Yesterday we brought you news of Britain’s Wi-Fi hotspots being scuppered by slow speeds. So today, we’ve put all the big players head-to-head, to see just who offers the best value access, compared to the speeds on offer.
Take a squizz at our graphic and you’ll see there’s plenty of wiggle room between the best deals and those that cost the Earth and offer you sluggish speeds for the privilege.
BT Openzone and BT FON each offer the same measly 3GB data limit for a month’s money. Remember, these tariffs are designed mostly for laptop use, not mobile phones. Will you really use just 3GB per month on your computer? It’s up for debate, but compares unfavourably to T-Mobile’s rather generous 30GB, albeit on a mere 4.5Mbps connection which we yesterday revealed is actually, powered by 3G.
Meanwhile, The Cloud comes out on top, its “unlimited” offering topping out at 40GB every four weeks for a much more wallet-friendly £9.99 – and that’s for use with as many Wi-Fi devices as you like. There’s a cheaper tariff for single devices, which costs just £6.99 a month.
Wi-Fi hotspots: Slow speeds hiding behind the scenes
Hourly access remains pricey, with The Cloud offering £4.50 for 60 minutes browsing (free in certain culinary hotspots such as McDonalds, however). Each offering seems a tad steep for just an hour’s browsing, email fiddling and YouTube messing.
BT’s access to international hotspots does set it apart. Getting online abroad remains a pain unless you’re in a hotel or have a dedicated dongle that won’t leave you weeping tears of financial pain when the bill drops on your doormat.
So, what do you make of the figures? Do Wi-Fi hotspots offer good value? Or are they not worth giving up your mobile broadband deal for? Tell us what you think now.
