Best Wifi Option to choose for my canal boat?

[matty40s]

4 minutes ago, blackrose said:

Another out of interest question:

 

I just use my phone as a wi-fi hotspot for internet - either my personal phone on which I have 100GB (£20/month on O2) or my work phone which I've just been told has an unlimited data allowance. It seems fine to me and I don't really see the point of paying for an additional contract for a wi-fi (mi-fi) hub. 

 

I guess using a phone as a hotspot won't have the bandwidth or speed of dedicated wi-fi hub but would it be possible for me to stream Netflix using my work phone as a hotspot or would it be too slow? 

I could stream TV with only occasional buffering in bad signal areas when I used to stick my mobile in a window.

However, it was a pain when you needed to answer the phone or message, either you missed it, or took ages to answer as you tried to retrieve it from a holder and charging cables.

[blackrose]

30 minutes ago, matty40s said:

I could stream TV with only occasional buffering in bad signal areas when I used to stick my mobile in a window.

However, it was a pain when you needed to answer the phone or message, either you missed it, or took ages to answer as you tried to retrieve it from a holder and charging cables.

Ok thanks, I'll give it a go. It sounds like less of a pain than paying for another contract ?

[matty40s]

29 minutes ago, blackrose said:

Ok thanks, I'll give it a go. It sounds like less of a pain than paying for another contract ?

When it was struggling, I came up with another solution. Instead of using the wifi signal,

I played the Netflix/Amazon directly on the mobile device (in the window still), and connected to the TV using a USB/miniHDMI adaptor cable(usually needs a 12v power supply). 

[Guest]

3 hours ago, blackrose said:

Another out of interest question:

 

I just use my phone as a wi-fi hotspot for internet - either my personal phone on which I have 100GB (£20/month on O2) or my work phone which I've just been told has an unlimited data allowance. It seems fine to me and I don't really see the point of paying for an additional contract for a wi-fi (mi-fi) hub. 

 

I guess using a phone as a hotspot won't have the bandwidth or speed of dedicated wi-fi hub but would it be possible for me to stream Netflix using my work phone as a hotspot or would it be too slow? 

I regularly use my phone (Google Pixel 4) as a hot spot and all my recent  previous phones before that.

 

I have no problem streaming Amazon Prime, You Tube, Brit Box and Netflix through it. That of course is when on 4G. I'm on EE though not O2. I stream to a rather ageing Samsung Tab A tablet (2016) model.

 

I think you may have issues when using it for some of the more intense games but Like me that probably doesn't interest you??

 

 

[sdraper78]

Who is the best provider for me who will be continously cruising for the near future. Thanks for any advice, i hear ee or 3 are the best???? 

[Guest]

4 minutes ago, sdraper78@live.com said:

Who is the best provider for me who will be continously cruising for the near future. Thanks for any advice, i hear ee or 3 are the best???? 

 

No one single provider will totally cover the whole network. So you will get good EE cover in places but not others ditto with the others.

 

On balance EE and 02 (Defo. not three in my experience) appear to provide the best and most universal cover.

 

A Payg SIM or SIM only contract from one of those should cover most eventualities. Or if internet access is critical, both in an unlocked phone or router. Than you can swap SIM's as needed.

[Alan de Enfield]

 

As nomad says it depends where you plan to boat.

 

We have tried several providers and with our cruising range basically Wales, the East,  South Midlands and North to Mancheste-rish we have found "3" to give us the best coverage.

 

Phone actually has two-Sim-slots so in theory could add another provider but 3 has done us fine. (Boat is currently North Wales coast and still works well on 3)

[baldlimey]

Hi,

 

I use my phone as a wifi hotspot to stream netflix but not HD (as my telly is not HD) without a problem.

 

And my phone is the original note so I am sure does not do 4G let alone 5.

 

Pete

[sdraper78]

3 hours ago, The Happy Nomad said:

 

No one single provider will totally cover the whole network. So you will get good EE cover in places but not others ditto with the others.

 

On balance EE and 02 (Defo. not three in my experience) appear to provide the best and most universal cover.

 

A Payg SIM or SIM only contract from one of those should cover most eventualities. Or if internet access is critical, both in an unlocked phone or router. Than you can swap SIM's as needed.

Thank you for taking the time to educate on this 

[Idle Days]

I'm in Weedon, Northamptonshire, by the Grand Union and use the 3 network on a Huawei router. Sometimes it drops to about 35Mbps. 

[David Mack]

On 14/11/2020 at 10:54, blackrose said:

 

I guess using a phone as a hotspot won't have the bandwidth or speed of dedicated wi-fi hub but would it be possible for me to stream Netflix using my work phone as a hotspot or would it be too slow? 

Not tried Netflix, but my phone (on Three) has been fine as a hotspot for YouTube videos.

[matty40s]

1 hour ago, sdraper78@live.com said:

Thank you for taking the time to educate on this 

I have found 3 the best over the entire network, rarely can I not get some signal, O2 are nowhere near as good. EE are probably on a par with 3.

Vodaphone are very good if you are in a Vidaphone shop.

3 minutes ago, Idle Days said:

I'm in Weedon, Northamptonshire, by the Grand Union and use the 3 network on a Huawei router. Sometimes it drops to about 35Mbps. 

Probably when we switch ours on...?

[GUMPY]

4 minutes ago, matty40s said:

I have found 3 the best over the entire network, rarely can I not get some signal, O2 are nowhere near as good. EE are probably on a par with 3.

EE and "3" have co-sited masts in lots of locations so any difference will be just down to the niumber of users each has/

[cheesegas]

I've got a Proroute GEM420 router, it's designed for use in first responder vehicles so it doesn't need an external regulator as it'll happily take it 9-30 volts. Coupled to an omnidirectional 4G antenna, I get around 20-50 mbps stable on Three, with a secondary O2 SIM as backup. It can't make use of both of the same time - if you want that, you'll need to buy a dual modem load balancing router or two routers with load balancing and link them together.

[sdraper78]

Thanks so much guys it seems to me 3 is the way to go for me I think, I have the Huawei B535_235 which sounds as if 3 works well with this, the cost also seems miles apart from ee and 3, i appreciate all your help, steve

[GUMPY]

53 minutes ago, sdraper78@live.com said:

Thanks so much guys it seems to me 3 is the way to go for me I think, I have the Huawei B535_235 which sounds as if 3 works well with this, the cost also seems miles apart from ee and 3, i appreciate all your help, steve

Cheaper than 3 for new customers and it uses the same network is Smarty.

http://referme.to/blHJxgx

And you get a month free if you use the above link.

3 is cheaper if you are a customer and threaten to leave ?