Mobile broadband queries

[Sunshine]

Hi there,
 I currently have my internet broadband with eir. I am in a rural area and getting maximum 3 mbs.
My contract is up and my bill jumped from 25 to 60 pm. I won’t be paying this and looking for advice on what internet options I have.

 I also use my mobile phone as a hotspot with my vodaphone account. This works the best as speeds are higher.
My vodaphone contact is also up and that was 35 pm with 20 gb pm of data.


I spoke to eir and they suggested getting the mobile broadband for 29.99 pm.
I see vodaphone have this also but it’s 40 pm with only 300 mb. Eir has unlimited data.

I work from home so I need a reliable and decent speed. Other devices are iPads, pc, and PS4 in the home.

My options are:

I was thinking of starting a new contract with vodaphone with unlimited data and using my phone as a hotspot for working. 
Pros: I know speed is good as have used already. 
Cons : internet drops when I get a phone call.
Nobody else can use internet if I am away. Also, worried incase the network drops and I have no backup for working from home.

Other option is get Eir Mobile Broadband. I am not sure of the speed in my area for this. 

If I go for Eir Mobile Broadband I will switch my mobile phone from vodaphone to gomo for only 12.99.

So my question is which is the best option for working from home.
Thanks.

[Seán]

If you would like to try Eir, I suggest getting a prepay Eir phone SIM to start with in your phone to run speed tests with. The main issue I've heard with the Eir mobile broadband is getting through to Eir customer support to cancel within the cooling off period, so I would only sign up if you're able to test it with a phone SIM first. An Eir prepay SIM costs €20 for any of the "No Limits Data" plans. Like GoMo, they have a 120GB monthly fair usage allowance, after which data is heavily throttled. However, this should be plenty to test it out before signing up a contract for the Eir Mobile broadband plan or switching your mobile to GoMo, which uses the same Eir masts.

As you mention your Vodafone mobile data speed is good, another option would be to purchase a 4G router and a Vodafone X prepay SIM. For the router, I suggest going for either the Huawei B535 or the B818 if you can afford it. The B818 is potentially faster as it can aggregate more cellular bands. To use this SIM in a router, you just need to configure the router's APN setting to live.vodafone.com

The Vodafone X is a prepay phone SIM, which has unlimited data and no fair usage limit that I'm aware of. The speed is capped at 10Mbps, which should still be a lot faster than your landline. If you are getting under 10Mbps on your mobile, the speed should be similar on the router. Otherwise, the speed will top out at 10Mbps on on the router.

[Sunshine]

Hi there, thanks for your reply.
Yes I might order a sim online from eir and hopefully it will work on my mobile. So this should give me an idea how good my internet will be if I change to Eir mobile broadband.
I have a query on your 2nd suggestion e.g., so you are saying if I buy the B818 router, I will be able to set it up myself so I can have internet at home for all devices and it will be reliable and hopefully fast. I am not sure how the router works. So if I am away from home with my phone will the router work? Sorry I am confused and do I need two SIM cards one for router and one for my mobile phone.
What is the incentive to buy mobile broadband from a company if you can do it yourself? But I will definitely be interested in trying it to see does it work.
I don’t mind spending a bit more if internet connection is reliable and consistent.
Thanks for reading this.

[Seán]

That is correct with the router - If you go with the second suggestion, you would purchase the router and a separate SIM for it, in this case a Vodafone X prepay SIM. When ordering the SIM, choose "Get a new number", like getting your very first prepay SIM. This is totally independent of your existing mobile contract and phone.

When the router and SIM arrive, pop out the corresponding SIM size from the SIM pack (I think micro for the B535 and nano for the B818) and push it in the router's SIM slot. If you pop out the wrong SIM insert, they can snap back together again.

Configuring the router is straight forward. It has the Wi-Fi password and web admin login details printed underneath. For the B818, go into its web interface on a PC, then Network Settings at the top, then on the left menu, go into Mobile Network -> Internet Connection. Click '+' to the right of Profiles, enter Vodafone Live for the profile name and live.vodafone.com for the APN field, then click Save. It's ready to use. You can connect your devices to it just like with your existing Eir router, i.e. on each device, go into the Wi-Fi listing and choose the 4G router in the Wi-Fi selection, then enter the 4G router's Wi-Fi password.

The main incentive with buying mobile broadband from the company is that the router is usually "free" as part of the contract, much like getting a new phone on contract and it's preconfigured, i.e. just put the SIM in and plug it in. The drawbacks include being tied into a 12 to 24 month contact, a higher monthly fee and the router is network locked. On the Eir network, their mobile broadband plan is the only way to get the unlimited allowance (actually 750GB). On Vodafone, I've heard that they don't cap the speed to 10Mbps on their mobile broadband (despite saying they do), whereas it's definitely capped at 10Mbps with their unlimited prepay SIMs.

If your phone's hotspot was consistent and reliable, the router should perform just as well, if not better as you'll be able to keep it in one spot.

[Sunshine]

Thanks for that information. It makes sense now and I think I will go for the B818 router and with Vodafone X prepay SIM. Where do I order the router? I am thinking that I can order the sim online also.
I will leave the Eir mobile broadband as Vodafone works fine here.
Interesting though as I was chatting to a sales rep online yesterday at eir regarding their mobile broadband and the rep mentioned in post that he was using it but speed was only 2 mb as he wasn’t in a great area for it.
He suggested I try imagine.ie..if eir doesn’t work in my area.
But I will stick with Vodafone and go the router\SIM card route.
I am also thinking now of changing my phone sim to gomo for 12.99 pm. So my internet at home will be Vodafone and my mobile will be gomo. Hopefully gomo will work in my area for phone calls. I had Three a few years ago and no reception so changed to Vodafone.

Thanks again.

[Seán]

Amazon has the router for around £185 or slightly cheaper renewed (i.e. refurbished):
https://smile.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08FF37HWM

If that's too expensive, Amazon sells the Huawei B535 refurbished for £120. As Vodafone X's speed is capped at 10Mbps, you may get the same speed with either router. The B818 on the other hand would be faster if Three reaches your area as their prepay SIMs don't have a capped speed limit:
https://smile.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07ZFSX8LB

Don't use the Smarty SIM the router comes bundled with. It is a British SIM that piggybacks on the UK Three network, so would be roaming here.

You can get the Vodafone X SIM either in a Vodafone shop or on the following link. If you get it in a shop, they may charge a €10 fee for the SIM, which they don't do online.
https://n.vodafone.ie/shop/pay-as-you-go...ne-x0.html

During checkout, choose "Get a new number".

[Sunshine]

Oh that’s great thanks for that. Actually I found out this morning that my friend uses Three mobile broadband in her home. She lives in different part of county but I wonder if she let me borrow it for a few hrs to check it out in the house here.
So you are saying then if reception is good for Three to buy a prepaid sim for €20 pm?
Do I buy online also.
Thanks again.

[Seán]

It's certainly well worth testing Three if you can borrow it. Be sure to test it in the evening between 8pm and 10pm. If it works fine during that time, it should work well throughout the day as the evening is peak time, where it's at its slowest.

You can order the Three SIM online also:
https://www.three.ie/buy/prepay.html#sim-only

Choose the "3 Pay 20" plan. The SIM costs €20 and comes with 28 days of data to start with. After the 28 days lapses, you can send €20 to the SIM # from your online banking's Mobile Top Up to reactivate it.

Unlike the Vodafone SIM, the Three SIM should work without any configuration. i.e. just put the SIM in the router and plug it in. Position it where it gets the highest signal reading and it's ready to use.

[boatbuilder]

Worth trying a gomo sim as well - working well for me on a B818

[Sunshine]

Hi all,
Thanks for all your help.
So technically I could order a few Sim cards from different providers and try each of them in the router to see which works best.

Although I know Vodafone works already for me here.

I did have a Three sim a few years back and no signal indoors. I had to go outside to make a call.
Something else I have noticed also with my huawei y6 2019 phone is I have to be beside a window to surf.

I spoke with Vodafone and mentioned this and they said newer phones don’t have this issue e.g., I am due an upgrade and they said internet should work anywhere in house due to newer phones. But contract is up now and I looked at one deal with upgrade and 40 pm which is high. Whereas payg is only €20 pm?

I use my phone for a hotspot so it wasn’t an issue for me not able to use the phone indoors. As I use a laptop/iPad.

I will order the router from Amazon and try the Vodafone sim first.

Thanks again.

---

I was chatting to Eir there and the agent has said they won’t charge me for the router if I want to try it out for 14 days and also I can keep it if I decide to go with the Mobile broadband? He also said I can cancel within 14 days if not happy.
He said he looked at coverage in my area and it’s good so I should get speeds.
He also will give me unlimited data on a mobile phone sim for 1 year if I want to switch my mobile sim over to Eir.

I am not sure now what to do?
He said mobile broadband will stay at 29.99 after 1 yr also. Very confused now.

[Seán]

The feature Vodafone is talking about with newer phones is Wi-Fi calling. This is where the phone uses the Wi-Fi Internet connection to place calls, like making a WhatsApp call. Basically, it depends on an existing good indoor Internet connection to work.

As mentioned, contracts are generally more expensive than prepay as most of the contract cost goes into paying off the subsidised phone. For example, the Samsung S20 FE is currently £462 (€545) on Amazon. On Vodafone, it is €299.99 on a €40/month contract, €99.99 on a €60/month contract or "free" on an €80/month contract. On the other hand, the contract plans offer a few features not available on prepay such as not having the 10Mbps speed cap on the €60/month plan. Then again, €40/month extra over 24 months means that Vodafone more than takes back the €445 saving compared to paying full price for the phone and switching to prepay.

You can try Eir mobile broadband for 14 days if you would like. The main catch is that the router they provide will be locked to the Eir network, i.e. you'll not be able to test a Vodafone or Three SIM in it.

I still suggest purchasing the Huawei B535 or B818 router from Amazon and trying a prepay phone SIM from each network in it. At least that way you're not tied into a lengthy contract if the network performance deteriorates a few months later.

[Sunshine]

Oh thanks for that information. I have made my mind up and will buy the B818 router from Amazon and try it with a Vodafone sim first. There are too many choices and can be a wee bit confusing. The most important is to have stable and reliable internet for work. I have Vodafone already and get good signal. I will buy tonight from Amazon. Will be back online again with more queries when it arrives. Thanks again.

[Sunshine]

Hi again, I received the b818 router today. I also switched my mobile phone provider to gomo and I am happy with coverage etc. 
I also ordeded a 2nd sim from gomo for the router. I put the sim into the router and there is a red light showing for mode? I am wondering do I need to activate the sim first in my phone for it to work in router?
I am a wee bit confused.
Thanks for your help.

[boatbuilder]

Yes you'll have to enter the pin into the router settings. While you're doing that you'll notice an option to turn off the pin so it doesn't ask you for it all the time.

[Sunshine]

Thanks for that and I got it going. I will be back with more questions I am sure.

[Seán]

The B818 also needs the Eir APN configured for it to connect:

1. Go into its web interface on a PC - http://192.168.8.1/ The username is admin and the password is printed underneath the router.
   
2. Go into Network Settings at the top, then on the left menu, go into Mobile Network -> Internet Connection.
   
3. Click '+' to the right of Profiles, enter GoMo Data for the profile name and data.myeirmobile.ie for the APN field.
   

[Sunshine]

Thanks for that and I did it. I have another few queries in regards where to place the router for coverage? I work upstairs using a laptop and router is in another room near a window. I am getting OK speeds (haven't checked speeds yet). I want to connect a PC (upstairs}) and PlayStation (downstairs) over the weekend using the router. I am wondering should I move router to a new location in house? Also, would I need to plug PC/playstation directly into router using cables for better coverage. Our house has thick old farmhouse walls.
Thanks for feedback.

[Seán]

If the Wi-Fi coverage or data speed on the PlayStation is weak, these are a few options to consider:

Try the router downstairs in a window where the PlayStation is located and try a few speed tests on the router. If it gets good 4G coverage there, you can plug the PlayStation directly to the router with an Ethernet cable. This may be a better option as game consoles are much more sensitive to latency spikes than a most works tasks such as video conferencing.

If the 4G coverage or performance is poor downstairs, you can try getting a Wi-Fi mesh kit. I currently use a Tenda MW6-2 kit, which so far has been very stable. With a mesh kit, you connect one node to the router by Ethernet and place the second node in a room directly below the primary node. You can then connect the PlayStation to the second node either by Wi-Fi or an Ethernet cable if it's near enough.

[Sunshine]

I will try a few of those things to see which works best. Also, do some speed tests in different areas of house.
Thanks again for your help and I do appreciate it.