Question about 3 mobile broadband

[KiteRunner]

Three or 3 is such a terrible word to search on Google!

I was ready to throw the very-recently-mended laptop out of the window earlier today. I use it with a 3 mobile broadband dongle, and at the weekend when it came back from the repair shop it was working great and I installed the Nintendo Wifi USB connector onto it and at last the kids could go online with the Wii and the DS and everyone was happy. But yesterday evening and all today, the Nintendo thing keeps dropping out its connection before they get to do anything, and nearly every webpage I was trying to load (mainly this site but others too) I was just getting "Internet Explorer Cannot Display the Page" or something like that. I managed to download Firefox and it was the same story with that. Yes, downloading the Firefox software was fine and quick so I can't see it could be a problem with the connection. I've looked at the internet security options and they look o.k. and also have not been changed since it was all going o.k. I even tried turning off the antivirus things and the firewall but it made no difference. The page cannot be displayed, over and over again.

Then I tried popular sites like Virgin Media's homepage, MSN, Youtube, and they all loaded o.k. and I could watch YouTube videos. But still no luck with this site, ancestry, GR, etc.

So is it possible that 3's server was only bothering with popular sites and just not trying to give me the more obscure ones? Do ISP's sometimes do that?

[Grimsqueaker]

Three or 3 is such a terrible word to search on Google!

I was ready to throw the very-recently-mended laptop out of the window earlier today. I use it with a 3 mobile broadband dongle, and at the weekend when it came back from the repair shop it was working great and I installed the Nintendo Wifi USB connector onto it and at last the kids could go online with the Wii and the DS and everyone was happy. But yesterday evening and all today, the Nintendo thing keeps dropping out its connection before they get to do anything, and nearly every webpage I was trying to load (mainly this site but others too) I was just getting "Internet Explorer Cannot Display the Page" or something like that. I managed to download Firefox and it was the same story with that. Yes, downloading the Firefox software was fine and quick so I can't see it could be a problem with the connection. I've looked at the internet security options and they look o.k. and also have not been changed since it was all going o.k. I even tried turning off the antivirus things and the firewall but it made no difference. The page cannot be displayed, over and over again.

Then I tried popular sites like Virgin Media's homepage, MSN, Youtube, and they all loaded o.k. and I could watch YouTube videos. But still no luck with this site, ancestry, GR, etc.

So is it possible that 3's server was only bothering with popular sites and just not trying to give me the more obscure ones? Do ISP's sometimes do that?

Yes it it possible that they may be using certain techniques to optimise page load times for popular sites.

That way they accomodate the majority of their users, therefore keeping them happy at the expense of poor little minnows like FTF

[KiteRunner]

Thanks, Grimsqueaker.

[Margaret N]

While on this subject may I enquire why do people need a 'dongle' for their laptops now. I thought that one used a 'hot spot'. While in a Marina somewhere last year a friend just asked the Harbour Master for a code and logged on.
I know nothing about using a laptop as you can tell so any help on this would be useful just in case I get round to buying one.

[Linda from Murton]

Hello Margaret, I use a laptop. At home I have a landline and use o2 with download speeds of about 2.8. My laptop is wifi enable so when at home I use a wireless router.

Wifi also means that when away from home if I find a hotspot in theory I should be able to access the internet that way.

When at my holiday home I dont have a landline, nor is it located in a hot spot. So I have purchased a 3g mobile broadband dongle. Have yet to try it out (that will come on Thursday when I shall try to remember to let you know how I get on). A chap on our holiday park has the 3G mobile broadband dongle and when I did a speed test on his laptop he was getting download speeds of about 0.45. So you cannot expect great speeds and without a contract it costs £10 for 30days 1gb of data download.

Hope this clarifies things a little.

Shall report back when I am up and running with the mobile broadband dongle.

Linda

[KiteRunner]

Margaret, there are a couple of possible reasons: (1) if your laptop is the old kind without wireless capability then you can get a dongle which is a wireless adaptor and will enable you to use a wifi hot spot, (2) to use mobile broadband, which can be paid for on a monthly contract or on pay-as-you-go, and if you're using that you don't need to find a "hot spot", although of course you do need to be in an area that has a decent signal for whichever mobile service you decide to go with.

[Linda from Murton]

Hello KiteRunner. I shall also let you know how I get on with Ancestry and this site with my 3 mobile broadband dongle. These sites are the only reason I got a dongle because I get withdrawl symptoms when away from home and cannot do family history research. Sad init?

Have you tried posting a question in the 3G Forum? You might be able to get some answers in there. 3G forum : your 3G community and resource.

Good luck.

Linda

[KiteRunner]

Linda, it's been working o.k. on those sites today without me changing anything, so I would say it must have been something with 3's server. No, I've never seen the 3G forum before, thanks for that.

[Margaret N]

Linda and Kite,
Thank you both for the information. I need to try and keep myself upto date as technology moves on so fast.
As I understand it I do not need to go with talktalk if I use Pay as you Go. Just pick the one that I think will work best in the area I am visiting.
Happy Easter.