Internet / WiFi

[IanD]

7 minutes ago, GUMPY said:

I use 3 but carry an EE SIM for the very rare times I can't get 3. There is still 20gb left on it after 9 months.

 

EE PAYG SIM card preloaded with 120GB of Data https://amzn.eu/d/aM0HVO1

 

For anyone using this for video streaming (Netflix, iPlayer etc. -- which was the use that was mentioned) 120GB isn't going to last very long for £50... 😉

[GUMPY]

2 minutes ago, IanD said:

 

For anyone using this for video streaming (Netflix, iPlayer etc. -- which was the use that was mentioned) 120GB isn't going to last very long for £50... 😉

Not for intensive use, but just as a fill for the odd days when 3 isn't available as I said I've used 100gb in 9 months. Must use up the last 20gb before end of April😉

[Martyn Hicks]

7 minutes ago, Tigerr said:

Currently at Crick, until we start travelling. 

Yeah wasn’t the best of places when I did my speed tests.  There must be a mast up Yelvertoft way as the speeds up there were loads better. Crick being directly under that hill I think most of the signal doesn’t get there. 

[IanD]

2 minutes ago, Martyn Hicks said:

Yeah wasn’t the best of places when I did my speed tests.  There must be a mast up Yelvertoft way as the speeds up there were loads better. Crick being directly under that hill I think most of the signal doesn’t get there. 

If https://bidb.uk/ is telling the truth O2 have the best coverage at Crick, then Three, then EE, then Vodafone.

 

[Tigerr]

13 minutes ago, IanD said:

 

For anyone using this for video streaming (Netflix, iPlayer etc. -- which was the use that was mentioned) 120GB isn't going to last very long for £50... 😉

This is what I have found. 

[IanD]

8 minutes ago, Tigerr said:

This is what I have found. 

If you're not on the boat full-time and don't want to commit to a long-term pay-in-advance Scancom SIM, your best option might be a good pay-monthly SIM -- 1pMobile for EE, Smarty for Three.

 

Having said that, I've been using a 1pMobile SIM for several months with no problem, but when it came to renewal time a couple of days ago the link dropped at midnight even though the SIM data allowance auto-renewed as previously. I've talked to them on the phone today to try and resolve this, they said they'd refresh the SIM remotely but that doesn't seem to have done the trick. Not ideal given that the boat is 150 miles away... 😞

Edited February 5 by IanD

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

20 minutes ago, dmr said:

 

We now have a dual sim router from Teletonica and one of those square white aerial thingies up on a big broom handle but thats the price we pay for mooring in the wilderness. I got some spray paint and painted the white thingy black, it looks much better.

The mooring is just ouside the cells of both three and vodafone but vodafone works pretty well.

Collect some black feathers stick ‘em on it and it’ll look like a crow

 

Edited February 5 by beerbeerbeerbeerbeer

[dmr]

5 minutes ago, beerbeerbeerbeerbeer said:

Collect some black feathers stick ‘em on it and it’ll look like a crow

 

 

I like that, but will have to do a bit of research to make sure they don't wreck the signal.

[Martyn Hicks]

15 minutes ago, IanD said:

If https://bidb.uk/ is telling the truth O2 have the best coverage at Crick, then Three, then EE, then Vodafone.

 

Perhaps say if you were a teacher working in Crick and just used the boat to live on you’d go with 02, but if your cruising the network it’s a different story.  
Ive always said Networks Location Equipment in that order. 

[IanD]

14 hours ago, Martyn Hicks said:

Perhaps say if you were a teacher working in Crick and just used the boat to live on you’d go with 02, but if your cruising the network it’s a different story.  
Ive always said Networks Location Equipment in that order. 

 

That's what I said earlier, the opensignal analysis is based on results from millions of phones all over the country, and for consistent coverage EE comes out top -- which is what you'd expect given the frequency bands allocated to the various operators. If the Vodafone/Three merger goes ahead this may change as the two networks combine their coverage, but this isn't going to happen any time soon.

 

Which still doesn't mean EE are always best, as shown at Crick -- which is where @Tigerr said he was currently based, which is why I posted the BIDB results for there 🙂

 

Across the canal network there are other places where different networks have better or worse signal/data rates; the ideal solution is a dual-SIM router with automatic switchover, but these are expensive -- especially ones which support 5G, and even more for 4x4 MIMO -- and you have to pay for two SIMs.

 

 

Edited February 6 by IanD

[Martyn Hicks]

33 minutes ago, IanD said:

 

That's what I said earlier, the opensignal analysis is based on results from millions of phones all over the country, and for consistent coverage EE comes out top -- which is what you'd expect given the frequency bands allocated to the various operators. If the Vodafone/Three merger goes ahead this may change as the two networks combine their coverage, but this isn't going to happen any time soon.

 

Which still doesn't mean EE are always best, as shown at Crick -- which is where @Tigerr said he was currently based, which is why I posted the BIDB results for there 🙂

 

Across the canal network there are other places where different networks have better or worse signal/data rates; the ideal solution is a dual-SIM router with automatic switchover, but these are expensive -- especially ones which support 5G, and even more for 4x4 MIMO -- and you have to pay for two SIMs.

 

 

Where in those poor signal areas that’s where the equipment can make a huge difference I’ve found. 
using a cat 3 quality router as compared to using a cat 7 one. 
if you start jumping up to a 5G router we are in the cat 20 band and the upscale of 4G if you can’t get a 5G signal is very noticeable as my tests prove.  
I’ll still go by Networks Location and Equipment in that order of importance. 

[IanD]

49 minutes ago, Martyn Hicks said:

Where in those poor signal areas that’s where the equipment can make a huge difference I’ve found. 
using a cat 3 quality router as compared to using a cat 7 one. 
if you start jumping up to a 5G router we are in the cat 20 band and the upscale of 4G if you can’t get a 5G signal is very noticeable as my tests prove.  
I’ll still go by Networks Location and Equipment in that order of importance. 

True, except Location is rarely something boaters have much choice of -- they're usually in a place for some reason which isn't mobile network access, and have to put up with what is available there... 😞

 

So [Network in your Location(s)] is definitely first. Equipment does make a big difference, but it's also pretty much driven by budget -- a 4x4 MIMO 5G router with short cables to a high-gain external antenna (which is what I've got) will undoubtedly give the highest data rates possible and be able to keep the link up in places where less capable equipment would drop out, but is also a *lot* more expensive and beyond the reach of many people.

 

And in a lot of places, a much cheaper solution -- for example a 2x2 MIMO 4G router with external antenna -- will work just fine, especially if you don't need the highest data rates or widest coverage. Or even a MiFi dongle in a window (or a tethered phone) if the signal is good.

 

But especially if you're stuck in a poor signal area (and already on the best network there) better kit will give better performance -- but at a price... 😉

Edited February 6 by IanD

[Martyn Hicks]

23 minutes ago, IanD said:

True, except Location is rarely something boaters have much choice of -- they're usually in a place for some reason which isn't mobile network access, and have to put up with what is available there... 😞

 

So [Network in your Location(s)] is definitely first. Equipment does make a big difference, but it's also pretty much driven by budget -- a 4x4 MIMO 5G router with short cables to a high-gain external antenna (which is what I've got) will undoubtedly give the highest data rates possible and be able to keep the link up in places where less capable equipment would drop out, but is also a *lot* more expensive and beyond the reach of many people.

 

And in a lot of places, a much cheaper solution -- for example a 2x2 MIMO 4G router with external antenna -- will work just fine, especially if you don't need the highest data rates or widest coverage. Or even a MiFi dongle in a window (or a tethered phone) if the signal is good.

 

But especially if you're stuck in a poor signal area (and already on the best network there) better kit will give better performance -- but at a price... 😉

It could mean that the Smarty sim you have may not work at Crick but is ok up at Yelvertoft as an example. 
it’s all about trial and error. 
trying to find the best network that works in most places. 
then sorting out your needs re the equipment if your working from the boat and need to do video conference calling a high WiFi speed will be needed so as well as the Network and Location in this instance equipment will play a big part. 
but if you just want to stream a bit of tv or do a bit of social media and emails you won’t need the big download speeds. 
reasonable equipment and having the correct or the best network sim for the area where your cruising I feel is the vital criteria in that case. 

[IanD]

13 minutes ago, Martyn Hicks said:

It could mean that the Smarty sim you have may not work at Crick but is ok up at Yelvertoft as an example. 
it’s all about trial and error. 
trying to find the best network that works in most places. 
then sorting out your needs re the equipment if your working from the boat and need to do video conference calling a high WiFi speed will be needed so as well as the Network and Location in this instance equipment will play a big part. 
but if you just want to stream a bit of tv or do a bit of social media and emails you won’t need the big download speeds. 
reasonable equipment and having the correct or the best network sim for the area where your cruising I feel is the vital criteria in that case. 

 

The best network that works in most places is EE at the moment, based on not just widespread surveys like the opensignal one (and others) but user reports, including from boaters.

 

This doesn't mean it's the best in every single place on the canals, but that it has the best chance of providing a working internet link in most locations. If you're mainly in one place then another network may be better, the only way to find out for sure (thought the BIDB maps are a good guide) is to try it -- get a cheap pay-monthly SIM on each network and run speed tests.

 

Others can be cheaper especially for unlimited packages (e.g. Three) but overall coverage/consistency is not currently as good as EE, especially out in the sticks.

 

This may change if the Three/Vodafone merger happens, but don't hold your breath... 😉

Edited February 6 by IanD

[Martyn Hicks]

Crick black hole of Calcutta so you’ll need some decent equipment to get a workable signal. 
networks very poor there.  

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

Are you finding you’re fitting more stuff for those working from home who need the signal?

or those who just can’t bear to be away from home without the goggle box?

[Martyn Hicks]

What I have noticed over the last few years my satellite Tv equipment has dropped away because having internet/ WiFi not only give you Tv options so you won’t need an aerial or a satellite dish, but the internet/WiFi route allows you to do much more eg social media, banking, Utube, Netflix but it’s all dependent on the network sim your using and the location have decent equipment helps as well.  

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

Yes, it surprises me when I see folk using satellite dishes when wifi is so available,

but I guess there must be some instances where/when they are an advantage? or no?

[blackrose]

47 minutes ago, beerbeerbeerbeerbeer said:

Yes, it surprises me when I see folk using satellite dishes when wifi is so available,

but I guess there must be some instances where/when they are an advantage? or no?

 

Yes, like when there's no data signal.

 

I have a satellite dish and unlimited WiFi but I watch most terrestrial TV via the satellite dish and catch up stuff on WiFi. There's no reason for that as I could watch both via WiFi, but it's just my habit.

 

However, I don't see why I'd get rid of the satellite dish? That would run counter to my philosophy of equipment on boats, which is building in redundancy and having different systems available as backup in case one's not working. So in that respect having a satellite dish and WiFi for watching TV is no different to having a calorifier and an instant gas water heater for example. 

Edited February 18 by blackrose

[GUMPY]

We run a Freesat box at home mainly for the record function (you don't generally get movies repeated on catch-up). There is also a terrestrial tuner and a Sat tuner in the TV which are rarely used. On top of that we have various streaming services.

Did I mention I like redundancy 😎

[Martyn Hicks]

1 hour ago, beerbeerbeerbeerbeer said:

Yes, it surprises me when I see folk using satellite dishes when wifi is so available,

but I guess there must be some instances where/when they are an advantage? or no?

Yeah of course running internet/ WiFi you have to have a sim and there’s a monthly fee attached to that. 
with the aerial your watching Tv on a big screen and not say just a phone to stream. You may not have a Facebook account or do social media aerial may not be to good so you have the satellite system for your tv needs. 
you could write up a list of pro’s and con’s for each Aerial Satellite and Internet 

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

Fair enough, thought there’d be a simple reason 😃

 

does me good when I can’t get a signal - my back up is a book shelf full of books 

[Martyn Hicks]

Each to their own I think.  
some people don’t have TV’s on board anyway. 

[blackrose]

10 hours ago, Martyn Hicks said:

Each to their own I think.  
some people don’t have TV’s on board anyway. 

 

Yes, some people eschew TV and look down their noses at those who watch it, but then it often turns out they spend their time watching streamed services on a computer! I'm not sure I really understand the difference as either way you're staring at a screen for hours.

On 05/02/2024 at 21:29, IanD said:

Scancom deals via Amazon: Three unlimited £170/22mth=£7.70/mth, 500GB £99/18mth=£5.50/mth

 

I'm currently on Smarty/Three unlimited data but I'm paying £19/month so I think I'll change to one of these Scancom Three data SIMs. However, quite a few reviews on Amazon talk about slow data speeds. I've never faced that problem with Smarty so would Scancom be a downgrade? Also I assume all these 5G data SIM cards are suitable for 4G antennas? I don't think there's any 5G data signal in my area anyway and unlikely to be for the foreseeable...

 

Is changing to Scancom as simple as inserting the SIM into the router and that's it, or is there some registration process?

Edited February 19 by blackrose

[Martyn Hicks]

38 minutes ago, blackrose said:

 

Yes, some people eschew TV and look down their noses at those who watch it, but then it often turns out they spend their time watching streamed services on a computer! I'm not sure I really understand the difference as either way you're staring at a screen for hours.

 

I'm currently on Smarty/Three unlimited data but I'm paying £19/month so I think I'll change to one of these Scancom Three data SIMs. However, quite a few reviews on Amazon talk about slow data speeds. I've never faced that problem with Smarty so would Scancom be a downgrade? Also I assume all these 5G data SIM cards are suitable for 4G antennas? I don't think there's any 5G data signal in my area anyway and unlikely to be for the foreseeable...

 

Is changing to Scancom as simple as inserting the SIM into the router and that's it, or is there some registration process?

The speed is all down to each individual network and how close the mast is away and also the equipment. With normal cost effective equipment there is no way you will get speeds of 300mbs inside a steel boat.