan parks and even tourist information centres, offer cheap internet access.
dave06 said
10:15 AM Jul 21, 2008
Hi, good on ya for making the big decision you wont regret it for a minute, we are on the road right now (piccaninie ponds) using satelite broadband internet, (prepaid) doesnt matter which one, they are all about the same, as soon as we get home we will be scrapping the whole system, too dear and too time consuming, we will as we have always done before is to load our emails and photos (previously conscribed on to the dragons laptop) on to a thumb drive then as soon as we hit a town with an internet cafe or library we download the photos and emails on to our home internet website, if you are not going to have home internet when you go then there are many websites that host your photographs and do lots of other things, ( check previous forum pages lots of good info there), do not buy into a plan believe me we checked and there is no free lunch in this department they are all too expensive, wireless is o.k. (but expensive $50 per month is what we pay at the moment at home) if you are around major cities, even then you have black spots, we travel a lot and send our gear back to either our internet address or to a friends, much easier and a hell of a lot cheaper, 3gb sounds a lot until you start uploading photos
Basil Faulty said
05:37 PM Jul 21, 2008
I'd take the opportunist approach ie grab whatever is available for free first...If your laptop has wireless capability there are heaps of "WiFi Hotspots" around these days, some free some come free if you buy a coffee, some are very expensive....have a look at these sites; http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies-archive.cfm/448989.html
or if you want to do it via a Modem have a sqiz here. Before you purchase anything though I would insist absolutley that you get a current coverage map... But there are some sensibly priced deals going... http://www.aussiecomparison.com/3/wireless-broadband.html
I did try using a Next G mobile as a "modem" for a while but it became very expensive and like all off this technology only seemed to work well in areas where yuppies abound. Also many PAYG wireless hotspots around as well... This works for me anyway and why did I go green? Hope this is of assistance....
OutbackAus said
08:12 AM Jul 22, 2008
I am on the Bigpond 1.0Gb plan $49.95 a month using the BP3-EXT. Have no issue keeping within the 1.0Gb a month. My monthly plan rolls over tomorrow and still have 121Mb spare. Use VoIP as well on MyNetFone. The Bigpond BP3 modem is easily coverted to operate on 12v with a suitable 12v to 6v adaptor.
Using an external aerial like the GME AE915 marine fold down aerial gives amazing coverage depending on terrain. Often and more the normal get reception well outside the Telstra coverage maps. If you have OziExplorer, I have an Australian coverage map in OZF format for NextG which is quite reasonable.
Great to hear that you'll be hitting the road soon. There was a good discussion about this topic on the forum recently (page 3), here's a link:
http://www.activeboard.com/forum.spark?forumID=51933&p=3&topicID=18129301
It's probably worth thinking about how much you'll use the internet on the road before you sign up for a plan. Lots of places, such as internet cafes, libraries, caravan parks and even tourist information centres, offer cheap internet access.
Hi, good on ya for making the big decision you wont regret it for a minute, we are on the road right now (piccaninie ponds) using satelite broadband internet, (prepaid) doesnt matter which one, they are all about the same, as soon as we get home we will be scrapping the whole system, too dear and too time consuming, we will as we have always done before is to load our emails and photos (previously conscribed on to the dragons laptop) on to a thumb drive then as soon as we hit a town with an internet cafe or library we download the photos and emails on to our home internet website, if you are not going to have home internet when you go then there are many websites that host your photographs and do lots of other things, ( check previous forum pages lots of good info there), do not buy into a plan believe me we checked and there is no free lunch in this department they are all too expensive, wireless is o.k. (but expensive $50 per month is what we pay at the moment at home) if you are around major cities, even then you have black spots, we travel a lot and send our gear back to either our internet address or to a friends, much easier and a hell of a lot cheaper, 3gb sounds a lot until you start uploading photos
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies-archive.cfm/448989.html
http://www.wififreespot.com/aus.html
http://www.freewifi.com.au/
http://www.wi-fihotspotlist.com/browse/au/
or if you want to do it via a Modem have a sqiz here. Before you purchase anything though I would insist absolutley that you get a current coverage map... But there are some sensibly priced deals going...
http://www.aussiecomparison.com/3/wireless-broadband.html
Of course this gives you the security of using your own computer for sensitive stuff like banking... Most internet cafes will let you plug your laptop into their network for a small charge...
If your laptop does not have wireless built in you will need to buy one of these;
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Netgear-54Mbps-Wireless-PC-Card_W0QQitemZ130237938712QQihZ003QQcategoryZ74953QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
I did try using a Next G mobile as a "modem" for a while but it became very expensive and like all off this technology only seemed to work well in areas where yuppies abound.
Also many PAYG wireless hotspots around as well...
This works for me anyway and why did I go green?
Hope this is of assistance....
The Bigpond BP3 modem is easily coverted to operate on 12v with a suitable 12v to 6v adaptor.
Using an external aerial like the GME AE915 marine fold down aerial gives amazing coverage depending on terrain. Often and more the normal get reception well outside the Telstra coverage maps.
If you have OziExplorer, I have an Australian coverage map in OZF format for NextG which is quite reasonable.