Mobile Broadband for Your Laptop - The Internet Key

The internet has recently been becoming a more and more prominent part of our daily lives. Not only do people use the internet for a variety of purposes at home, but they also access the internet through their cellphones and blackberries, for browsing, emailing, downloading. People take their laptops everywhere they can get wi-fi.

It's a lot easier to get internet on a cellphone than a laptop though. Cellphones just need to find a signal, while laptops require wi-fi, which are much more short-range and limited. While HotSpots do exist, they're not everywhere laptop users need them to be.

The internet stick, also known as a laptop stick, internet key, or dongle is a USB that plugs into your laptop for a wireless internet connection. It is basically a broadband modem on a USB, providing "Mobile Broadband."

The easy internet connection that an internet stick provides with just a simple USB makes it much easier to work with your laptop on the go. This technology is relatively new, but becoming more popular.

The internet stick uses the same technology as your mobile phone, except instead of making a voice call from your mobile phone you are making a data connection from your computer to the internet. You are accessing internet via the 3G mobile phone network, except for your laptop!

You have to plug the internet stick into your laptop's USB port. Depending on the specific internet key, you may have to follow some simple set up instructions.

Because the internet connection of an internet stick is similar to a mobile phone, the service is typically provided by cellular providers.The contract you sign is also very similar to that of a cellphone plan.

The internet connection you will receive will not be as fast as normal internet. It will also depend on if you're in your provider's coverage area.

The internet stick is available for both PC and Macs. They also usually act double as a USB flash drive, with a few GB of memory.

In the United States, T-Mobile offers the "3G webConnect USB Laptop Stick". It can be seen in the photo above. "Laptop Stick" is just another name for internet key. On the website, the product itself is currently advertised for $49 ($299.99 - 200.00 instant discount).

T-Mobile's webConnect data plan is $59.99 a month. You get:
- 5GB of usage for email and web browsing
- $0.20/MB for additional usage
- internet connection via the 3G network anywhere within the T-Mobile USA 3G network

Use of Wi-Fi/Hotspots when the laptop stick is plugged in does not go towards the 5GB/month. For more details, check out the T-Mobile website.

In Canada, Rogers offers the Rogers High Speed Internet Stick, with data plans from $25 (500MB) to $80 (5GB) with $.03 per MB.

In Australia, Vodafone and 3 Mobile offer mobile broadband plans as well. 3 has plans starting at just f

In the UK, 3 Mobile, O2, Orange, T-Mobile, and Vodafone offer mobile broadband. 3 has plans starting at £10 for 1GB a month up to £30 for 30 GB.

Depending on contracts, and the price of the device itself, you will find different plans for different needs.

* Note: The above providers may not be the only providers.

Roaming charges may apply if you go outside your network's area. Remember to confirm details about international roaming if that's an issue.

thought about giving a chart about the number of websites/emails/videos you could view/send, but it depends too much on the number of images a site has, or the length and quality of a video.

Instead, I'll provide a general recommendation. 1GB is good for light users, 2GB for medium users, and 5GB for heavy users, although this may still not be enough.

Beware of "unlimited" plans. There have been many negative reviews online about these type of plans. They don't always mean unlimited usage and often mean unlimited something else, thus giving you surprise "extra charges."

Try a data usage calculator, like the one linked to above, to see how much you'll need. And remember, this is only for places that you are not using a Wi-Fi connection.

Mobile broadband is a great option if you're someone who brings your laptop everywhere and you need your internet! If you travel with your laptop, mobile broadband is great too. It can be inconvenient to be in a new place, not knowing where you can find wi-fi. The 3G network is almost everywhere.

An internet key - or whatever you choose to call it - is convenient because it's small and you just plug and go! As internet becomes more and more a part of our lives and important for connecting with each other, I wouldn't be surprised if the internet key and mobile broadband became very popular in the future.