That´s the device I´m using for connecting my (Linux LIte) PC to the internet. It uses mobile broadband to connect to the internet, like any smartphone does.
The mobile phone provider which I´m using is AldiTalk (in Germany, Aldi Talk (Deutschland) – Wikipedia). It makes use of the Telefonica (eplus) infrastructure.
I´m using the prepaid model.
Currently I´m using the so-called “Datenpaket M”.
So that´s the specific scenario, but the questions I´m about to ask should be valid for any mobile network provider that offers various data packages.
The “Datenpaket M” (data package M) offers 5 GB worth of data for a period of 28 days. It doesn´t offer any telephone flatrate. It´s just a dedicated data package for accessing the internet.
how can it be that a package that offers three times the amount of data (plus telephone flatrate) is actually cheaper than the data-only package
are there any objections (technical objections) of using the “Kombipaket S” for my purposes
Of course I won´t be able to make use of the telephone flatrate as my web-stick doesn´t provide the necessary hardware for it (microphone, loudspeaker …).
But I would only be interested in the data part of it anyway. The APN is the same for both packages: internet.eplus.de
Think the difficulty for any of us to reply is the in depth knowledge of the available data packages in your country or area.
I have many clients who just use mobile data packages to connect rather than installing fibre in a holiday apartment.
I had considered it for myself, rather than paying 45 euros per month for fibre, landline and TV as we dont use a fixed phone and the tv is never switched on.
If the data sim package is good, could you not change your mobile to take advantage of that ?
A lot depends on how long you spend on the net, numbers of emails searches etc
But mainly down to data reception in your area.
I have one client who bought a stick similar to the one you are looking at but cannot remember the make, reception is almost none existant where he lives, so he had to buy a booster, then put an antenna on the wall outside, of course it did not work, so i had to go configure it, mainly down to he thought plug and play, but not the case.
Some data packages when you get close to the limit start a data reduction so you stay connected but speed is so slow almost stop
It’s just marketing. For years I had triple service from T-Com, which included TV, internet, phone. It was cheaper than if I had only the services I really used. (I had a fixed line phone, which never ever used.)
I don’t care how they package, I look at only the price for the service I need.
I suggest you to do the same
You need the internet only, which you get for 10€ if you are limited to 5GB, or you pay 9€ for 15GB.
Hi Rosika,
The only thing I can think of is that the maximum data rate may be slower with the combined package.
Otherwise, it is as Laszlo says, just marketing.
Regards
Neville
@nevj , right before I went to sleep, a similar idea came to my mind
I don’t know how this goes in other parts of the world, but here in Hungary we have 3 bandwith specification.
the advertised, maximal bandwidth
usual “average” bandwidth
the minimal guaranteed bandwidth
The user may be happy to get the full bandwidth, but can expect the “usual” most of the time. However, cannot complain if the speed is just the minimal guaranteed.
Some examples for these values:
Telekom can offer me 2000Mbps download, 1000 Mbps upload speed for approx. 25€/month.
So the average “usual” is 1100 Mbps for download, and 550Mbps for upload.
However, I could not complain, if it would drop down to 300/50…
So the guaranteed minimums are 15% and 5% of the advertised speeds…
Digi offers me 1000/300 Mbps for approx 18€/month.
They tell the “usual” average is 700/210 (DL/UL), the guaranteed minimums are 300/75.
So the guaranteed minimums are 30% / 25% of the advertised values.
Again, an easy decision for me
I don’t measure the connection speed too frequently, but I have no problems with it.
Whenever I measure, the DL speed is used to be somewhat below the advertised, 900…950Mbps, the upload speed is sometimes even a little higher than the advertised (305 Mbps), but never below 280Mbps.
So I’m happy with that for that price.
So what it worth to check for @Rosika, is the ratio between the advertised, and the expectable and minimal speeds for the offered dataplans
That is so far above what we can get in Australia
I just ran a test and obtained 72/20 mbps. That is good… it is night and the network is not busy. Our link is fixed wireless… somewhere in between mobile network and cable.
I dont complain… it works fine for us and is reliable.
I was asking your opinion not because I´m unsure of the bargain but to make sure there won´t be any technical obstacles when choosing the combination package instead of the mere data package.
But I guess - as the APN is the same in both cases - it should be doable for my web-stick.
I won´t be able to use telephony with the stick. It goes without saying.
But I´d be intersted in the data part of the package anyhow.
Oh dear. One might also call it a rip-off then.
Thanks, László.
My present data-package is still valid until the end of the month. After that I think it´s best to change over to the combination package.
It was more to compare your connection offer against other suppliers i was thinking.
Here we have orange, sfr, free, Bouygues as the main providers, but then on line only red and soch … so its complex to choose and every day there are offers different.
I am on red which is sfr or Vodafone in some countries.
My wife is on soch which is orange
But at home we are on orange, there internet offer is expensive, and the internet only is silly money for almost no connection 5mb !
Hence i did not want to suggest one better than another.
I see. Seems I misunderstood. Thanks for clarifying.
Yes, I see. One has to be cautions in choosing the right package, I guess.
@all:
I just want to make sure you understood correctly what I was aiming at with my question. Perhaps I was a bit too vague about it:
To me it´s clear that the Kombipaket M is the better choice:
I don´t need to look for something else.
What I wanted to get your opinion on is:
In other words::
Would my web-stick (technically) behave exactly the same way when using the Kombipaket (data and telephony) as it does when using the Datenpaket (data-only) ?
I.e.: does it simply connect to the internet for the use of data and just ignore the fact that telephony is also available
So that telephony doesn´t interfere with the stick…
As both packages use the same APN for connecting to the internet I would think so.
What do you think?
Hi Rosika,
That is a very difficult technical issue.
My guess is that it would work because phone calls are sent as data using the same technology as used to send internet packets.
But that is a guess… to be sure you would have to
ask the company, and you may not get a straight answer
try it
That is not really very helpful, sorry
Regards
Neville
You may be able to find software that would allow the computer to use the telephony part of the package. Todays phones are computers… you can even run the Android OS on PC. and if you did, I would assume that the phone part of it would work.
I can remember at work, they used to use a PC as a telephone switchboard… that was on a landline, but it shows a PC can be a phone.
Ah, that´s interesting. I didn´t know that. Thanks for the info.
But in actual fact I´m mainly interested in the data part of the package.
Just think of it: three times the amount of data and all this for 1 Euro less.
In the meantime I did quite a lot of research on the topic of mobile connections (mainly chatted with ChatGPT) and came up with the following:
There are (at least) 4 dedicated “channels” availble for mobile braodband:
Telephony (voice):
Handled via the voice channel specifically reserved for telephone calls.
In more modern networks such as LTE/4G, voice is often transmitted via VoLTE (Voice over LTE), which technically uses data but is still separate from regular internet.
Data connections (Internet):
Uses the IP protocol and is provided via the data channel (APN).
All internet services such as websites, emails or streaming run here.
SMSC (Short Message Service Center) – for SMS:
SMS are transmitted via a signaling channel of the mobile network, independent of the Internet or telephony.This channel has existed since the early mobile communications standards (e.g. 2G/GSM).
Cell broadcast:
Cell Broadcast uses a standalone broadcast channel in the cellular network.
It is specifically intended for sending messages to many devices within a radio cell at the same time.
It differs from SMS because the message is not sent to individual numbers, but to all devices in a cell - without the devices having to be known beforehand.
The stick would ignore everything else other than Data connections (Internet) (well, SMS is also supported).
So basically it should function with the combination-package exacttly the same way as it does with the data-package.
OK , so they use different channels for telephone and data.
I did not know that.
I wonder what happens when our phone uses the modem in our house to transmit phone calls… I think our Modem must have a phone channel?
Can you tell your phone to use your PC stick connection to transmit calls? The phone would have to sense the PC WiFi connection… are you sure the stick is data channel only?
That is a good question.
I´ve no idea and I don´t know anything about modems in general as I don´t have one. I don´t have a landlline connection either. Perhaps someone else can answer your question.
I don´t think so. The stick´s only purpose is to deal with data (IP-based) and SMS.
Data and SMS, yes.
It´s just a stick for connecting to the internet. It doesn´t have a microphone or loudspeaker. There is really no need for it to be able to deal with telephony.
Well, I need just the (better) part of the combination package´s data facility.
The main thing is that both packages use the same APN. And that they do.
that is why I thought your stick might do phone calls, but I was wrong… it is just data and SMS
…
What do you receive from the company when you buy a package? Is there software to download and activate or is there a sim card or do they do it all from their end?
thanks for the link. I´ll have a look at it. Seems interesting.
Yes, that´s my understanding.
Well, it´s a bit different, Neville.
I don´t need to buy a package. It´s actually pre-paid.
In the local Aldi store you can buy a cash receipt containing a number which enables you to top up your account.
However I use my online-banking to top it up: 30 Euros for 3 times 28 days (that´s my present data package).
If enough money is in your AldiTalk account the current package gets automatically prolongued for another 28 days.
Within my personal AldiTalk account (accessible via its webpage) I can change the package.
So all it takes it to initiate the change from “Datenpaket M” to “Kombipaket S” before the end of the current billing period. That´s all.
The SIM card was activated years ago, of course.
No special software needed for anything.
I already looked around.They chase each other with their offers. Lidl Connect is AldiTalk´s main competitor, but there are others.
Once one provider offers better conditions the others generally follow by doing the same.
AldiTalk is good enough for me.
As I said, it´s just the technical aspect I´m interested in. But I think that´s settled by now. It should work with the stick.
No, nothing of the sort. I can change the package freely, it seems …
… at any time.
To be honest, I ask my step son as he knows far more than me when it comes to phones, offers and connections. I think he spends his life looking at promotions and is far more switched on than me.
