Trading with a Dongle

[Lewy]

Hi Guys,

I'm having all sorts of problems with my broadband line atm. I haven't managed to trade for a few days as a result but I am thinking of using my dongle this afternoon.

I just wanted to know how much credit I should put on as I'm not sure how thirsty the toy is using the dongle.

Any info appreciated.

[doubleback]

I have used a dongle for trading, i used a Vodafone pre-pay dongle when my broadband was wonky, i put £15 on and i got a good 2-3 weeks regular surfing and in that 4-5 days solid pre-race horse trading,

i found it quite temperamental in regards to the signal dropping but i do live in the basement of an old victorian house with thick solid walls and resorted to connecting my dongle to a booster USB extension lead and hanging it out the window.

i did have a couple of moments when i wasn't connected and in an open trade so i was only trading light and keeping my powder dry.

I don't know which provider you are with and don't know how the service providers differ but with Vodafone's dongle you can set it so that it will only try and pick up the 3G+ signal as when i set it to 'pick up any signal',

ie 2G, 3G or 3G+, the signal would drop quite frequently when alternating between the different signals.

[peter44]

I use "3" network. £15 for 5GB data. This lasts 1 month. I would guess average 1 hr a day trading using the toy.

On the settings I use 300 MB of data would provide 3 hours trading.

I have bets & prices refreshed at 600ms. Hybrid prices.

I have Charts switched off, when using dongle, because charts use huge amounts of data/bandwidth, and would get costly.

Without charts data usage much more modest.

The toy still uses quite a bit of data even when API is stopped, need to close a market completely to stop data use.

I dangle the dongle by a closed window & get good results.

Most of time get HSDPA speed, which good enough for trading In Play, but risky as speed can drop to 3G any time with response time falling to 30 seconds or more.

1 GB would b enough to trade the pre-off racing markets all afternoon & evening using the toy with lots left over, on my settings that is.

[Leonthefixer]

I use "3" network. £15 for 5GB data.

I used 3 as well but as a back up connection but have just switched mobile deals to their One Plan which after £106 cash back from Quidco makes it £30.58 a month (24 month contract) with the HTC Desire HD phone with 2,000 mins, 5,000 texts, 5,000 3 to 3 mins and All you can eat data - no fair usage policy, it is literally all you can eat.

With that phone you can connect via the 3G network and then create a wifi hotspot using the phone which you can connect to via your laptop.

So depending one how much you spend on your mobile it might be worth considering switching then you don't have to worry about data limits.

Hope that helps

[chuck536]

Hey all,

Unfortunately im away on a course so i've brought my setup specifically for the evenings.... i couldnt bare missing out on all that cash completely :s

Thing is the hotel im staying at for a month download speed is 2mbps which is great but upload is 0.08 what a laugh!! considering buying a dongle tomorrow when i get the chance i spoke to vodafone and they recon they can do between 3 and 6mbps with similar upload speed on a dongle in the area..... just wondering from those who have used dongles how bad is it for reliability?!?! ... think its gonna be this or dispatch myself off the course, would rather the money as im taking the plunge soon.

Cheers

Chuck

[kawasaki]

i had couple dongles so far from mobile operators, one thing thats sux is pretty unstable lag sometimes [and of course its much bigger than wired conection's anyway]. now i use wi-max dongle, very good and stable connection, maybe becouse its new technology [at least here in lithuania:)] and not much people use here, we'll see. and its cheaper than from mobile operators. no problems so far, except because its new, it works only in towns here, out in fields bad coverage:)

[doubleback]

..... just wondering from those who have used dongles how bad is it for reliability?!?! ...
think its gonna be this or dispatch myself off the course, would rather the money as im taking the plunge soon...

I would get yourself off that course immediately!
Seriously, it depends on where the hotel is in the country and also the reception in your hotel room.
In Central London, my Vodafone dongle is super fast, outside London it is slower but quick enough,
in my thick walled flat, like I said previously I have to use a USB extension lead to get a decent signal
and indeed had to use it the other day when I had a power cut.
For £25, a PAYG Vodafone dongle could come in handy...........

[chuck536]

Yea, im gonna see if i cant get one tomorrow with an extension cable, it'll be worth it if it allows me to trade... failing that im not sure, cant see me using the qualifacations from this course but its a freebie 'ressettlement grant' that paid for the course from my previous employer so would feel a bit of a waste not using it...

[doubleback]

If you get one I would recommend setting it up so that it only connects to 3G or 3G+ (you can do this in it's settings),
otherwise it may connect to the 2G network which seems to have the strongest signal but is very slow.
Also something else to watch out for if you use it as a back up connection is the credit only lasts for 30 days,
although the last time I topped up was a good 3 months ago and like I said,
I used it the other day so I will have to investigate that one.

[chuck536]

AAAAGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! fs, got a dongle, its shit receptions shit... pings over 300 constantly.... so i thought i know i seen an advert for orange wifi in the hotel..... bought it for a day and boom 6mbps download only 0.75 upload but happy days..... go to log in.... you cannot log in as betfair detects this connection is coming though a french server that is illegal to use betfair..... absolutely distraught

[custard]

I know it may seem a daft question but are you actually in France, Chuck ? If so, you really should have said so at the beginning. I returned from Thailand a few months ago and Betfair is banned there too. Reality is, however, if you know some tricks, nothing is impossible and I was able to trade for nearly all my holiday ( Over 2.5 market and made money too ).

If it's not too late I'm sure that somebody willl be able to help you. Obviously, they will have to communicate by private message with you as nobody wants the "tricks" being aired on here.

My remote connection adventures were only done to ensure that I could trade out of a market if I had been forced ( by my wife ) to go out socially near my home. My understanding is that applications like Teamviewer would work on a computer - computer basis. So, theoretically you could use a mate's computer in this country to trade. This is similar to the system advocated by Cran but it would be on a non-commercial basis.

I think it's worth considering such a thing if you end up abroad again soon. It may not be responsive enough to trade pre-race in the style you are used to in this country but it would be better than nothing. Anyway, best of luck and don't eat too many frogs and things.

[chuck536]

Nah im in the UK still nige.... france... why would i want to go there? lol

All seems ok at the moment the dongle after alot of fideling i managed to get it to a speed where i can trade a little PR so ill just be sticking to that of an evening with slightly smaller stakes than im used to just to make sure theirs no extra heart ache. Pain in the arse though.... if anyone did want to PM how to get going with BF on the fast connection through orange i'd be grateful.

Thanks

Chuck

[Leonthefixer]

Nah im in the UK still nige.... france... why would i want to go there? lol

All seems ok at the moment the dongle after alot of fideling i managed to get it to a speed where i can trade a little PR so ill just be sticking to that of an evening with slightly smaller stakes than im used to just to make sure theirs no extra heart ache. Pain in the arse though.... if anyone did want to PM how to get going with BF on the fast connection through orange i'd be grateful.

Thanks

Chuck

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