Internet/data access on boats -- some tips

[IanD]

10 minutes ago, Silent Flight said:

The sim I got in the end was from Scancom, thru Amazon. It’s £199 for unlimited on EE until Nov 2024. Seems good for streaming etc. Haven’t tried it gaming yet.

Given that EE is currently the network with the best coverage, those Scancom SIMs are the best deal if you're on the boat all the time and want unlimited data for TV streaming etc.

[Silent Flight]

Your thread was most helpful. The last piece of the puzzle was getting Ts9 leads or something like that. But all working perfikk now! Nice one 

[SLC]

Is it me or should our expectations be lowered? I get 3 bars on my B535-333, 20M upload but barely 5M download at best in early evening. With Smarty, I.e. 3, but nothing I do improves the situation. Reset, restarts. This problem is widely reported and I have found no solution. Changing router, phone company is a possibility but there is no guarantee of better performance. 4G is too congested imho.

[IanD]

9 minutes ago, SLC said:

Is it me or should our expectations be lowered? I get 3 bars on my B535-333, 20M upload but barely 5M download at best in early evening. With Smarty, I.e. 3, but nothing I do improves the situation. Reset, restarts. This problem is widely reported and I have found no solution. Changing router, phone company is a possibility but there is no guarantee of better performance. 4G is too congested imho.

Those numbers are strange, download is normally faster than upload even if the network is congested.

 

Maybe Three is *ludicrously* congested where you are? There are lots of complaints about this, not surprising since they sell by far the cheapest unlimited services so loads of people with very high data needs (and short arms and deep pockets) use them... 😞

 

Have you tried a different SIM (different network)? A 1-month one to try things out only costs a few quid, I'd suggest trying an EE MVNO like 1p Mobile first... 😉

[Rob-M]

Have you tried changing the band that the router is connected on, I think the app LTE Manager will work with that router and allow you to turn bands on or off.

[SLC]

LTE manager requires a username and I have never seen or used that!

In the past where download is less than upload a hardware reset has sorted it. Not with me. All very frustrating really.

Edit: admin works. Now having a play to see what works.

Edited July 21, 2023 by SLC

[LadyG]

OK, so I got a new phone , a Samsung, and I'm trying to link it to my WiFi which is mifi.

I know that I have to add a network, don't know if this is Three or Huawei-5D3 and I can't find the bit to enter the key which is the number on the mifi, 

The guy in the shop emphasised I must do this, but I get to the bit that says add network and it is blank.

The password is not admin, if is the eight digit key inside the mifi device.

Update .... while randomly looking at my network settings I discovered the chap in the shop had set it to automatic, which seems to be the perfect solution and kind of explains why it has been getting Internet as I have moved around today. 

Edited July 22, 2023 by LadyG

[Rob-M]

8 hours ago, LadyG said:

OK, so I got a new phone , a Samsung, and I'm trying to link it to my WiFi which is mifi.

I know that I have to add a network, don't know if this is Three or Huawei-5D3 and I can't find the bit to enter the key which is the number on the mifi, 

The guy in the shop emphasised I must do this, but I get to the bit that says add network and it is blank.

The password is not admin, if is the eight digit key inside the mifi device.

Update .... while randomly looking at my network settings I discovered the chap in the shop had set it to automatic, which seems to be the perfect solution and kind of explains why it has been getting Internet as I have moved around today. 

The automatic is probably your phone 4g data network not your WiFi connection.  For WiFi, swipe down from the top of the screen and click on the WiFi symbol , then click on the name of your mifi device and you will be prompted for the password.  If your mifi name doesn't show, click Add network and you should get a screen that asks for name (ssid) and password.

Edited July 23, 2023 by Rob-M

[Midnight]

My router's data sim agreement with O2 ends soon (£30 per month unlimited). I have been happy with the coverage. Last year we did a big trip from Yorkshire down to London and back and only a couple of days with a poor signal. We changed our phones to O2 last October which would  mean a small discount.

So should I renew or are there better options available?

[GUMPY]

I use this:

Three Unlimited 5G Data SIM - Preloaded Every Month from now until 8th December 2025 - Perfect For Wifi Routers, Tablets & Phones - 

 https://amzn.eu/d/elXSlIb

Works out a £7.40 a month.

 

Or this: 

Three Unlimited 5G Data SIM - Preloaded Every Month from now until 8th August 2026 -

https://amzn.eu/d/iR6b8BO

£7.30 a month.

 

If you want to stick with O2 then:

O2 Unlimited 5G Data SIM. Perfect for unlocked Phones, Routers, Tablets and Wifi Dongles - Activate anytime when you receive the SIM - Choose your Data Duration (12 Months) https://amzn.eu/d/aK0loL6

Is a bit more expensive at £19 a month.

 

All are payable in advance but that's one of the reasons you get decent savings.

 

Edited May 7 by GUMPY

[IanD]

10 hours ago, Midnight said:

My router's data sim agreement with O2 ends soon (£30 per month unlimited). I have been happy with the coverage. Last year we did a big trip from Yorkshire down to London and back and only a couple of days with a poor signal. We changed our phones to O2 last October which would  mean a small discount.

So should I renew or are there better options available?

Do you know how much data you actually use?

 

If you're on the boat all the time and use a *lot* of data (e.g. regular TV streaming) then an unlimited SIM from Scancom is the cheapest long-term solution (but a 500GB one is a lot cheaper and almost nobody uses more than this). EE have the best coverage across the country especially in rural areas, then Three, then Vodafone, O2 are last -- see "Consistency" results here:

 

https://www.opensignal.com/reports/2023/09/uk/mobile-network-experience

 

If you don't want to pay up in advance and get locked in then a pay-monthly SIM from someone like Smarty (Three) or 1pMobile (EE) might be better. This also applies if you're not on the boat all the time -- for example I use 1pMobile, when I'm not on the boat I pay £3pcm for 1GB (plenty for remote access and monitoring), when I'm on the boat I top-up with 1-month data boosts (10GB/£8, 50GB £13, 200GB £18).

Edited May 7 by IanD

[Midnight]

17 hours ago, IanD said:

Do you know how much data you actually use?

 

If you're on the boat all the time and use a *lot* of data (e.g. regular TV streaming) then an unlimited SIM from Scancom is the cheapest long-term solution (but a 500GB one is a lot cheaper and almost nobody uses more than this). EE have the best coverage across the country especially in rural areas, then Three, then Vodafone, O2 are last -- see "Consistency" results here:

 

https://www.opensignal.com/reports/2023/09/uk/mobile-network-experience

 

If you don't want to pay up in advance and get locked in then a pay-monthly SIM from someone like Smarty (Three) or 1pMobile (EE) might be better. This also applies if you're not on the boat all the time -- for example I use 1pMobile, when I'm not on the boat I pay £3pcm for 1GB (plenty for remote access and monitoring), when I'm on the boat I top-up with 1-month data boosts (10GB/£8, 50GB £13, 200GB £18).

 

Does EE allow WIFI calling?

I think 500GB would be fine but i can't find an EE 500GB so maybe have to get this one or switch to Three
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Unlimited-Data-Sim-Card-Business-Grade/dp/B0D14SYZRJ/ref=sr_1_4?crid=3PABWCSURSTVO&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.gei-xWA19bh--XmnFPXB7zK4oRwqZ80DmjXrhhbZ4nheJzKN1NLmTNi8lzvisAUxdCSq2SNyTZ6cHrRKZNB7hrn_HpIR3dL_Poiu8G5BShAk-orSsP01JUmrduYytwdqIqAhMJYrd0K6umtmXnz_GBIDGbLFucfVyzfAW4gNQtG1jfeYQZ1IPKoql6DN1s8ZfNOxBdQYLMqox2Mdf88U-6jehlAMnWF-UTl6ERWRCBY_VAWuZkA_gokzpw93JyMbPY340ibC6oGHmcxXYWRsuEnttROoTEltgTqjmYNHexg.hZ2FbMq4j8oxqPpkgnm467cog0aFdO-DOJBfP4z_Mb4&dib_tag=se&keywords=Scancom+EE+Unlimited+5G+Data+SIM&qid=1715117455&s=electronics&sprefix=scancom+ee+unlimited+5g+data+sim+%2Celectronics%2C94&sr=1-4

Edited May 8 by Midnight

[robtheplod]

8 hours ago, Midnight said:

 

Does EE allow WIFI calling?

I think 500GB would be fine but i can't find an EE 500GB so maybe have to get this one or switch to Three
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Unlimited-Data-Sim-Card-Business-Grade/dp/B0D14SYZRJ/ref=sr_1_4?crid=3PABWCSURSTVO&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.gei-xWA19bh--XmnFPXB7zK4oRwqZ80DmjXrhhbZ4nheJzKN1NLmTNi8lzvisAUxdCSq2SNyTZ6cHrRKZNB7hrn_HpIR3dL_Poiu8G5BShAk-orSsP01JUmrduYytwdqIqAhMJYrd0K6umtmXnz_GBIDGbLFucfVyzfAW4gNQtG1jfeYQZ1IPKoql6DN1s8ZfNOxBdQYLMqox2Mdf88U-6jehlAMnWF-UTl6ERWRCBY_VAWuZkA_gokzpw93JyMbPY340ibC6oGHmcxXYWRsuEnttROoTEltgTqjmYNHexg.hZ2FbMq4j8oxqPpkgnm467cog0aFdO-DOJBfP4z_Mb4&dib_tag=se&keywords=Scancom+EE+Unlimited+5G+Data+SIM&qid=1715117455&s=electronics&sprefix=scancom+ee+unlimited+5g+data+sim+%2Celectronics%2C94&sr=1-4

always makes me smile with 'unlimited' package... if you look hard enough they have a cap (Fair use policy: 600GB/month)... surely trade description??

[IanD]

11 hours ago, Midnight said:

 

Does EE allow WIFI calling?

I think 500GB would be fine but i can't find an EE 500GB so maybe have to get this one or switch to Three
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Unlimited-Data-Sim-Card-Business-Grade/dp/B0D14SYZRJ/ref=sr_1_4?crid=3PABWCSURSTVO&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.gei-xWA19bh--XmnFPXB7zK4oRwqZ80DmjXrhhbZ4nheJzKN1NLmTNi8lzvisAUxdCSq2SNyTZ6cHrRKZNB7hrn_HpIR3dL_Poiu8G5BShAk-orSsP01JUmrduYytwdqIqAhMJYrd0K6umtmXnz_GBIDGbLFucfVyzfAW4gNQtG1jfeYQZ1IPKoql6DN1s8ZfNOxBdQYLMqox2Mdf88U-6jehlAMnWF-UTl6ERWRCBY_VAWuZkA_gokzpw93JyMbPY340ibC6oGHmcxXYWRsuEnttROoTEltgTqjmYNHexg.hZ2FbMq4j8oxqPpkgnm467cog0aFdO-DOJBfP4z_Mb4&dib_tag=se&keywords=Scancom+EE+Unlimited+5G+Data+SIM&qid=1715117455&s=electronics&sprefix=scancom+ee+unlimited+5g+data+sim+%2Celectronics%2C94&sr=1-4

EE does allow WiFi calling, I expect the Scancom SIMs do since they're just EE Business SIMs -- see attached picture.

 

You're right, on EE they only seem to have unlimited SIMs. On Three you can get 500GB/month until 8/8/25 for £99 which is £6.60pcm.

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Three-500GB-Data-SIM-Preloaded/dp/B0BDSH3V49