Is there any way I can make my iPad work when there is no WiFi

[Dutchoma]

This only happens when I stay with a friend who has given up her computer. It happens maybe once or twice a year and for that time I would like to be able to use the iPad.
I've asked a couple of telephone shops, but they say it is not possible to have it as a PayAsYouGo feature, you just have to buy (something) and use it or lose it, be that a day, a week, a month or a year.

Trouble is that I don't understand the jargon and don't want to spend money on something I don't use.
Any thoughts?

Do you have a smart online that allows you to set up a hotspot using the data allowance that comes with your phone contract? That's what I do.

3 do mifi which creates a hotspot for up to 5 devices. You buy a SIM card and replace when it expires, either reaching the data limit or time.

Have a look at GiffGaff as they do one off data bundles you could have on a SIM card for a mobile wifi device

I have an iPhone and can set it to be hotspot for my iPad/laptop. Have a look in your phone's settings.

store.three.co.uk/view/plan/MBBD02072014T090118

I use my phone to give my kids a mobile wifi hotspot for their tablets when we are not at home

Once you have a MiFi device, GiffGaff have data packages at £5 for 500mb and £7.50 for 1gb. They last a month and you don't need to have them every month.

Thank you all for quick replies

No smart phone, my phone is the most basic PAYG for texts and calls. I have no contract at all, that seems to be what this is all pushing me towards.

LIZS that sounds like what I want, but when I asked 3 about it they said that
it would only last for a set period of time, not when it reached the data limit. This is I think what I am after, buying more data when it is finished, but they said I couldn't. Or rather that it would be far too expensive. I will have a look at GIFFGAFF

If you reach the data limit before the expiry time then you top up with new sim. If not it expires the remaining allowance on that date. But one month or 1 gb would probably be sufficient per visit.

I reckon it just annoys me that it expires on a 'use it or loose it' basis. With my ordinary phone I just top up when it gets a bit low (under £10) and I would love that to be available for iPad as well. I don't mind buying the MiFi thingy, but would just like to top up when needed, not within a pre-determined time span.

You can let one expire then not buy another until you need it again.

You would really need to know what network is going to have good coverage for where you'll be - not impossible to find out, since it's one particular location you need this for. For example, I have a Vodafone mifi device which is completely useless for the office, I have to use my phone (Tesco Mobile, thus O2) as a mobile hotspot and that is a bit hit and miss.

Vodafone's mifi used to give you [x] amount of data which you could use almost indefinitely, like over 2 years I think. Now it is monthly. So you buy it and lose it within the month. However, presumably you know when you're going to be at your friend's house, so could at least buy it as needed.

First question is which network will be best for you, then you can look at device options. I assume friend doesn't have a smartphone? Could she ask a couple of neighbours?

Yes, that's how GiffGaff works. You can set it to automatically renew but you can just let it expire at the end of your month and buy another when you need it. £5 per visit isn't too expensive.

It's on the Wirral, so probably ok with any network. My 'little' phone is with EE or whatever succeeded that, Vodafone is the only network available in Scargill (deepest Yorkshire), but they do have limited WiFi access, so not so important.
Sometimes I wish I could just think: blow the internet and do without it for a week.

Shudder together Soupy?

My office is in the centre of Leeds and still the coverage is very patchy. I would try and see what other people are using in the area.

You could always just find your nearest free wifi hotspot, they are all over the place nowadays.

So I need to find out from which provider (Vodafone, Orange etc) I need to buy a MiFi thingy and a SIM card from that company or any kind of MiFi thingy and a particular SIM card or what?

Can you feel I still haven't got much of a clue? Would it be best to wait till I'm in Liverpool and buy it there? Or in one of the towns on the Wirral? I do like to take the iPad to bed with me.

You need a MiFi thingy. You can get them from all sorts of places (eg Amazon). Make sure it is not locked to a particular provider. If you buy from a mobile network shop, you may find it is locked to that network so remember to ask.

You need a SIM card with a data package - first checking which network has the best coverage for where you are likely to use it. (GiffGaff uses O2)

So assuming your iPad doesn't have a slot for a SIM card, you would need either to be able to use your phone as a portable hotspot (worth thinking about?) or to buy a separate device, called a 'mifi' or 'mobile broadband device' or similar.

If you look at this page on the Vodafone website on the 'mobile wifi' tab this shows you the sort of device you're after. Don't get a 'dongle, that's a USB device meant for laptops.

On a Pay As You Go deal that Vodafone device costs £24 and has a gigabyte of data which you have a month to use. So if you bought that just before you went, that would do you for that visit. You would then just top up before your next visit (and NB if you went with Vodafone, you would want to top up at home using a laptop as doing it on a mobile device on mobile broadband is painful).

The mobile broadband SIM is inside that device. So as with phones, you could buy the device and the SIM separately to get a better deal, although I suspect that, like phones, some devices will be locked to particular networks. The Giff Gaff SIM can be put into a variety of devices. Making sure you have an unlocked device would also mean you could try out various networks to get the one with the best coverage at your friend's house - I might see if the one I got from Vodafone is unlocked as it means I could put an O2 (or GiffGaff) SIM in it.

No need to buy over in the Wirral, just avoid getting tied into a network if you can.

I went to Amazon to look at mifi thingies and this came up.

www.amazon.co.uk/HUAWEI-E5330-Genuine-Stock-Mobile/dp/B00KR51QCO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1433068257&sr=8-1&keywords=Mifi

It seems fairly ££ ..is this the best option?

Yeah, that's like the newer version of the one I have, Walnutpie. And a lot cheaper than they used to be! This is why using your phone as a mobile hotspot is better for a lot of people, as no second device to shell out for. Puts a lot of strain on the battery, though.

So if Oma was thinking about upgrading her phone I'd suggest not bothering with the mifi device, but otherwise I think this is the best option for wifi at her friend's house (short of asking the next door neighbours to borrow theirs if it's in range!)

Can I just say again I have no phone that comes into the equation. And my iPad has no slot for a SIM card, so a MiFi thingy will need to be purchased.
I've had a look at the HUAWEI (?) thingy which they are suggesting an EE SIM card for.
So would the only reason not to buy that combination be that none of my friend's neighbours could connect to EE? And if I bought the HUAWEI (?) thingy on Amazon could I put a GiffGaff SIM in it, or even, not buy the EE SIM at £17.65 but a GiFfGaff SIM at £5? What would be the advantage of spending the £17.65 over spending £5?
I'm so glad I asked. I can answer any knitting questions but the iPad is still a bit of a mystery and the grandchildren can do more that I can