Using 4G for home broadband

twignme

I live in the middle of nowhere and currently using Digiweb satellite for my broadband at high cost for minimal allowance. I have spoken to Eir and they tell me the local exchange isn't currently able to provide broadband but can't check my house as I don't have a phone line installed as yet but said the engineer would be able to check if he called out.
The help desk guy told me that if broadband wasn't available to me from the exchange, 4G definitely was and I could use that for all my broadband needs at home which would be cheaper than Digiweb with a much increased allowance. I just use my internet currently for my laptop, phone and sky tv.

So, is 4G a good alternative for me to consider and would it provide what I needed? What are the pros and cons please?

ItHurtsWhenIP

twignme wrote: »

I live in the middle of nowhere and currently using Digiweb satellite for my broadband at high cost for minimal allowance. I have spoken to Eir and they tell me the local exchange isn't currently able to provide broadband but can't check my house as I don't have a phone line installed as yet but said the engineer would be able to check if he called out.
The help desk guy told me that if broadband wasn't available to me from the exchange, 4G definitely was and I could use that for all my broadband needs at home which would be cheaper than Digiweb with a much increased allowance. I just use my internet currently for my laptop, phone and sky tv.

So, is 4G a good alternative for me to consider and would it provide what I needed? What are the pros and cons please?

4G speeds are great, but the usage limits on most providers are terribly small (though I guess you being on Satellite are probably used to even worse limits). 3 Ireland do have an All You Can Eat (unlimited) package for phones (which you can get and then fire the SIM into a Mobile router (don't say nothing to them about this bit), and just top up by €20 per month). However because 3 offer these types of packages, their network is terribly congested.

Have you any wireless operators in your area. a FWA connection would be better than mobile midband, but the headline speeds may not be quite as fast as 4G (but should be more stable and some come with unlimited data ... mine does). Use this map to drop the marker on your house and tick Wireless ISPs on the left. Any that show up, give them a call with your GPS coords and they should be able to tell you if they can get a signal through.

Imagine are rolling out an LTE service which is offering pretty daycent speeds, so you might check out if they are coming to your area too.

twignme

Thanks MM, that's making a lot of sense. I did look at lightnet a few years ago but the signal was blocked by trees in all directions which is how I ended up with digiweb. I have checked out the map you linked to and it's showing airwire for my area. I don't know anything about them, are they good? The eir helpdesk guy told me the 4G usage limit is 100gb which is a huge amount more than the 20gb I currently get!

ItHurtsWhenIP

twignme wrote: »

Thanks MM, that's making a lot of sense. I did look at lightnet a few years ago but the signal was blocked by trees in all directions which is how I ended up with digiweb. I have checked out the map you linked to and it's showing airwire for my area. I don't know anything about them, are they good? The eir helpdesk guy told me the 4G usage limit is 100gb which is a huge amount more than the 20gb I currently get!

I think there's a thread on here for airwire - do a search - but bear in mind that people with a positive experience don't tend to post that they are loving their service, but if YouTube keeps buffering - you're going to hear all about it on Boards! :rolleyes:

Hmmm ... I'm not sure who would be offering a 100GB limit. Did he say who this was with?

Most seem to be typically 7.5GB, 15GB, 30GB or 50GB - but you PAY for the bigger ones. Have a rummage around The likes of Vodafone, 3 & Meteor sites to see what packages are on offer.

twignme

MMFITWGDV wrote: »

I think there's a thread on here for airwire - do a search - but bear in mind that people with a positive experience don't tend to post that they are loving their service, but if YouTube keeps buffering - you're going to hear all about it on Boards! :rolleyes:

Hmmm ... I'm not sure who would be offering a 100GB limit. Did he say who this was with?

Most seem to be typically 7.5GB, 15GB, 30GB or 50GB - but you PAY for the bigger ones. Have a rummage around The likes of Vodafone, 3 & Meteor sites to see what packages are on offer.

I will check out the airwire thread and the others too. Digiweb is expensive and a very low usage limit but I haven't had to call customer service in three years and it basically does what it says on the tin for me. I don't want to go cheaper if it means having to put up with poor service to compensate. Thanks again for your help MM

ED E

Are you really on satellite or is it FWA? I didn't think didgiweb did satellite.

Three 4G for 20e/mo unlimited is the best option usually.

twignme

ED E wrote: »

Are you really on satellite or is it FWA? I didn't think didgiweb did satellite.

Three 4G for 20e/mo unlimited is the best option usually.

Yes, it's satellite not FWA, called digiweb tooway satellite broadband and it's been available since I had it installed over 4 years ago. It wasn't particularly good in the early days but they have improved it tremendously since then. I know the latency can be an issue for some people but I'm not a gamer and the delay on Skype is negligible. It's reliable, gives me good speeds and the only problem I have is the cost which is €60 for 20GB.

billo.d86

MMFITWGDV wrote: »

I think there's a thread on here for airwire - do a search - but bear in mind that people with a positive experience don't tend to post that they are loving their service, but if YouTube keeps buffering - you're going to hear all about it on Boards! :rolleyes:

Hmmm ... I'm not sure who would be offering a 100GB limit. Did he say who this was with?

Most seem to be typically 7.5GB, 15GB, 30GB or 50GB - but you PAY for the bigger ones. Have a rummage around The likes of Vodafone, 3 & Meteor sites to see what packages are on offer.

He's right I called Eircom to cancel my Fibre because we are moving house, the customers service guy said they do 4g Mobile BB 100Gb Limit €45 p/m or 200Gb limit €60 per month

long_b

billo.d86 wrote: »

He's right I called Eircom to cancel my Fibre because we are moving house, the customers service guy said they do 4g Mobile BB 100Gb Limit €45 p/m or 200Gb limit €60 per month

Did they mention a contract length for the 200GB plan?

twignme

billo.d86 wrote: »

He's right I called Eircom to cancel my Fibre because we are moving house, the customers service guy said they do 4g Mobile BB 100Gb Limit €45 p/m or 200Gb limit €60 per month

So what equipment or set up would I need if I was to go down the 4g Mobile route? My technical expertise doesn't extend far beyond my sat dish into my router and then to my AirPort Extreme for my wifi

nondescriptuser

long_b wrote: »

billo.d86 wrote: »

He's right I called Eircom to cancel my Fibre because we are moving house, the customers service guy said they do 4g Mobile BB 100Gb Limit 45 p/m or 200Gb limit 60 per month

Did they mention a contract length for the 200GB plan?

check out eircom.ie/opencms/export/sites/default/.content/pdf/terms/eir_home_broadband_4g_250gb_offer_terms.pdf

Looks like a 12 month contract and it's 250GB 4G broadband for 60Eur.

In my experience, three mobile broadband was terrible and the customer support so frustrating that it would have been better if it was non existant. Connection in the house was down every other day and speeds were terrible.

Eir offer a great service that just works in my experience.

As for the equipment and set up, I bought the 4g business router from the eir store and it's very simple to set up. You can connect your satellite via wifi or lan cable.

long_b

On Twitter they said it is only available from the sales team over the phone and they thought it was an 18 month contract.

billo.d86

long_b wrote: »

Did they mention a contract length for the 200GB plan?

No they didnt but it being Eir the standard now seems to be 18 months (which is a joke) or 24 months

billo.d86

twignme wrote: »

So what equipment or set up would I need if I was to go down the 4g Mobile route? My technical expertise doesn't extend far beyond my sat dish into my router and then to my AirPort Extreme for my wifi

Im not quite sure tbh, I assume a mobile bb router and good area for service in the house.

editorsean

This is their 100GB plan, which is a little cheaper at €45/month on its own or €62 when combined as a landline bundle, which includes Anytime, UK and Mobile calls.

Going by the terms, the contract length is 12 months for the 4G only plan or 18 months if combined with the landline.

So for those with an existing landline, this plan or the larger 250GB bundle would be worth considering assuming the landline is not with another provider stuck in contract.