UK prepaid data options.

GavinBKK · 07-29-2012, 02:47 AM

I thought I'd share my experience of a month in the UK as a visitor here.

Vodaphone don't seem to want your business, but have the best coverage, hands down. O2 coverage is patchy and my iPhone had poor reception and loads of dropped calls. Three offer 3gb of data at a low price. here's the catch. You can't get it! One to no bars and shocking speed. I did get a full signal when visiting Harley D in Guildford...

My travels took me from London to Norfolk, to Hampshire and Kent. Three were garbage.

In conclusion, go with Vodaphone, pay more and it will work. I'm posting this so that any of you visiting this place won't have the issues that I have had. You really do get what you pay for. I will never complain about the cell/data coverage in Thailand again. It puts the UK to shame.

GavinBKK · 07-29-2012, 09:22 AM

Now in LHR T3. Full signal on Three and quite quick. Fat lot of good anywhere else though.

benwiggy · 07-29-2012, 11:13 AM

Don't forget Orange! Their 3G coverage is patchy, even in Central London. Even with full bars and 3G, data seems brick slow.
I basically rely on being connected to a WiFi network to do anything useful. Luckily, there's almost continuous free Wifi in most towns and cities.

GavinBKK · 07-29-2012, 02:03 PM

Um, when you sy "free", how free is it? As in no pwd required? I didn't find anything like that in Kings Lynn, Portsmouth, or Hayling.

Lots of these things you have to be a sub to, like boingo, etc.

benwiggy · 07-29-2012, 03:33 PM

BT Openzone are fairly widespread. They require password & ID, which I get as part of Orange (and as a BT customer for landline).
O2 and Vodaphone customers can also use them.

GavinBKK · 07-30-2012, 08:10 PM

Interesting. How? I was on an O2 prepaid sim in the iPhone. The whole UK setup isn't very visitor friendly.

I'm home now, so all nearly good. Well, nearly good. In my usual morning coffee haunt and the iPhone is on their net and the iPad can't join it. Again. I think we had a thread about this BS before, right? Restarted the iPad and still no go. Hmmph.

benwiggy · 07-31-2012, 04:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GavinBKK


	The whole UK ..... isn't very visitor friendly..

Indeed. From my favorite news source:

http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/s...-2012072535768

GavinBKK · 07-31-2012, 05:30 AM

Interesting. A restore (last resort) has sorted the iPad's wifi woes!

07-29-2012, 02:47 AM	#1
GavinBKK Hall of Famer Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Thailand Posts: 2,611	UK prepaid data options. I thought I'd share my experience of a month in the UK as a visitor here. Vodaphone don't seem to want your business, but have the best coverage, hands down. O2 coverage is patchy and my iPhone had poor reception and loads of dropped calls. Three offer 3gb of data at a low price. here's the catch. You can't get it! One to no bars and shocking speed. I did get a full signal when visiting Harley D in Guildford... My travels took me from London to Norfolk, to Hampshire and Kent. Three were garbage. In conclusion, go with Vodaphone, pay more and it will work. I'm posting this so that any of you visiting this place won't have the issues that I have had. You really do get what you pay for. I will never complain about the cell/data coverage in Thailand again. It puts the UK to shame. __________________ LoadsaMacs.

07-29-2012, 09:22 AM	#2
GavinBKK Hall of Famer Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Thailand Posts: 2,611	Now in LHR T3. Full signal on Three and quite quick. Fat lot of good anywhere else though. __________________ LoadsaMacs.

07-29-2012, 02:03 PM	#4
GavinBKK Hall of Famer Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Thailand Posts: 2,611	Um, when you sy "free", how free is it? As in no pwd required? I didn't find anything like that in Kings Lynn, Portsmouth, or Hayling. Lots of these things you have to be a sub to, like boingo, etc. __________________ LoadsaMacs.

07-30-2012, 08:10 PM	#6
GavinBKK Hall of Famer Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Thailand Posts: 2,611	Interesting. How? I was on an O2 prepaid sim in the iPhone. The whole UK setup isn't very visitor friendly. I'm home now, so all nearly good. Well, nearly good. In my usual morning coffee haunt and the iPhone is on their net and the iPad can't join it. Again. I think we had a thread about this BS before, right? Restarted the iPad and still no go. Hmmph. __________________ LoadsaMacs. Last edited by GavinBKK; 07-30-2012 at 08:13 PM.

07-31-2012, 05:30 AM	#8
GavinBKK Hall of Famer Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Thailand Posts: 2,611	Interesting. A restore (last resort) has sorted the iPad's wifi woes! __________________ LoadsaMacs.

07-29-2012, 11:13 AM	#3
benwiggy League Commissioner Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 5,038	Don't forget Orange! Their 3G coverage is patchy, even in Central London. Even with full bars and 3G, data seems brick slow. I basically rely on being connected to a WiFi network to do anything useful. Luckily, there's almost continuous free Wifi in most towns and cities.

07-29-2012, 03:33 PM	#5
benwiggy League Commissioner Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 5,038	BT Openzone are fairly widespread. They require password & ID, which I get as part of Orange (and as a BT customer for landline). O2 and Vodaphone customers can also use them.

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