T'internet & WIFI advice...

[Farmer Saint]

Evening chaps and chapesses.

As you may guess by my name, I live a bit in the middle of nowhere and my latest Sky Broadband deal is up for renewal. They are currently asking for £43 a month (after all offers) for 19mb connection. Now obviously this is very poor, so am looking into alternatives. One of the alternatives is a 4g router with a 4g data SIM as we get about 75mb on three around here on my mobile phone (although three won't actually supply this as Broadband to us for some reason) and it would come in a lot cheaper. Has anyone done similar, and is there anything else I need to think about or take into consideration when doing this?

My current setup is using a Sky router into a Deco Mesh as the farmhouse has some very, very thick walls and high ceilings. 

Edited 5 September, 2024 by Farmer Saint

[whelk]

All you farmers are loaded so have you consider Starlink? £75 pm or thereabouts 

[egg]

One of my kids runs a smarty (running on three) unlimited (truly unlimited) sim through an old phone which she basically uses as a router. It costs her £15 pcm and gives her a much better signal than the sky broadband she had, and is much cheaper. 

She has no complaints whatsoever. 

[egg]

  On 05/09/2024 at 16:56, whelk said:

All you farmers are loaded so have you consider Starlink? £75 pm or thereabouts 

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One cow a year should cover that. Bargain. 

[Farmer Saint]

  On 05/09/2024 at 16:56, whelk said:

All you farmers are loaded so have you consider Starlink? £75 pm or thereabouts 

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I have considered it, but as you well know we are certainly not loaded. £75pm is too rich for my liking. 

[Farmer Saint]

  On 05/09/2024 at 17:02, egg said:

One cow a year should cover that. Bargain. 

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Cow for £75. Bloody hope not. Even lambs are up at about £115 to £120 atm. 

[badgerx16]

  On 05/09/2024 at 18:06, Farmer Saint said:

Cow for £75. Bloody hope not. Even lambs are up at about £115 to £120 atm. 

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So the cow will pay not only for the 4G connection, but it will also cover the cost of a fish and chip supper once a week:-)

[Farmer Saint]

  On 05/09/2024 at 18:13, badgerx16 said:

So the cow will pay not only for the 4G connection, but it will also cover the cost of a fish and chip supper once a week:-)

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A cow is much more than that. But either way, it's not affordable. 

[Weston Super Saint]

  On 05/09/2024 at 18:06, Farmer Saint said:

Cow for £75. Bloody hope not. Even lambs are up at about £115 to £120 atm. 

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"One cow a year" would need to cover 12 x £75 = £900...

[The Kraken]

  On 05/09/2024 at 18:06, Farmer Saint said:

Cow for £75. Bloody hope not. Even lambs are up at about £115 to £120 atm. 

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We had minted lamb for dinner tonight and it was bloody tremendous, so well done you for being a part of that. Sort of.

Uptons of Bassett 

[buctootim]

  On 05/09/2024 at 16:10, Farmer Saint said:

Evening chaps and chapesses.

As you may guess by my name, I live a bit in the middle of nowhere and my latest Sky Broadband deal is up for renewal. They are currently asking for £43 a month (after all offers) for 19mb connection. Now obviously this is very poor, so am looking into alternatives. One of the alternatives is a 4g router with a 4g data SIM as we get about 75mb on three around here on my mobile phone (although three won't actually supply this as Broadband to us for some reason) and it would come in a lot cheaper. Has anyone done similar, and is there anything else I need to think about or take into consideration when doing this?

My current setup is using a Sky router into a Deco Mesh as the farmhouse has some very, very thick walls and high ceilings. 

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Havent used mobile data long term as the main connection but have for a couple of weeks at a time with no problems. 5 or 10 years ago it wasnt fast or stable enough but now cant see any reason why not.  There is no real investment needed so might as well get a one month sim and try it out 

[Farmer Saint]

  On 05/09/2024 at 19:20, buctootim said:

Havent used mobile data long term as the main connection but have for a couple of weeks at a time with no problems. 5 or 10 years ago it wasnt fast or stable enough but now cant see any reason why not.  There is no real investment needed so might as well get a one month sim and try it out 

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An actual, non-Farmer related reply - thank you! 😂

[buctootim]

  On 05/09/2024 at 19:47, Farmer Saint said:

An actual, non-Farmer related reply - thank you! 😂

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Haha. I like to buck the system    Just to expand a little I was using it in York a couple of weeks ago and was getting 115mpbs on mobile compared with my home broadband is usually c74mpbs  - which i used to think was lightning fast  

Edited 5 September, 2024 by buctootim

[Farmer Saint]

  On 05/09/2024 at 19:58, buctootim said:

Haha. I like to buck the system    Just to expand a little I was using it in York a couple of weeks ago and was getting 115mpbs on mobile compared with my home broadband is usually c74mpbs  - which i used to think was lightning fast  

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So on my Three phone network (4g) I'm currently getting about 62mb - much better than my 19mb via my Sky "Superfast" connection. 

[egg]

  On 05/09/2024 at 20:04, Farmer Saint said:

So on my Three phone network (4g) I'm currently getting about 62mb - much better than my 19mb via my Sky "Superfast" connection. 

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As above mate, take a look at smarty. You'll get the same speed as 3 cos it is 3, but much cheaper. As someone said, just get a 1 month sim and try it - nothing to lose and a few quid to save. 

[AlexLaw76]

Voxi is another one to consider…??

It is like Smarty but with Vodafone 

[Weston Super Saint]

Unlimited data for £35 per month with Giffgaff : here

5G speeds for no extra cost if you can get the signal.

[egg]

  On 06/09/2024 at 05:21, AlexLaw76 said:

Voxi is another one to consider…??

It is like Smarty but with Vodafone 

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Cheers, hadn't heard of that one. My missus Vodafone deal is ending. Loves the network but hates the prices so that'll do nicely. 

[TheAlehouseBrawlers]

I think Mr Farmer is in East Sussex, signal strengths...

https://www.signalchecker.co.uk/east-sussex

[whelk]

Lebara beats them all - Also  uses Vodafone network. Frequently offer discounted tariffs and can apply for month and revert back etc. so v flexible. Unlimited data is £25pm

[whelk]

  On 06/09/2024 at 06:39, TheAlehouseBrawlers said:

I think Mr Farmer is in East Sussex, signal strengths...

https://www.signalchecker.co.uk/east-sussex

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Yeah really need to do research if rural as 5G coverage might be completely shit

[The Kraken]

  On 06/09/2024 at 05:27, Weston Super Saint said:

Unlimited data for £35 per month with Giffgaff : here

5G speeds for no extra cost if you can get the signal.

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And there lies the rub.  I switched to giffgaff for my mobile contract a few months ago but I'm now looking around elsewhere.  They are cheap but their connection is crap, I get 3G/nothing and limited phone signal in all sorts of places.  Except for the south of Spain, where I was getting 5G (never got that here in the UK).

[buctootim]

  On 06/09/2024 at 09:06, The Kraken said:

And there lies the rub.  I switched to giffgaff for my mobile contract a few months ago but I'm now looking around elsewhere.  They are cheap but their connection is crap, I get 3G/nothing and limited phone signal in all sorts of places.  Except for the south of Spain, where I was getting 5G (never got that here in the UK).

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Every iteration since 2G has been faster but with less coverage / range from the mast. Its why there is a controversy about 2G and 3G switch off - which are often the only signals you can get in remote areas like Scottish highlands. According to one news story I saw you'd only get the quoted max speeds for 5G if you were stood right next to the mast and only 30m away from it the speed is halved.  

[Farmer Saint]

  On 06/09/2024 at 05:27, Weston Super Saint said:

Unlimited data for £35 per month with Giffgaff : here

5G speeds for no extra cost if you can get the signal.

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Definitely no 5g - I wish!! 

[Farmer Saint]

  On 06/09/2024 at 09:06, The Kraken said:

And there lies the rub.  I switched to giffgaff for my mobile contract a few months ago but I'm now looking around elsewhere.  They are cheap but their connection is crap, I get 3G/nothing and limited phone signal in all sorts of places.  Except for the south of Spain, where I was getting 5G (never got that here in the UK).

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That's cos Giffgaff use O2. 

ID Mobile is another one because it uses Three. 

[Jimmy_D]

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/gigabit-broadband-voucher-scheme-information/gigabit-broadband-voucher-scheme-information

This might be worth looking into. Not sure if it’s available where you are though (or if there are any similar available schemes possibly.)

[Guided Missile]

I have a Starlink system, directly connected to a router by ethernet, from which my network is distributed with a number of access points. The speed is as follows:
09/06/2024 5:12 PM 
Download Mbps 168.68
Upload Mbps 21.57
Ping ms  24  27  26

No dead spots, constant connection and fast enough for anything I want to do. £75/month is a bargain and is on a month to month contract and at the end you can take the dish with you.

A game changer for those living outside the reach of fibre. Elon Musk is a genius.

[OldNick]

I just wish I knew what you lot were talking about. Older generation mugs for the brave new internet world. Vodafone etc must love dealing with my types

[Farmer Saint]

So a small update, I've invested in a cheap ID Mobile Sim (which runs on the 3 Network) and shoved it in my phone. Below is the 4G speed test which looks pretty decent. The ID Mobile deal is £15 p/m unlimited data. I have also invested in a 2nd hand unlocked LTE 4g router (the cat12 device that 3 use) for £37, so when this gets delivered next week I'll pop it all together with the mesh network and see how it goes. 

 

[badgerx16]

  On 08/09/2024 at 17:09, Farmer Saint said:

So a small update, I've invested in a cheap ID Mobile Sim (which runs on the 3 Network) and shoved it in my phone. Below is the 4G speed test which looks pretty decent. The ID Mobile deal is £15 p/m unlimited data. I have also invested in a 2nd hand unlocked LTE 4g router (the cat12 device that 3 use) for £37, so when this gets delivered next week I'll pop it all together with the mesh network and see how it goes. 

 

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4G here is 13Mb/0.7Mb.

I suppose the location makes up for it.

[Farmer Saint]

  On 08/09/2024 at 17:39, badgerx16 said:

4G here is 13Mb/0.7Mb.

I suppose the location makes up for it.

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I guess that's it - not many other users on the network round here (but also why I can't get decent wired Internet). 

[Farmer Saint]

Further update - seems to be working very nicely I have to say. Getting 88mb near the main hub, 25mb at the furthest reaches of the house, all for £15pm.

[egg]

  On 14/09/2024 at 07:11, Farmer Saint said:

Further update - seems to be working very nicely I have to say. Getting 88mb near the main hub, 25mb at the furthest reaches of the house, all for £15pm.

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Farmer, just to clarify, you're getting that on 4G rather than 5G? 

[Farmer Saint]

  On 14/09/2024 at 17:27, egg said:

Farmer, just to clarify, you're getting that on 4G rather than 5G? 

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Yeah, 4G. We don't have 5G near us. 

[AlexLaw76]

  On 14/09/2024 at 07:11, Farmer Saint said:

Further update - seems to be working very nicely I have to say. Getting 88mb near the main hub, 25mb at the furthest reaches of the house, all for £15pm.

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what device have you slapped the SIM card into / use as the hub?

[Farmer Saint]

  On 15/09/2024 at 06:10, AlexLaw76 said:

what device have you slapped the SIM card into / use as the hub?

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An unlocked 3 4G LTE Router - I paid £35 off Ebay, similar to this:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/295566456668?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=bSF5BO0ERiq&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=logzcVcfQqq&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

[spyinthesky]

  On 07/09/2024 at 12:02, OldNick said:

I just wish I knew what you lot were talking about. Older generation mugs for the brave new internet world. Vodafone etc must love dealing with my types

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Nick.
I am glad I am not the only one.
I am of the generation that still uses a pen and ink and sends messages via the increasingly expensive medium of post.
Whilst I can add up figures using mental arithmetic quicker than my kids can do via a calculator, anything of an IT nature is beyond my comprehension.
However people like me will be in high demand when all this electronic/cloud type wizardry eventually packs up or becomes infected by some North Korean/Russian inspired computer bug.

[whelk]

You old duffers shouldn’t be so hard on yourselves. You manage to post on here which shows a modicum of understanding

Edited 15 September, 2024 by whelk

[OldNick]

  On 15/09/2024 at 10:21, whelk said:

You old duffers shouldn’t be so hard on yourselves. You manage to post on here which shows a modicum of understanding

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old duffers is the nicest thing you've ever said. Although Im not that old , I dont think. Farmer Saint met me and whilst he was worried Id ask him to take me to the toilet he did seem to cope, lol

[badgerx16]

 

  On 15/09/2024 at 10:21, whelk said:

You old duffers shouldn’t be so hard on yourselves. You manage to post on here which shows a modicum of understanding

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This 'old duffer' used to build corporate data networks with 4800bps or 9600bps links before the World Wide Web was even a thing. Eventually we got into the 'fast lane' and installed 56Kbps dialup or 64Kbps ISDN, and from there we moved to 2Mbps links. We used to provide an Internet connection for over 1500 users that ran at 4 Mbps.

Edited 16 September, 2024 by badgerx16