Tethering

[Guest WelshPhil]

Ok, am I right in thinking that if I tether a phone to the Vega it will use the GPS aswell? If that's so, I refuse to pay T-Mobile £5.20 a month for using my IPhone as a hot spot when I rarely use up my data allowance as it is. So next question if it does use the GPS, which phone should I look at getting and on which provider. This is for my wife who doesn't spend a great deal of time on her mobile, so all these £25 a month deals are just not worth it, but I would like the use of the vega as a navigation tool in the car when required etc and for my wife to serf the net on her way home on the bus etc.

[Guest MaxiP]

Hi

You can share the GPS signal between the Vega & a phone but TBH for 'proper' in-car navigation, you would be better off buying an external BlueTooth GPS unit. You can pick them up for £7 ish on flea-bay (ebay link) and that way, you can use the navigation without having the phone tethered (providing you have local maps / satnav SW).

In terms of which handset - take your pick ! The Orange San Francisco is a great budget phone, HTC Wildfire a bit more expensive and using the built in tethering / hotspot, gives you data connectivity on the Vega when needed. Data plans - if you have your own handset, I quite like the look of Tesco SIM only deals. £10 a month gets you 5000texts, 250mins voice & 500Mb data (Tesco SIM only deals)!! Guess where I'm moving when my Vodafone contract is up in September.

If it were me, I'd buy CoPilot (approx £25) / similar to run on Vega so you don't need any data connection when in-car and then a suitable handset / SIM only deal for your wife.

HTH

Edited April 7, 2011 by MaxiP

[Guest worto03]

I'd recommend the OSF as well if your on a budget, I got mine 2 weeks ago from tesco direct and it was very easy to unlock (it's on o2 now), debrand and I installed modaco r12 custom rom on it - it's a great phone.

Wouldn't you just use the phone for sat nav though I don't really see the point of using the vega for sat nav via tethering to a phone when the phone will just do it for you - isn't a 10" screen a bit OTT for a sat nav and it's 2 devices you need to keep charged up and get connected when in the car?

maybe thats just me?

worto.

[Guest .stu]

Wouldn't you just use the phone for sat nav though I don't really see the point of using the vega for sat nav via tethering to a phone when the phone will just do it for you - isn't a 10" screen a bit OTT for a sat nav and it's 2 devices you need to keep charged up and get connected when in the car?

maybe thats just me?

worto.

No it's not just you - I think the same thing. Also with a phone you can mount it on the dash or even on the windscreen so it is is your field of view but not obscuring your view of the road and you don't need to look down to check your position.

[Guest WelshPhil]

Thanks for your replies

Yeah suppose sat nav was wrong word as such, I can use my Tom Tom, Iphone etc, but I do like the GPS features with Goggle Maps, Yell.com etc its more the tethering aspect I need to sort out.

[Guest dragon2611]

Thanks for your replies

Yeah suppose sat nav was wrong word as such, I can use my Tom Tom, Iphone etc, but I do like the GPS features with Goggle Maps, Yell.com etc its more the tethering aspect I need to sort out.

If you do get an Android phone for Tethering you mights as well use that for navigation as well since it's a bit easier to get a dashboard/windscreen mount for the phone than it is for the vega.

I tend to use my OSF for navigation, just need to find a decent charger for it now, the one I have doesn't charge the battery fast enough when I'm using the phone as a sat-nav :D

[Guest WelshPhil]

Just a quick update, I bought the wife a "Wildfire" on Talkmobile" 200mins, 200 text, unlimited data they use the Vodaphone network. Have tried the wifi hot spot and it works! Thanks for all your help.

[Guest g6hoq]

I quite like the look of Tesco SIM only deals. £10 a month gets you 5000texts, 250mins voice & 500Mb data (Tesco SIM only deals)!! Guess where I'm moving when my Vodafone contract is up in September.

I have a tesco plan and so does my wife, we both have iPhones, and the service is second to none, almost 100% coverage of the uk (O2 provide the service), I have never hit fair use limites or had overage charges

However Tesco do NOT support and specifically inhibit tethering, neither tethering or mobile hotspot are enabled on my phone as it is a carrier option/veto, and may be also on Android handsets.

Check first before you jump

Steve

[Guest WelshPhil]

I have a tesco plan and so does my wife, we both have iPhones, and the service is second to none, almost 100% coverage of the uk (O2 provide the service), I have never hit fair use limites or had overage charges

However Tesco do NOT support and specifically inhibit tethering, neither tethering or mobile hotspot are enabled on my phone as it is a carrier option/veto, and may be also on Android handsets.

Check first before you jump

Steve

Yep same with my Iphone on T-Mobile the wifi hotspots there in the settings menu, my Vega can find the hotspot, but the Iphone just locks the hotspot. When I asked T-Mobile about unlocking the hotspot, they wanted to charge me £5.20 a month for it, I told them no way, I don't use the data allowance I have now, so why should I pay more for something I may use once in awhile. So as mentioned bought a Wildfire, the latest update 2.21 (I think) and hotspot has a widget thingy, so fired it up and all is good.

Edited April 12, 2011 by WelshPhil