Can one of you crazy techno whizz kids help me?

[CraigG86]

I've just acquired a house with my better half, and she needs an internet connection. We're hoping to move in tomorrow and as we've only just got it, there's no internet installed. I've had to opt for the Sky package, and this is being activated on Friday 25th... That means we're going to have a week with no internet...

Not a problem to many, but with my Judy being a teacher (not a net nerd who's life revolves around Facespace), she needs it for her lesson resources etc.

Now, I've heard on the grapevine that there's a possibility that she can turn her iPhone 5 into a source of internet for the Laptop. Is this true? If so, how? And, other than magic, how would this work?

[Doctle Odd]

Buy a dongle on a 14 day trial and return it in 10 days. 3, o2, orange etc all do them, or just buy a PAYG dongle stick a tenner on it and off you go, BTW I'm not a techo anything I just do random posts.

[CraigG86]

What's this dongle you speak of? How does this work?

I'm the biggest technophobe in the world.

[Doctle Odd]

It plugs into a USB socket and connects like a mobile phone quite fast too, People over here use them no phone line needed and they work anywhere. ours is Vodafone

[CraigG86]

I've just Googled it, and I think it's wizardry... But if you think it's the best option, then so be it!

This is all mad to me, I've only just found out I can go on the internet on my iPhone. And it hasn't impressed me...

[Doctle Odd]

I'm very hard to impress I've seen Mrs Odd naked and I wasn't. I think o2 is cheaper than Vodafone in the uk....

[Doctle Odd]

Seriously mate go to somewhere like Carphone warehouse and they will tell you all the plans and costs etc. We have Vodafone because the dongle plugs into a Vodafone wireless router (boy wonder set it up) so many people can use it.

[Doctle Odd]

O2 Mobile Broadband - Broadband Usage Calculator (http://broadband.o2.co.uk/mobile/dataCalculator.jsp)

[CraigG86]

You sir, are a scholar and a gent!

[Guest 2]

Make sure you have 3G coverage in your area or the dongle will be useless!

[Doctle Odd]

A point I failed to make! Mobile Broadband Coverage | Broadband Genie Guide (http://www.broadbandgenie.co.uk/mobilebroadband/help/guide-to-national-mobile-broadband-coverage)
Make sure you have 3G coverage in your area or the dongle will be useless!

[CraigG86]

A quick check on the O2 one, and I'm right in the middle of a blue patch. I think that's a good thing!

And I thought this move to Cheshire was going to leave me with nothing since it's in the middle of nowhere!

[Hex69]

If you have a certain contract with three (the One Plan) or with Vodafone you can use your phone as a wireless hotspot (it's known as tethering). Basically you use an app on the phone to take your mobile signal and broadcast it as a wireless one that anyone you allow can then access.

Use your Phone to Get Online – Tethering your Devices – Vodafone (https://www.vodafone.co.uk/shop/internet/use-your-phone-as-a-modem/index.htm)

[Doctle Odd]

3 have quite a high usage allowance 0f 10-15 gig

[Hex69]

3 have quite a high usage allowance 0f 10-15 gig

It's actually unlimited, and I can verify that as I've got through 18 Gb in a month and regularly use 6 Gb each month.

[Sam]

Please don't go to Carephone Warehouse.

Please.

[CraigG86]

We went into O2, got one of these fangled Dongle things for £15 with 2gb of data, then we registered it and got an extra 2gb.

By the time the broadband was set up, we'd used 0.2mb of data... So now it's sat on the table doing nothing at all!

Thank you though, for what little use it's had, it was much needed!

[Doctle Odd]

You can bring it on picnics, use it during a power cut, in the shed etc glad it worked out ok for you:Blush:

[DickBrowne]

You can attach your PC to your iPhone wirelessly, using an option called "Tether", but be aware that this is specifically not allowed by some airtime providers within your data allowance - I'm on 02 and I'm fine, but there are exclusions to some plans. Best check with whoever provides her airtime before taking the option, it would be awful to feel the warm glow of satisfaction at having worked around a potential issue, only to have the grim reality of massive data charges land upon your doormat next month

[Hex69]

You can attach your PC to your iPhone wirelessly, using an option called "Tether", but be aware that this is specifically not allowed by some airtime providers within your data allowance - I'm on 02 and I'm fine, but there are exclusions to some plans. Best check with whoever provides her airtime before taking the option, it would be awful to feel the warm glow of satisfaction at having worked around a potential issue, only to have the grim reality of massive data charges land upon your doormat next month

Did you not read post #13 ?

[DickBrowne]

Did you not read post #13 ?

Sorry Hex, that one did slip past me, but having said that the other info regarding charges and the specific exclusion of tethering under some calling plans may be useful?

No offence intended, hope none was taken

[Hex69]

Sorry Hex, that one did slip past me, but having said that the other info regarding charges and the specific exclusion of tethering under some calling plans may be useful?

No offence intended, hope none was taken

None taken :)

To be fair to you, I thought that O2 didn't allow tethering, however it's not just an 'i' thing, Android and Windows 8 phones can also perform this trick.

Sent from my Nexus 4

[DickBrowne]

None taken :)

To be fair to you, I thought that O2 didn't allow tethering, however it's not just an 'i' thing, Android and Windows 8 phones can also perform this trick.

Sent from my Nexus 4

They certainly can - my Samsung Galaxy S2 allows it, but the OP was asking specifically about iPhone :) Incidentally, the phrase "tethering" to describe this activity was originally an Apple phrase - if you used an Apple OSX Server, and required Apple tech support to use their telnet-like capability to interact with your machine beneath the application layer, that was always described as tethering. I think it used SSH as it's primary transport, but I may be wrong. My last start-up was TCO'd by an ex-Steve Jobs direct report, and as we were selling an appliance with no user/IT access to anything below the app, we always logged into the remote box using SSH for app-level support and tether for OS-related tasks.

</trivia> :)

Oh, and 02 may not allow tethering on every calling plan, but it is allowed on mine, which costs around £28 a month, so it's not a high-value plan

[Hex69]

They certainly can - my Samsung Galaxy S2 allows it, but the OP was asking specifically about iPhone :) Incidentally, the phrase "tethering" to describe this activity was originally an Apple phrase - if you used an Apple OSX Server, and required Apple tech support to use their telnet-like capability to interact with your machine beneath the application layer, that was always described as tethering. I think it used SSH as it's primary transport, but I may be wrong. My last start-up was TCO'd by an ex-Steve Jobs direct report, and as we were selling an appliance with no user/IT access to anything below the app, we always logged into the remote box using SSH for app-level support and tether for OS-related tasks.

</trivia> :)

Oh, and 02 may not allow tethering on every calling plan, but it is allowed on mine, which costs around £28 a month, so it's not a high-value plan

Now you're talking my language. :D

I'm not so hot on mobile services, being more involved with large database testing along with Unix and Grid processing, as a Software Test Manager, but I can certainly see where you're coming from.

However, we're starting to build things like Twitter feeds, etc. into our SCV in order to optimise our marketing to people.

[lockster0191]

turn on personal hot spot in ios6 settings then scan with laptop for the iphone wifi connection