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Moved Home for 8 months. No broadband and no dial tone on the telephone line.

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OhWow
OhWow Posts: 410 Forumite
Part of the Furniture 100 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
edited 9 April 2022 at 3:14PM in Broadband & internet access
After years of living at one address, I'm a bit out of touch with broadband with moving and I would appreciate any advice. I will only be staying at this place for 8 months.

I have been reading this post. https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6345499/process-for-getting-broadband-when-i-move-home#latest
and wonder if I should use my phone for mobile broadband, to connect a laptop to the internet?

Lebara are offering unlimited 5g data for £25 a month, no contact. Is this the sort of thing I should be looking for?
https://mobile.lebara.com/gb/en/best-sim-only-deals/c/simo-contract?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIvfSxiY-H9wIVGLLtCh2BhgBuEAAYBCAAEgL0OvD_BwE#

Or would going for broadband be the better option, even if it is a 12 month contract?






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Comments

  • Neil_Jones
    Neil_Jones Posts: 9,552 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Need to determine what's the best mobile signal in your area.  Pointless going to Lebara if you can't get a Vodafone signal where you are.
  • brewerdave
    brewerdave Posts: 8,714 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Also depends what you want to do on the laptop - If you want to stream videos etc you really need to trial mobile connectivity at the actual house. We can get a good 4G signal outside our property but can't even get a reliable 3G connection in the house !!
  • shiraz99
    shiraz99 Posts: 1,836 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Third Anniversary Name Dropper
    As above, without you knowing what your signal will be like and with which provider it will be hard to say whether it's worth going down the 5g/4g mobile route. You could look at cheap, 12 month contracts and simply pay out the remaining contract when you're done.
  • flashg67
    flashg67 Posts: 4,128 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    I use Lebara as my main broadband (rural area), but I did try all the providers first with a sim to check, rather than relying on the online signal checkers. If you have a few internet connected things, a dedicated 4g router might be a better bet than hammering your phone battery/
  • matelodave
    matelodave Posts: 9,081 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    As said above, you need to determine which provider has the best signal and speed where you want to use it. So it's worthwhile getting a couple of cheap paygo sims to try it out 

    We get a reasonable 25mbit's from Three, a not quite so good 15mbit's from EE, and virtually unusable (either for calls or data) from either Vodafone or O2.

    We take a wifi unit with a Three data sim away with us when we go away with our caravan but there are a few places where it doesn't work - mainly rural

    My mate lives in a place where the only sort of mobile signal he can get is actually in his greenhouse at the end of his garden and another who uses a Mifi unit and mobile data sim to watch tv on his boat on the Norfolk Broads.
    Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large numbers
  • OhWow
    OhWow Posts: 410 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 100 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    edited 11 April 2022 at 2:29PM
    Thanks everyone.

    I looked on BT wholesale checker and the speeds are very low, Nothing like as good as the person on this thread.
    https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6345499/process-for-getting-broadband-when-i-move-home#latest

    It seems that virgin and openreach are in the area.

    Now BB site said they don't cover the postcode.

    I use plusnet on my mobile phone and coverage is good inside and outside the house, but I pay just over £7 a month for just 1G data! Since moving and having no internet, it didn't take long to eat through this. Been on this for years, and now see better deals.

    So I guess try a short contract mobile BB and a short contract for my mobile, to test the coverage?

    Is Smarty any good for a mobile Sim? And how do i keep my mobile number? Not that i am  bothered about that because of the spam.



  • OhWow
    OhWow Posts: 410 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 100 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    flashg67 said:
    I use Lebara as my main broadband (rural area), but I did try all the providers first with a sim to check, rather than relying on the online signal checkers. If you have a few internet connected things, a dedicated 4g router might be a better bet than hammering your phone battery/
    It's just going to be a laptop (which I also need to buy) and maybe a work laptop too. I don't do gaming. I just browse the internet, do emails, and use the tv apps and netflix. 
  • QrizB
    QrizB Posts: 18,245 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Fourth Anniversary Photogenic Name Dropper
    edited 11 April 2022 at 3:53PM
    OhWow said:
    I use plusnet on my mobile phone and coverage is good inside and outside the house, but I pay just over £7 a month for just 1G data! Since moving and having no internet, it didn't take long to eat through this. Been on this for years, and now see better deals.
    Plusnet uses EE's network. If you choose an operator on EE's network you'll get much the same coverage you do now.
    According to the MSE "cheap SIM-only" guide, Plusnet will give you 12Gb/month for £7, or 20GB for £9:
    https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/mobiles/cheap-sim-only-contracts/#high
    Maybe call Plusnet CS and see if you can switch? If not, take out a new contract and cancel your current one.
    If you take a new contract you'll qualify for the cashback, too.
    N. Hampshire, he/him. Octopus Intelligent Go elec & Tracker gas / Vodafone BB / iD mobile. Ripple Kirk Hill member.
    2.72kWp PV facing SSW installed Jan 2012. 11 x 247w panels, 3.6kw inverter. 34 MWh generated, long-term average 2.6 Os.
    Not exactly back from my break, but dipping in and out of the forum.
    Ofgem cap table, Ofgem cap explainer. Economy 7 cap explainer. Gas vs E7 vs peak elec heating costs, Best kettle!
  • OhWow
    OhWow Posts: 410 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 100 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    edited 11 April 2022 at 4:04PM
    I've just realised that my out of contract moblle phone with plusnet for £7.40, is still on 3G!




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