BT Business Mobile Broadband - Questions

[Athena]

Hi

I work as a broker and as such spend a lot of my time travelling to customers in different locations, I am looking to save myself some time by being able to use my laptop and key information at the time I am with clients and therefore looking for mobile broadband.  I have been using a 3 phone with internet access but that was dismal!  So my questions are:

Can I expect as good a coverage as promised on the advert for the BT Mobile Broadband.

Will there be any restrictions because the information I want to log will require me to use secure websites.

Is there a trial period in that if say within the first 28 days I find that coverage in the area I work is pretty poor would I be able to cancel the contract and return the dongle?

Oh and is it really as simple as plugging the dongle in and I am away!  I am running Vista Basic.

I would appreciate your feedback.

thanks

[Naishy · Accepted solution]

Q) Can I expect as good a coverage as promised on the advert for the BT Mobile Broadband.

A) You can check the expected coverage using this web page. Note that BT uses the Vodafone mobile network for it's mobile coverage.

Q) Will there be any restrictions because the information I want to log will require me to use secure websites.

A) There shouldn't be any restrictions on using secure websites. There is an Adult content bar in place to restrict access to certain sites, and sometimes some sites can be catagorised incorrectly. The Adult bar can be removed by contacting the Help Desk if you find it is restricting access to sites you need to access.

Q) Is there a trial period in that if say within the first 28 days I find that coverage in the area I work is pretty poor would I be able to cancel the contract and return the dongle?

A) I'm afraid there is no trial period available. Please check the terms and conditions found here.

Q) Oh and is it really as simple as plugging the dongle in and I am away!  I am running Vista Basic.

A) Yes! When you first connect the dongle in will install BT Access Manager. Once installed BT Access Manager will allow you to manage your connection. BT Access Manager supports Windows 2000, XP and Vista (all versions). Note that 64-bit OSs are not currently supported for 3G/GPRS.

I hope this answers your questions.

Tim

[Athena]

Thanks for that, it helps!

This is probably a really dense question but can you explain the differences between Wi-Fi, HSDPA, high-speed 3G and GPRS and the benefits of these, as to me the difference between the home version of the dongle and the business version is the ability to log on via the different methods is this true?

[Naishy]

Wi-Fi is a short range but high bandwidth technology. It gives you the fastest speed you can get without wires, but you need to be in range of a base station or hotspot (generally within 50 metres). Most ADSL/cable routers and laptops now come with Wi-Fi built in. The BT Business Mobile Broadband gives you free access to over 2,000 Openzone hotspots. These can be found in coffee shops, service stations, train stations etc.

Note: The E170 dongle provided is not a Wi-Fi adapter, but BT Access Manager can make use of the Wi-Fi adapter in your laptop, if you have one.

HSDPA uses the mobile phone network and can give you up to 7.2 Mbit/s (under ideal conditions). This is currently only found in highly populated areas, e.g. central London, and major airports. This page gives abit more detail.

3G uses the mobile phone network and can give you up to 1.8 Mbps and has about 80% UK coverage.

GPRS uses the mobile phone network is the slowest and gives you up to 64Kps (think modem speeds). The good news is there is 99.7% UK coverage, so you can generally rely on being able connect from most places.

As for the difference between the Business and the Consumer mobile broadband offerings:

BT Business Mobile Broadband gives you unlimited mobile data and Wi-Fi usage (subject to fair use). This is currently on offer at £15 per month (exc. VAT).

BT Mobile Broadband gives you 1GB of mobile data usage a month for the duration of your 18 month broadband contract. It is currently available to new customers taking out an 18 month contact for BT Total Broadband Option 1 for £49.99 or BT Total Broadband Option 3 for £9.99. Alternatively it can be purchased for £129.99 from the BT Shop, which does not require a BT Total Broadband contract.

I hope this makes things clearer.

Tim

 

[Athena]

Thanks, I am getting there I think! 

Would you say that the benefit of the dongle is that it can switch and try to get you internet itself? 

Was the downside of using my mobile phone as a dongle not going to work because it was a phone or because it was on the 3 network and coverage maybe not so good?

[Naishy]

Some of the benefits of the dongle are that it is small and easy to use, and with BT Access Manager you can be sure you are always using the best available connection. The BT Business Mobile Broadband package also gives you access to BT Openzone hotspots, which would give you much faster Internet access when you are in range.

I would of thought that using a mobile phone to connect to the Internet would be more complicated to set up and manage, but the connection speed would depend on the coverage of the mobile network. It may help to examine the coverage map for the 3 network to check the expected coverage in your area, as this may explain your poor experience.

Tim