Ms confirms - eventually Office to be subscription only

jimbo45 · 24 Oct 2018

Hi there

I cut out nearly everything apart from Internet/Utilities -- I'm mortgage free and own car outright -- I cut out phone rental -- got a sim only pay as you go deal -- these days with decent Internet (Wifi etc) all over the place does it really make sense any more to pay a fee for mobile plus a fairly small data allowance -- of course this pre-supposes you have wifi available in public places generally.

Amazon Prime I pay a yearly up front -- still cheaper than per month , car insurance - up front, - The only monthly subs I carry now are a NETFLIX one and SKY SPORTS -- everything else I just canned and it's amazing how much money I saved.

If I want books / papers I just buy them -- can't be bothered with monthly subs any more no matter how good the deal is -- these things have a habit of just growing and growing -- also if this model wasn't so profitable why does nearly every company on the planet want to go down this route.

I always prefer to pay a wodge up front -- and then I don't have to worry about any more payments for another year -- these "easy monthly payments" are just a hassle and really no payments are ever "easy" !!!!!.

If I want to play Golf (yes you can play Golf outside in Iceland !!!!! and in spring / summer it's great !!) or Tennis I just pay a green / court fee --easy - simple.

Cheers
jimbo

Steve C · 25 Oct 2018

jimbo45 said:

I cut out phone rental -- got a sim only pay as you go deal -- these days with decent Internet (Wifi etc) all over the place does it really make sense any more to pay a fee for mobile plus a fairly small data allowance -- of course this pre-supposes you have wifi available in public places generally.
jimbo

I use Virgin Media 70Mbps phone (any time calls) & broadband in the UK for £53 per month or a bit less if you sign up to a contract. I've just bought a new 4G phone and find I get a decent 30Mps+ download speed if I tether the phone to my PC using a USB connection or WiFi. Three mobile offer an "All you can eat" SIM package for £25 per month (half the price of Virgin Media) - unlimited data / 3000 minutes calls / 3000 texts for £25 per month. This seems a good way of saving money but some have warned the 4G service may be unreliable and the impact on the phone's battery ( I don't see a problem if connected and charging via USB).

Has anyone gone the total smartphone route for internet access and had any issues?

jimbo45 · 25 Oct 2018

Hi there

@steveC

some of those "Unlimited" deals in UK - seems a lot of probs happening at the moment on that island with stores closing at rates of knots, politicians in a total disarray --although that's common in a lot of places as well !!! etc etc -- aren't actually that good as people can get caught out by tiny small print "Fair usage policy".

Now AFAIK there's nothing in the legal framework that defines what is "fair usage" -- rather like people having a go at Amazon for not paying "Fair share" of taxes -- whatever that means !!!

I'd be very sceptical of relying on UK phone providers honouring contract at all -- they seem to be able to get away with increasing prices for customers - mid contract "due to unprecedented costs etc etc" and still charge people way over the odds on monthly phone contracts after people have long since paid for the handset -- after handset has been paid for those prices should decrease -- but do they --or do the sneaky sales people attempt to make people switch contracts.

Personally I'd stick to some provider who gives proper service on decent fibre cable service or wait until the 5G network is rolled out --that Will give decent unlimited speeds (easily 1 Gb/s and higher from a phone equipped with 5G).

Note - if you just use your phone for Internet - you'll be limited to terrestrial TV only apart from what you can access via internet -- and I think those unlimited phone deals won't be unlimited too long once you start watching 4K UHD movies or sports !!!!!

Cheers
jimbo

Try3 · 25 Oct 2018

Steve C said:

Has anyone gone the total smartphone route for internet access and had any issues?

Yes, my only internet connection is my smartphone. I use Three 4G - 12GB a month for £13 [fixed price]. I have no issues with it at all. The phone's internet connection is tethered by WiFi to my computers through my WISP router so it is just as convenient as any other internet connection.

Notes
1 I use a "WISP" router to connect the computers to the phone. A WISP router uses the phone as its "Wireless ISP" in the same way as a cable router uses the cable.
2 There are some awkward aspects to Three's service
- you cannot change your monthly data start date - it starts the day that their SIM gets delivered whether you started using it that day or not.
- whilst roaming in European countries is not surcharged any more, Three limits this to just the phone. I cannot tether to my computers for free whilst roaming. But many hotel rooms have WiFi so that has never been a problem.
3 I know that cable/satellite users can get very fast connections and can watch movies online but I never feel limited by not having those capabilities. Three allows unmetered TV viewing on the phone through "GoBinge" but I have never used that service. I use FreeView for TV and the internet for comms. I ditched my landline in 2005 and have relied on my mobile phones ever since.
4 Data limits
- I do have to be conscious of my data limit when a new version of Windows comes out. I have x86 & x64 computers so a new ISO is 6GB for me. I used to use my local library for big downloads but they have a new speed-limited network to stop people like me taking advantage of them.
- I managed to run my 4 computers on a 3GB a month limit until a few years ago and learnt to control WU myself so a single download could be copied across to the others. Now I have 12GB a month I could relax a bit but, like many others, I prefer managing updates myself anyway.
5 I have previously used T-Mobile/EE, GiffGaff, Vodafone, O2. They were all much of a muchness except for the supposedly-consumer-friendly GaffGaff who increased prices by 25% without telling anybody about it until afterwards.
6 If you are thinking about switching to mobile-only then do use those price comparison sites as well as checking on ISPs' own websites. In my case, just for example, Three's own website offered 12GB for £15 but when I went through GoCompare/Confused.com/whatever the offer was 12GB for £13.
7 Please notice that I have managed to respond to your post without feeling any need to rant on about imagined problems in the UK or anybody else's country.

All the best,
Denis

Steve C · 25 Oct 2018

Try3 said:

Yes, my only internet connection is my smartphone. I use Three 4G - 12GB a month for £13 [fixed price]. I have no issues with it at all. The phone's internet connection is tethered by WiFi to my computers through my WISP router so it is just as convenient as any other internet connection.

Notes
1 I use a "WISP" router to connect the computers to the phone. A WISP router uses the phone as its "Wireless ISP" in the same way as a cable router uses the cable.
2 There are some awkward aspects to Three's service
- you cannot change your monthly data start date - it starts the day that their SIM gets delivered whether you started using it that day or not.
- whilst roaming in European countries is not surcharged any more, Three limits this to just the phone. I cannot tether to my computers for free whilst roaming. But many hotel rooms have WiFi so that has never been a problem.
3 I know that cable/satellite users can get very fast connections and can watch movies online but I never feel limited by not having those capabilities. Three allows unmetered TV viewing on the phone through "GoBinge" but I have never used that service. I use FreeView for TV and the internet for comms. I ditched my landline in 2005 and have relied on my mobile phones ever since.
4 Data limits
- I do have to be conscious of my data limit when a new version of Windows comes out. I have x86 & x64 computers so a new ISO is 6GB for me. I used to use my local library for big downloads but they have a new speed-limited network to stop people like me taking advantage of them.
- I managed to run my 4 computers on a 3GB a month limit until a few years ago and learnt to control WU myself so a single download could be copied across to the others. Now I have 12GB a month I could relax a bit but, like many others, I prefer managing updates myself anyway.
5 I have previously used T-Mobile/EE, GiffGaff, Vodafone, O2. They were all much of a muchness except for the supposedly-consumer-friendly GaffGaff who increased prices by 25% without telling anybody about it until afterwards.
6 If you are thinking about switching to mobile-only then do use those price comparison sites as well as checking on ISPs' own websites. In my case, just for example, Three's own website offered 12GB for £15 but when I went through GoCompare/Confused.com/whatever the offer was 12GB for £13.
7 Please notice that I have managed to respond to your post without feeling any need to rant on about imagined problems in the UK or anybody else's country.

All the best,
Denis

Thanks for your useful post.

My average downloads are c. 35GB per month so I would need use the Three £25 unlimited download option. Is there any limit to the maximum downloaded file size since I download some of those large ISO files? I'm going to buy a Three data add-on and test what speeds and reliability I get over the next month before committing to a 12 month deal. I wasn't aware of using a WISP router and will look into that. Have you had any battery problems with the phone due to the heavy data use- I have a Moto G6?

I'll look at some other fixed line deals too but Virgin media continual above inflation rises are very annoying.

Try3 · 25 Oct 2018

Steve,

1 I do not know if Three's unlimited data scheme allows tethering or not. I have, in the past, seen limited-data schemes that allowed tethering but unlimited-data schemes from the same ISP that did not allow tethering.

2 I have downloaded 6GB ISOs on Three without any problem. I always do this in the morning before the Yanks wake up because I have seen MS server download speeds reduce as the day progresses [even though I believe that the MS servers we connect to are in Europe].

3 I have not had any network reliability problems.
- I have, from time to time, noticed that the phone has switched across to 3G but that has never lasted long.
- I have also seen it switched across to "4G+" for short periods as well but I have never bothered to find out what that means.
- You can check http://www.three.co.uk/Discover/Network/Coverage I do know that this mapping takes a bleak or out-of-date view of things - when I started, my area was allegedly 4G "outdoor only" but I was always able to connect well inside [it is now recognised as being 4G "indoor & outdoor"].

4 A "WISP" router is only needed by those, like me, that use a WiFi connection to their internet connection equipment.
- I believe that they were introduced for people in apartment blocks who have a communal internet connection.
- You could not safely use a normal WiFi cable/modem router to connect to a "Wireless ISP" because it would then just be yet another network computer and would not be protected as the internet connection [routers vary but they all apply special firewall measures to the connection designed for the ISP].
- I first used an Edimax BR-6226n WISP router [because I stumbled across one and wondered what WISP meant - it was a very old model so was only £5] and that was fine for a year or two. I then bought a modern Edimax BR-6478AC AC1200 WISP router which is great.
- There are many router makers but I was particularly impressed by Edimax tech support emails when I bought that first one. Not only had they actually read my email but they understood it and gave me a useful response.
- - Later on [with the modern router] I asked them if I could automate something in particular [WISP channel switching - my new phone could not be forced to use the same channel every time] and they gave a clear-cut answer ["No"].
- - That was fine but two months later they sent me another email saying their latest firmware had added on that capability.
- - So they provide good helpline support and they feedback issues internally to their development dept - if my router ever wears out then I will not even bother looking for alternative makes but will go straight for another Edimax.

5 I have not had any irresolvable battery problems with my HTC U Play phone [HTC replaced the battery & its charging circuit once] or, before that, my HTC Desire X.
- The phone sits on AC power at my desk normally but it is also my alarm clock so it is on battery all night.
- Sometimes, by accident or intent, I have left it on 4G all night and it has been better than 50% in the morning [I have not written this down anywhere but I recall that it has always been better than 50%, it might well have been better than 65%].
- I did once do a battery endurance test and it lasted 6 hours with hotspot on & computers connected, NFC on, display permanently on, Bluetooth on, timer function counting all the time, regular email checks & some internet browsing.

All the best,
Denis