Mobile phone network advice for Luddite please

[ourmaminhavana]

Hi, I'm finally progressing from my little push button pay as you go phone which I have from Asda which uses Vodaphone, to a Samsung S3.
I have a few questions. I'd like to keep the same network, but a Vodaphone deal I found said wifi through BT Openzone, somehow I thought it would be through Vodaphone? I don't have a good impression of BT (probably based on nothing but prejudice ) and wonder if others have experience of it or if all wi fi comes through them? I don't really understand?
Also, if I change network is there much difference between them? Which would people recommend?
Can I keep my number, but I appreciate not the SIM card, if I change network?
The others seem to be cheaper, but I'm worried about being tied in to one for two years and finding out that they're rubbish!
EE sounds amazing, but much more expensive. Has anyone tried it and is it really that much faster?
What usage would 500mb data give me? I just want to check emails on the run, maybe find a map very occasionally or look something up on the internet, not download videos etc.
Any advice anyone can offer to this Luddite would be much appreciated.

[Warks mum]

It was written for campers and caravanners but you might find this useful:

http://www.campingandcaravanningclub.co ... campsites/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The bit about FON at the bottom is about BT Openzone - which is actually FON in disguise!

[ourmaminhavana]

Thanks. That was helpful, particularly re what 500mb data equates to.
I don't quite understand though, if a phone is linked to a network eg Vodaphone, does it mean you don't get the 3G, you get the BT wifi which is better? Or might you have both means of accessing the internet?
Are you getting this data through your SIM card (presumably you can use your own wifi when at home when I wouldn't need it )

PS Have PM'd you Warksmum.

[Warks mum]

You'll have two ways of connecting to the internet - 3G or WiFi. 3G is slower than WiFi normally. EE is 4G, which is the next generation up from 3G and should give a similar speed to WiFi but - as you've seen - you're paying for the privilege!

If you're using the Vodaphone 3G network then you're paying for that too - either through your contract or pay-as-you-go. WiFi is completely independent of the Vodaphone network and you don't need any Vodaphone signal to use it. However, you do need a friendly internet user nearby who's permitted you to use part of his or her network connection through BT Openzone or similar. There are other hotspots around in places such as pubs, shopping centres, etc, which are also WiFi.

I've found the BT Openzone coverage to be patchy - but in some unexpected places. There's not much coverage round here, for example, because most people use cable for their internet access as it's much cheaper than BT for a better service, hence fewer BT WiFi hotspots. Yesterday, however, I was at the community centre in a local village and my phone suddenly showed a BT Openzone WiFi connection.

The key is to make sure your phone is switched off for 3G mobile internet. On my phone this means switching off two things, "mobile network" and "data roaming" otherwise my pay-as-you-go allowance is eaten up very rapidly! Then my phone automatically picks up the WiFI BT Openzone hotspots whenever they are available or my home WiFi when I'm there (or my neighbour's BT Openzone if something's happened to our own WiFi router...!).

Hope this makes sense.

[ourmaminhavana]

Thanks very much for taking the time to make a detailed reply.
I still don't understand though, with this plan, if BT Open is free anyway, how it works and whether there's any Vodaphone internet coverage through 3G or if you're just getting texts and phone calls through them?


Vodafone £25, 24 months
24 Months
300
minutes Anytime Any network
Unlimited*
texts
500 MB Data
500 MB Wi-Fi with BT Openzone
Anytime Same network

??

[Warks mum]

You need to be registered with FON to get the free WiFi access in places where it's available - it doesn't come free automatically. You can register for this in several ways. One is to buy this Vodaphone contract.

If you decide not to buy that contract you could pay 39euros for a Fonera router (a one-off cost), plug it into your home WiFi router and use the same BT Openzone hotspots. BT Broadband customers automatically have the option to use the hotspots - so if you're a BT customer already then you'd be paying Vodaphone for a facility you're already entitled to!

From the spec, it looks as if this particular contract will give you the following every month:

300 minutes talk time
unlimited texts
500MB Vodaphone 3G coverage for internet access - in places where it's available (check http://www.vodafone.co.uk/our-network-a ... r-11072-01" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; to see if your area has good coverage)
Another 500MG using the BT Openzone/FON system for WiFi internet access

I would question whether the BT Openzone feature is of much value since you could get it by buying a Fonera, costing 39euros for unlimited use for ever (assuming the FON network continues for ever...).

[ourmaminhavana]

Thanks Warks mum, that's great. It was whether I got any Vodaphone 3G coverage that I couldn't understand.

[mike1880]

I'm not sure why anyone would go anywhere other than "the network run by you" at the moment. Have a look at their £10 goodybag and compare to alternatives. Their phone network is through O2. You can find free wifi coverage in most cities; if in doubt ask a passing teenager, they're usually pretty adept at getting online in my experience.

I discovered it because our work phones are now through that one; as soon as I realised how cheap it was I moved our daughter across to it as soon as I could organise myself to do it. Mrs 1880 will follow when her contract expires and Master 1880 if he ever uses the £50 credit I put on his phone when he got it at the start of Y7 (he's now in Y10 and two handsets further on, since I have to put £5-10 credit on every time I replace the handset and he uses about £2 a year this could be an infinitely long wait).

Mike

[ourmaminhavana]

Thanks for the tip, but they might if they don't have the phone yet!

[Warks mum]

I'm not sure why anyone would go anywhere other than "the network run by you" at the moment.

I agree! A £10 top-up last me for months as I normally only call or text DD who's also on the network... And it costs just 20p a day if I want to use the 3G network.

In case you're wondering... http://www.giffgaff.co.uk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

And if you nominate a current user when you ask for a SIM both you and they get an extra £5 credit.

However, GiffGaff is on the O2 network so if you buy a phone that anything other than O2 you'll probably need to pay to 'unlock' it from the current network.

Tip - if you choose a phone from Carphone Warehouse that's available on several networks it's often an 'unlocked' phone.