broadband without a landline

[ConnieBradshaw]

Does anyone know about getting broadband in a house with no telephone line?
I will be there for a few weeks and need to use the internet a lot.
Apparently I can buy a dongle to put in a USB port of my PC (desktop) to get broadband access. Is this right?
Also it would be good if anyone could recommend a good one with a reasonable download limit without needing to sign a contract for 12 months.

You can get dongles from various mobile providers, or if you have a newish phone and a contract that allows "tethering", you can use your phone's connection on laptops, tablets etc.

The only provider I know of that offers broadband with no landline is Virgin. You still need a cable putting in of course for the broadband. Just no phone line/line rental costs etc.

Thanks. I was hoping a pre-paid dongle would work out, but wasn't sure the best one to get without a contract and with reasonable data.

All the mobile providers do PAYG dongles. EE have a deal which is £15 for 30 days giving 3GB of data. 3 do one for (i think) £20 per 30 days with unlimited. The dongles cost around £20 each.

Thanks, I will look into those. That was the kind of thing I was after.

3 do a mini modem (mifi) which can be PAYG and support up to 5 wifi gadgets at once.

Many thanks. Yes, that is type of thing I am after. I don't need a mobile phone with these companies, do I? Can I just order a dongle online or go into their store?

You can buy it standalone , think argos may have it too, and just buy sim top-ups as you need them, usually so many GB to be used within 1,3 or 12 months .

Thanks, I will look in Argos too.

There are also some sellers on Ebay with 3GB SIMs for Three from about 12/13 pounds. It's 3 GB or 90 days (from first use), and stops when either limit is hit. You can top up but PAYG data deals are expensive in general (hence mention of the 3 GB SIMs)... you can buy a second while using the first and yet not be spending as much as most networks would charge for 3 GB...

The 'starter pack' that they offer in store or on the web includes 3 GB and dongle for 39.99 (assuming they offer signal coverage for your area). If you are using Windows, then I would recommend disabling automatic updates in case Windows downloads something which runs to hundreds of MB and uses up your allowance when you don't notice it is doing an update!!

I would also suggest seeing if you can get a USB extension lead {I think it is an A to A male to female, not A to B [the A to B is generally used for printers] so you can move the dongle around for the best signal... Just in case the desktop case blocks the mobile signals to the dongle.

(I used Three for 4 years with 15 GB a month via a USB dongle on a 2m USB extension lead.)