Put On Your Thinking Caps.

[waynegohl]

I need some advice here please but first let me sketch the scenario.

My wife has a small kiosk/shop in N'Dabeni so has no internet. I am here at home on the web and have internet and we communicated daily with each other through various methods until yesterday. She has an ipod touch which needs internet to work so now she plays games on it but if she had internet access she could do much more so here is my thinking.

I have a vodaphone 858 smartphone which has a wi fi hot spot feature and all you do is load airtime and activate the hot spot for wi fi, so if she had that there by her and activated the hot spot function she would have internet on her ipod touch and we can communicate via that feature and she could do much more BUT how much money would she use if it is on for a few hours and is it worth it to run it like that?

 

[guest2013-1]

Depends on what "a lot more" is. On average I use about 450mb a month for Facebook/games/WhatsApp. And that's with moderate usage. Women will go ape**** with Facebook/WhatsApp if given half the chance. So look at budgeting for 1gb a month

 

[waynegohl]

Thanks AcidRaZor, she does not do Facebook but I am sure she will surf the Pinterest(spelling) app on the pod and maybe internet banking type things if needed but mostly it will be for the chat feature and once in a blue moon use Facetime.

 

[TJ99]

Get a data SIM for the phone, it will work out much cheaper than buying data bundles for a normal contract/prepaid SIM.

 

[waynegohl]

Get a data SIM for the phone, it will work out much cheaper than buying data bundles for a normal contract/prepaid SIM.

What is a data sim TJ99, where do we buy them?


(goes to google now)

 

[azbob]

Are you going to be using CellC? Or are those phones locked?

 

[TJ99]

What is a data sim TJ99, where do we buy them?


(goes to google now)

You know, one of those contracts where you pay x per month and get 2 or 3GB? You get a SIM card and 3G dongle but just put the SIM card in the phone and then use it as a hotspot.

Like 8ta had a R200 per month for 10GB deal or something. I believe that's over now though.

Edit: http://www.8ta.com/deals/

The first one is R218 p/m for 10GB per month, 24 months. I believe you can pay the whole amount upfront too if you want. The other networks have similar deals but I believe 8ta and CellC are the cheapest.

 

[waynegohl]

Are you going to be using CellC? Or are those phones locked?

It's the android phone and as far as I know it is not locked to any network and I have my vodacom sim in there. What I have done before to test it is make sure there was airtime in and activated the hot spot and it was working.

 

[waynegohl]

You know, one of those contracts where you pay x per month and get 2 or 3GB? You get a 3G dongle with but just put the SIM card in the phone and then use it as a hotspot.

Like 8ta had a R200 per month for 10GB deal or something. I believe that's over now though.

oh ok thanks.

I don't think spending R200 a month is too much for what I was thinking. R59 a month BIS was too much for us.

 

[TJ99]

Are you going to be using CellC? Or are those phones locked?

Network-locking phones is illegal in SA last I checked.

 

[marco79]

Get a Cell C prepaid sim card, load some airtime and purchase a data bundle. You looking at R75 for 500mb. Then monitor her usage from there. This would be a better option than getting a 10Gb contract and only needing 1Gb or even less.

 

[azbob]

Get a Cell C prepaid sim card, load some airtime and purchase a data bundle. You looking at R75 for 500mb. Then monitor her usage from there. This would be a better option than getting a 10Gb contract and only needing 1Gb or even less.

Yep, that's what I was getting at.

 

[TJ99]

Get a Cell C prepaid sim card, load some airtime and purchase a data bundle. You looking at R75 for 500mb. Then monitor her usage from there. This would be a better option than getting a 10Gb contract and only needing 1Gb or even less.

But then if you only need such a tiny amount of data, MTN is only R69 per month, plus you get a free modem:

http://www.mtnsp.co.za/shop/MTNDirect/Pages/DataDeals.aspx

 

[waynegohl]

ok cool thanks guys, I have some airtime on another sim card so maybe she should test it tomorrow and then we see what happens and then look at the options mentioned here. I wanted to swop my android phone for an old Nokia 9300i because mxit would work on it but maybe holding onto the android would be a better option because of the hot spot.

 

[TJ99]

Mxit works on iPhones and iPads too as far as I know...

It definitely works on Androids.

 

[waynegohl]

Mxit works on iPhones and iPads too as far as I know...

It definitely works on Androids.

At the moment my wife is using the LG KS360 but it is problematic. I had a BB that was "stuffed" but got mxit to work on there for a month up until yesterday so that is out and she cannot use the android because it's touchscreen and the on screen keypad is too small so that's why I wanted to swop it for something with a keyboard for her but if the hot spot feature works she can use the pod as the screen is bigger so the keypad with be bigger too.