Choosing The Best Internet Dongle For Your Needs

When you purchase a mobile phone contract you may be offered an internet dongle. These are great if you have been looking for an easy way to connect your laptop or other mobile device to the internet without a fixed line wireless connection.

Internet dongles have been in existence since 2007 but have become much better over the years.  When considering a dongle you should first decode if you actually need one, and then look at what contracts you can get them on. The types of dongles available should also be looked at,along with the benefits of dongles and who provides the item.

Who should use a dongle?

There are certain people who benefit the most from using an internet dongle. These are people who travel often and need to connect their laptop to the internet. While it is possible to connect to the internet via Wi-Fi hotspots these hotspots are not everywhere.  Having a dongle allows you to connect at any time as long as you have not reached your data limit.

Internet dongle contracts

There are two kinds of dongle contract that you can get. The type you take will depend on your usage of the dongle and what you are financially able to commit to. The contract types are monthly paid contracts and pay as you go. Both of these contract types will provide a sim card which is used to track the mobile data allowances.

Monthly paid contracts will vary depending on the provider and how much you are paying. All monthly contracts will include the dongle for free. However you may have to pay a once off set up fee. The length of the contract can vary from 1 month to 24 months.

Generally, the longer the contract length the less you will have to pay. The amount of data allowance you will have per month will be between 0.5GB and 15GB.  Speed is often a concern with mobile broadband but the speed of dongles has increased over the years. In good coverage areas monthly contract dongles can offer up to 10mb per second.

On pay as you go contracts the dongle is not given for free but the cost is included in the set up fee.  This means that you will have to pay a set up fee for all pay as you go contracts. Pay as you go contracts work in two ways and that is buying the data up front and paying after use.

Most providers will use the first way as it is easier for them. When you buy top up data the data is usually valid for 30 days after purchase unless otherwise stated.

[Image Credits: www.goalprofits.co.uk]

The types of dongles you can get

When you look for a dongle you should know about the different types of dongles on the market.  There are three types of dongles you can get. Before you sign up for a contract you should know which dongle you are getting and what they can do.

• A Wi-Fi dongle is the most common one. These devices allow connectivity to the internet through the use of mobile data linked to a sim card. 
• Bluetooth dongles are not actually able to connect to the internet. These dongles are used as a wireless conductor to connect with other wireless devices such as printers.
• Mi-Fi dongles are the latest type of dongle to hit the market. These devices will locate wireless hotspots and connect to the internet through them instead of mobile data linked to a sim card.

The Mi-Fi dongle will be slightly bigger than the traditional Wi-Fi dongle. This is an important difference because the device needs to be easy to travel with.

The benefits of dongles

There are many benefits which you will receive when using a dongle to connect to the internet.  Knowing about the benefits allows you to better decide whether or not you should get a dongle.

• Flexibility is one of the benefits which dongles offer. These devices can be used anywhere from the home to the park. 
• The USB connection is a universal port which all computers have and the dongle uses this port to connect to the computer.
• Dongle units are able to connect with any operating system. It does not matter whether you have a PC or a Mac because the operating system will support the devices software.
• There are many different mobile broadband plans which can be used with the dongle. This allows you to find the deal which suits your needs best.
• Dongles do not need electricity. If there is a power outage fixed line broadband will not work.  However, if your computer has battery life you will be able to connect to the internet via the dongle as it does not use external power.
• The dongle offers better connections than tether mobile devices. As the dongle connects directly to the computer the connection is better. Tethered mobile devices will use a wireless connection which can drop and be interfered with.
• Dongles are more secure than any other broadband connection. Wireless networks can be hacked and your valuable information stolen. As the dongle connects to the computer there is less chance of the connection being hacked.

The disadvantages of dongles

While looking at the benefits is important you have to look at the disadvantages as well.

• The speeds are limited compared to fixed line broadband. 
• The cost of additional data can be quite expensive. If you use a lot of data each month you will find that this is an expensive option. 
• Usage caps are generally low. Most dongle deals will offer small amounts of data which make them a bad option for heavy internet users.
• Dongles can be locked to certain networks. Providers will often lock their dongles to their network and this does not allow you to use any data sim from a different provider.

Coverage of the provider
How much coverage your provider offers will impact the speeds and connectivity of your dongle. If the coverage network is small you may have problems when you try using your dongle when travelling.

   Phil Turner

About the Author:

Phil Turner got a great deal on his internet dongle just by doing some online browsing. uSwitch and similar price comparison sites make getting a great deal so much easier.