Which UK broadband dongle is compatible with Yosemite?

November 13, 2014 7:22 AM

I need to buy a Pay As You Go (no contract) dongle for broadband (4G would be great but 3G is acceptable) in the UK. It seemed like Vodaphone had the best options and prices, but their forums are saying that they don't work with Macs running Yosemite. Any experience or recommendations, on both devices and networks, would be helpful. Thanks in advance!
posted by cushie to Computers & Internet (2 answers total)

Best answer: I think USB 3G/4G dongles are too awkward. I'd recommend getting a stand-alone battery-powered unit that combines wifi and 3G/4G, because it doesn't require any special drivers on the laptop and can also be used with other devices.

If you get an unlocked one you can shop around for cheap data SIMs online. You can also pop in different sims if travelling in another country. I've been using an old MiFi gadget for this and it's worked really well. When travelling I've just popped it in my backpack attached to an extra battery and had data access all day.

I've just bought an EE 3G/4G SIM from Amazon that includes 6GB of data over three months, for £17 - it's often much cheaper to get a new SIM rather than top it up.
posted by BinaryApe at 8:09 AM on November 13, 2014 [2 favorites]

Best answer: The problem you are going to have is that the majority of consumer USB dongles are manufactured by Huawei or ZTE. So if neither of them support Yosemite, then this is going to be quite difficult. As such, the best thing would be to start at the websites of those two companies, see which ones work with Yosemite and then go back to each of the network operators to find one that has those products.

Otherwise echoing BinaryApe, see if you can get a second hand MiFi unit. If you buy outright then you're looking at about £100 (see here) which may or may not be too much for you.

I've no idea what their 4G coverage is like but if you end up looking at O2, then consider GiffGaff who offer 3GB per month for £15.
posted by mr_silver at 10:27 AM on November 13, 2014 [1 favorite]