More on Telstra Wireless Broadband..

Can be very costly as I have found out but I am working my way around the cost factor, pay $20 when I want to use it and I can check the mail & do the bank stuffl for 29.896 days after.

The coverage issue is another matter entirely, if I travel outside of Bathurst NSW on the backroads more often than not I don't get a response, then again I've been deep in the bush around fringe areas and have no problems. Now i do all the important stuff around larger towns. I am currently checking the other providers out to see their limitations before I buy another USB stick that is slower but give me more download options for VOIP.

Don't waste your time looking at anything but NextG if you are going to be anywhere but a city.

NextG has by far superior coverage, especially in country areas, Optus, Vodafone and 3 who are the only other service providers really only cover the cities and immediate surrounds (remember that they resell services as well so you will find that Vrigin is one of the resleers for Optus from memory).

The NextG is so good, if you can get away with one broadband account, that is all you need for home and travel.

Our Blue NextG USB stick as provision for an external antenna that we have and it really improves the coverage, my mates new prepay NextG white USB stick does not have an external antenna socket. He has only just got it this week and will know how good the coverage is over the next 3 months.

Stevesub

Hi Graeme

We have the $89 Next G plan, so i can't say about pre paid, BUT we do need the antenna most times, including at home (on a hill probably 2 - 3 kms from town centre in a straight line).Yulara was one of the few places i got full reception without using the antenna.

Hi Signman

It is our daughter's plan, so she pays. When she was going to the Pilbara for three months, she compared cost of buying modem outright and paying for three months cover, and it worked out about the same as the plan over two years. She chose the latter so we could use it for our travels as well. She had to change plans to get a new modem, as the first one was faulty and over a fifteen month period, she had no joy with Telstra (another 'why i hate Telstra' story). I think she had to increase the download while we were away, as when we stopped for a while in a town with reception, i went over her download limit.

Motherhen

On the post paid plan, you can change plans once a month. We go on the cheapest when we are home and the $90 5GB plan when on the road. Saves a few $$.

Unfortunately we need ADSL at home for times right now when I am home and my wife has a contract in Central QLD so she has the NextG. Easy to use as she can use it with no problems and she is lets say computer challenged for all but the most basic tasks.

Stevesub

Forgot to say the TELSTRA PREPAID white sticks are also ZTE

Model MS 626

They are basically the same as the blue one but run different firmware.