Using your mobile with the laptop to connect to the net while travelling

Hi don't even think about using your laptop with your mobile phone. It is VERY expencive and not very efficient.
I have just got back from a trip and did what you are proposing. Did I get a shock when I got my phone bill.
I would suggest that you go into internet cafes or the local public library. Much cheeper

Thanks for your reply Ray - were you on a data plan or just dialed up as a casual user?

Telstra gouge and rip you off like you could never believe
Telstra are absolute disgusting thieves compared to Vodafone and Optus but you are stuck with Telstra because of the vast CDMA coverage and the no limit compared to GSM of 36km from the tower.
Telstra insist on 12 month contracts for their plans of $29.95 for 10 hours, but the thieves at Telstra charge you in 15 minute blocks. You cannot dialup for 2 minutes and get and send your email as Telstra charge you for 15 minutes
For $49.95 you can get unlimited internet wit Vodafone and while Vodafone do not have the coverage of Telstra CDMA it is not to much drama to consult the coverage maps for Vodafone and find where the signal is. With Vodafone there are no contracts and you can jump on and off per month as you like. You can use a standard GSM phone with built in GPRS or buy a PCMICA card. Optus are hopeless to useless and you cannot get any joy from them at all. I phoned them up and the person on the phone had no idea about anything
I get to hate Telstra with a passion more each day they are such a gouging ripoff disgusting company that penalises rural and country Australians

OK, for $55 a month (and I would only need the occasional month) I can get 5mb so will give that a go and see how I fare with the bill! Thanks!!

I use the telstra Data Pack plan (kilobyte charging) rather than the PC pack ( Timed charging and on the last trip I used the internet every day for emailing, surfing around and downloading end of day stock data and running my live trading screen . Over the three weeks I managed to use up 120Mb of my @200Mb allowance ( $99/Month Plan) and whwn I came home I rang Telstra and had them put me back to the $5/ Month plan. I go away again next week and will get them to jack it up again. There are no plans, no contracts and the speeds are about two to three times faster than normal dialup on a 56K modem. With the Data pack you can stay connected and as long as you are not doing anything on your computer it will stay in a dorment state until you open a site or check email. You can also still recieve phone calls while your phone/modem is connected to the internet. I would think that for a bit of surfing and checking emails, provided you don't have a heap of big attachments like photo's going back and forth, the $49 / 30Mb would suffice. Try this site for more info... http://www.telstra.com.au/mobile/business/products/mobilebroadband.htm?tR=3m#flex_plans

Cheers Peter

Hi,

Telstra "Mobile Internet" is the best option for occasional use in my opinion. There is no monthly charge, and when you connect, it is charged by the minute. It appears as a data call on your bill. Off peak rates are quite resonable. The downside is speed, it is only 14.4 Kbps. It is still not bad to download a few webpages (to see how much money is in your account, etc.) It is certainly adequate for email, but not to send your holiday snaps at 1meg a pop. All you need to do is register and your phone will be enabled. I use a Nokia 6385 and that one does not even need a cable, it can just use the infrared link. It works on either GSM or CDMA with a suitable phone (CDMA is much preferred and is what I use).

Cheers

I still say internet cafes are the go, no ripoffs ever.

i have vodafone pc card for my laptop at home.. 49$ a mth no time or data limits.. you get service wherever there is a digital signal, at 56 kbs.. coupled with a capped prepaid mobile phone i have disconnected my landline and given a well deserved finger to telstra...
hope this is of some help..

How about this for an idea.

Get in car with family and camping gear, drive into the bush, have a holiday on your own without technology, distractions and mother-in-laws talking crap to you.

Who knows you may even enjoy the bush and all that nature and stuff. Believe me it is far more entertaining than computers, phones and contact with the outside world.

Get into the real world and get back to nature.

You people have forgotten what a "real" holiday is all about.

See You NT

I wasn't going to bother replying to that one but, (and this is Rosemary) I adored my mother-in-law - we had a deep love for each other from the time I was 17 until she passed away. Our kids are grown and now camping with their and our family. Charlie works on contracts in Cape York and I am often home and we are buying a camper trailer. I work 3 days a week and run a small business on the net. I want to be able to 'get away' now and then for a 4 day 'short break'. Maybe just to a local beach - all by myself. I don't think you needed to know all this but you assume everyone is like you and able to go off with family and leave the world alone. Sometimes we do, sometimes we still need some enjoyment! Loved the Kimberleys, loved the Nullabor, loved the Cape, loved Tasmania - I could go on forever but at the moment - short breaks it is! Thanks to all you others who understood that!! Cheers and happy holidays - no matter how far (or near) you roam!!

We just got home from a 15 week trip up the centre and down the west coast and back to Vic...we have the free hr. option with telstra (not available now), a old p2 laptop and a Hyundai mobile , on the net where ever there was a decent mobile signal...internet costs were ..nil...cheers