Meteor prepay mobile broadband - 50GB for €30, 180 day pass

editorsean · 24-11-2016 12:15am #1

Meteor has increased its prepay Mobile Broadband plans as follows, both with 4G access where available:

30 Day Pass - 15GB for €19.99
180 Day Pass - 50GB for €30

The 180 day pass will certainly be useful for light/occasional users such as motorhomes/caravans, as a cheap extension to those approaching their Bill-pay mobile broadband allowance or even as a backup connection for those experiencing periodic outages / issues with their main broadband service.

I have not heard any promotion about these prepay mobile broadband plans, unlike Meteor's "More than you can eat data" phone plan ads. The 180 day pass works out at €5 per month with an average of 8GB/month (6 x 8GB = 48GB), a bargain compared to Vodafone (any mobile broadband plan) and Three's official prepay and bill pay broadband 1-3 plans, assuming one has decent Meteor 3G/4G coverage.

Further information on Meteor's website.

MrDiyFan · 24-11-2016 12:24am

I presume you'd get 6 months webtext with that?

editorsean · 24-11-2016 12:47am

I'm not sure if webtext is available with their prepay broadband plans as it's been a few years since I had a Meteor prepay mobile broadband SIM.

With their phone SIMs, you don't need any plan to send free webtexts, as long as the SIM is active, i.e. had a top-up in the last 6 months. So if you are able to send webtexts with a Meteor mobile broadband SIM, I would expect webtexts to work over the 6 months.

24-11-2016 1:02am

Would this work in a laptop or tablet?

Creamy Goodness · 24-11-2016 1:07am

MrDiyFan wrote: »

I presume you'd get 6 months webtext with that?

people use web texts still?

11214 wrote: »

Would this work in a laptop or tablet?

As long as you use a hotspot or a stick that meteor list on the page you can do it.

or if your laptop takes a sim but I doubt many do.

This is a great deal, especially for a wifi iPad etc.

24-11-2016 1:13am

Creamy Goodness wrote: »

people use web texts still?

As long as you use a hotspot or a stick that meteor list on the page you can do it.

or if your laptop takes a sim but I doubt many do.

This is a great deal, especially for a wifi iPad etc.

It's a cracking deal alright, my Thinkpad takes a sim and this is cheap as chips so I'll be getting it.

editorsean · 24-11-2016 1:17am

For anyone with a dual SIM phone (e.g. OnePlus 2 & 3 models), it does potentially make a very cheap data plan - Just set your phone to use your main SIM for calls and texts and the Meteor SIM for data.

In this case if you've a tablet or laptop, just enable Hotspot mode on the phone and your phone doubles up as a MiFi.

eric hoone · 24-11-2016 2:45am

Would a Vodafone billphone have to be unlocked before you could use this?
Thanks for heads up, v good value considering I recently coughed up €15 for 3gigs

Creamy Goodness · 24-11-2016 3:06am

eric hoone wrote: »

Would a Vodafone billphone have to be unlocked before you could use this?
Thanks for heads up, v good value considering I recently coughed up €15 for 3gigs

Yes, but...

it's a data sim only it doesn't do cellular calls/texts. if your phone is dual sim and you can route data through a particular sim then go for it, otherwise you'll need a MiFi hotspot.

AndersLimpar · 24-11-2016 9:09am

So if you signed up for this plus the €9 Lycamobile talk and text it looks like about €14 total per month for 450mins Calls, 450 Texts + 8GB Data. Fantastic. This would surely suit 90% of people?

Edited - Obviously it would suit 90% of people who had a dual SIM phone!!!

Tomk1 · 24-11-2016 9:19am

eric hoone wrote: »

Would a Vodafone billphone have to be unlocked before you could use this?
Thanks for heads up, v good value considering I recently coughed up €15 for 3gigs

3 free calls or text + 60GB data = €20

Ten Pin · 24-11-2016 12:42pm

Does VOIP work on their broadband SIM? It works on a phone SIM but does anyone know about the data SIM?

Re text: There's a note down the page in the link in the 1st post...

2c per MB if you go over your allowance. Other costs: SMS 12c, international SMS 15c depending on country choice.

Re webtext: the poster in this link says you can use them (for free I presume).

eoinf · 24-11-2016 12:56pm

Probably a silly question but can i top up the 50gb in advance of the 180 days?

also it looks like they have reduced the cost of the devices significantly also for anyone interested in them also.

The b315 router is down in price.

talking_walnut · 24-11-2016 1:19pm

AndersLimpar wrote: »

So if you signed up for this plus the €9 Lycamobile talk and text it looks like about €14 total per month for 450mins Calls, 450 Texts + 8GB Data. Fantastic. This would surely suit 90% of people?

Edited - Obviously it would suit 90% of people who had a dual SIM phone!!!

Forgot about Lyca. Cheers for posting that. Might be worth swapping up what I'm on.

Anybody have any experience with Lyca?

editorsean · 24-11-2016 1:26pm

eoinf wrote: »

Probably a silly question but can i top up the 50gb in advance of the 180 days?

That's actually a good question - I do remember with their old plan (€20 for 7.5GB), I could buy a new 7.5GB bundle the moment the existing one ran out. When the bundle ran out, it brought up a landing page giving the option to buy a new day/week/month pass or to pay by megabyte (not recommended). So I would expect the same to happen with the new plan.

If they no longer allow early renewal, one can just get a few prepay data SIMs and use them in rotation as each runs out.

Muhammed_1 · 24-11-2016 1:30pm

I bought a generic USB dongle which takes a SIM card for 7.50 from AliExpress and it works with both my Meteor SIM and my Three SIM. It also comes with software which has a graph showing usage and total downloaded and uploaded.

I have a dual SIM android phone, from Amazon, THL T6c, and it only cost £49, less than 60 euros. It works very well and you can use one SIM for data and the other SIM for calls and texts.
(edited to add; I don't think my phone supports 4G)

A Three branded dongle from Three costs 60 euros, according to the Three shop. Far better off with a cheap android phone.

This Meteor six month offer, 50Gb, seems very good for 30 euros.

Ghost Train · 24-11-2016 2:49pm

I think the 180day pass works out cheaper than what it's costing me on meteor broadband contract, might be time I cancel that.

reni10 · 24-11-2016 4:35pm

Muhammed_1 wrote: »

I bought a generic USB dongle which takes a SIM card for 7.50 from AliExpress and it works with both my Meteor SIM and my Three SIM. It also comes with software which has a graph showing usage and total downloaded and uploaded.

Could you link to this USB dongle on aliexpress so I know which one you mean?

editorsean · 24-11-2016 5:04pm

Ghost Train wrote: »

I think the 180day pass works out cheaper than what it's costing me on meteor broadband contract, might be time I cancel that.

Indeed, even with the 50GB plan, you only need to buy a new bundle when the 50GB runs out, not every monthly cycle like their 50GB bill pay plan.

It's a similar story even with their SIM-only bill pay plans. I'm currently on the €20 simplicity prepay plan that gives me unlimited calls and 15GB data/month. Their nearest bill pay plan is €25/month that provides 400 minutes and 10GB of data. Sure it includes unlimited SMS and free EU roaming, but I use their webtext app for the rare occasion I need to send SMS and rarely spend more than €5 on calls abroad.

reni10 wrote: »

Could you link to this USB dongle on aliexpress so I know which one you mean?

Many of the very cheap 3G dongles only support the 2100MHz band, which limits their usage to urban areas as the mobile operators here use the 900MHz 3G band to cover most rural areas.

This is an example from eBay for €7.40 delivered from Hong Kong. It only supports 2100MHz, so will unlikely work in rural areas that use the 900MHz 3G band.

I recommend going for one that supports the 900MHz band and which states a data speed of 21Mbps or 42Mbps. These provide much faster speeds than the 7.2Mbps dongles. For 4G, the dongle needs to support the 800MHz and 1800MHz bands (LTE bands 20 & 3).

Muhammed_1 · 24-11-2016 6:13pm

reni10 wrote: »

Could you link to this USB dongle on aliexpress so I know which one you mean?

This is the one I bought, for 7.48

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Hot-sale-Gifts-Wholesale-White-7-2Mbps-Wireless-3G-2G-Network-Modem-Adapter-TF-SIM-Card/32624679758.html?spm=2114.13010608.0.0.Ug0GSo

description of item.
Hot-sale Gifts Wholesale White 7.2Mbps Wireless 3G/2G Network Modem Adapter TF SIM Card Slot Network Card

Poster EditorSean gives lots of good info about these dongles.

My dongle is 2g and 3g but it seems to be only 2.4GHz frequency.

I'm not sure on the technical details but the dongle works on both my Meteor Sim and my Three SIM and it works both 2G and 3G with them.

I did notice that downloads seem to top out at 200Kb per second, which is slower than the same SIMs go if I place them into my android phone. So perhaps that means something.

200Kb/s is quite fast. 1.6Mbps, or about 30 to 40 times dial-up speed.

No 4G coverage in my area.

I use it more as a backup way of connecting if my phone breaks or something.

Creamy Goodness · 24-11-2016 6:17pm

I wouldn't buy that dongle, it maxes out at 7.2Mbps, 4G is capable of 40+ speeds in the right area.

pilly · 24-11-2016 6:22pm

crabbypaddy · 24-11-2016 6:30pm

pilly wrote: »

Why not use a 3 sim? Unlimited data €20 per month?

Because thats 4 times the price if you don't require more than 8gb a month and requires a monthly topup.

Muhammed_1 · 24-11-2016 6:53pm

Three mobile use an adult filter which blocks sites.

Meteor do not have an adult filter.

You can show ID to Three to get them to remove the adult filter but I am not prepared to give them my ID.

I only really have mobile broadband available in my area of North Tipp. There are fixed services but they have big setup fees, and the speeds aren't great.

Anyway, a person could use the Three SIM for big downloads, up to 700 Gb a month!, and then use the Metoer 50Gb/6 months offer to access the sites which Three block.

Three block religious sites, politicial sites and commercial sites in addition to blocking porn sites. It really is a joke. A second internet connection is necessary if you don't want to show ID to Three.

This Meteor offer is good value for a backup internet service.

brianstann · 24-11-2016 6:58pm

So if I bought my own Mifi 4g router I could put this sim card into it, aswell as sim cards of other operators abroad?

Kalyke · 24-11-2016 7:08pm

Sounds good.. Could someone recommend a cheap 4G dongle/Mifi device to go with this please? I have been searching for a while but would appreciate advice from someone who is using one. Ta.

kn · 24-11-2016 7:58pm

A great product if in particular your out of the country frequently - no wastage as with the 30 day plans.

editorsean · 24-11-2016 9:17pm

brianstann wrote: »

So if I bought my own Mifi 4g router I could put this sim card into it, aswell as sim cards of other operators abroad?

You will need an unlocked MiFi to use SIMs from multiple operators. If the MiFi does not mention any particular network operator, then it's likely unlocked. For eBay, make sure it mentions 'Unlocked' in the description, particularly if the device shows a network operator logo on it.

Kalyke wrote: »

Sounds good.. Could someone recommend a cheap 4G dongle/Mifi device to go with this please? I have been searching for a while but would appreciate advice from someone who is using one. Ta.

Most new 4G capable units are quite expensive, so I would suggest getting a second hand 4G MiFi such as from eBay, again making sure it mentions 'Unlocked' in the title/description. Generally the Huawei branded units are quite stable and reliable.

If you have an unused 4G capable Android based phone that still works and unlocked, you can use that as a MiFi. Just put the SIM in and turn on the 'Hotspot' feature (Settings menu -> More -> Tethering & portable hotspot.) I suggest doing a factory reset first to wipe all the data and apps so this way the phone boots up quicker, particularly if not used for anything else.

For a cheap mains-operated option in a good signal area, I would suggest getting Meteor's Huawei E3372 4G stick (€29) along with the TP-Link TL-MR3420 from Amazon (£26, ~€32). For weaker signal areas, I suggest going for a used Huawei B593s-22 from eBay which typically sell for around €100.

pilly · 25-11-2016 11:06am

Muhammed_1 wrote: »

Three mobile use an adult filter which blocks sites.

Meteor do not have an adult filter.

You can show ID to Three to get them to remove the adult filter but I am not prepared to give them my ID.

I only really have mobile broadband available in my area of North Tipp. There are fixed services but they have big setup fees, and the speeds aren't great.

Anyway, a person could use the Three SIM for big downloads, up to 700 Gb a month!, and then use the Metoer 50Gb/6 months offer to access the sites which Three block.

Three block religious sites, politicial sites and commercial sites in addition to blocking porn sites. It really is a joke. A second internet connection is necessary if you don't want to show ID to Three.

This Meteor offer is good value for a backup internet service.

I live in South Tipp and have no Meteor signal whatsoever so not an option for me.

Ten Pin · 25-11-2016 10:15pm

Some more info on this...

Broadband SIMs have 3 euro credit on them, this was the cost of the now discontinued 1 day pass (the SIM is free). Since I don't think there's any way of buying credit in a 17 or 27 euro top up the best way to use it is via SMS or else to just try the service at a rate of 2 cent per MB (you'll get 150MB out of 3 euro). Unless you can still buy the 500MB 1 day pass but I can't find any way to do this, the only options in MyMeteor are the 30 day and 180 day passes.

The broadband APN is the same as the phone APN so you'll get the same service as you would from a phone SIM. I presume the difference is that the broadband SIM will not allow or accept calls but SMS will work.

If you were on the 10 euro 7.5GB plan you only got 3G, with the broadband SIM you get 4G (in areas with 4G coverage).

editorsean · 02-12-2016 11:10pm

I decided to order Meteor's 4G stick (Huawei E3372 for €29) and this came supplied with a prepay SIM (that can split to micro and nano size). I figured this would come in handy as a backup as I can just plug it into a suitable wireless router (e.g. TP-Link TL-MR3420) to use it as a desktop wireless router.

Interestingly at a first glance this stick appears to be a generic Huawei stick, i.e. generic Huawei branding on the box and stick with no word of Meteor. The web GUI appears to be generic Huawei apart from a 'Top up' menu where one can enter the Meteor top-up voucher code. Unsurprisingly, I can confirm that it is SIM locked as I did about that considering the minimal customisation.

For comparison, a previous Meteor 3G stick (Huawei E180) I had 5 years ago had Meteor branding all over the packaging and web interface.

However, considering the stick costs £50 on Amazon (unlocked), this is a cheap way to give Meteor a trial run for anyone without a suitable 3G/4G dongle or router.

Meteor prepay mobile broadband - 50GB for €30, 180 day pass

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