"Mobile modem" for my cellphone

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Uwe K

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Hi , I'd like to get a few simple anwsers.


Can a modem such as an Vodafone R205 wi-fi be used to connect my cellphone when I am driving around ?
I'd like to have internet at "ordinary" prices and I hear this router works on batteries. I would very much like to have this router and work through it instead of paying the ordinary cell-data fees.

Lastly would this improve the strenght of the connection?
 
Uwe K said:
Hi , I'd like to get a few simple anwsers.


Can a modem such as an Vodafone R205 wi-fi be used to connect my cellphone when I am driving around ?
I'd like to have internet at "ordinary" prices and I hear this router works on batteries. I would very much like to have this router and work through it instead of paying the ordinary cell-data fees.

Lastly would this improve the strenght of the connection?
Click to expand...

Yes, it would do what you want.

Not sure that it would have better reception, maybe if you can place it in a better position. Also, some of those portable routers take an external antenna.

I sometimes use a Huawei E585 in the car - for the passengers, of course !
 
Thanks Jola.
Rickster I did some searching but couldn't get the kind of anwsers I wanted.
Many people are talking about using your mobile as an router and this is about all I saw when doing an search on my issue.

Jeez what I'd really like it to just talk face to face with one of you. I am buying an cellphone today -I've had an Nokia 1100 for 10-15years. It will be an smartphone- I need info like this.

All it really came down to is whether I can pay ordinary internet connection fees instead of the expensive cellphone connection fees. How come there are such crazy cell-data fees if everyone could just buy an router and pay a lot less? Should I put on my tin foil hat ???? :)
 
Last edited:
Can I use an internet sim directly in the cellphone ?

Perhaps an "sim only deal" in an dual sim cellphone or simply make the current sim have an 3gig attachment ?
 
Uwe K said:
Can I use an internet sim directly in the cellphone ?

Perhaps an "sim only deal" in an dual sim cellphone or simply make the current sim have an 3gig attachment ?
Click to expand...

AFAIK, every sim has GSM to it. Never heard of an Internet sim card.
 
Jola said:
Yes, it would do what you want.

Not sure that it would have better reception, maybe if you can place it in a better position. Also, some of those portable routers take an external antenna.

I sometimes use a Huawei E585 in the car - for the passengers, of course !
Click to expand...

I've actually been wondering the same thing as the OP. We don't have "free" accessible Wifi at work so this is something worth considering.
 
I'm with Rickster in this one.

Either way you are paying 3G rates, doesn't matter what sim or what device you are using.

Just add the same data bundle to the mobile phone, problem solved.
 
SauRoNZA said:
I'm with Rickster in this one.

Either way you are paying 3G rates, doesn't matter what sim or what device you are using.

Just add the same data bundle to the mobile phone, problem solved.
Click to expand...

Cool so you can add a cheap cell C or 8ta bundle and use that..?
 
SauRoNZA said:
I'm with Rickster in this one.

Either way you are paying 3G rates, doesn't matter what sim or what device you are using.

Just add the same data bundle to the mobile phone, problem solved.
Click to expand...

Hey SaRonza ,you through an spanner in the works :)
At my local Vodacom store there are 2 types of deals. One costs R69 per gig and the other (labeled as cell data rates/ mobile internet pricing)costs R149 per gig. The latter is aimed at cellphones so if all 3g costs the same what am I paying for with an R69per Gig plan ?

If the anwser is wifi ,isn't the mobile router using 3g aswell and should be the same cost?
 
If someone could plz make all this understandable I would really appreciate it.
 
Uwe K said:
Hey SaRonza ,you through an spanner in the works :)
At my local Vodacom store there are 2 types of deals. One costs R69 per gig and the other (labeled as cell data rates/ mobile internet pricing)costs R149 per gig. The latter is aimed at cellphones so if all 3g costs the same what am I paying for with an R69per Gig plan ?

If the anwser is wifi ,isn't the mobile router using 3g aswell and should be the same cost?
Click to expand...

There is no Wifi involved with anything 3G.

The wifi is used to connect your device to your router, not to get Internet access.

You should be able to add any data bundle to your mobile phone number.
 
SauRoNZA said:
There is no Wifi involved with anything 3G.

The wifi is used to connect your device to your router, not to get Internet access.

You should be able to add any data bundle to your mobile phone number.
Click to expand...

Just to clarify your last point, as one of the earlier posters seems to have a misconception:
You can add any data bundle from your service provider to your mobile phone number.
 
Uwe K said:
Hey SaRonza ,you through an spanner in the works :)
At my local Vodacom store there are 2 types of deals. One costs R69 per gig and the other (labeled as cell data rates/ mobile internet pricing)costs R149 per gig. The latter is aimed at cellphones so if all 3g costs the same what am I paying for with an R69per Gig plan ?

If the anwser is wifi ,isn't the mobile router using 3g aswell and should be the same cost?
Click to expand...

Hi

I've considered the same setup for my car (just going to use an old Android phone I've got lying around as my router) and as for the 3G, look into CellC prepaid.

CellC offer the best OOB (Out Of Bundle) rates and you do not want to go for a standard 3G contract with Vodacom or MTN because if you go OOB, you will regret it.

Vodacom do offer their data contract as TopUps to protect you from going over your cap, you need to ask for them.

Personally I'm considering CellC, will load R200 on it and then only top-up once I've used my airtime. Cell C charge R0.15 per meg OOB.

Currently locking yourself into any 3G contract is risky as prices are changing on a regular basis.
 
BigAl-sa said:
Just to clarify your last point, as one of the earlier posters seems to have a misconception:
You can add any data bundle from your service provider to your mobile phone number.
Click to expand...

Even that you cannot do. For example, Vodacom has good 3G Prepaid Data deals that you cannot add to your phone contract.

So, just get a cheap data prepaid deal that you load on a mobile router (or phone, whatever), and then you can have cheap wifi data in your car that you can access via your phone with your normal phone setup.

For example, get a 3GB per year Cell C prepaid sim, plug it into a mobile router (R201, R205, E583C, E585, E586, E589, etc, etc) and off you go.

If you drive to funny areas get a Vodacom prepaid sim because Vodacom has better cover (in the Kruger, for example).

I do this all the time, it is quite simple.
 
Jola said:
Even that you cannot do. For example, Vodacom has good 3G Prepaid Data deals that you cannot add to your phone contract.
Click to expand...
Ok, my bad, I was under the impression you could add a once off data bundle to any SIM.
 
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