As we are occasional nomads these days, our communications needs are perhaps different to full time or frequent caravanners.
This is the approach that worked very well for us on a recent trip from Brisbane to Sydney & back along the coast. ----
We have an old prepaid Telstra mobile. Changed to a 'Long Life' plan & recharged it to get a 6 to 12mths credit period. Then for $1 changed back to a plan that gives around 15c/minute calls, but retains the long life credit period. As it turned out I rarely used it for OG calls. I have Bigpond Cable 5 gig/month at home.
A few months ago Coles had a $29 special on a run out line of Telstra 3G mobile broadband USB dongles (actually has a SIM card & mobile phone number in the thingo).
I thought that it came with 3Gig of data for 30days, as a special but when I tried to enable it, it said that my plan was around 500MB for 15 days. I rang Telstra's call centre & they couldn't be more helpful. They accepted my story & gave me bonus data up to 3Gig & 30 days expiry. As a special bonus, I could even understand the operator.
(As I had picked up two of these dongles .. one for each trip that I had planned, I went thru this process twice, both with the same result ... great stuff)
I can top them up later if I so desire, but as we were away for only two weeks on each trip the 30day 3gig was more than enough.
I was able to use my laptop to do all my usual internet & Email stuff and set up a Skype account to use for voice calls (small charge) & 'free' video calls.
Worked for us & affordable too.
ps. Also took my XMAS present Kindle 3G, WiFi E-reader along with dozens of free kindle books. Fantastic! I'm hooked on E-readers. Just ordered a cover with intergrated LED light .. around $19 on ebay.
With this sort of leap into current technology, its only a matter of time before I catch up with the Grandkids & have a couple of "I" thingos. (My Grandson found a lost, latest model I phone on a Sydney Bus one day & handed it in to the Driver .. hope the owner eventually gets it back)
-- Edited by Cupie on Sunday 27th of January 2013 12:45:22 PM
Dougwe said
09:34 PM Jan 27, 2013
Sounds good Cupie. I have a "I" thingo, it's a iPhone and I might say once I got used to the touch pad thingo system (sorry) it is good. I have had a moblie phone since they were a brick and I must say the iPhone is the BEST by far. I now use it for all my Internet use with Telstra 2.5GB data, I use the phone phone as a modem for for Laptop, I also have a Testra Bigpond "Ultimate" wireless Broadband with 1GB as a back up only in case there is a problem with the phone or need just a little extra GB for the month, I can increase the phone GB if I need too though. I will probably get rid of the "Ultimate" over the next few months, I am still thinking on that.
I am now thinking of getting another "I" thingo..... iPad.
Overall, I am extremely happy with it all. I use "Live Chat" whenever I need to talk to Telstra as I have not been as lucky as you with operators.
Roving-Dutchy said
11:49 PM Jan 27, 2013
Hi Doug Now if you were to have businness plan with Telstra, you would find the experience all together different, you get onto support almost instantly and you get to speak to an Aussie, evidently businness doesn't like to be kept waiting and doesn't like support from India, wouldn't it be great if Telstra treated us peasants the same way as businness people are treated. Cheers David
neilnruth said
12:29 AM Jan 28, 2013
Who's to say that sometimes that accent we think is overseas actually belongs to an Australian?
scotia59 said
02:55 AM Jan 28, 2013
beg to differ David, we have a business plan and it drives me crazy every time I have to speak to Telstra, not always an Aussie accent and often very hard to understand ( or maybe I am just thick!!!!)
As we are occasional nomads these days, our communications needs are perhaps different to full time or frequent caravanners.
This is the approach that worked very well for us on a recent trip from Brisbane to Sydney & back along the coast. ----
We have an old prepaid Telstra mobile. Changed to a 'Long Life' plan & recharged it to get a 6 to 12mths credit period. Then for $1 changed back to a plan that gives around 15c/minute calls, but retains the long life credit period. As it turned out I rarely used it for OG calls. I have Bigpond Cable 5 gig/month at home.
A few months ago Coles had a $29 special on a run out line of Telstra 3G mobile broadband USB dongles (actually has a SIM card & mobile phone number in the thingo).
I thought that it came with 3Gig of data for 30days, as a special but when I tried to enable it, it said that my plan was around 500MB for 15 days. I rang Telstra's call centre & they couldn't be more helpful. They accepted my story & gave me bonus data up to 3Gig & 30 days expiry. As a special bonus, I could even understand the operator.
(As I had picked up two of these dongles .. one for each trip that I had planned, I went thru this process twice, both with the same result ... great stuff)
I can top them up later if I so desire, but as we were away for only two weeks on each trip the 30day 3gig was more than enough.
I was able to use my laptop to do all my usual internet & Email stuff and set up a Skype account to use for voice calls (small charge) & 'free' video calls.
Worked for us & affordable too.
ps. Also took my XMAS present Kindle 3G, WiFi E-reader along with dozens of free kindle books. Fantastic! I'm hooked on E-readers. Just ordered a cover with intergrated LED light .. around $19 on ebay.
With this sort of leap into current technology, its only a matter of time before I catch up with the Grandkids & have a couple of "I" thingos. (My Grandson found a lost, latest model I phone on a Sydney Bus one day & handed it in to the Driver .. hope the owner eventually gets it back)
-- Edited by Cupie on Sunday 27th of January 2013 12:45:22 PM
Sounds good Cupie. I have a "I" thingo, it's a iPhone and I might say once I got used to the touch pad thingo system (sorry) it is good. I have had a moblie phone since they were a brick and I must say the iPhone is the BEST by far. I now use it for all my Internet use with Telstra 2.5GB data, I use the phone phone as a modem for for Laptop, I also have a Testra Bigpond "Ultimate" wireless Broadband with 1GB as a back up only in case there is a problem with the phone or need just a little extra GB for the month, I can increase the phone GB if I need too though. I will probably get rid of the "Ultimate" over the next few months, I am still thinking on that.
I am now thinking of getting another "I" thingo..... iPad.
Overall, I am extremely happy with it all. I use "Live Chat" whenever I need to talk to Telstra as I have not been as lucky as you with operators.
Now if you were to have businness plan with Telstra, you would find the experience all together different, you get onto support almost instantly and you get to speak to an Aussie, evidently businness doesn't like to be kept waiting and doesn't like support from India, wouldn't it be great if Telstra treated us peasants the same way as businness people are treated.
Cheers
David