Quote: Randa france wrote in post #1

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This year we found that although most campsites offered free wifi, the signal was not good. However, we were impressed that Mrs R's new phone with all the gismos picked up a better signal than the laptop and tablet.

I presume that this device is some sort of signal booster?

If so, how does it work and does it just plug into the computer/tablet/phone?

Randa

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That thing is a powered digital terrestrial TV aerial.

And if you want decent WiFi, forget the campsite rubbish and get yourself an unlocked mobile WiFi device - a MiFi - and a PAYG data sim for it.

It's the way to go.

Fo' shizzle.

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Quote: Tonks wrote in post #4

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Any recommendations on a particular MIFI?

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I'm no expert, but if I was looking it'd probably be one of the Huawei 4G ones.

4G is fastest, but because it's the newest technology it's a bit more expensive. If you have a look on Amazon or eBay there are unlocked 4G units on sale for between about £50 and £75. You can pick up an unlocked Huawei 3G Mifi for thirty-odd quid, and that may do you just fine.

That's obviously a one-off cost; what you pay on an ongoing basis for the actual service depends on what you're using it for. If it's just occasional internet browsing and e-mails and stuff, you probably wouldn't need much more than an average smartphone sim card data allowance, say 1 or 2GB a month at the very most. You may get away with less than that, and then of course the cost is less too.

There are zillions of data-only sim deals around at the moment, so the best thing I could suggest is to look on a site like uSwitch to see what's what.

Keep an eye on Amazon for sims too. I bought a 3 (as in three.co.uk) 24GB sim before Christmas for just over £20. The data lasts for two years, so if you used 1GB a month it'd be a quid a month. That's pretty cheap. They don't do that one at the moment, but there are other deals on all the time.

As I'm sure you know, the key thing about a MiFi is that you're creating own little password-protected WiFi network wherever you use it, meaning you can connect several devices to it at the same time - a laptop, a tablet, a couple of phones or your internet-enabled American-style double-door stainless steel refrigerator so that it can order you some more Prosecco frizzante before you run out.

You can do essentially the same thing (create a little network) with a smartphone by taking advantage of its tethering capabilities, but not all phone service providers will let you do that, and it's an awful lot more faff.

MiFis are designed to be used as mini WiFi hubs, so connecting to them is dead easy.

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Quote: hampshireman wrote in post #7

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Beyond a Luddite like me, but the Kessingland C&CC site we were on last week had reasonable WiFi on the site for the usual £3 for 24hrs. Used it once.

Aiming to rebook our cancelled French trip for September today and wonder what I will need over there.

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In isolation, I suppose £3 for 24 hours might not seem too extortionate, but it is.

As I mentioned up there ^, with a Three 24GB sim card, it'd cost you about a quid a month, never mind three quid a day.

Even when you factor in the up front cost of doing it yourself, it works out way, way cheaper.

Paid-for campsite WiFi is a total swizz. You don't even get a decent signal a lot of the time, at least not without buying additional auxiliary equipment like Argie's, and if everybody else on the site is using it at the same time it's even worse.

And if you've got your own supply, you won't be sharing it with the loud woman on pitch 6 who spends all her time sending Instagram messages to her chums in Magaluf.

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