Moanbile

After 2 weeks of trying, a long phone-call to the network and five visits to their shops, today is the day that I finally managed to get Vodafone's 'plug-n-play' 3G broadband to work on my laptop. A little slower than Vodafone's claim that it would take me 12 seconds.

I want to set up a couple of web ventures and need to do some research online (as well as find a developer and look down the back of the sofa for some startup capital for I have none), and I need to use the downtime that I often have at weekends - but I am often not at home at those times, so I wanted to get some 3G broadband. Not only that, but I agree with Stephen Levitt that mobile broadband is a very, very good thing in principal for people who have a lot of travel time and a lot to do online. With 3G up and running, there would be no more need to subject myself to sub-par bars just to get free WiFi.

Vodafone's excuse for this is that it doesn't work on some laptops. Particularly Sony Vaio laptops. Now these aren't exactly rare things, so wouldn't it have been good if they could have mentioned it, perhaps? Anyway, working it now is.

The only trouble is that it is not giving me anything like the claimed 7.2mbps. It is marginally faster than when I used to use dial-up. Living in London and in an area where there is supposed to be very strong 3G signal for Vodafone, I don't really think that is up to it. So they're going to get a 3G card brought back to them.

Which brings me back to the original solution. I am left with no alternative but to find pubs that offer free WiFi and set up my ventures whilst out of my skull on the beer I have to drink to justify staying there. Centuries ago it was said that drink was the scourge of the working classes, but I'll wager that even they didn't see it being so literal a problem.