thread resurrection as I think I will try and implement this, prompted by dismal failure of Talk Talk and absolutely zero customer service
I have their broadband in a rural location - speeds are a joke compared to the contractual promises. I replaced BT and I was getting better speeds with them, so it isn't just the location.
The property is in a building that actually has a mobile phone company mast on the roof, but despite this the service on my iphone can alternate between 3G and 4G.
So my questions are:-
(a) which are considered to be decent mobile routers which I will leave in the property (ie doesn't need to be small and light) and
(b) are they likely to be stronger than my phone and therefore have stable 4G
(c) is the Three offering still the best ?
I tried a few and found this was the best router for reliability etc
www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0741FFT6F
I have been happy with the Three unlimited sim and it has been routinely running at 15 to 25 Mbps. Had the odd slow period but off/on with the router sorted it.
Best I've seen recently is £16/month on a 12 month advanced plan (https://store.three.co.uk/view/content/mbasket?ID=1681)
Or you can sometimes get a better deal (£100ish) for the year by going via the cashback sites (Quidco/Topcashback)
The problem with the mobile phone mast being on the roof of the building is that the antenna's radiation pattern isn't directly up or down, it's horizontal so you'll want to place the router as far away (horizontally) from the mast as possible which sounds as though it could be difficult. This, of course, assumes that the mast on the roof is transmitting on the network you're using.
To answer your questions specifically:
(a) If a single router will get you WiFi throughout the property then the one mentioned above is a good option - it gets good reviews. If you want/need to implement a Mesh Network then you'll want to ensure that the router you buy has the option to operate in Bridge Mode/modem only. It's not necessary for all Mesh solutions but it will increase your options if you need to go down the Mesh route.
(b) I think the answer to this is that yes, a router is likely to receive a stronger signal than a phone simply due to larger antennas though it's not quite as simple as this........and this isn't the place for antenna theory!
(c) Have a look at both Three and Smarty to see what suits you but ensure that you can receive a Three signal in the property.
Good luck.
Last edited by Skier; 2nd February 2020 at 18:31.
Thanks Skier for that detailed response. I’m not sure what a Mesh solution is so suspect I don’t need it. Very good advice re which network. According to postcode checker on Three and Smarty 4G not covered !!! Perhaps back to drawing board !
Sent from my iPhone using TZ-UK mobile app
I'm starting to look at this as we still use BT, have no other options for fibre as we only have copper cable to the local exchange. Currently get 6 mbps and that's good.
Looking at the 3/smarty coverage we fall into a bit of a hole so not great coverage - is there any way of checking before I buy? We use o2 for phones and that seems ok but I don't use data on my phone so I don't know what the data coverage is like.
Presumably I can still connect a mobile router to the tp link powerline extenders we use?
If you cannot borrow one then you could always order a router from Amazon and you have 30 days to return it if it does not meet your needs. For the sim, you can buy a limited data PAYG sim from the provider you are looking to use (e.g. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Three-2GB-da.../dp/B07P9V8Z83 but there are lots of options - even a free sim and pay 1p/MB as it's only to test coverage etc). I bought the cheapest 1GB sim off ebay to try mine - it worked fine - so got a longer term unlimited data one.
The router I mentioned above works well with my TP Link extender (same manufacturer)
Thanks. I can find a sim for 4gb for a fiver so might give that a go
When I trialed my 4G home broadband, that is exactly what I did, ie bought a data card from each network provider and then put the card in my (unlocked!) phone and speed tested each one around the property - standing in the 1st floor windows. Make sure you write it all down as you go though! It cost a few pounds, but was well worth it to gauge which one works/does not work.
EE won the speed test hands down, but did not offer an unlimited data plan (at the time), so I had to wait until Three improved its service.
I sacked SKY off several months ago and have been running our whole home broadband set up on 4G ever since. Not a single regret.
I'm needing some help to configure a VoIP gateway for call termination, I don't know where to start. I recently got some information about Axonim company, that provides services of VoIP gateway services.
Last edited by Derrils; 21st February 2020 at 23:08.
It might be VERY hard! The mobile phone gateway is 99 times out of 100 a virtual gateway so you don't present a public IP to the world. In fact I've seen the 'presented IP' change several times over flipping to different web sites! Plus the operators gateway does include some, albeit, limited firewalling.
Thanks for all the helpful comments on this thread.
I’ve taken the advice and ordered a 4g router and a 1 month unlimited 3 sim off Amazon for £35 for a lengthy test and hopefully will sack Plusnet (BT) who despite a huge amount of effort have refused to install FTC or FTP even though there is a fibre cable in a duct in my front lawn.
Will update results when they arrive.
Currently got about 3-5 mps so shouldn't be difficult to get an improvement.
You are better off with smarty unlimited at £20 per month, on a one month contract as it uses 3’s infrastructure.
https://smarty.co.uk/plans/unlimited
Thanks Captain I’ll do that if it works.
Found out last night the router isn’t arriving until the 25th :-(
The Huawei router arrived 4 days early today and is now up and running with a 3 unlimited Sim.
It is so easy to set up,just slide the full size Sim into an easily accessible slot ,plug mains plug in and Bob’s your uncle.
I’ve got 3 bar’s in the middle of nowhere and downloading Hospital Episode 1 thru my new TV to SkyQ box as I type and seems to be quite a bit faster than my Plusnet router which was about 3- 5 mps.
Hopefully this will be much more stable and faster than my rapidly deteriorating Plusnet service which is up and down or even off at peak times now.
I’ve got the HILink app on my iPhone as Administrator
Thanks for all the help and advice from all the posters on this thread.
I’ve got it for a month to try and will report back on progress and level of service.
Is it fixed on a 0 or 1 basis or does it improve with time like normal broadband I’m getting 4.61 mbps maximum on wifi on my iPad with 3 bars showing on the router,would the indoor antennas help ?
Mine came without antenna but will buy them if it doesn’t speed up,not sure if the 3 bars are signal strength or speed ?
I used to have Plusnet, in the first year or so it was fine, pretty stable, decent enough speeds, it then got really slow and had lots of dropouts, I would ring up and they would faff about and it would be ok for a week or so then get throttled back again to
9-10 meg, I swapped to Vodaphone, same FTC line, same phone line but I’m getting a steady 50meg download that is rock solid and reliable. So far so good.
This might help you locate what direction and distance your nearest 3 mast is.
https://www.mastdata.com/37/37_map_m...51.427053&z=16
I’d try and orient the router on a upper floor facing the mast an see if you get any gain in speed.
Generally the stronger the single the greater the speed will be, some folks on here have seen a significant improvement by using a external directional aerial.
Bars are signal strength.
I tried the Huawei B525 router first then added a pair of external antenna (made a small improvement) but it still wasn't great.
I borrowed a TP-Link Archer MR400 AC1200 (it comes with antennas) and found it was streets ahead of the Huawei in terms of speed. Placed in same location and using same 3 sim card.
I returned the Huawei, replaced it with my own TP-Link and have never looked back. The TP-Link router continues to perform brilliantly.
In case this is interest to anyone.
The TP Link above is the router I have been using since switching to 4G broadband (with Three).
External directional aerial.
Clear line of sight to our Three mast (approx 3 miles away)
I have just done a Ookla speedtest and confirmed:
Ping: 40
Down: 85.40 Mbps
Up: 30.28 Mbps
Not bad for the absolute middle of nowhere!
Particularly when my SKY wired broadband line provided 2.5 Mbps (down) at best. And SKY cost more each month!
I’ll try the new antennas tomorrow and try various house positions and if that doesn’t work another provider perhaps O2.
My main problem is that we only have 1 tiny landing window on the east facing back wall of the house and that seems to be where all the masts are.
If all else fails I’ll try a TP-Link.
Now with the antennas fitted on a north facing upstairs window ledge it’s up to 17.7mbps.
Well 3 hasn’t worked as well as I expected unless it’s upstairs which means I can’t hard wire connect to Sky Q so ringing O2 tomorrow to see if I can get a 4g data Sim from them for a months trial.
I've tried two different external antennae with my TP Link, one cheap and one expensive, and neither made much practical difference. If you drill down into the router you can see signal strength and signal to noise ratio figures and there's possibly a slight improvement, but nothing you notice in use on the ground, so to speak.
Selling several hundred 4G routers a month..... about 90% of them either purchase an external antenna at the time or come back for one later after they find out just how rubbish indoor 4G is for data.
Also note not all 4G antenna are the same. Typically the cheap products from China on 'the bay' are rubbish and directional antenna are normally NOT a good choice.
Use Powerline adapters to get a wired connection to your SkyQ box. I can recommend THESE.
Anyone who does this be sure to get a Broadband SIM not a regular phone SIM.
Phone SIM won't have a fixed IP which causes chaos for XBox etc and Fair usage clause can also be a problem. At least with 3, allegedly...
Last edited by MartynJC (UK); 4th March 2020 at 23:45.
It worked fine for ages but then suddenly had problems with the IP address which neither the router manufacturer nor 3 could resolve. It does seem for some things (including x box) you need a fixed or "sticky" IP. 3 then looked at the usage and decided it also breached their fair usage policy as was a phone data contract - perhaps they make money out of the minutes ?
This is to do with the external IPs not the LAN devices. The router had hung onto its IP from 3 but the SIM had changed. Rebooting and lots of troubleshooting failed to resolve it and the mismatch caused chaos.
Also only streaming content (no regular TV) used a fair bit of data...
Is everybody with a TP Link MR400 still happy with it? About to buy one as my freebie Huwawai B535 seems to be playing up and needing resetting every day
I bought an Archer MR200 at the start of this thread, but have recently replaced my shocking Plusnet broadband with Vodafone FTTP (900mbps!) and so no longer need the router.
Was giving me 40mbps with a Smarty SIM and a decent (3 bar) 4G signal whilst I was using it, though.
Router will go on SC over the weekend as it's now surplus to requirements.
Finally got fed up of the speed with Three, frequently only getting 2-3Mb, lots of drop outs too and sky box losing connection.
There's a few more reasonably priced unlimited suppliers now, so even though i have a few months left on my Three contract, i got a Giffgaff (O2) sim to try, as our O2 mobile reception is good.
Night and day, speeds up to 20Mb, no more drop outs and sky box has stayed connected. Unfortunately, even though it's 'unlimited', they have a 650Gb a month fair usage policy the same as O2, which we exceeded in month one, so it's not a goer long term.
Vodafone payg sim arrived yesterday, £40 unlimited bundle to try for a month, no fair usage limit, getting speeds of 25-35Mb. If it remains stable over the next month, i'll sign up to a contract (£25 a month at the moment) and see if I can wriggle out of my Three contract
This forum has some very helpful threads and contributions