CR5 Issue 159 August 2018

Technology
THE ROAMING EMPIRE
How to access the internet when you’re on holiday
Internet access can be really useful when you’re
travelling. Map apps can help you find your way
around and others can help you get better deals
on tourist attractions, discover the best places to
eat and drink or avoid the worst tourist traps. But
how do you actually get online without spending
a fortune?
The cheapest way to get online is via free Wi-Fi,
which is available in all kinds of places – not just
the familiar cafes and transport hubs but in malls,
on public transport and anywhere else tourists
are likely to go. Be wary, though, especially if
you’re using your device for something private
such as online banking. It’s very easy to set up
a convincing-looking Wi-Fi hotspot and then
intercept the data people send, such as their
online banking IDs. If in doubt use a security 1
program called a Virtual Private
Network (VPN) –Tunnelbear is
one example – which establishes
a secure, eyes-only tunnel
between you and the site you’re
visiting.
2
Another option is to use your
mobile phone to create a
Wi-Fi hotspot. This enables
other devices to connect to
your phone and use its data
connection. It’s very easy to
do (the relevant option will
be in your phone’s settings
menu) but be careful if
you have a monthly data
transfer limit: using multiple
devices can quickly take you
beyond your monthly cap.
If your phone doesn’t have
this feature you can buy a
“dongle” or a mobile Wi-Fi
hotspot; the former plugs into your laptop’s USB
port to give it mobile data access and the
latter is a portable device that creates a
Wi-Fi hotspot your other devices can
use.
You should be particularly careful
3
about using mobile data if you’re
outside the UK and EU. Charges for
mobile data abroad can be terrifying, so we’d
strongly recommend buying a mobile data add-on
that gives you a fixed amount of data for a fixed
price. You can usually get more than enough
mobile data for your daily needs for just a few
pounds per day.
Make sure your contract doesn’t already include
roaming, though. For example, our Vodafone
contract includes free roaming in 48 different
countries. It doesn’t include North or South
America, Africa or Asia but it covers Europe and
several groups of islands.
For the time being, you won’t be charged extra
for using your mobile or tablet in the European
Union as roaming charges within the EU were
scrapped in 2017. However, when the UK leaves
Europe under Brexit, operators will no longer
be compelled to let their customers roam for
free. It’s possible that they may decide to stick
to the current arrangement, but we’re not very
optimistic.
Whatever you do, be careful what you’re doing.
Streaming Netflix or iPlayer programmes is best
kept to Wi-Fi, as the downloads can be huge, and
beware apps that do things in the background
when you’re not actually using your phone.
We find it’s best to keep our phones off or in
aeroplane mode when we’re not actually using
them.
56 Log into www.cr5.co.uk your local community website!
4
1.Tunnelbear Virtual Private Networking app
2. Personal Hotspot on an iPhone 3.Three.co.uk USB dongle
for laptops 4. Vodafone portable Wi-Fi hotspot