Broadband via mobile signal

[mrcharly-YHT]

We might have a change in circumstances that removes us from connection to landlines.

Having a broadband connection at home is pretty much essential for my job.
We are internet users, browsing, researching. Not really gaming.
We also watch some video content (Netflix).

Has anyone here used a mobile broadband connection?
Ideally we'd want something that could be connected to an external antenna.

[L CC]

When we first moved BT lived up to their reputation and we were without broadband for what felt like weeks. Mr Smith worked off EE 4G and it was better than BT he'd had in Diss. He'll remember better than me.

[Kim]

I've got a 4G USB modem on the shelf, for backup in case of BT living up to their reputation.  While I've tested it briefly on my desktop, I need to do a forklift upgrade of the router hardware before I can install an OS that supports it.

Plan is to do L2TP failover (using a Three PAYG data SIM, because cheap) for the ADSL connection, so not too fussed about performance  (laggy internets are a lot better than no internets, and we can forego streaming video during a house move or our-favourite-telco incident).  I expect it will be adequate as we're in an urban area with plenty of 4G, though I expect the latency to be underwhelming for interactive shells or gaming.

[mrcharly-YHT]

This is likely to be for use on a boat, hence the need for an external antenna. Reception inside a steel shell is often a bit sub-optimal.

[woollypigs]

I might be out of date on this, but the last time I looked I couldn't get a SIM with unlimited data, I think the max was 10-15Gb (we clock in at least 25+ a month).

EDIT to fix that - win10 just told me in the last 30 days, chrome used 130+ Gb, Edge 10Gb, dropbox 10Gb, skype 2Gb (and the last month I have barely used it) etc So we must use a wee bit more as that don't count mobile via wifi and the main laptop or all the other toys. Oh and it has been a slow month (been away for a week and not worked much)

[Kim]

This is likely to be for use on a boat, hence the need for an external antenna. Reception inside a steel shell is often a bit sub-optimal.

I suppose a USB device in a suitable enclosure is a reasonable approximation, but a proper external antenna would give you a bit more gain, which might be important if the signal is marginal.

[Greenbank]

I might be out of date on this, but the last time I looked I couldn't get a SIM with unlimited data, I think the max was 10-15Gb (we clock in at least 25+ a month).

Three's 100GB mobile broadband SIM is £29/month (for 1 month) or £24/month with a 24 month contract.

[CAMRAMan]

I have 3's mobile broadband. £17 for a 2-year contract. Not blisteringly quick, but good enough. You can pay a bit extra for a router with Alexa built in. I didn't.

[aidan.f]

For  hardware try Solwise https://www.solwise.co.uk/3g-intro.htm

[Ripio]

Since last July I've been using my mobile phone on 3 network for my home internet connection with other devices connected by tethering/hotspot (tablet, pc, chromecast).
I use about 150gb data per month for £20 monthly.
Download speed varies between about 15mbps to 30 mbps and upload speed between about 10mbps and 20mbps, far faster than my previous home broadband connection via the landline.

[Chris S]

When we first moved BT lived up to their reputation and we were without broadband for what felt like weeks. Mr Smith worked off EE 4G and it was better than BT he'd had in Diss. He'll remember better than me.

I used a TPLink LTE router with an EE data-only sim. It was about £20 a month I think for a 25Gb limit. It only really worked well because Teesside has double speed 4G, so we were getting close to 40mbps up/down.

https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=40660.msg1997734#msg1997734

[mrcharly-YHT]

Solwise does look good.

For reference, for the past year we have been living in the fens in a house with a shared connection that is intermittent; when it works, it is 3Mb down max. More often than not, it drops out or is below 1Mb.

So a half-decent 4G signal is blistering by comparison.

Robust external antenna, small internal router are essential.

We are a long way off purchasing (although MrsC has her heart set on something), but having a broadband connection is essential.