Internet access while on a caravan site

The options available

The Internet has for many become an essential rather than a luxury so taking it away with you in your caravan is an issue widely explored on our forum.

You can discuss this topic on the Caravan Talk forum or if you wish to contribute to this article or provide feedback please email us.

Oolagha: It is possible to get on to the internet from a laptop on a caravan site - I use it all the time that way - but I have to connect via my mobile phone which is expensive - but it does work!!

klyne: There are several ways of connecting to the internet but none of them are cheap. I use my Nokia 6100 (a bit old hat now!) which I connect to the laptop via a USB data cable. Depending on the phone you can use Infra Red/Bluetooth. Don't forget that using your phone as a modem the speeds can be very slow so OK for e-mail but very slow for web pages. If you can connect via GPRS speed should improve to a similar speed to a normal dial-up connection at home. One major difference between between the two types of connection is that GPRS charges by the amount of download where as using your phone a a modem you pay by the minute, particularly frightening abroad!

Two other connection methods. Firstly you can buy a G3/GPRS card modem that fits into the PCMCIA slot most laptops have. The advantage of G3 is that it gives you near Broadband speeds but coverage is patchy at the moment. When you can't get a G3 signal it reverts back to a GPRS card which although slower has better coverage. A second method which is getting wider use is WiFi. You do have to have a laptop with a wireless connection capability, this is either achieved by it being built in or by an add on. With WiFi you do have to have an access point near to your, OK in towns and cities but not a facility offered by many campsites yet.

Briarose: I have a Vodaphone 3G card (I am in van and posting on it now) for £20 a month you get 250MB which is quite a lot really, I have been amazed how far this goes, the card was free and it is a 12 month contract, but if you don't use the MB they don't carry over. The card simply plugs into the laptop and that is it very simple, speeds are about the same as dial up in most areas, but when we were in Blackpool it was zooming at BB speeds.

http://www.airtimemanager.co.uk/Datacard/3G_Data_Cards.aspx

iank: I am using my laptop in the caravan and the area were we are located is bad for any signal never mind 3G. We upgraded our phones to 6680s with orange and get 1 GB of download for £4 per month. This allows me to surf the Internet and also receive emails and have left over megabytes. When in a 3G area it is like broadband!

Audiman: I have a wireless network card, and very often you can pick up a local wireless connection, I am assuming it is from somebody else's computer. Don't know if it is legal, but it works.....although more and more people are getting software to encrypt their model to stop this.

iansoady: There is also a network (small but growing) of legitimate free WiFi access points - look here for a useful site showing where they are.

TedNewman: From my experience charges can be minimal - for example in a hotel last year the charge was equal to £8.00 for their unlock code which then gave access for the whole stay - in our case three days.

You can discuss this topic on the Caravan Talk forum or if you wish to contribute to this article or provide feedback please email us.