Using an ipad in France

Janis, As I mentioned in my reply in your other Thread, it would help to have a bit of further information. If you'll be staying in a Hotel, I'd be surprised if they didn't offer some kind of internet access.

You asked the same question before and the answer is the same. You can use it for anything that is stored on the iPad. Obviously, or at least I think it is obvious, you cannot use the internet if you do not have access to the internet via either 3G or wifi? Or are you asking a different question that I missed?

Sorry for the confusion, Frank. I went back and posted the message in the right place, which is why it appeared twice. Also sorry that my question was not clear. What I want to know is whether you can purchase some kind of mobile wifi hotspot in France that works with the ipad (which, as you know, has no USB port). Thanks for any help you can give me.

If you have a smartphone, it might be able to serve as your mobile wi-fi hotspot, with no need to purchase or carry around another device. You can read here how it works: http://tinyurl.com/3u4kel3 (You might want to delete your duplicate post in the Italy section, so that you'll get all your responses in one place.)

Unfortunately, we'll have only an archaic dumb phone while we're in France. Any other thoughts?

We'll be on a driving trip, staying in small hotels in small towns - not sure that they all have wifi access.

Janis, since you asked specifically about a mobile wifi hotspot, I know you can buy them in the U.K. See, for example, Wireless Pointer. I would imagine you could do so in France. Wifi is available lots of places, so I'm assuming you mean can you access the Internet when you aren't at one of those places. Note that all recent versions of the Android operating system let an Android smartphone operate as a mobile wifi hotspot. Get an unlocked phone, purchase a prepaid SIM in France, sign up for prepaid Internet access, and you're set to go. The advantage over a device dedicated to providing wifi access is that you also have a phone you can use. Depending upon your needs, though, this may be more trouble than it is worth.

Janis, Thanks for the additional information. Will you be pre-booking accommodations? If so, each of the Hotels or B&B's should have information on their website on whether or not they provide Wi-Fi or other internet access. In larger towns, there may an internet Café or other facility where you can get Wi-Fi access. This might be an easier solution than setting up mobile Hot Spots and having to buy a new phone. Is your iPad capable of 3G access? One other option you could consider (depending on your budget) would be to buy a travel SIM. If you anticipate just requiring limited web access for E-mail or whatever, that might be an option to consider. I haven't looked at These Plans in detail yet, but may consider trying something like this for my iPhone on my trip this year. Along the same lines, Paul provided some information on buying local SIM cards in a previous posts. I don't know if PAYG data plans are possible in France? Cheers!

You can buy your mobile hotspot here & then just buy a SIM card when you're in France. Amazon sells several devices - just go to their website and search "MiFi Unlocked International".

...and the article that Tom posted talked about rental hot spot devices that work in the EU; "As an alternative, when you're out of the country, renting through a phone rental service such as CelloMobile a smartphone that can act as a hotspot. For example, you can rent an HTC MyTouch 4G, which will work in any European Union country as well as in Switzerland, and will act as a hotspot for up to four devices. It costs $12 a day, $80 a week or $200 a month and comes with 500MB of data per rental. The best part: no long-term commitment needed."

www.cellhire.com is a reputable company. I have used them for my foreign cell phone and mifi (3 or 5 users, can't remember) rentals for the last 3 years in a row. Has anyone used any other companies to rent a mifi? I will probably rent from Cellhire again, but I would like to comparison shop if there are others out there. I leave May 9, 2013, so I have to do this quickly.

Erin, You should start a new thread. When people see the thread is a year old, they may not read down to your new question because people sometimes dig up old threads to post what is essentially advertising at the bottom. You have a real question, so why don't you start a new thread. I read it because I'm interested in how to use my devices without buying anything new but am technologically lacking.

Yes, there are other options, including local ones (important if you leave soon). But generally, before going to a country, google "rent mobile hotspot" + the name of the country. For France, google "rent mobile hotspot France" General rule, the more countries they cover, the more expensive, but one solution for many countries... When they cover only one country, cheaper MB and local service in case of a problem.
Enjoy your trip!