USB broadband dongles and how use is now charged?

Over the last few years there were first PCMCIA cards and now I see USB
broadband dongles are on the market and appear quite cheap.

However one thing that has confused me is the monthly pricing. Checking out
http://www.phones4u.co.uk/shop/shop_...ItemKey=186852 I
see you get 3Gb plus 250 free WIFI minutes.

Am I correct to assume that this is offering is 250 minutes and within this
time you can download upto 3Gb? I am sure years ago that this product
offered as "always on" and you were simply charged per Mb. Perhaps I have
misunderstood what is being offered on the phones4u page.

Be grateful if someone could clarify.

Cheers

Phil

In article <jf6Rj.545731$Gl5.108951@fe02.news.easynews.com> ,
phil.latio@f-in-stupid.co.uk says...
> Over the last few years there were first PCMCIA cards and now I see USB
> broadband dongles are on the market and appear quite cheap.
>
> However one thing that has confused me is the monthly pricing. Checking out
> http://www.phones4u.co.uk/shop/shop_...ItemKey=186852 I
> see you get 3Gb plus 250 free WIFI minutes.
>
> Am I correct to assume that this is offering is 250 minutes and within this
> time you can download upto 3Gb?

No. It means exactly what it says - you can use wifi for 250 minutes,
and download/upoad 3Gb whilst using the mobile phone network. The wifi
minutes are in addition to, and entirely separate from, your 3Gb.

--
Regards
Jon

In message MPG.227f7d808df0d2b3989784@nntp.aioe.org,
Jon <spam@jonparker.plus.com> Proclaimed from the tallest tower:

> In article <jf6Rj.545731$Gl5.108951@fe02.news.easynews.com> ,
> phil.latio@f-in-stupid.co.uk says...
>> Over the last few years there were first PCMCIA cards and now I see
>> USB broadband dongles are on the market and appear quite cheap.
>>
>> However one thing that has confused me is the monthly pricing.
>> Checking out
>> http://www.phones4u.co.uk/shop/shop_...ItemKey=186852
>> I see you get 3Gb plus 250 free WIFI minutes.
>>
>> Am I correct to assume that this is offering is 250 minutes and
>> within this time you can download upto 3Gb?
>
> No. It means exactly what it says - you can use wifi for 250 minutes,
> and download/upoad 3Gb whilst using the mobile phone network. The wifi
> minutes are in addition to, and entirely separate from, your 3Gb.

What do they mean by WiFi 'minutes' surely your WiFi connection has nothing
to do with your phone network provider? How can they limit the amount of
time you spend on WiFi connections?? In fact, how can they even TELL you are
connected to the internet via Wifi?

--
Regards,
Chris.
(Remove Elvis's shoes to email me)

ChrisM wrote:
> In message MPG.227f7d808df0d2b3989784@nntp.aioe.org,
> Jon <spam@jonparker.plus.com> Proclaimed from the tallest tower:
>
>> In article <jf6Rj.545731$Gl5.108951@fe02.news.easynews.com> ,
>> phil.latio@f-in-stupid.co.uk says...
>>> Over the last few years there were first PCMCIA cards and now I see
>>> USB broadband dongles are on the market and appear quite cheap.
>>>
>>> However one thing that has confused me is the monthly pricing.
>>> Checking out
>>> http://www.phones4u.co.uk/shop/shop_...ItemKey=186852
>>> I see you get 3Gb plus 250 free WIFI minutes.
>>>
>>> Am I correct to assume that this is offering is 250 minutes and
>>> within this time you can download upto 3Gb?
>> No. It means exactly what it says - you can use wifi for 250 minutes,
>> and download/upoad 3Gb whilst using the mobile phone network. The wifi
>> minutes are in addition to, and entirely separate from, your 3Gb.
>
> What do they mean by WiFi 'minutes' surely your WiFi connection has nothing
> to do with your phone network provider? How can they limit the amount of
> time you spend on WiFi connections?? In fact, how can they even TELL you are
> connected to the internet via Wifi?
>

I am going to guess that these are WiFi minutes on one or more of the
PAYG public WiFi networks, such as ones in railway stations or coffee shops.

In message 67lmr2F2mtuqeU2@mid.individual.net,
Jon Ross <itsa@secret.com> Proclaimed from the tallest tower:

> ChrisM wrote:
>> In message MPG.227f7d808df0d2b3989784@nntp.aioe.org,
>> Jon <spam@jonparker.plus.com> Proclaimed from the tallest tower:
>>
>>> In article <jf6Rj.545731$Gl5.108951@fe02.news.easynews.com> ,
>>> phil.latio@f-in-stupid.co.uk says...
>>>> Over the last few years there were first PCMCIA cards and now I see
>>>> USB broadband dongles are on the market and appear quite cheap.
>>>>
>>>> However one thing that has confused me is the monthly pricing.
>>>> Checking out
>>>> http://www.phones4u.co.uk/shop/shop_...ItemKey=186852
>>>> I see you get 3Gb plus 250 free WIFI minutes.
>>>>
>>>> Am I correct to assume that this is offering is 250 minutes and
>>>> within this time you can download upto 3Gb?
>>> No. It means exactly what it says - you can use wifi for 250
>>> minutes, and download/upoad 3Gb whilst using the mobile phone
>>> network. The wifi minutes are in addition to, and entirely separate
>>> from, your 3Gb.
>>
>> What do they mean by WiFi 'minutes' surely your WiFi connection has
>> nothing to do with your phone network provider? How can they limit
>> the amount of time you spend on WiFi connections?? In fact, how can
>> they even TELL you are connected to the internet via Wifi?
>>
>
> I am going to guess that these are WiFi minutes on one or more of the
> PAYG public WiFi networks, such as ones in railway stations or coffee
> shops.

Ahh, that makes sense, I guess. I suppose they must have an agreement with
the providers of these public WiFi 'hotpots' and include some sort of
subscription in your contract...(?)

--
Regards,
Chris.
(Remove Elvis's shoes to email me)

> Ahh, that makes sense, I guess. I suppose they must have an agreement with
> the providers of these public WiFi 'hotpots' and include some sort of
> subscription in your contract...(?)

The bit that I don't get is what's the point of a public WiFi hotspot if the
service is "always on"?

Cheers

Phil

Phil Latio wrote:
>> Ahh, that makes sense, I guess. I suppose they must have an agreement with
>> the providers of these public WiFi 'hotpots' and include some sort of
>> subscription in your contract...(?)
>
> The bit that I don't get is what's the point of a public WiFi hotspot if the
> service is "always on"?

1.) Not always in a 3G area
2.) No bandwidth limits (time, rather than size)
3.) Cheaper costs to the network

D

In article <Ipednd2kcMorAIjVnZ2dnUVZ8t2snZ2d@bt.com>,
chris_mayersblue@suedeyahoo.com says...
> What do they mean by WiFi 'minutes' surely your WiFi connection has nothing
> to do with your phone network provider?

Indeed they are separate. As part of the deal you will have the ability
to spend x number of minutes connected to any Wifi hotspot named by the
mobile phone network (who will have a tie-up with teh wifi provider,
e.g. the cloud, BTOpenzone etc)

> How can they limit the amount of time you spend on WiFi connections??

In the same wasy as any other pay-for wifi hotspot privder, by cutting
you off after a set period of time has elapsed.

> In fact, how can they even TELL you are
> connected to the internet via Wifi?

Very easily. Your IP address for one.
--
Regards
Jon

In article <h-KdnXjhQrtRR4vVnZ2dnUVZ8h-dnZ2d@bt.com>,
chris_mayersblue@suedeyahoo.com says...
> > Very easily. Your IP address for one.
>
> Not by your IP address surely(?) that is usually allocated when you connect
> to a WiFi access point and can(or indeed, usually WILL) change from one WiFi
> provider or even location to another.

Indeed but your IP when you connect to the internet via a hotspot will
be a NAT'd IP. The IP of the router which provides the hotspot will be
fixed and known.

Thats why when you fire up your broswer in a hotspot you are taken to a
web page which says "you are at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole hotel"
--
Regards
Jon