An internet dongle could be the perfect opportunity for you to free yourself from your BT telephone line.

The internet dongle is a small device that plugs into the USB port of your computer. Similar in size to a human thumb, the internet dongle allows you to connect to the internet via the mobile phone networks. It is just the same as when your mobile phone connects a call but rather than passing a voice call via a mobile phone mast, the internet dongle passes data.

The speed of your connection to the internet depends on how good the signal strength is for the mobile phone mast. You know how you have a signal strength indicator with bars on the screen of your mobile phone? Well internet dongles use the same principle – the better the signal your broadband dongle receives the better the connection speed to the internet it will provide.

You can purchase an internet dongle from all the major mobile phone operators – visit the mobile broadband page for quick links to the broadband provider pages. And you can purchase the dongle upfront and then use the product on a pay as you go basis OR you can subscribe to a contract with the mobile broadband provider.

Opting for a pay as you go internet dongle will require an initial investment of around £30 to buy the dongle and then £10-20 top-ups to keep you going. If you don’t access the internet all the time (occasional usage) then opt for a pay as you go dongle. If you think you are going to be using the dongle quite a bit then you may be best opting for a contract deal. Do your maths first though because dongle contracts will tie you into a 12, 18 or 24 month period with steep penalty clauses if you want out mid-contract.

The dongles themselves offer support for plug and play so you can be up and surfing quickly, Do check the dongle’s compatibility with Apple mac computers.