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How to get more than 70MB down?! UK EDITION

BronxCruz
Member

Hey all.

Most of my life I've been fortunate to receive 200-300mb down at my parents house. But I will now be moving soon to my first flat / apartment which I'm really excited about but at the same time a bit of a bummer because I can only get 67MB down with BT and I have been with Virgin Media.

VM have stated they might roll out in a years time in my area but I was wondering if anyone has tried mobile broadband with 4G/5G networks so I can at least get 100MB down that way. But does it act the same way as home broadband if I get the unlimited package?

Kind regards

3 REPLIES 3

lsmithx2
Member

Being from Norfolk I have tested many different options over the years e.g. bonded broadband and 4g mobile internet.

 

From experience you would need to find the best mobile network in your area and get a rough idea as to where about the masts are. I found that in areas where I have been testing 4G certain providers are better in different areas but being in a rural location that is to be expected but it may be different where you are.

 

I would suggest looking at different providers coverage for your postcode and also using a website like mastdata or other similar site to find where the mast for that provider is located. If you are close then you would expect speeds of up to 150MB but that would need to be line of sight. You can use a omni-directional antenna which would help get a better signal but be aware of cheap ones. A decent antenna would cost £50+ and depending on what router you have in mind.

 

I use MikroTik SXT when installing equipment for people and havent had any issues with them but they need to be roughtly aligned with the mobile mast but one I installed for someone on EE will gain speeds of 70-80MB Download and 30-40MB Upload. Which for a very remote rural location which had fixed line speeds for only 1-2MB it is a big improvement.

 

Also the thing with mobile broadband is no static ip addresses although you could use a VPN aswell to bypass that problem if you needed a static ip. And also weather is a factor to account for sometimes.

 

I will say see what mobile networks are good in your area and try a few to see what speeds you can get and make sure data speeds are not restricted on some data simcards.

eltonwilde
Member

@lsmithx2 wrote:

Being from Norfolk I have tested many different options over the years e.g. bonded broadband and 4g mobile internet.

 

From experience you would need to find the best mobile network in your area and get a rough idea as to where about the masts are. I found that in areas where I have been testing 4G certain providers are better in different areas but being in a rural location that is to be expected but it may be different where you are.

 

I would suggest looking at different providers coverage for your postcode and also using a website like mastdata or other similar site to find where the mast for that provider is located. If you are close then you would expect speeds of up to 150MB but that would need to be line of sight. You can use a omni-directional antenna which would help get a better signal but be aware of cheap ones. A decent antenna would cost £50+ and depending on what router you have in mind.

 

I use MikroTik SXT when installing equipment for people and havent had any issues with them but they need to be roughtly aligned with the mobile mast but one I installed for someone on EE will gain speeds of 70-80MB Download and 30-40MB Upload. Which for a very remote rural location which had fixed line speeds for only 1-2MB it is a big improvement. slope game

 

Also the thing with mobile broadband is no static ip addresses although you could use a VPN aswell to bypass that problem if you needed a static ip. And also weather is a factor to account for sometimes.

 

I will say see what mobile networks are good in your area and try a few to see what speeds you can get and make sure data speeds are not restricted on some data simcards.


thanks, and thing helps

MurielPaul
Member

You would need to identify the top mobile network in your neighborhood and have a general understanding of the location of the masts from experience. I discovered that in the locations where I have been testing 4G, certain providers are better in other areas; however, given that I am in a rural area, this is to be anticipated. Your experience may vary. stickman fighter

I would advise comparing the coverage of other carriers for your postcode and utilizing a website like mastdata or another such site to identify the provider's mast. You may anticipate close proximity rates of up to 150MB, but that would need line of sight. Use of an omni-directional antenna might improve signal quality, but watch out for low-cost models. Depending on the router you have in mind, a quality antenna might cost £50 or more.