The Best Broadband Dongle

Forget the hype and advertised broadband speeds, we put the top five dongles through their paces, with some very interesting results...

A few months ago, I wrote about how broadband dongles could potentially save you £203 a year compared to a BT landline, and examined whether they could be the next big thing in the broadband market. (Dongles are a new gadget that can enable you to access broadband via a 3G mobile connection.)

The results were mixed, and I concluded that you shouldn't let go of your trusty dog and bone just yet. However, those eager to find out more wanted to know how well the dongles performed in practice.

Always one to rise to the challenge, I managed to get my hands on not one, but all five of the dongles on the market at the moment, so I could really put them to the test.

But before we get down to the nitty-gritty, here's a quick recap of what the providers are currently offering:

*Subject to 3GB fair use policy. If you regularly exceed this allowance, T-Mobile can reduce your network speeds.

The Results

Firstly, all five dongles were very easy to install. I simply plugged them in and followed the instructions to get online. Bear in mind that if you're a Mac user, you may need to install some additional software for the dongle to work properly.

Nevertheless, in all cases I was up and running within five minutes. Dongles can also be shared between computers, meaning anyone in your household can get connected.

Top Of The Dongle Pops

Although all the dongles provided reliable internet, Vodafone was by far the fastest of the five, providing you with a handy graph showing roughly how much data you've used.

That said, Vodafone claims you can get speeds of up to 7.2Mbps in certain areas of London, together with airports up and down the country. However, using a broadband speed checker I tested the dongle in one of the areas and wasn't able to get a speed of more than 1.35Mbps.

In addition, O2 provided some surprising results. The latest player in the mobile broadband market has a highly praised home broadband service, and one would have expected its mobile broadband to match up.

Sadly, although the service was faster than dial-up, the dongle was painfully slow compared to the others. Orange and T-Mobile filled the middle ground, with average download speeds of 0.8Mbps.

Best Value Broadband

If you need a dongle and are not too bothered by speeds, my money is on 3, which provides the best value. Be warned though, 3's dongle is definitely not the fastest I tested, and the service was the most sporadic of the five -- ranging from a lowly 0.3Mbps at my house in west London to a pretty good 1.7Mbps in the centre of the capital.

However, if you only use the internet for checking your email and general surfing, unlike many of the other providers, 3 won't tie you in with a lengthy contract. You can get a 3 dongle free with a 12 month deal -- half the tie-in period of both Vodafone and T-Mobile, or a PAYG dongle with no commitment for just £49.99.

It's even better if you're an existing 3 customer. Until 30^th June, you can get a free dongle with a 1GB data allowance for just £5 a month (if you sign an 18 month contract).

Finding A Dongle To Fit You

Obviously, coverage varies immensely depending on where you live, and unless you are all about to move into my area, the numbers quoted won't necessarily apply to you.

So, if you're considering getting a dongle, use these links for 3, Vodafone, T-Mobile, O2, Orange to check the coverage in your area. However, though the sites will tell you if your area is covered, by no means will you get the advertised speeds.

The best thing you can do to test mobile broadband speeds in your area is to borrow a dongle. That way, you'll know how fast it will perform where you live.

For those who do not have that luxury, if your existing mobile phone has 3G capability and your tariff supports internet browsing, simply hook it up to your computer (there should be a cable to connect it in the box your phone came in), and conduct a broadband speed test which will give you an idea of speeds in your area.

One Final Word Of Warning!

Heard about the woman who came back from holiday with a £4,900 broadband bill? Although services within the UK are becoming more competitive, overseas broadband charges continue to be astronomical.

To give you an idea of how expensive overseas dongle surfing is, if you downloaded one of our podcasts (typically 20Mb) abroad it would cost you a staggering £150 with a T-Mobile dongle. I'm sure even our most avid fans don't love David Kuo that much!

Even simple surfing could end up costing you more than you bargained for. According to Vodafone, 40 pages = 1MB, which equates to about 20 minutes of light surfing. So, just one hour's surfing in Europe would cost you anything from £9 with the cheapest network O2 to £22.50 with T-Mobile. Surf for longer, and the costs could quickly mount up.

So the moral of the story is; don't use your dongle abroad! Instead, consider alternatives such as Wi-Fi, or even that trusty internet café. Even in the UK, exceeding your allowance could cost you dearly.

As I highlighted in my last article, 3GB of data is the equivalent of sending about 2,000 plain text emails, 100 hours of web surfing, and downloading 100 two minute videos and 200 music tracks. If your usage exceeds this, you're better of sticking to landline broadband, which usually gives you a more generous data allowance.

Healthy Competition?

So, are dongles worth it? With the proposed deregulation of the broadband market, competition is set to hot up over the coming months, and prices have surely nowhere to go but down.

For example, since my last article, the price of the Orange Everywhere plan has been reduced from £20 per month to just £15. In addition, 3 are currently giving away a free PAYG dongle when you take out a contract on selected tariffs. As mobile providers try to corner both the mobile and broadband market, I think these incentives are only going to become more prevalent in the future.

So, dongles are firmly here to stay. They may not become the next big thing, but if you're looking for broadband on the move -- or simply an alternative to landline broadband, then a dongle may just be right up your street...

More: Save £240 A Year With A Broadband Bundle / How To Switch Broadband More Easily