The OS X Snow Leopard dongle debacle might have sent mobile broadband the way of the dodo on your favourite Apple gadget, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get online when you’re on the road. Here’s five alternative ways to get the web wherever you are, even if your dongle doesn’t work.
Use MiFi
MiFi uses a SIM card to provide mobile broadband, but instead of hooking up through USB it uses Wi-Fi to let you hook up to five different devices onto the web. You can grab one from 3 for £69.99 and you’ll get 5GB of data for £15 a month. It also frees up a precious USB port, and since it doesn’t need any drivers on your Mac, you won’t have any trouble getting online.
Sign up for Wi-Fi access
T-Mobile and BT Openzone are just two of the options for getting Wi-Fi outside your gaff. It’s not cheap though, with BT costing a fiver a day. Alternatively, look out for The Cloud’s free hotspots at Pret and McDonald’s. If you can stand the smell of sausage and egg McMuffins while you check your e-mail, it’s the way to go.
Snow Leopard dongle disaster: what you’re saying
Nab a mobile broadband router
Similar to MiFi, the T-Mobile Mobile Broadband Share Dock lets you spread the mobile broadband love over Wi-Fi. Just shove your dongle in and it’ll let up to 5 users get online at once. It’s £20 a month for the router and USB Modem Stick, on a year and a half deal. The only downside is you’ll need to plug the dock into a mains socket.
Tether your phone
Got a smartphone? Then you can tether it to your Mac and get online through its connection. Be careful it doesn’t eat into your data allowance though, leaving you looking down the back of the sofa for loose change to cover your bill. iPhone tethering costs £4.89 a month for 3GB on Orange, or £9.79 on O2. The latter now includes home broadband too. Nokia devices are easily tethered too, with the Big N offering simple instructions on hooking it up through USB or Bluetooth. Just check its website, and you’ll have your Mac back online in no time.
Load your Mac with Windows
We know it’ll be painful for Mac owners to usher Windows onto their aluminium dream machine, but by bulking up your Mac with Microsoft’s OS and standard Windows drivers you’ll be able to stick with your existing dongle while the manufacturers and networks get their backsides in gear. You can use Boot Camp, VMware Fusion or Parallels to get the Big M’s OS onto Cupertino’s machines. Parallels Desktop 5 for Mac costs £59.99.
Are you still having trouble getting your mobile broadband dongle working on your Mac? Then tell us and we’ll take your complaints to the people that matter. Make sure you give us as information as possible, including make, model name and network.
6) For many Nokia owners with a data plan utilities such as Joiku light saves having to carry (and fork out) on a MiFi
http://www.joiku.com/?action=products&mode=productDetails&product_id=310