is a 15 GB data plan enough for online gaming

Should be fine - but only if you are playing games that do not require updates and not using it for other things like video streaming or downloading

As above, game updates and installs alone will eat it up very fast
 
I'm not sure if you meant that you don't have a land line installed. If you don't then get one. It isn't that expensive.

Playing via a mobile on 3G isn't good enough especially for a twitch game as blops.
 
When I moved house and was waiting for my broadband to be installed I used a mobile 3g internet dongle for a couple months. I had a 10gb allowance. I made sure not to use Steam etc but spent countless hours playing WOW and SWTOR. You'd be surprised how little it actually uses. Never once did I go over my allowance.

However to echo what others have said I would not advise having one as a permanent solution. Go for TalkTalk they have a plan which is around £10 per month, unlimited usage.
 
uv said:
That's very optimistic for indoors. My S2 on Three H+ just now got 159ms ping and 461K down, 239K up. Sure, max theoretical would be fine, and outdoors during non-peak times my ping and throughput are massively better, but for indoors peak-time gaming, a dongle simply isn't going to cut it unless you're playing turn based strat games.
Click to expand...

It depends entirely on who your provider is and where you are. For example, I've bought an S3 on contract with Three that when tethering to my PC will give me anywhere up to 12Mb down and 8Mb up, with latency usually around 50-70ms to anywhere in the UK which is perfectly fine for any form of gaming including FPS; this is from 5 miles outside of Edinburgh.

If I were to do the same back at Norwich, I'd probably be around half the speeds and maybe an additional 50% on the latency.

Mobile internet has come a long way and will only ever get better.

As for the OP, the 15GB cap I'm guessing is for Three's maximum Mobile Internet package. My advice would be to completely ignore that, and take out "The One Plan" phone contract with them, and then use either one of their dongles (purchase it) or get a phone at the same time. This way, you'll have unlimited internet for £25 a month +/- a few £ depending on what deal you can get.

In terms of data usage, I have been using my phone since 8th November and have amassed just under 60GB so far. 15GB is ample for gaming bandwidth, providing you don't need to download updates constantly, don't use Skype or other VOIP applications and have no intention of streaming video. :)
 
Last edited:
uv said:
That's very optimistic for indoors. My S2 on Three H+ just now got 159ms ping and 461K down, 239K up. Sure, max theoretical would be fine, and outdoors during non-peak times my ping and throughput are massively better, but for indoors peak-time gaming, a dongle simply isn't going to cut it unless you're playing turn based strat games.
Click to expand...
Obviously situations differ for all people but I worked as a radio network tester in part for a really long time ago and these are fair assessments I promise. 461k down on HSPA+ indicates your signal is severly degraded (or that the cell is overloaded as your upload is at a 1:2 ratio) - most cells will not be like yours.

Edit: Beaten like a redheaded stepchild
 
I strongly recommend you do not get a Dongle, I know 2 people who have bought them for the same reason as you (gaming), and believe me they were both returned and cancelled within the 14 day period.
 
Don't dongle mate. And if I were you I would get an unlimited dl's package. You;re not gonna enjoy your gaming/surfing if you're continually thinking 'I hope I haven't gone over my cap'
 
lukeforrest said:
Yes it is a dongle

I have been with BT and talktalk but both dramticly increased price at a point so I turned to a dongle

If anyone knows if BT or Talktalk (or any others) do a suitble internet only plan (no landline's ECT) can you let me know please
Click to expand...

You won't enjoy gaming on 3G.

Your ping will be 300ms +

It was 200ms even back in the 56k days !

Don't even think about it.
 
TALON1973 said:
update for you mate .. go into account settings online .. you can select unlimted ... doesnt cost you a penny
Click to expand...

Really?! Thanks for letting me know I just bought it years ago and left it as it is. How do I go about changing the settings? Would I be using the phone number and the password they gave me to sign in?
 
You'd be a fool to go down that route by choice, as a means to get any connection then maybe but when there are plenty of cheap fixed line options out there, there really is no need.
 
MrLOL said:
You won't enjoy gaming on 3G.

Your ping will be 300ms +

It was 200ms even back in the 56k days !

Don't even think about it.
Click to expand...

Not necessarily. I used to have to play on a 3 dongle a year or so ago when my virgin cable bb would go down every evening. I used to get 150-200ms ish on MMO's which really wasn't that bad, it was useless for FPS games though.
 
Using my Giffgaff HSPA+ indoors :

Ping : 112ms
Download : 4132kbps
Upload 2298kbps

I reckon you could do causal online gaming pretty easily on that. But i guess it will depend on what speeds you can get in your area. The only problem will be updates and patches which will eat up your data.
 
Last edited:
Pings are much better if you are on an hspa+ network, if you are in a good signal area sub 100ms pings are achievable, it'll never rival a good fixed line connection for online gaming, but if you have no fixed line or cable broadband in your area then MBB as in my own situation, may be the only option.

Setting up the dongle as high as possible on your property and using either a router/lan cable set up or no router and just long USB run connected directly to the pc (if run is 10meters + then USB repeater cables work better) also make sure dongle is plugged into a powered USB hub, most dongles are very sensitive to any voltage drop and speeds/connectivity/signal will suffer if you try a long usb cable run without the dongle being assisted by a powered hub.

Setup can be fiddly and will require trial and error to achieve the best possible signal and speeds, but it's possible to get a connection that will at least allow you to compete online, all of this is dependent though on you being in a good signal area that provides hspa+ connectivity.

4G /LTE will hopefully be a lot better but that's only just beginning to be introduced into the UK so it'll probably be a good while before all major networks have it.
 
Last edited:
I just reinstalled Max Payne 3 on Steam and noticed that it was a mammoth 30GB download, so you'd be screwed with a 15GB cap.
 
If you're downloading games/patches etc/ from Steam et al on a regular basis then you'll bust through that 15gb cap quite easily I would have thought. Even sometimes one game on Steam can be more than 15gb.
 
Pings on a Three HSPA+ Dongle.

0jEA4.png
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom