Retrofitting 3G to an iPad

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sarahk

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#76994 9-Feb-2011 16:12

I foolishly listened to the tales of wifi access from other countries and foolishly thought NZ would be the same and so bought my wifi-only iPad. Admittedly its taken me months to decide it was a mistake but still!

What options have I got for getting 3G broadband on my iPad - short of selling it on TradeMe and buying another (as recommended by Vodafone's booth boy).

If I upgrade my phone to an iPhone can the iPad use bluetooth to steal bandwidth?

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#437333 9-Feb-2011 16:15

1) buy a mifi
2) buy an iphone and wait till ios 4.3 and vodafone to allow it in the carrier bundle.
3) buy an android phone that already has a wifi hotspot feature

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kyhwana2

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#437334 9-Feb-2011 16:15

Get a smartphone that does wifi tethering and then just connect your ipad to that.

Teeps

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#437335 9-Feb-2011 16:21

sarahk: I foolishly listened to the tales of wifi access from other countries and foolishly thought NZ would be the same and so bought my wifi-only iPad. Admittedly its taken me months to decide it was a mistake but still!

What options have I got for getting 3G broadband on my iPad - short of selling it on TradeMe and buying another (as recommended by Vodafone's booth boy).

If I upgrade my phone to an iPhone can the iPad use bluetooth to steal bandwidth?

Next version of iOS has a wifi hotspot feature which will solve your problem of no 3G on your iPad, but only if you have an iPhone 4 as the wifi hotspot isn't available on lesser iPhones.

You could get a separate 3G wifi hotspot (there are a few on the market) or possibly another phone that already has this feature. You won't be able to use Bluetooth data tethering though as the iPad doesn't accept Bluetooth data connections (unless it's changed recently).

reven

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#437338 9-Feb-2011 16:26

you could always jailbreak your iphone and get the wifi hotspot app for the iphone (i have it on my iphone 3g, works well).

sarahk

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#437344 9-Feb-2011 16:41

Wow - you guys replied fast.

I thought I'd heard about the wifi tethering but Vodafone's booth boy told me it was messy and inpractical. Do they train those guys?!

Since Telecom are killing my perfectly good phone next year it looks like I'll go for the iPhone 4 or the Android with wifi hotspot. It'll be sooner rather than at the bitter end as they turn off the network. Telecom have now done that to me twice and I'm over them.

reven: you could always jailbreak your iphone and get the wifi hotspot app for the iphone (i have it on my iphone 3g, works well).

We used to develop and sell a software program. Makes you think twice before you "jailbreak" anything.

freitasm

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#437347 9-Feb-2011 16:52

sarahk: I foolishly listened to the tales of wifi access from other countries and foolishly thought NZ would be the same and so bought my wifi-only iPad.

Yes, people think WiFi is everywhere, and free. That's the thing: it's not and it's not. Unless you want to muck around you won't have it.

There are free WiFi services in select locations in New Zealand (and we are lucky the Wellington airport offers free WiFi, as well as the Wellington City Council/Trade Me venture in the waterfront). But most of the times you'll always be better off getting a 3G-enabled device.

It's the same thing with the Amazon Kindle. I went with the 3G option simply because it costs $50 more but it's free after that...

sarahk

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#437352 9-Feb-2011 17:00

You some interesting places round Auckland that offer it.

There's a lunch bar on Whangaparaoa Road that offers it for customers (no problem there) and a sushi restaurant on Ponsonby Road run by the family of my son's classmate has it for their customers.

In the whole of Westfield St Lukes only Starbucks offer it at $3/hour. And now the Mall management have Wilsons Parking ticketing those who linger I don't think people will be wanting wifi anyway! Atleast we have McDonalds...

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freitasm

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#437353 9-Feb-2011 17:01

Yes, the McDonald's ones are the sure way to get it. And Esquires offer free Tomizone for people buying coffee there.

But if you are in a hurry you might not have the chance to find one...

I said to someone last year "3G is the new WiFi".

SaltyNZ

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#437358 9-Feb-2011 17:25

sarahk: Do they train those guys?!

Yes, they train them to sell more stuff to you. :)

iPad Pro 11" + iPhone 15 Pro Max + 2degrees 4tw!

These comments are my own and do not represent the opinions of 2degrees.

CYaBro

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#437359 9-Feb-2011 17:29

How much would you want for your wifi only ipad if you sold it?
We may be looking for one to use with our new POS software so no need for 3g.

Opinions are my own and not the views of my employer.

SaltyNZ

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#437416 9-Feb-2011 19:41

CYaBro: How much would you want for your wifi only ipad if you sold it?
We may be looking for one to use with our new POS software so no need for 3g.

That sounds cool... Do the checkout people do the checking out (for want of a better word) while wandering around the shop?

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alasta

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#437420 9-Feb-2011 19:46

SaltyNZ:
CYaBro: How much would you want for your wifi only ipad if you sold it?
We may be looking for one to use with our new POS software so no need for 3g.

That sounds cool... Do the checkout people do the checking out (for want of a better word) while wandering around the shop?

You've obviously never been to an Apple store before! The staff there carry iPhones with a bar code scanner and credit card reader attached so there is no need to go to a physical checkout. Once the sale is done they just email the receipt to you.

SaltyNZ

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#437523 9-Feb-2011 21:44

alasta:
SaltyNZ:
CYaBro: How much would you want for your wifi only ipad if you sold it?
We may be looking for one to use with our new POS software so no need for 3g.

That sounds cool... Do the checkout people do the checking out (for want of a better word) while wandering around the shop??

You've obviously never been to an Apple store before! The staff there carry iPhones with a bar code scanner and credit card reader attached so there is no need to go to a physical checkout. Once the sale is done they just email the receipt to you.

Not at my local Apple store they don't... :(

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alasta

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#437526 9-Feb-2011 21:52

SaltyNZ:
alasta: You've obviously never been to an Apple store before! The staff there carry iPhones with a bar code scanner and credit card reader attached so there is no need to go to a physical checkout. Once the sale is done they just email the receipt to you.

Not at my local Apple store they don't... :(

I meant Apple's own retail outlets. There aren't any of them in New Zealand.

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#437550 9-Feb-2011 22:38

Yes, but until last year they used Windows Mobile to do it in sotre ;)

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