If you have a phone that is capable of internet access, then a SIM card might do it, although you'd probably have to check about what payment you'd have to pay to access it.
Alternatively, if you can find out which mobile phone company has the strongest signal in the area where you are, you could buy a dongle that plugs into your USB port but I know nothing about whether these are available on a Pay As you Go basis or not. Maybe others can help.
It's not legal to advertise untruthfully so given that you sound as if you have not yet moved into your cottage, you would be legaly entitled to back out of your booking if you want to do so. Certainly you should be able to get a reduction in the booking charge.
Beebee
Posts: 1955 | Location: London, UK | Registered: 09 September 2002
You cannot get a UK mobile phone account with data access on Pay as You Go - you have to be a resident. (This was the situation a year ago - maybe it has changed.) I travel with my T-Mobile Blackberry with a US data plan and then I add a $20/month international data plan for the time I am traveling. I then connect the Blackberry to my computer and use it as a modem to connect to the internet. Try this in the US first to be sure you have it working.
Note: - Any smartphone does this, not just a Blackberry. - AT&T and other cell services offer this, but check to see if you can turn on the International data plan just for a month (AT&T requires it for a year). - Cell phone reception is notoriously bad in the Cotswolds - you may not even get cell reception in your cottage so you won't be able to connect via your phone.
----------------- Very few cottages in England offer Internet (or Broadband as they call it). Most do not even have phone lines that you can use with your computer for dialup - they use phone boxes that you pay for with coins and cannot connect to the computer.
THE GOOD NEWS is that most village have a library where you can use computers (on Broadband) for free.
If you are only there for a week and just need email, consider a Blackberry or other smartphone. I used to always bring a computer when I traveled, but now for shorter trips I just bring my BlackBerry.
well, I'm actually excited because I get to give up my work blackberry the day before I go on the trip! Not having to be available 24/7 via the blackberry is going to be great.
I wanted to use Skype as well as the internet, not so much the email. Skype will let me call home for free and since I am the trip planner, I wanted to check opening times, addresses, etc in case we decide to deviate from our planned itinerary.
Just to clarify commonly used terminology - In the UK we use "broadband" to signify relatively high speed internet access - a relative term that includes ISDN lines (obsolete technology)of 128 kb/s as well as the more common "ADSL" or cable.
Normal access via a modem and phone line we tend to call "Dial up", but I would have thought this would be rare in a rental property. Many people use things like "3G" or a besoke internet "dongle" that attaches to a laptop, but these tend to be expensive.
A peculiar alternative would be the "FON" network - a Spanish based system of sharing internet connections see Here. (Somewhere on the site is a way of finding local subscribers in the area you will be visiting)
If all else fails, some pubs and fast food places offer free wireless broadband - but these are not that common.
TimW
Posts: 833 | Location: Hampshire, UK | Registered: 28 March 2005
You can get very cheap international phone cards for calling the US from England from land lines - at the post office. You can also rent or buy a UK cell phone.
Actually, we live in Germany, so we'd be looking to call there on the computer.
My husband (more technical than I) looked into the dongle thing and it would be something like 70 pounds to set it up....and that seems like a lot of money for a 6 day trip.
But please, if anyone else has any ideas, please let me know!!!
I would double check with your mobile network in Germany and see if they will do any deals for you while you are in the UK. A quick check on Wikipedia tells me that TMobile is owned by Deutsche Telecom and that O2 and Vodaphone both have strong presences in Germany.
I have a Nokia N73 which has Skype built into the phone and because my network has a large base in Italy, I can use the internet & Skype when I am in Italy without it costing me any more more than if I were at home. Perhaps you may find a comparable deal (or at least a cheap one) with one of the German networks.
Beebee
Posts: 1955 | Location: London, UK | Registered: 09 September 2002
Actually, we live in Germany, so we'd be looking to call there on the computer.
My husband (more technical than I) looked into the dongle thing and it would be something like 70 pounds to set it up....and that seems like a lot of money for a 6 day trip.
But please, if anyone else has any ideas, please let me know!!!
Three sells a USB dongle which provides internet on a pay-as-you-go basis. The dongle costs £50, and 1GB of data transfer is £10 last I checked. If you get 3 mobile coverage in your area it should work well. I use mine all the time.
