3G internet and dongle questions

freebooter

freebooter

freebooter

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I want to get a 3G sim and dongle to use with a netbook. Never used one before and don't know much about them so I have some basic questions.

I have seen sims available on ebay offering three 3G for 90 days which sounds ideal. Are these sort of deals ready to go and just use and throw away when the credit is used up or are they ones you top up like a payg phone sim? Do I need to set up an account with the provider?

Dongles seem to vary in price on ebay a lot. Is there much difference between them and if so what should I be looking for? I see there are unlocked ones but they tend to be more expensive.

Any other tips or advice welcome.

thanks
 
You can top up but it's usually cheaper to throw the SIM away and buy a new one from eBay. Unlocked dongles can be had for 20 quid. Usually no need to create an account.

I use the K3805-Z ZTE.
 
As KIA says with the Three sims it's better to throw it away and start again.

Reason is you get 3Gb/3 months for ~£12 with the initial purchase. However each top up after that only lasts for one month and at £10 for 1Gb, if you use <1Gb a month it's better to start from scratch rather than keep topping up.
 
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Any of these compatible with the iphone 4 sim, I'm on an unlimited data package and while most of the time I get by hooking up the phone to the PC or using the personal access point sometimes if im in a place with bad coverage I wouldnt mind trying a mifi device to see if it has a more stable pickup
 
Anyone have a link to the 3UK starter pack for mobile broadband?

Edit: nevermind just picked up a 3 PAYG 3GB E353 starter pack for £39.99 - needed it now so couldn't wait for cheaper one off the bay.

So when topping up I guess its cheaper to just buy a new SIM as you guys said above with the credit already on it rather than topping up existing SIM.
 
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I bought one of the 1GB sims from ebay to try and I am using it in my phone and tethering to my netbook to start with. It works but the signal is really poor. Looking at the three coverage map I am in an area that is ranked for outdoor use only so not surprising but still annoying.

I didn't need to register - it just worked straight away. Is there a way of finding out how much credit is left without registering with three? If I am going to buy new sims instead of topping up I don't want to have to register each one.
 
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