Mobile Network choice - The 3 Network and tethering

[Adlerhorst]

Seriously. Work out what deal you want, and what phone you want, then find the best combined deal for that. Then compare the total cost of that that to a sim only contract cost and buying the phone outright (really you ought to also add the interest you would have otherwise earned on the phone price as well, but that won't be much these days).

Usually the latter will come out cheaper. Often significantly so (I reckon it probably saved me about £300 overall). Also it gives you more flexibility to move as the sim only contract will be 12 months rather than 24 before you can change it.

[Kylie_Tracey]

why are giff gaff and 3 so obsessed with tethering on all you can eat data contracts, it physically cant cost them that much if people are paying £30-£50/month, its what people want these days, who needs unlimited talk and texts, I dont talk much at all on my mobile and have no care to.

[Adlerhorst]

It appears they think they are being abused, and you can see this from the new rules 3 apply. For AYCE data there is a limit on tethering (depending on when you signed your contract). For Fixed data contracts amount there isn't a limit on tethering so you can end up being able to tether more on a fixed data contract compared to an AYCE data contract. Currently I basically have unlimited everything for £15 a month and can tether as much as I want. You can see how this has the potential to be abused. (I have just done a check on my usage and I am using 10-15GB of mobile data a month. So I am not an abuser as it were as at least half of that is on my phone).

[Random*]

Originally Posted by Adlerhorst

Seriously. Work out what deal you want, and what phone you want, then find the best combined deal for that. Then compare the total cost of that that to a sim only contract cost and buying the phone outright (really you ought to also add the interest you would have otherwise earned on the phone price as well, but that won't be much these days).

Usually the latter will come out cheaper. Often significantly so (I reckon it probably saved me about £300 overall). Also it gives you more flexibility to move as the sim only contract will be 12 months rather than 24 before you can change it.

+1 to that.

Every time I look at a new phone (Galaxy or iPhone) it remains cheaper to stay on my current tariff and buy the new phone outright than it does to get a new contract with phone included. It usually saves £100-200 over the life of the contract.

My tariff is currently something like 2000 minutes, 500 messages and AYCE data with tethering for £18 a month. As I use 8-10GB per month (but less than 100 minutes and 50 messages) I can't find another tariff that beats it even without tethering.

[cpfc4evandeva]

Originally Posted by Adlerhorst

It appears they think they are being abused, and you can see this from the new rules 3 apply. For AYCE data there is a limit on tethering (depending on when you signed your contract). For Fixed data contracts amount there isn't a limit on tethering so you can end up being able to tether more on a fixed data contract compared to an AYCE data contract. Currently I basically have unlimited everything for £15 a month and can tether as much as I want. You can see how this has the potential to be abused. (I have just done a check on my usage and I am using 10-15GB of mobile data a month. So I am not an abuser as it were as at least half of that is on my phone).

I think this is correct.

When I first got on the Three train, I didn't have home broadband in place - I got rid of BT because they were shit and needed to find a replacement.

Because Three had AYCE and allowed tethering, I didn't end up getting 'proper' broadband for a number of years. The speed via my phone was great.

I tethered, using my phone's data to download all the netflix and porn you can imagine.

So I'm probably one of the people that Three hate

[Adlerhorst]

In the nicest possible way, **** you, this is all your fault

[cpfc4evandeva]

I stopped doing this a few years ago, only because I got a good deal on fast fibre optic. Tethering was a great period of my life

[switchboard]

Just cancelled my pay monthly contract as it expired and wanted to move onto a sim only plan, but I just don't get it.

was looking at one of these which is treble what I was getting for a third of the price:

To view the link you have to Register or Login

But why for a 1 month contract do they need bank details and direct debit set up? Is it a rolling contract you have to cancel? What if I want it in March but not April?

Do you not just phone up and pay £10 and for that you get what they offer?

Thanks for your assistance BBS.

[Adlerhorst]

So three are now offering (if you negotiate with them) basically the one plan again for £20. Only difference from the one plan is that you are capped at 30 gig data (but can tether all of it). So unless you were an abuser type the one plan is essentially back.

BT are giving me 15 Gig data and everything else the same for £16 a month. I'd go with 3, but shite 3 reception in the office which is annoying, but feel at home (which I think is very useful) is being massively expanded to around 50 countries.

Tricky

[stinky]

Originally Posted by Adlerhorst

So three are now offering (if you negotiate with them) basically the one plan again for £20. Only difference from the one plan is that you are capped at 30 gig data (but can tether all of it). So unless you were an abuser type the one plan is essentially back.

BT are giving me 15 Gig data and everything else the same for £16 a month. I'd go with 3, but shite 3 reception in the office which is annoying, but feel at home (which I think is very useful) is being massively expanded to around 50 countries.

Tricky

We complained about our Three reception at the brewery and they sent us a free booster. Works perfectly.

Also if you download Three in Touch you can make or receive calls over wifi. Perfect for when I'm at my parents in the sticks with no mobile signal but superfast broadband

[cpfc4evandeva]

Feel At Home is genuinely awesome. It just makes things so much easier when you have access to maps, and online restaurant/bar reviews.

[Kylie_Tracey]

switched from 02 to 3 two weeks ago and beginning to wish I hadn't bothered, the £24 all you can eat data with 30g tethering suits me but from my first floor flat in Wallington SM6, facing a road and close to the front windows I dont get more that one or two bars and have not had 4g coverage at all yet, the typical hopeless Indian call centre tell me the coverage in my area is fine FFS!

[mushroom]

Originally Posted by Adlerhorst

So three are now offering (if you negotiate with them) basically the one plan again for £20. Only difference from the one plan is that you are capped at 30 gig data (but can tether all of it). So unless you were an abuser type the one plan is essentially back.

BT are giving me 15 Gig data and everything else the same for £16 a month. I'd go with 3, but shite 3 reception in the office which is annoying, but feel at home (which I think is very useful) is being massively expanded to around 50 countries.

Tricky

I get unlimited internet (with no fair use policy)
Free three to free calls
Unlimited texts
100mins of calls

All for £10 a month.

No tethering though. Does tethering have to be activated, or could I just do it on the sly?

[Random*]

Originally Posted by mushroom

I get unlimited internet (with no fair use policy)
Free three to free calls
Unlimited texts
100mins of calls

All for £10 a month.

No tethering though. Foes tethering have to be activated, or could I just do it on the sly?

Where did you get that deal from?

Tethering is blocked at the network level usually with carrier phone settings. You can get around them using jail breaking and VPNs, but not just with a vanilla phone.

[mushroom]

Originally Posted by Random*

Where did you get that deal from?



Tethering is blocked at the network level usually with carrier phone settings. You can get around them using jail breaking and VPNs, but not just with a vanilla phone.

Ta
It was a deal from years ago, it was written on a blackboard outside the shop.. it was a managers special deal. Every year they try to convince me to change plans.

[James]

All my family are on Three - that's five contracts.

I was called by Three yesterday and offered a £12 a month deal (for 12 months) with unlimited (AYCE) calls and unlimited texts plus 4GB per month data (which can be tethered) - and of course the 'Feel at Home' benefit of free use in the USA and most of Europe. Since my wife and kids are not using any more than 2GB per month, I switched them all on to that. I do use a lot of data, so I have signed up for the same package, but with 30GB per month data (used to be unlimited on my old contract) for £16 per month. All 30GB can be tethered.

Reception on all networks is patchy where I live, but Three now have WiFi calling enabled, so if the signal is low, it automatically switches to WiFi for calls and texts. If you are on Three, you need to update to the latest iOS and enable WiFi calling in Settings/Phone/Wi-Fi calling/On

[LN1]

Good thing I occasionally look at the small print as I've just seen that '3' do not allow tethering in the 'Feel at Home' countries. I was going to dump a MIfi (3 Data sim) and phone (Vodafone) pair of sims and combine them with the £16/30gb tariff for existing customers and just use the phone as a hotspot everywhere. Lack of tethering overseas is disappointing from 3

[Marki]

Pretty sure I can do some tethering on a Feel at Home basis on my contract.

[mushroom]

Originally Posted by James

All my family are on Three - that's five contracts.

I was called by Three yesterday and offered a £12 a month deal (for 12 months) with unlimited (AYCE) calls and unlimited texts plus 4GB per month data (which can be tethered) - and of course the 'Feel at Home' benefit of free use in the USA and most of Europe. Since my wife and kids are not using any more than 2GB per month, I switched them all on to that. I do use a lot of data, so I have signed up for the same package, but with 30GB per month data (used to be unlimited on my old contract) for £16 per month. All 30GB can be tethered.

Reception on all networks is patchy where I live, but Three now have WiFi calling enabled, so if the signal is low, it automatically switches to WiFi for calls and texts. If you are on Three, you need to update to the latest iOS and enable WiFi calling in Settings/Phone/Wi-Fi calling/On

Got that deal for my daughter with sim only £9 a month

[LN1]

Originally Posted by Marki

Pretty sure I can do some tethering on a Feel at Home basis on my contract.

I've been trying to read up this and some people seemed to have success but it is possible that its only with low usage that doesn't get noticed but generally it said that the data flow can be identified as different from phone usage by Three and can be stopped.

I think I've solved my own problem as I have a MiFi unit I can go with the £16/30 deal for the phone but when I am going abroad buy a PAYG data sim from Three as necessary. I didn't realise the the PAYG data ones come with 'Feel at Home' but it appears they do. At least I can hopefully save on running two contract sims and save some money...and tell Vodafone where to go!