Affordable Mobile wi-fi share

Forums › Mobile handsets › Affordable Mobile wi-fi share

justinflux

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Topic # 91816 20-Oct-2011 20:28

Hi

Does someone know of a phone that has the ability to share internet data with a laptop, but is reasonably priced in comparison to iphone & higher end Android phones?

What options are there in NZ?

Thanks

J

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Biddle Corp

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Reply # 535817 20-Oct-2011 20:32

Virtually every s60 Nokia allows WiFi sharing, speeds just depend on what spec the phone is.

n4

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Reply # 535819 20-Oct-2011 20:40

Huawei u8150

Huawei Mate 7, on 2degrees

macuser

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Reply # 535820 20-Oct-2011 20:53

My LG Optimus P500H is pretty good at it, $300-400 and compatible with all networks (make sure you get telecom/vodafone specific model though)

Wade

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Reply # 535831 20-Oct-2011 21:13

n4: Huawei u8150

Yep and a dime a dozen on TM (if budget is key)

justinflux

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Reply # 535853 20-Oct-2011 21:42

Thanks for the tips.
So the Huawei u8150 & the LG Optima P500H are both capable of sharing their wifi to some laptops nearby?
How would the data rates be on these two compared to data rates on a standard Vodem?

n4

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Reply # 535883 20-Oct-2011 23:12

In my limited experience, WiFi tether is slower than a data stick .

Huawei Mate 7, on 2degrees

justinflux

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Reply # 535893 20-Oct-2011 23:31

I may have confused the situation.
I want other devices that dont have internet connections (laptops etc....) to use the Phones internet connection.
Is this possible on low end phones, or can they only "receive" internet?

mp1

140 posts

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Reply # 535924 21-Oct-2011 01:15

justinflux: I may have confused the situation.
I want other devices that dont have internet connections (laptops etc....) to use the Phones internet connection.
Is this possible on low end phones, or can they only "receive" internet?

I brought a nokia 5230 on trademe for $90, it sort of has wi-fi sharing capability if you install the nokia ovi suite and connect via bluetooth, then enable internet connection sharing and create a ad-hoc wireless network.... given up my adsl connection to use 1gb a month on 2degrees for $20.

sbiddle

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Reply # 535934 21-Oct-2011 06:25

justinflux: I may have confused the situation.
I want other devices that dont have internet connections (laptops etc....) to use the Phones internet connection.
Is this possible on low end phones, or can they only "receive" internet?

I have no idea what you mean by "receive" internet.

As explained this is now a standard feature on virtually any new phone, and also available on many older handsets including most Nokia's.

Technofreak

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Reply # 537410 25-Oct-2011 19:54

mp1:
justinflux: I may have confused the situation.
I want other devices that dont have internet connections (laptops etc....) to use the Phones internet connection.
Is this possible on low end phones, or can they only "receive" internet?

I brought a nokia 5230 on trademe for $90, it sort of has wi-fi sharing capability if you install the nokia ovi suite and connect via bluetooth, then enable internet connection sharing and create a ad-hoc wireless network.... given up my adsl connection to use 1gb a month on 2degrees for $20.

Install Joiku Spot on a Nokia S60 or later (E75, N97, 5230 5800, C5 etc), there's a free version and a paid version with encryption, it's much much faster than a Bluetooth connection. The speeds are more than comparable with broadband and no need for any cables or any software on the computer.

Jolla C
Nokia N1
Nokia N9
Nokia E7
HP Touchpad
Dell Inspiron 14z i5

kyhwana2

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Reply # 537441 25-Oct-2011 21:26

Any of the new cheap Android phones running android 2.2 (at least) should be able to do wifi-tethering.

lchiu7

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Reply # 537674 26-Oct-2011 12:06

I bought the Vodafone 858 for $100 off TM for that purpose. I have seen it new with a SIM card for $148 at TWH. Works well enough for what I want.

In fact since I had a 2D data SIM card with spare data on it that had to be used, I used the phone to download a 350MB file via BT to my Xoom. Of course it depends on how well the torrent is seeded but I was getting 150KB/sec downloads.

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justinflux

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Reply # 537681 26-Oct-2011 12:41

Thanks for the responses.

Does anyone have experience with phones that can HOLD hotspot sharing reliably 24/7.
I want to use a phone as a remote router 24/7..but my experience is that some phones shut off HOTSPOT sharing occassionally for no reason, and you need to physically turn it back on.
The phone I want to set up will just be ON permanently and charging on MAINS. Need robust 24/7 connectivity, remotely (it will be in an unattended lab)

Justin

Technofreak

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Reply # 537686 26-Oct-2011 12:50

justinflux: Thanks for the responses.

Does anyone have experience with phones that can HOLD hotspot sharing reliably 24/7.
I want to use a phone as a remote router 24/7..but my experience is that some phones shut off HOTSPOT sharing occassionally for no reason, and you need to physically turn it back on.
The phone I want to set up will just be ON permanently and charging on MAINS. Need robust 24/7 connectivity, remotely (it will be in an unattended lab)

Justin

Why don't you just go with a T Stick or equivalent?

I've never had an issue with the phones I've used for tethering but I've never tried to use them 24/7.

One issue you may have using the phone as a WiFi hotspot is the charger may not keep up with the drain from the hotspot use. The results here will depend on the phone and the amount of data being transmitted.

Jolla C
Nokia N1
Nokia N9
Nokia E7
HP Touchpad
Dell Inspiron 14z i5

justinflux

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Geek

Reply # 537688 26-Oct-2011 12:52

VODEMS & TSTICKS lose connection frequently and require physical unplugging/replugging when they lockup or overheat...
I believe it is due to the USB port (issues!!)

Charger should be fine as screen brightness will be low, and data use light

ANy ideas???

J

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