Your Internet.

iana · Guru

Your Internet.

Roving-Dutchy · Guru

Use my smart phone as a hotspot with 1gig of data each month and save updating and big downloads when I am using free Wi Fi.
Cheers
David

Dougwe · Chief one feather

I have a 8gb wireless and 8gb on my iPhone. I can use my iPad and Laptop through either. Both with Telstra on contract as it suits me.

I know about Ben Hur too Ian as I too did the same thing about four years ago when I wasn't at base camp much.

I watch catch up TV and movies from time to time using internet, those clips you refer to and on the forum and many other things each month and always have plenty left.

I was just contacted by Telstra TXT this morning informing me I have teached 50% of my data on the wireless plan. My phone hardly even registers any data use this month. I only have 3 days left in the billing cycle anyway so heaps will be given back.

TommyG · Senior Member

We have 2 mobiles on same plan as house phone, (house phone is on emergency and incoming calls only while we are away) the two mobiles cost $15 per month each. We use a 4G wifi device that runs both our laptops simultaneously if needed. I find the wifi device has a greater range than either of our phones most of the time.
The wifi is pre paid, if doing a lengthy trip I pay for the 12 month recharge and top it up as I go along if needed.
When travelling outback and interstate, it must be Telstra. Not that I love Telstra but it's the only one that has decent coverage.

PeterD · Guru

I have 8 GB of monthly data allowance on a Bigpond wireless modem (I don't think it's available any longer but you could phone Bigpond an ask.) I was on a a 4GB plan and found it was not sufficient as a full time connection. Even now I have to limit the amount o video I watch. I'm not sure of the general data usage for video but the ABC Iview takes 400 MB per hour (out of your 260 MB daily average allowance.)

For watching Youtube videos I use SaveFrom.net helper. I use it to download the clip in the smallest size possible in MP4 and save it to disk. You often back up to repeat the viewing and if you are on line this repeats the download. I suspect you may be looking it in maximum resolution if viewing it direct. Downloading it for viewing seems to save my download allowance.

banjo · Senior Member

We've had a Bigpond plan for several years, started with the basic 2 gig or whatever, then up to 4gig and when my wife discovered ipads and facebook it had to be 15gig !

Started to become an expensive non essential, so now I have dropped back to 8gig and have purchased a pre paid modem which comes with 4gig for $89, which we will use when the plan runs out, sounds silly but these new modems carry over any unused data after the 30 days so long as you recharge before the 30 days.
Also prepaid sims with up to 5gig of data often come on special for $10, so in my book it should work out cheaper than the previous 15gig every month, hopefully !

I have friends that do this and they wait for the sim deals and buy 2 or 3 for $10 each, as a further back up we both have iphones with 250mb data allowance that we hardly ever use.

Cupie · Guru

banjo wrote:
(Clipped)
Also prepaid sims with up to 5gig of data often come on special for $10, so in my book it should work out cheaper than the previous 15gig every month, hopefully !

I have friends that do this and they wait for the sim deals and buy 2 or 3 for $10 each, as a further back up we both have iphones with 250mb data allowance that we hardly ever use.

I'm one of those who looks out for the Telstra 3G specials & I only initialize them just before I go on a trip. (Got 9 old expired ones in the cupboard). Though I usually only get 1 gig for 30 days at that price. Optus specials might be more generous but we all know about coverage & my phones are locked to Telstra anyway.

Watch out if you buy from JB Hi Fi. It seems that their standard procedure is to initialize the device at point of sale .. unlike all others & Telstra's recommendation to dealers.

I am anxiously waiting to see how well Telstra's new WiFi offering goes. If it has enough coverage it will be great for me to use as I have 200 Gig on my home fast cable (they keep doubling my allowance . gratis & SWMBO and I use <20 per month). With this offering I will be able to use my 200 Gig anywhere that there is coverage. It will probably mean purchasing a new home WiFi Modem that's compatable, but that will be needed for Netflix etc. anyway.

Of course most of this is of little use those on the road full time.

Muzzlehatch · Senior Member

I am using iiNet 20G and 2G Mobile which I always use up. Has any one tried Vivid? $79 Unlimited?

Cloak · Guru

We have 500GB @ home base with Telsra and it comes with 4GB mobile. Never used it all so we're looking to downsize.

The Doo crew · Senior Member

Some retraining needed for my lot, we have a TERABYTE of home internet & get slowed every month in the last couple of billing days, have been using a 4GX Wifi hot spot from Telstra when traveling with just 8 Gigs ($49.00 per month ) & that seems to last quite well if were just blogging & facebook updates. Uploading photos seems to thrash the usage so I wait until I can access free Wifi for that one.

Our new plan lets us use 4gigs of the home plan while on the mobile hot spot without paying any extra, saving the extra $49 per month, so you access this early in the month before the family use it all up.

iana · Guru

Je--us and I thought our 50 Gigabyte home plan was a lot !!!!!. I guess I'm not very smart, I don't have a smart phone. I have a standard, "own" your own phone, remember you just talk into it. I've kept my plan from the days of the second generation bag phones, or more specifically CDMA. The plan we are on is if you don't make calls you don't get charged. A few years back our bill were about $8-$12, oh that's for two phones. But after numerous company buy outs and name changes, they've managed to get the bill up to about $30 by adding other charges. The only draw back we have is that we don't have access to all the other services, but we have computers so why do we need that. So no "Hot spots"
I am in the process of un-scribing to all sites that send junk and un-necessary down loads, I'm pretty certain that the two of us can survive on a 8 gig plan. We have cancelled our land line, and are now totally dependant on the mobile net and phones. But its a step towards becoming totally nomad ( or just mad).

Cupie · Guru

The Doo crew wrote:
Some retraining needed for my lot, we have a TERABYTE of home internet & get slowed every month in the last couple of billing days, have been using a 4GX Wifi hot spot from Telstra when traveling with just 8 Gigs ($49.00 per month ) & that seems to last quite well if were just blogging & facebook updates. Uploading photos seems to thrash the usage so I wait until I can access free Wifi for that one.

Our new plan lets us use 4gigs of the home plan while on the mobile hot spot without paying any extra, saving the extra $49 per month, so you access this early in the month before the family use it all up.

This sort of usage exposes the rubbish assumptions that they made to justify the disgusting excuse for an NBN that is being foisted on the Australian public.

Whatever happened to the visionary nation building ideas & resolve that led to such things as The Overland Telegraph and The Snowy River Scheme just to mention a couple.

chopit · Senior Member

We travel full time.
one Telstra smartphone
one Virgin ( Optus network) smartphone
one Virgin broadband dongle.
The laptop uses the dongle & can be tethered to either phone if needed.
12Gb a month on the dongle for $40.
3Gb on the Virgin phone for $40. ( Including calls )
500Mb on the Telstra.
Most places have Optus so we get signal. If no signal we can try the Telstra phone or just wait to catch up when we get in Optus range.
We've been going like this for over a year now & couldn't be happier.

Baz421 · Guru

iana wrote:
Je--us and I thought our 50 Gigabyte home plan was a lot !!!!!. I guess I'm not very smart, I don't have a smart phone. I have a standard, "own" your own phone, remember you just talk into it. I've kept my plan from the days of the second generation bag phones, or more specifically CDMA. The plan we are on is if you don't make calls you don't get charged. A few years back our bill were about $8-$12, oh that's for two phones. But after numerous company buy outs and name changes, they've managed to get the bill up to about $30 by adding other charges. The only draw back we have is that we don't have access to all the other services, but we have computers so why do we need that. So no "Hot spots"
I am in the process of un-scribing to all sites that send junk and un-necessary down loads, I'm pretty certain that the two of us can survive on a 8 gig plan. We have cancelled our land line, and are now totally dependant on the mobile net and phones. But its a step towards becoming totally nomad ( or just mad).

We also survive on 8gb per month wireless from Telstra.

Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens.