Dongles, Laptops or Wi-Fi: Which option for Mobile Broadband?

Mobile Broadband

The mobile broadband market is one that is simply getting easier and easier to use, with a network coverage that is increasing almost daily as the big telecommunications companies increase their respective footprints throughout the land. If you are not on or using Mobile Broadband yet, here are a couple of quick and easy steps that you should follow so that you too can take advantage of this Internet revolution.

USB Dongles

Despite its funny sounding name, the dongle is what makes the Mobile Broadband network function. While newer laptops sometimes have this functionality built in, for the vast majority of the population to get online meant either having a network cable plugged into their laptop or having to utilize a Wi-Fi to connection to their home or office network.

With the Wireless Dongle in place however, this all changed - this simple little device that plugs into the USB port of your laptop or notebook computer contains all the necessary software and hardware needed to establish a connection to a Mobile Broadband network. Simply plug it into your USB port, install the requisite software and (assuming that you have a plan in place with one of the network providers) launch your Internet browser. It really is that easy, which is a nice change!

Pay as You Go or Contract Options?

If you do not have a plan in place with one of the big six providers, this is actually probably your lucky day as your options are many and varied. Depending on your needs and usage, you can always explore the Pay as You Go (PAYG) option which has definite benefits in terms of flexibility as you are not tied into a term at all and is ideal for those needing Internet access on an ad-hoc basis. For business people this is absolutely essential as the costs of the dongle and service are significantly cheaper and possibly faster than Hotel provided Internet service.

However if you intend to do any real serious downloading or need to be online frequently - choosing a monthly plan is by far your preferred route. Students and those without a home phone line can and should definitely explore this option as while Wi-Fi connections might be faster, you should always take into account the cost of your line rental also as the increased speed might not be worth the extra cost for a service (your phone line) you will not be using anyways. In addition, probably the biggest advantage is that with a wireless dongle you are not restricted in regards to where you browse the Internet and can take your connection with you! While you are tied into a contract - ranging from 12 months to 2 years - there are some significant benefits that you can obtain by going this route, starting from free Wireless Dongles themselves up to and including free laptops.

About the author: Hutch Morzaria writes on behalf of www.broadbandgenie.co.uk, helping you find the best mobile broadband and wireless broadband dongle options.