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Mobile internet dongles?


waterworks

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I need a new mobile internet dongle with external antenna socket, 12 v or USB power ( i left my one by the window and it got rained on ), nothing fancy, something like a Huwaei 55573 ( which I don't think is made anymore) what is the current equilvent? 

 

I'm on EE but it will probably be unlocked anyway.

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Personally I wouldn't bother with a dongle/mifi I would go for a Huawei 535 router better reception,  better wIfi  than any dongle I have used and there have been a few.

You will need a USB to 12v adapter as it likes regulated 12v

Edited by Loddon
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2 hours ago, Loddon said:

Personally I wouldn't bother with a dongle/mifi I would go for a Huawei 535 router better reception,  better wIfi  than any dongle I have used and there have been a few.

You will need a USB to 12v adapter as it likes regulated 12v

Where does you 535 live in the boat? Does it have to be near a window?

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1 minute ago, Nightwatch said:

Where does you 535 live in the boat? Does it have to be near a window?

I use an external antenna so it lives on the side.  I assume the op does as well since a socket was asked for.

One needs an antenna with 2 cables to benefit from the increase in speed gained when using   2x2mimo.

In the caravan it lives in the front window but again I have an external antenna I can put up if needed.

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2 hours ago, Loddon said:

Personally I wouldn't bother with a dongle/mifi I would go for a Huawei 535 router better reception,  better wIfi  than any dongle I have used and there have been a few.

You will need a USB to 12v adapter as it likes regulated 12v

Agree with the regulated 12v adapter, unfortunately I purchased mine from Maplins so no longer available.

 

My router is branded by 3 so not sure of the model but it is a Huawei 4/5G with 2 external antenna ports. 

A external antenna is critical if traveling extensively as it allows the antenna to be outside of the Faraday Cage that is a narrowboat.

Not exactly cheap to setup if Router, 12v regulated adapter and external antenna required but a wander round ebay may be worthwhile as the routers tend to be robust and worth buying 2nd hand. 

 

I did have  a few years just using a dongle, never again.

 

Edited by reg
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I have a Huawei router E5785 with two antennae sockets, unfortunately I don't know what size they are, so far not been able to get an antennae, aerial thing.

I know poyntin are pretty good, but I would be quite happy with something I don't have to instal permanently, or pay £80.

I'm on Three which works most of the time, but mysteriously refuses to work sometimes. I believe it's a Three characteristic.

I don't bother with the regulated 12v business, maybe that's the problem.

 

 

Be

 

 

 

Edited by LadyG
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8 hours ago, LadyG said:

I have a Huawei router E5785 with two antennae sockets, unfortunately I don't know what size they are, so far not been able to get an antennae, aerial thing.

I know poyntin are pretty good, but I would be quite happy with something I don't have to instal permanently, or pay £80.

I'm on Three which works most of the time, but mysteriously refuses to work sometimes. I believe it's a Three characteristic.

I don't bother with the regulated 12v business, maybe that's the problem.

 

 

Be

 

 

 

Review here including external antenna type TS-9

 

https://www.4gltemall.com/blog/tag/huawei-e5785/

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What is a " hotspot".

 

My use will never be outside the boat and only one tablet and one phone connected.

 

Do I need 5g, the most data I use is watch a film and my current stone age device does this fine.

 

Edited by waterworks
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No you don't need 5G, just need to make sure you have a data plan with sufficient usage if streaming films.

 

A hotspot is what you turn on if using your phone to connect other devices to the internet rather than having a dedicated mifi or mobile router.

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1 hour ago, waterworks said:

Looks like a Huawei e5785 is the top contender unless anyone can suggest an alternative ?

 

 

I used a battery powered mifi dongle for some years but, having used a permanently powered Huawei router, I would never go back.

 

I have an older Huawei B310s-22 which I powered directly from the boat 12v power, with  no regulation, (so it would have got 15V from time to time), but now use a USB 5v to 12v cable.

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I used a mifi when just needed occasional internet but now working from the boat more I have a Huawei B818, I use it with the mains adapter from the inverter but only have it switched on during the day as I turn the inverter off when we go to bed.  The mifi used to randomly lose signal which was a pain when in the middle of a meeting.

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12 hours ago, Rob-M said:

I used a mifi when just needed occasional internet but now working from the boat more I have a Huawei B818, I use it with the mains adapter from the inverter but only have it switched on during the day as I turn the inverter off when we go to bed.  The mifi used to randomly lose signal which was a pain when in the middle of a meeting.

Does the 818 have a 240v adapter which converts to a DC input? If so, it should be possible to get a cable of some kind to power it directly from the boat 12V supply, (not that you need to, but it might be helpful for others to know :) )

 

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1 hour ago, Richard10002 said:

Does the 818 have a 240v adapter which converts to a DC input? If so, it should be possible to get a cable of some kind to power it directly from the boat 12V supply, (not that you need to, but it might be helpful for others to know :) )

 

Yes it does but for us it is easier to use the 240v socket next to where the router is stood rather than trying to get a 12v source.

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  • 4 weeks later...

I got a 5785 but it was worse than the little square thing I got with my EE account, sent it back to Amazon and got a used B535 from a local CEX shop for a good price, which is already ok on it's own and it's got two external antenna ports as well which I will be setting up .

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31 minutes ago, waterworks said:

I got a 5785 but it was worse than the little square thing I got with my EE account, sent it back to Amazon and got a used B535 from a local CEX shop for a good price, which is already ok on it's own and it's got two external antenna ports as well which I will be setting up .

Strange, I have the Hauwei e5785, with Three, it was expensive, big battery, I have added a £20 twin antennae, S9 sockets and I've not been offline since. I'm on a steel boat, the antennae sit outside.

Edited by LadyG
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4 hours ago, LadyG said:

Strange, I have the Hauwei e5785, with Three, it was expensive, big battery, I have added a £20 twin antennae, S9 sockets and I've not been offline since. I'm on a steel boat, the antennae sit outside.

I couldn't find a e5785 with the antenna sockets. 

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18 hours ago, waterworks said:

I couldn't find a e5785 with the antenna sockets. 

I had a look on Amazon, and they seem to have lost the antennae sockets, this may be due to their vulnerability. I almost forced the plugs on, and I will keep the antenna as a permanent attachment. Of course these items are sold as mifi routers for travellers rather than boaters, so I can imagine they got user complaints when the sockets broke.

I bought mine three years ago, and upgraded with twin antenna a few months ago, its much better, but it was tolerable before.

Edited by LadyG
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9 minutes ago, XLD said:

Am I missing something here? I just have my Android phone on Wifi, Bluetooth and portable hotspot, hang it by the window and use my iPad.

 

Not if that connects for you wherever you want to go, and gives enough bandwidth for what you want to do on the tablet. 

Edited by alias
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9 minutes ago, XLD said:

Am I missing something here? I just have my Android phone on Wifi, Bluetooth and portable hotspot, hang it by the window and use my iPad.

Me too. Between my Voda network and the Long-haired Admiral's O2, using hotspot for streaming telly and wifi for other devices, issues are few and far between. 

However, although I struggle to see what I'm missing out on here, the dreaded FOMO is strong!

If it wasn't for the Chinese government monitoring my every communication and checking out our IOM TT on itv4 catch up watching habits with such conspicuous interest, I think I'd already have rushed out and bought a Huawei...  whether I need it or not! I guess I might have to slip on a tin foil hat and pop into PC World...

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34 minutes ago, XLD said:

Am I missing something here? I just have my Android phone on Wifi, Bluetooth and portable hotspot, hang it by the window and use my iPad.

I prefer to use my phone as a phone and have a dedicated router for internet access, plus often I find my phone has poor or no internet where as I've not been in a location yet where my dedicated router hasn't worked and on the odd occasion the signal is weak in the boat I connect an external antenna.  As I need to be able to work over the internet I have to have a setup I know will work when it has to so worth investing a few hundred quid so I have the benefit of being able to work from the boat when I want.

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48 minutes ago, XLD said:

Am I missing something here? I just have my Android phone on Wifi, Bluetooth and portable hotspot, hang it by the window and use my iPad.

For me there are several reasons to have a Huawei 535 and separate data sim.

1: I don't have to have an expensive data contract on my phone every month.

2: The data SIM is only active when I am on the boat so I am not paying for it every month.

3: Greater bandwidth and better reception, I can't even make a call where I am now nor get internet on my phone but the Huawei is working just fine on the same network.

4: The phone is not tied up serving my internet use, it's annoying when you get a call right in the middle of watching TV.

 

If you have a house do you have separate broadband or do you rely on your mobile?

 

ETA I do use a lot of data somewhere between  5 and 10 gb a day when we are away

Edited by Loddon
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3 minutes ago, Rob-M said:

As I need to be able to work over the internet I have to have a setup I know will work when it has to so worth investing a few hundred quid so I have the benefit of being able to work from the boat when I want.

Ah-ha! That probably explains why some of us find few issues with a mobile phone as hotspot (and fewer still that sticking it in the window doesn't solve), whereas others seem unable to cope with that solution. My FOMO level has just dropped from an 8.5 to a straight 6.

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9 hours ago, Loddon said:

For me there are several reasons to have a Huawei 535 and separate data sim.

1: I don't have to have an expensive data contract on my phone every month.

2: The data SIM is only active when I am on the boat so I am not paying for it every month.

3: Greater bandwidth and better reception, I can't even make a call where I am now nor get internet on my phone but the Huawei is working just fine on the same network.

4: The phone is not tied up serving my internet use, it's annoying when you get a call right in the middle of watching TV.

 

If you have a house do you have separate broadband or do you rely on your mobile?

 

ETA I do use a lot of data somewhere between  5 and 10 gb a day when we are away

 

9 hours ago, Sea Dog said:

If it wasn't for the Chinese government monitoring my every communication and checking out our IOM TT on itv4 catch up watching habits with such conspicuous interest, I think I'd already have rushed out and bought a Huawei...  whether I need it or not! I guess I might have to slip on a tin foil hat and pop into PC World...

 

 I think a VPN would stop the Chinese government monitoring you so effectively. Of course, you have to be certain that your VPN isn't provided (or monitored) by an equally unpleasant government.

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