Internet required

[STIG]

I’m thinking of upgrading my current tv situation, presently using a intellian freesat but we need better phone signal. So I have bought a Poynting antenna and I’m wondering what you folks have found to be the best deal in the way of router and data sim, I’m thinking about unlimited as we will use it for tv, interested to hear views 

[Rob-M]

We use Smarty, unlimited data for £20 and only have to renew when you need it so we don't auto renew every month.  I use it for work and TV streaming.

 

£10 Amazon voucher available with my referral code if you want to try it https://i.smarty.co.uk/ptE8nf

[STIG]

That sounds quite flexible, and as we’re not livaboards, we won’t need it all the time 

[Puffling]

Good to bear in mind that Smarty uses the 3 network.

 

I've found more extensive coverage with my EE connection through 1p Mobile. They also have vastly better customer service in case you need it (I tried several times to get an old address Smarty had for me changed; in the end I had to cancel and open another account).

 

So if you fancy the "virtually unlimited" 1p Mobile deal for £20, you'll get £5 off using my referral code:

https://www.1pmobile.com/index?friend=S159573P

[blackrose]

10 minutes ago, Puffling said:

So if you fancy the "virtually unlimited" 1p Mobile deal for £20, you'll get £5 off using my referral code:

https://www.1pmobile.com/index?friend=S159573P

 

You mean virtually unlimited as in 200GB/month? I agree it would be difficult for me to burn through that. But on the other hand I'm not a movie streamer. For those that are it might not go that far?

[GUMPY]

I use Sims from ScanCom. Either Three or EE they supply both.

My three one for the caravan is 85gb per month for about £3per month,  the unlimited one for home is £7.60 per month.

Both are one off payments and run until December 2025.

26 months for the cost of 10 months of Smarty.

Best to buy on offer at £199 as it is today.

Scancom Three Unlimited 5G Data SIM - Preloaded Every Month from now until 8th December 2025  https://amzn.eu/d/7VArqdP

 

Unlimited means 850gb pm fair use.

Edited October 21, 2023 by GUMPY

[Puffling]

3 minutes ago, blackrose said:

 

You mean virtually unlimited as in 200GB/month? I agree it would be difficult for me to burn through that. But on the other hand I'm not a movie streamer. For those that are it might not go that far?

No, I mean it's "virtually unlimited" at that monthly cap. See those inverted commas? It's how 1p Mobile themselves term it.

 

Incidentally, they call this a boost, so you can revert to the default account when you are not using it, only needing to fund it every three months to keep it active. It's always possible to choose a smaller boost for one month if you anticipate using the connection less.

[GUMPY]

If 80gb is enough per month on 3 then this works out at £2.60 per month until May 2026

Three Data SIM - 5G Business-Grade Data Renewed Monthly - Perfect for Wifi Routers, Tablets & Phones - Choose your Data Expiry Date (Preloaded until 08/05/2026) https://amzn.eu/d/dJJDHdN

Edited October 21, 2023 by GUMPY

[blackrose]

1 minute ago, Puffling said:

No, I mean it's "virtually unlimited" at that monthly cap. See those inverted commas? It's how 1p Mobile themselves term it.

 

Isn't that the same as what I said?

[Puffling]

2 minutes ago, GUMPY said:

If 80gb is enough per month on 3 then this works out at £2.60 per month

Three Data SIM - 5G Business-Grade Data Renewed Monthly - Perfect for Wifi Routers, Tablets & Phones - Choose your Data Expiry Date (Preloaded until 08/05/2026) https://amzn.eu/d/dJJDHdN

That is a very cheap deal if you're happy with Three and that limit on data.

Edited October 21, 2023 by Puffling

[GUMPY]

5 minutes ago, Puffling said:

That is a very cheap deal if you're happy with Three and that limit on data.

I am for the caravan rarely go over 50gb per month.

Edited October 21, 2023 by GUMPY

[blackrose]

6 minutes ago, GUMPY said:

If 80gb is enough per month on 3 then this works out at £2.60 per month until May 2026

Three Data SIM - 5G Business-Grade Data Renewed Monthly - Perfect for Wifi Routers, Tablets & Phones - Choose your Data Expiry Date (Preloaded until 08/05/2026) https://amzn.eu/d/dJJDHdN

 

I'll go for that deal if it's still available next March. 3 works perfectly at my mooring and 80gb is plenty for me 

[Puffling]

9 minutes ago, blackrose said:

 

Isn't that the same as what I said?

Sorry, but I understood it as, ""A deal by any other name would smell as sweet," Mr blackrose 🌹

[SLC]

Smarty and Poynting omni-directional antenna for us. Works but seldom able to stream TV reliably. During the evening on 4G network, the data rate struggles above 5Mbps. Fine for browsing but that is it really. My O2 phone signal is no better.

[blackrose]

6 minutes ago, Puffling said:

Sorry, but I understood it as, ""A deal by any other name would smell as sweet," Mr blackrose 🌹

 

I've no idea what you're talking about Mr Puffling 🐟

[ditchcrawler]

2 hours ago, STIG said:

I’m thinking of upgrading my current tv situation, presently using a intellian freesat but we need better phone signal. So I have bought a Poynting antenna and I’m wondering what you folks have found to be the best deal in the way of router and data sim, I’m thinking about unlimited as we will use it for tv, interested to hear views 

Location is important, get some PAYG sims and see what works where you are moored

[Higgs]

I'd like to improve my internet signal on the boat, with one of the aerials suggested, but I don't want a router with a sim. I'm simply looking for a stronger single inside the boat, for the phone to pick up, and then tether to my laptop. I presume that's possible. I hope so, because one contract (phone) is enough.

If it is possible - any suggestions for a router?

 

 

[STIG]

This may sound silly to some tech geeks but if I’m watching telly most evenings and possibly either catch up or you tube, would 80 gb be enough 

1 minute ago, Higgs said:

I'd like to improve my internet signal on the boat, with one of the aerials suggested, but I don't want a router with a sim. I'm simply looking for a stronger single inside the boat, for the phone to pick up, and then tether to my laptop. I presume that's possible. I hope so, because one contract (phone) is enough.

If it is possible - any suggestions for a router?

 

 

I like this option 

 

 

[Jen-in-Wellies]

5 minutes ago, STIG said:

This may sound silly to some tech geeks but if I’m watching telly most evenings and possibly either catch up or you tube, would 80 gb be enough 

I reckon on 1Gig per hour for standard definition streaming. More for HD. So 80Gig a month would be good for a couple of hours a night at standard def.

[Paul C]

The best deal I was able to get was unlimited data for 2 months, for -£20. Yes, we made £20 from having it. It was done by using a Lebara referral, then talking advantage of the £15/month unlimited SIM. Needed to keep it active for 2 months, upon which the referral bonus of £50 was paid to me.

 

Even if you can't do the referral "trick", Lebara's offers via Uswitch are pretty good - for example £2.78 for 15GB. 

 

ETA on networks, we noticed that sometimes O2 (giffgaff) network, while the fastest on a speedtest, would be erratic. So, streaming was a bit stop-start. If you can download a programme in whole, then watch it later, no worries. But actual (live) streaming, was painful. We had two independent setups, sometimes O2 (giffgaff) was best, sometimes Vodaphone (on Lebara). 

 

Whether its an MVNO quality/provisioning thing, or the underlying network, I don't know.

[Puffling]

1 hour ago, Higgs said:

I'd like to improve my internet signal on the boat, with one of the aerials suggested, but I don't want a router with a sim. I'm simply looking for a stronger single inside the boat, for the phone to pick up, and then tether to my laptop. I presume that's possible. I hope so, because one contract (phone) is enough.

If it is possible - any suggestions for a router?

 

 

As I understand it, you need a static repeater. Not all the ones you'll see are legal, but this one is OfCom approved,.if a little pricey

https://www.amazon.com/SureCall-Flare-Voice-Signal-Booster/dp/B07KBKYV1C

 

You'll need to aim the antenna at the nearest cell tower, which might need an app on the phone to locate.

[Rob-M]

3 hours ago, SLC said:

Smarty and Poynting omni-directional antenna for us. Works but seldom able to stream TV reliably. During the evening on 4G network, the data rate struggles above 5Mbps. Fine for browsing but that is it really. My O2 phone signal is no better.

I've been using Smarty for a couple of years now for work and TV streaming, not had issues with speed and rarely bother connecting the Poynting antenna.

[Puffling]

 

2 hours ago, Rob-M said:

I've been using Smarty for a couple of years now for work and TV streaming, not had issues with speed and rarely bother connecting the Poynting antenna.

You could say there's little Poynting you having one...

 

Sorry, I'll

[Alan de Enfield]

1 hour ago, Puffling said:

Sorry, I'll

 

Steal your wallet ?

[IanD]

Which network to choose and whether you need an external antenna very much depends on location. If you're mainly in one place and Three have good coverage there, Smarty is a good bet. If you want to roam around the country especially outside towns, EE have the best coverage, and 1pmobile is the best bet. An external antenna will give higher data rates in poor signal areas and better coverage.

 

We just finished a trip from Sheffield to Anderton via the Rochdale canal, and even when moored "in the sticks" never failed to have enough bandwidth for HDTV streaming, I think the lowest rate speed test was about 10Mbps, more typical was 30Mbps, highest rate we saw was 200Mbps. That's using 1pMobile, an NR5103 4x4 5G MIMO router and a high-gain omni 4x4 MIMO antenna from Poynting, not a cheap solution (about £400 total) but excellent performance and no need to align to a cell tower. Probably overkill for most people, but as well as TV streaming I need to be able to do video conferencing pretty much anywhere.

On 21/10/2023 at 12:33, Jen-in-Wellies said:

I reckon on 1Gig per hour for standard definition streaming. More for HD. So 80Gig a month would be good for a couple of hours a night at standard def.

We found we were averaging about 5G/day typical with Internet use and some TV streaming (4 people on board), maximum was about 10G/day. Started off with a £10/month 25G SIM from 1pmobile, added a 200G boost for £20 before this ran out.