Compare dongle broadband deals
The following deals involve accessing the internet through the UK mobile phone network using a USB dongle modem which plugs directly into your laptop, PC or Mac - therefore no landline or ISP is required. If you have an existing landline and would prefer to access the internet through that then review deals. To help segment the offers available we have split the comparison into three sections: pay monthly dongle broadband with free dongles, pay as you go dongle broadband and dongle broadband deals which include a free laptop.Comparison of pay monthly dongle broadband deals
With pay monthly dongle broadband you commit for a minimum term - typically between 12 and 24 months, however with most subscriptions a free usb dongle modem will be included as part of the deal. Generally the longer you are prepared to commit for, the cheaper your monthly charge will be.
| Provider | Price per month | Speed | Download limit | Installation costs | Contract period | Annual cost* | £9.79 | 3.6Mbps | 1GB | free dongle (no landline required) | 12/18 months | £117.48 |  |
£10 | 3.6Mbps | 1GB | free dongle (no landline required) | 18 months | £120 | |
£14.69 | 3.6Mbps | 3GB + unlimited WiFi | free dongle (no landline required) | 24 months | £156.68 | |
£15 | 7.2Mbps | 3GB | free dongle (no landline required) | 12/24 months | £165 | |
£15 | 4.5Mbps | 3GB | free dongle (no landline required) | 18 months | £165 | |
£14.68 | 3.6Mbps | 3GB | free dongle (no landline required) | 1 month | £176.16 | |
£14.69 | 3.6Mbps | 3GB + unlimited WiFi | free dongle (no landline required) | 18 months | £176.28 | |
£15 | 3.6Mbps | 5GB | free dongle (no landline required) | 18 months | £180 | |
£15 | 3.6Mbps | 15GB | free dongle (no landline required) | 24 months | £180 | |
£15 | 3.6Mbps | 5GB | £9.99 dongle (no landline required) | 1 month | £189.99 | |
£14.68 | 3.6Mbps | 3GB | £29 dongle (no landline required) | 12/18 months | £205.16 | |
£14.69 | 3.6Mbps | 3GB + unlimited WiFi | £58.71 dongle (no landline required) | 1 month | £234.99 | |
£20 | 3.6Mbps | 15GB | free dongle (no landline required) | 18 months | £240 | |
£25 | 7.2Mbps | 5GB | free dongle (no landline required) | 12/24 months | £285 | |
£24.47 | 3.6Mbps | 10GB | free dongle (no landline required) | 12/18 months | £293.64 | |
£29.38 | 3.6Mbps | 10GB + unlimited WiFi | free dongle (no landline required) | 18 months | £352.56 | |
£30 | 4.5Mbps | 5GB | free dongle (no landline required) | 24 months | £360 | |
£24.47 | 3.6Mbps | 10GB | £29 dongle (no landline required) | 1 months | £400.82 | |
£29.38 | 3.6Mbps | 10GB + unlimited WiFi | £58.71 dongle (no landline required) | 1 month | £411.27 | |
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Comparison of pay as you go dongle broadband deals
With pay as you go dongle broadband you pay for the usb dongle modem and then just plug in and go. As there is no contract or monthly fee you pay either for the amount of data you download, or where there is an amount of data included you pay for the day, week or month - it's up to you with pay as you go, and with free next day delivery you could even be online tomorrow!
| Provider | Price per month | Speed | Download limit | Installation costs | Contract period | Annual cost* | n/a | 4.5Mbps | 3GB | £19.56 dongle (no landline required) | no contract | £19.56 + £2 per day, £7 per week or £15 per month | |
n/a | 3.6Mbps | 1GB = £10 3GB = £15 7GB = £25 |
£19.99 dongle (no landline required) | no contract | £19.99 + data | |
n/a | 3.6Mbps | 500MB-3GB | £29.35 dongle (no landline required) | no contract | £29.35 + either £2 per day, £7.50 per week or £15 per month | |
n/a | 3.6Mbps | 1GB included | £34.99 dongle (no landline required) | no contract | £34.99 + data (£15 per additional GB) | |
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Comparison of laptop dongle broadband deals
With laptop dongle broadband deals you commit for a longer period contract, typically 18-24 months, however for this you get a free laptop or netbook included. A laptop will be provided with a usb dongle modem where as a netbook is a smaller, more portable type of laptop which has the modem pre-installed within it.
| Provider | Price per month | Speed | Download limit | Installation costs | Contract period | Annual cost* | £20-40 | 3.6Mbps | 1-15GB | free Acer/Samsung or Compaq netbook (no landline required) | 18/24 months | from £240 | |
£24-39 | 3.6Mbps | 1-5GB included | free Asus/Samsung/Compaq netbook or Toshiba laptop with dongle (no landline required) | 18/24 months | from £294 | |
£25-30 | 7.2Mbps | 1-3GB included | free Samsung or Dell netbook (no landline required) |
24 months | from £300 | |
£29.38-£39.15 | 3.6Mbps | 3/10GB + unlimited WiFi | free Samsung laptop with dongle (no landline required) | 24 months | from £352.56 | |
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*Annual cost includes 12 months subscription, installation, hardware costs and current offers. All prices stated include VAT. This website is updated at least every week, when we review the latest offers on the market. We cannot guarantee that information stated on this site is correct as broadband providers frequently alter their deals. Click through to each provider using the links above to confirm their latest offer. Or click here to add UK Broadband Guide to your bookmarks enabling you to check out the latest deals another time.
Some of the broadband providers listed above limit the amount of data their users can download each month, by reviewing the table below you can guage how much data you are likely to download. Note if you are downloading TV shows or films off the internet then you should probably go for an unlimited package as just a one hour show can use up nearly one gigabyte (1GB) of bandwith. Fixed line landline broadband may be more suitable than mobile broadband in that case as they tend to have larger or unlimited data allowances included.
| Online activity | Estimated usage (per month) | Surfing the Internet - 2 hours each day | 300-350Mb | Sending 30 digital photos via e-mail | 25-50Mb | Receiving 30 digital photos via e-mail | 25-50Mb | Downloading 5 music tracks a week | 100-150Mb | Downloading 5 two-minute video clips a week | 120-150Mb | Listening to online radio for two hours a week | 20-30Mb | Sending 100 emails a week (no attachments) | 20-30Mb | Receiving 100 emails a week (no attachments) | 20-30Mb | TOTAL | 710-960Mb |
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Is dongle broadband slower than landline broadband?
Not necessarily. Whilst the speeds advertised may look slower than the 8MB that's become pretty standard in the home broadband market, it should be reminded that the 8MB is actually very rarely achievable as depends how far you are from the exchange etc. Recent surveys have shown that in fact the average speed achieved by an 8MB home broadband line is more like 3-4MB! Thus mobile speeds are competitive, and are expected to improve soon as technology allows.
Do I need a landline or ISP to have broadband? Not with Mobile USB 'Dongle' broadband!
No more wires, no more hassles, no more waiting for a line to be installed. Just plug a USB Modem dongle into your computer and you're on the web. You can even swap your modem dongle between different computers or simply plug it into a wireless router and anyone in your house can get instant Internet access. With Orange, O2, Vodafone, T-Mobile or 3 Mobile there is no need for a fixed line, it's your broadband - so just take it with you! Mobile broadband uses the mobile company's network so you can use your modem to get online wherever you are in the UK. These services are available on a 'Pay As You Go' no contract basis as well as 12, 18 and 24 month contract basis. Some plans come with a free usb dongle that is even despatched with free next day delivery, so you can be online in your new flat tomorrow! The Carphone Warehouse also offer a comparison of broadband dongle deals, however unlike UK Broadband Guide they don't compare the whole of the market with an impartial review. So review the full list of dongle broadband deals.
I already have a landline, but don't want to sign a contract You need a personal computer or Apple Mac You need a broadband modem You need to be connected to the Internet e.g. by telephone or
cable You need an Internet service provider (ISP) Can I get broadband where I live?
In order to use your broadband wirelessly you will need a wireless router. This is a small box which links your broadband modem and your PC, and transmits the broadband signal using radio waves within a range designed to cover your property. Many broadband modems now come with a wireless router built in.
In order to pick up the signal your PC or laptop will also need to be wireless enabled. Many new laptops already come with 'wireless' built in, often referred to as 'Wi-Fi', '802.11b' or '802.11g'. Apple refer to their wireless technology as 'Airport'. A PC can easily be wireless enabled by buying a USB dongle or wireless network card. USB dongles are available for around a tenner from
Dabs. To review a wide selection of wireless routers at a good price, with free delivery and with impartial consumer reviews, try Amazon.
Or for a complete wireless broadband package BT offer wireless free on some of their packages, or you can upgrade from £25.
The benefits are clear - you'll have no more ugly wires trailing everywhere,
you can take your Internet with you around the house and you can even create
your own home network. Isn't it time you let wireless broadband set you
free?
Vonage
works just like a traditional phone line except calls are made over a user’s existing broadband connection. Calls can be made from your home phone to any landline and mobile around the world. Users can even use their existing digital or touch tone telephone which plugs straight into your existing modem / router & Vonage adapter. Users choose from 13 call plans, from unlimited landline calls within the UK or unlimited landline calls to the UK plus a further 44 countries - all for a low, set monthly fee. (Unlimited calls to mobiles are available for some countries (such as USA). Vonage also offer competitive rates to countries outside of these plans.
It is also possible to keep your existing phone number when you move to Vonage. Further Vonage can be taken with you abroad and plugged into any broadband connection globally. So why pick Vonage? Because you want:
enables you to call any landline or mobile phone in the world for the cost of a local call. And if you call another Skype account over the internet then it's free!!
Mobile, or dongle broadband gives you internet access, without wires, over the air. You do not need a telephone line or a subscription to an ISP (Tiscali/AOL etc), or to be in a Wi-Fi area to get online but instead by using a USB 'Dongle' Modem with your Laptop or PC/Mac you can have access to fast broadband, whether you are on the move or at home.
And if you don't want to sign a 12 month contract with a regular broadband provider then both Plusnet offers a service on just three month's notice.
Broadband is always-on, high speed Internet access. It enables you to
use the phone and the Internet at the same time - without the need for an
additional phone line. Broadband is a faster way of connecting your computer to
the Internet – 1Mbps is about 20 times the speed of normal 'dial-up' internet. It allows you
to view web pages more quickly, download large amounts of information more
easily (e.g. film trailers, music) and use services that require streaming
content (e.g. Internet radio). Broadband services are 'always-on', which means
there's no need to dial-up to the Internet or log off once you've finished
surfing. So your e-mails appear immediately without having to log on first. Many
broadband services are "unlimited" so you pay a flat fee each month with no
additional charges for the amount of time you spend online.
How do I get broadband?
A personal computer (PC) or Mac should
give access to the whole of the Internet and the majority of web sites are
designed for access using PCs or Macs.
A modem is a device that enables
computers to transmit data across the Internet. Most broadband service
providers include a broadband modem or "router" in their initial set-up package.
Virtually every residence in the UK now has access to an internet enabled line via BT or Virgin Media (cable). Even if you don't but have mobile phone access where you are you can access the internet via a USB Dongle Modem with 3 Mobile.
An ISP is a company
that supplies you with access to the Internet. ISPs offer a variety of broadband
packages that can include services like e-mail and web space, as well as
high-speed Internet access. If you are in an ADSL-enabled exchange area (see
below) and have a BT phone line, you will have a wide choice of ISPs and may be
able to use a cable company too. However if you choose to connect via cable,
your choice of ISP may be limited. Compare the offerings of broadband ISPs using our at-a-glance comparison table. Mobile phone companies such as 3 Mobile are another option as they enable you to connect to the internet directly via USB Dongle Modems, therefore there's no wires or landline required. The table above compares these products.
ADSL/Broadband is currently available to around 99% of UK homes. You can
find information about the availability of Broadband services by using the postcode
checker on this link to BT’s broadband website. This will tell you whether
your phone line is in an enabled exchange area. If you live in an area where an
exchange has not been enabled you can express interest in receiving ADSL and
once BT has received sufficient demand for the service they will enable the
exchange.
To receive broadband via cable you need to live in a
location serviced by Virgin Media, which
covers around 50% of UK households. The majority of these cable networks have
been upgraded to broadband. Even if you don't live in a cable area, Virgin Media can still deliver their services down a BT phone line.
How do I get wireless broadband?
By setting up a wireless network you benefit from the freedom of using your PC all around the home, and even the garden! With wireless networking the family can connect their PCs and peripheral devices, such as printers and scanners, together. It is simple to setup with no unsightly and restrictive wires. Your network is kept secure and safe from hackers with features built into most modern wireless routers.
How do I make cheap or free calls using my computer?
- to make unlimited phone calls to UK landlines
- to be free to call many international landlines (and some mobiles) for a low set monthly fee (all kinds of packages available)
- to be able to use your Vonage phone anywhere in the world, just by plugging it into a broadband connection
- to keep your original number, but ditch your existing phone provider
- if you are a cable customer, to get a cheaper phone service (you can cancel your cable phone line and use Vonage over your cable broadband connection)
- a second phone line so the kids don't hog the main phone (and you want to avoid the £124.99 charge to install a second BT phone line, as well as the second high monthly line rental)
- or a second phone line to use when you're working from home
- the flexibility you get 20 great call features, all included in your call package
- to choose an international dialling code/area code rather than be tied to the one for the country you're in
- the call quality of a landline phone
- to be able to use a normal digital home phone - no messy headsets or wires
- to make phone calls just as normal, whether your computer is on or not
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