Mobile broadband - 4G router options

emmettu2

I just got keys for a new house (new build) in Cork. The broadband line is not activated yet apparently. I can tether from my iPhone (XS) which is on the 3 network, if it's positioned in exactly one spot by a bedroom window . With that, I get pretty good wifi throughout the house (e.g. 20MB to 50MB). I tried using some older phones too but with much worse (unusable results). I also tried another network (eir) and got worse results.


Therefore, I am happy to invest in a 4G router. Is it possible to buy an unlocked one from Amazon or something, and just use my SIM in that? Or do I have to sign up for a mobile broadband contract with 3? Also, what should you look for in a 4G router - I'm not sure what specifications to check to make sure it's at least equivalent to my iPhone XS.


Thanks for your advice, I really appreciate it as I'm a bit nervous of working from home with patchy Internet.

z0oT

I'm in the exact same situation - got our keys to a new build last week aswell. The new part of the estate which our house is in hasn't got any fibre laid yet, and I've no idea of when it'll be laid. Houses built multiple years ago just 20-30m away from us have Siro & Eir FTTH. As a result, I'm on 4G for the moment aswell, but I'm able to work from home fairly effectively thankfully.

I'm using a 3 PAYG Sim as they're probably the most generous in terms of data. If you firstly activate it in a phone, transfer it to a router and then operate it in the normal whereby you top up every 28 days, you can avail of their All you can Eat data package which they claim has no fair usage policy, without being locked into a contract.

I find the connection to be very reliable in the sense that it never breaks down, but the speed can be all over the place. Using testmy.net, I see speeds of 50/60Mbps at off peak times and down to 10Mbps at peak times which works fine for us. I'm keeping our internet usage at the moment relatively light though with all video streaming in the house coming direct from my Home Server.

The only problem is that usage of a PAYG sim in a router or tethering (at least in the case of 3) is prohibited according to their T&C's. This is not enforced, and I haven't heard of any cases of it being enforced. Worst case scenario - if they deactivate the Sim it should be simple to just get another since it's PAYG anyway.

The dedicated broadband Sims are better options since their usage in a router is no issue and they provide support, but they're all 24 month contracts from what I can see. In the case of 3, there's also a 750GB Fair usage policy which is decent enough, but the PAYG doesn't have this as far as I'm aware.

First thing to do is use this site from Comreg to identify the nearest mast to you, that will tell you what side of the house to put the router on. In my case there's a mast about 800m from the window of the room that I work from home in, and there can be a big difference in speed between one side of the house and the other.
https://siteviewer.comreg.ie/#explore

Another thing to do is check here. It'll give you an idea of what network might be best to select for coverage reasons. Better coverage in your area will mean better speeds.
https://coveragemap.comreg.ie/map

As for the router, the 4G router I'm using is this one. I've found it to perform quite well. It's allowed me to work from home for quite a number of months before moving & now. The Wi-Fi strength is very good throughout the house aswell, and it has a fairly effective traffic monitoring function - which is handy if you've a Fair Usage Policy to worry about. You can also take it out of the 4G mode and use it as a regular router for a standard internet connection which is an added bonus.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Archer-MR600-Unlocked-Configuration-required/dp/B07S7DMY3H

There are plenty other 4G routers out there, but that particular one has worked well for me. The other thing to bear in mind is that due to the better antenna that a router has than a phone, you should find it to perform better.

Lastly there's some extremely good articles here on using 4G as your main internet connection.
https://editorsean.com/

bobbyy gee

connecting
https://www.vpnuniversity.com/tutorial/how-to-share-unlimited-4g-data-with-your-router

masterboy123

I am in the same boat. We have just moved to the new house and broadband lines are not laid. I am looking at 3 mobile Broadband with 750gb data but the 24 months contract is an issue for me.

I checked comreg link and I am in an area where 4G signal is "very good".

Are there any other good mobile broadband deals going on?

Also in terms of router, 3 are giving this Huawei router :
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08FF1R3LP/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_XJgvFb9D4QF1X
Is this more advanced router than what you have posted below?

Thanks for ask your help.

z0oT wrote: »

I'm in the exact same situation - got our keys to a new build last week aswell. The new part of the estate which our house is in hasn't got any fibre laid yet, and I've no idea of when it'll be laid. Houses built multiple years ago just 20-30m away from us have Siro & Eir FTTH. As a result, I'm on 4G for the moment aswell, but I'm able to work from home fairly effectively thankfully.

I'm using a 3 PAYG Sim as they're probably the most generous in terms of data. If you firstly activate it in a phone, transfer it to a router and then operate it in the normal whereby you top up every 28 days, you can avail of their All you can Eat data package which they claim has no fair usage policy, without being locked into a contract.

I find the connection to be very reliable in the sense that it never breaks down, but the speed can be all over the place. Using testmy.net, I see speeds of 50/60Mbps at off peak times and down to 10Mbps at peak times which works fine for us. I'm keeping our internet usage at the moment relatively light though with all video streaming in the house coming direct from my Home Server.

The only problem is that usage of a PAYG sim in a router or tethering (at least in the case of 3) is prohibited according to their T&C's. This is not enforced, and I haven't heard of any cases of it being enforced. Worst case scenario - if they deactivate the Sim it should be simple to just get another since it's PAYG anyway.

The dedicated broadband Sims are better options since their usage in a router is no issue and they provide support, but they're all 24 month contracts from what I can see. In the case of 3, there's also a 750GB Fair usage policy which is decent enough, but the PAYG doesn't have this as far as I'm aware.

First thing to do is use this site from Comreg to identify the nearest mast to you, that will tell you what side of the house to put the router on. In my case there's a mast about 800m from the window of the room that I work from home in, and there can be a big difference in speed between one side of the house and the other.
https://siteviewer.comreg.ie/#explore

Another thing to do is check here. It'll give you an idea of what network might be best to select for coverage reasons. Better coverage in your area will mean better speeds.
https://coveragemap.comreg.ie/map

As for the router, the 4G router I'm using is this one. I've found it to perform quite well. It's allowed me to work from home for quite a number of months before moving & now. The Wi-Fi strength is very good throughout the house aswell, and it has a fairly effective traffic monitoring function - which is handy if you've a Fair Usage Policy to worry about. You can also take it out of the 4G mode and use it as a regular router for a standard internet connection which is an added bonus.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Archer-MR600-Unlocked-Configuration-required/dp/B07S7DMY3H

There are plenty other 4G routers out there, but that particular one has worked well for me. The other thing to bear in mind is that due to the better antenna that a router has than a phone, you should find it to perform better.

Lastly there's some extremely good articles here on using 4G as your main internet connection.
https://editorsean.com/

emmettu2

That's great, thank you for all the great links and advice. That's really helpful.

I've ordered the Huawei B818 network unlocked from Amazon. It seems like 3 is best for me, and I'll be happy if the B818 can replicate what I can get with my iPhone XS tethering. From my research, it looks like that should be possible. Hopefully I won't need to get an external antenna. And as it's unlocked, I can try the other networks too. This should be enough to get me through until whenever broadband is active.

z0oT

It's a bit reassuring to see others have the same issue - waiting for OpenEir/KN to come along and lay the fibre. It's quite frustrating given it's hard to impossible to get any sort of even approximate timeframe.

masterboy123 wrote: »

I am in the same boat. We have just moved to the new house and broadband lines are not laid. I am looking at 3 mobile Broadband with 750gb data but the 24 months contract is an issue for me.

I checked comreg link and I am in an area where 4G signal is "very good".

Are there any other good mobile broadband deals going on?

Also in terms of router, 3 are giving this Huawei router :
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08FF1R3LP/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_XJgvFb9D4QF1X
Is this more advanced router than what you have posted below?

Thanks for ask your help.

My advice is to get a 3 PAYG sim, try and identify the best room in your house using the Comreg checker to find the closest mast. Then to test out the speeds on your phone at different times of the day. If the speeds are terrible, obviously getting a router won't necessarily make things better.

My understanding is that the Broadband sim will get the same treatment in terms of speeds, but you have the added the advantage of not doing something that's outside their T&Cs, plus you'll get support. I guess you could probably break out of the 24 month contract for a fee though?

One thing I forgot to mention is that with most 4G connections you'll be stuck behind a Carrier Grade NAT. It means you can't port forward to anything on your LAN as your router will have a private IP (I seem to be on 100.XXX.XXX.XXX or 10.XXX.XXX.XXX with 3 all of the time). Most people don't care about this but it is something that is important to me with my Home Server, but I'll live without it for now.

As regards the router, I gather the Huawei ones have the best antenna sensitivity out of the major 4G routers out there. I'm not familiar with any of their 4G routers or their associated software so I can't comment further though.

One thing I didn't mention about the Tp-Link I posted is that it should work just fine when the fibre finally is available as doing VLAN tagging on the WAN port is very easy if you put it into the regular (non-4G) mode.

djr15

Looking for some additional advice please folks.
New build in the country & Fibre due in 12-18 months.

I’m looking for reasonable broadband for working from home (Teams & Zoom) with some streaming in the evenings. No gaming or major downloads of TV series or anything.

I would like a router I can use initially with the Sim and then with the fibre once it arrives.
Does such a router exist?
This router will need to be able to provide wifi to the house and also Wired internet to 2 TVs and my Laptop docking station. (The ability to work with extenders would be useful as the house footprint is big.)
From looking on the forum I can see the 3 PAYG sim for €20/month looks decent.
All you can eat data, but “Three reserves the right to restrict service where your usage exceeds 60GB in a billing cycle “. Is this enforced?

As regards coverage, https://coveragemap.comreg.ie/ tells me all of the providers in the area have “Fair” coverage. My mobile is with eir and I can get good 4g facing the nearest mast.
All my internet cables are ran to the attic and I have a tall house – not sure if this will help.

Happy to spend some money on a decent router if it is something I can use long term.
Avoiding a contract would be ideal as the fibre could arrive at any time.
Are there any other providers I should consider?

Any help appreciated.

djr15

BUMP.

Any help appreciated folks.

Ten Pin

Three PAYG 60GB FUP was never enforced and is no longer part of the terms so it's unlimited.

Vodafone X plan is unlimited but capped at 10Mbps, 20e per 4 weeks.

Gomo 120GB (throttled over that) 12.99 per month.

48 100GB cap, same coverage as 3 for 7.99 per month.


Regarding router, look for one that has....

- 4G+
- Gigabit LAN ports
- Antenna ports
- 700/800/900/1800/1900/2100/2600 LTE bands
- Ability to run in router only mode via WAN port for when fibre arrives


TP Link MR 600
https://www.tp-link.com/uk/home-networking/3g-4g-router/archer-mr600/


Huawei B535
https://www.amazon.co.uk/HUAWEI-Router-Wifi-B535s-235-Black/dp/B083X1543S/ref=pd_lpo_147_t_0/258-6061326-4851531?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B083X1543S&pd_rd_r=7929c302-175b-481b-86eb-afc9be34551c&pd_rd_w=sGUqS&pd_rd_wg=FrZU9&pf_rd_p=7b8e3b03-1439-4489-abd4-4a138cf4eca6&pf_rd_r=DJ7NJFXKCWG3NQ19EK5K&psc=1&refRID=DJ7NJFXKCWG3NQ19EK5K


The Huawei has a phone port that can be used for VOIP (and possibly might be able to make calls via the SIM card).

There are probably more brands with similar specs but might be higher cost.

There are cheaper 4G routers but don't have gigabit LAN ports, support fewer 4G frequencies (dont have 700 Mhz) and don't aggregate signals from different masts.

djr15

OK thanks very much for the input.

I see with the 3 mobile phone sim @20 per month, you need to buy a phone also.
Otherwise its the sim only plan @ €29 per month.
Or
The broadband plan which is capped at 30GB per month.

I guess i can buy a phone and sell again, unless there is another option.

Ten Pin

There should be a BRING YOUR OWN DEVICE option on the screen with phones listed. Then further on click NO to keep your number option. Don't select any add ons or boosters.

Make sure you're at the prepay sim only page....

https://www.three.ie/buy/prepay.html#sim-only

....and select '3 Prepay 20'

djr15

Thanks very much.
Got sorted.


Appreciate the help.

rossj

Hi Ten Pin,

I wish I had have seen your post here sooner,

I bought the TP LINK Archer MR200 AC750 as no physical store had the TP MR600 available...

Where does the TP LINK Archer MR200 AC750 stand in relation to the traits you described, i.e

4G+
- Gigabit LAN ports
- Antenna ports
- 700/800/900/1800/1900/2100/2600 LTE bands
- Ability to run in router only mode via WAN port for when fibre arrives


Thnks for your help

djr15: Let me know how u get on with the SIM PAYE, im in same boat

djr15

Will do. I guess the performance will be based mostly on location.
Anything around 20MB+ should work for me.

I have both the SIM and Router ordered so should be up and running early next week.

rossj

ah ok thank U

is it the TP Link MR600 AC 1200 router you went with??

djr15

Yes.

I got it from Amazon prime for €142.47

Worth a shot for me i reckon as i should be able to achieve the speeds i need and contract free.

Hoping to have fibre in the next 12 months.

But if this suffices or indeed if 5g coverage is decent, i may go with that.
May have to change router & sim plan for 5g however but we'll cross that bridge when and if it comes.

Ten Pin

May have to change router & sim plan for 5g however but we'll cross that bridge when and if it comes.

IMO 5G is a bit over hyped at the moment. For rural areas there's as much benefit from 4G+ as there might be from 5G. If you can't get 4G+ then you won't get 5G either as 4G+ is a subset of 5G. The high price of 5G routers is another factor and 3's extra charge for 5G add on doesn't guarantee 5G signal.

Ten Pin

Where does the TP LINK Archer MR200 AC750 stand in relation to the traits you described, i.e

4G+
- Gigabit LAN ports
- Antenna ports
- 700/800/900/1800/1900/2100/2600 LTE bands
- Ability to run in router only mode via WAN port for when fibre arrives

MR200 lower specs....
- Has 4G, not 4G+ (single mast VS multi mast reception)
- Has LAN 100 ports, no gigabit LAN ports
- Has antenna ports (similar to MR600)
- Doesn't have 700MHz (that frequency isn't in use yet)
- Has a WAN port (similar to MR600)

djr15

i cant say for sure but i guess the 4g+ will work fine most of the time, it is the heavily congested periods of the day which concerns me most.
Not sure if the 5g would mitigate against this.

I should have a good idea how things are going in a week or so.

Ten Pin wrote: »

IMO 5G is a bit over hyped at the moment. For rural areas there's as much benefit from 4G+ as there might be from 5G. If you can't get 4G+ then you won't get 5G either as 4G+ is a subset of 5G. The high price of 5G routers is another factor and 3's extra charge for 5G add on doesn't guarantee 5G signal.

Muahahaha

Thanks for the helpful posts Ten Pin. Think I'm going to go with the TP Link MR600 for£127 on Amazon. It was £99 for Black Friday but that offer is missed sadly.

Can I ask what exactly is 4G+ and how can you find out if you can receive it. My phone screen just says 4G on the signal bar, would there normally be a plus symbol alongside if you were receiving it? And is it something thats expected to be rolled out to all mobile masts over time before 5G gets adopted.

Ten Pin

4G+ (LTE-A) is carrier aggregation (CA). If within range of more than one mast then phone/router can receive from both concurrently to increase available bandwidth. 4G max theoretical download is 150Mbps whereas 4G+ is capable of over 200Mbps.

Display indicator of 4G+ depends on phone model, some show it, some don't. Phone specs will determine capability. If doing a speed test, results may show "multiple connections" as per.....

https://m.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=115447539&postcount=2306

Any speed over 100Mbps is possibly carrier aggregated, anything over 150Mbps is definitely carrier aggregated.

It has been in use for a couple of years by the main networks.

Muahahaha

Ah right thanks for explaining. Im lucky enough to have a mast about 1km away from me but the next nearest then is about 4kms away. So I wouldnt get carrier aggregation as I cant connect to the further mast when the near one loses service. I might get one bar off it but then it will soon drop out,

POBox19

Ten Pin wrote: »

Regarding router, look for one that has....
- 4G+
- Gigabit LAN ports
- Antenna ports
- 700/800/900/1800/1900/2100/2600 LTE bands
- Ability to run in router only mode via WAN port for when fibre arrives

TP Link MR 600
https://www.tp-link.com/uk/home-networking/3g-4g-router/archer-mr600/

There are cheaper 4G routers but don't have gigabit LAN ports, support fewer 4G frequencies (dont have 700 Mhz) and don't aggregate signals from different masts.

Thanks Ten Pin for sharing your knowledge, your posts are very useful.
I have just ordered a TP-Link MR600 from eFones.com in the UK, the final step in cutting the cable.

Heraldoffreeent

Muahahaha wrote: »

Ah right thanks for explaining. Im lucky enough to have a mast about 1km away from me but the next nearest then is about 4kms away. So I wouldnt get carrier aggregation as I cant connect to the further mast when the near one loses service. I might get one bar off it but then it will soon drop out,

CA doesn't necessarily mean connecting to 2 physically separate masts, it can also mean connecting to 2 different sectors on the same mast. Masts can look different, but often you will see what looks like multiple blades around the mast, these correspond to sectors.

Muahahaha

Muahahaha wrote: »

Thanks for the helpful posts Ten Pin. Think I'm going to go with the TP Link MR600 for£127 on Amazon. It was £99 for Black Friday but that offer is missed sadly.

Just on this the TP Link MR600 has dropped again in price from £127 to £99
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Archer-MR600-Unlocked-Configuration-required/dp/B07S7DMY3H/ref=psdc_430579031_t1_B083X1543S

It comes to £100.82 with Irish vat, delivery is in two weeks so I pulled the trigger on it. Going to hand my broken Vodafone router back to the shop and try this out with a 48 sim instead. If it works then paying 48 7.99 a month for slow internet is a lot better than paying Vodafone 45 a month for slow internet.

Sponsorgate

Building a new house & chances of getting decent DSL are not looking good. (rural). Fiber is a dream some day far away


When I speed test on my mobile(Iphone XR,Vodafone) inside the house I am getting approx 8mb speeds. When I step outside the house , I am getting 75mb speeds! which is great. I was thinking of buying an Huawei mobile router & putting a pay as you go sim into it.



Can anyone offer advice on how best to boost my 4g signal inside the house if can get that high of a speed by just stepping outside house? Will the Huawei router have a better signal than my phone? will I need some sort of booster inside or antenna outside?

3km away from nearest mast

Any advice appreciated
SponsorGate

smuggler.ie

Sponsorgate wrote: »

When I speed test on my mobile(Iphone XR,Vodafone) inside the house I am getting approx 8mb speeds. When I step outside the house , I am getting 75mb speeds! which is great. I was thinking of buying an Huawei mobile router & putting a pay as you go sim into it.



Can anyone offer advice on how best to boost my 4g signal inside the house if can get that high of a speed by just stepping outside house? Will the Huawei router have a better signal than my phone? will I need some sort of booster inside or antenna outside?

3km away from nearest mast

Any advice appreciated
SponsorGate

Congrats, you seam to build well insulated house.
In some instances, placing router in the attic helps avoid signal degradation due to walls/insulation. Make sure you have network+power wired to the attic if not too late.

If that doesn't help - external antenna should, but plan for router location within 10m distance from it(net+power still stand). Coax cable signal loss increase beyond that.

Muahahaha

Does placing a router in the attic of a two storey house typically give you a weaker signal on the ground floor?

ED E

Muahahaha wrote: »

Does placing a router in the attic of a two storey house typically give you a weaker signal on the ground floor?

You can do other things to sort WiFi, cellular reception is the main concern.

smuggler.ie

Muahahaha wrote: »

Does placing a router in the attic of a two storey house typically give you a weaker signal on the ground floor?

My view - use Ethernet connection whenever/wherever possible, consumer grade routers not great for WiFi any way, if so much "WiFi driven" - install "Pro" grade AP

Muahahaha

Like a repeater or those mesh systems?

smuggler.ie

Muahahaha wrote: »

Like a repeater or those mesh systems?

No repeaters please.
In new build its a sin not to wire-in.
Wikipedia

Drawbacks

Since only one wireless device can transmit at once, wireless transmissions are doubled (router to the repeater and then repeater to the client versus just router to the client), and so:

• Wireless throughput is reduced by at least 50%.
• Wireless interference (e.g., with other networks on the same channel) is at least doubled.
• Potentially opens another security attack vector. Older devices don't always support WPA2-PSK so while the original network might be secure, the secondary one is potentially open.

Muahahaha

Got my TP Link router in the post and finally going to set it up tomorrow. Reading the instructions it just says to put a SIM in it but would a new sim need to be formatted on a mobile first? Im thinking I might have to put in APN settings before it goes into the router?

Ten Pin

Got my TP Link router in the post and finally going to set it up tomorrow. Reading the instructions it just says to put a SIM in it but would a new sim need to be formatted on a mobile first? Im thinking I might have to put in APN settings before it goes into the router?

APN isn't written to the SIM so doesn't need to be put in a phone except maybe to check that it connects and shows signal.

APN needs to be entered in router settings, no matter what the SIM was used in previously.

NKtile

Hi All,

Looking at go with 3 mobile broadband - the 30 day rolling contract. Does anyone know if 3 are enforcing the 750GB fair usage policy? I know they dropped it last year during start of pandemic. Love hear of anyone has any experience with hitting limits etc. Thanks!

ED E

28 day PAYG makes far more sense tbh.

smuggler.ie

Let me brag a bit.
Huawei B818
Iskra P58 L700 Uni MIMO kit

ED E

Ya big nerrrrrd