Backup to BT broadband

PensionMan123

We currently have BT broadband Fibre 2 in our home - full fibre not available in this area. 

A few months ago, there was some network outage (in our local area) which meant that Openreach had to undertake some emergency repairs. It took several hours for the issue to be fixed. Going to libraries etc is not really helpful and my house is quite far from the office.

As I work from home, and internet being so crucial these days, is there a good backup. My phone package is fairly basic and only has 12gb (including personal hotspot).

BT claims the Halo could be as little as a few pounds extra each month. It think we are paying some 20-30pounds for the internet element of our bill. On the website it says we can get Halo 3 in our area - new customers £64.99. I am only interested in the backup internet rather than fancy things like HD streaming. 

PensionMan123

Has anyone actually used the backup EE service - did it help when needed? Was it fast enough? Did it interfere with the broadband?

M25

I have Vodafone Pro house broadband which comes with a SIM which plugs into their router with a supplied SIM & dongle. Their newer flavours don't have a dongle I believe but a separate box either way both kick in when the fibre drops for a few seconds.

It says I have 50GB use but there's no limit as you can see the SIM in your account and I've used it for years as it's a normal SIM so can be put into any 4G/5G router (I bought one from Vodafone years ago) or even a spare mobile and set it up as a hotspot.

I have my backup 4G router next to the ethernet switch so I simply plug it into to that (making sure you unplug the broadband ethernet) so it powers any internet plugged into the switch and of course it provides wi-fi. Their SIM also accepts SMS incoming which is also handy. No outgoing SMS or calling.

In 4 years I think I've used it 5 times it's a great backup. Always ready.

There's no shortage of data SIM deals so that might be better and just buy your own 4G/5G router I have the 4G Huawei B618 https://uk.webuy.com/product-detail/?id=SNETHUAB6182A Great bit of kit there's also the B818 and a 5G version.

3 also do data only plans with a supplied router https://www.three.co.uk/broadband/home-broadband

Check your 4G/5G signal.

iniltous

BT Unbreakable  WiFi , / Hybrid Connect  uses EE mobile , the performance of it depends on what type of EE mobile signal is available in your home…it costs £7 a month on top of whatever you currently pay and cuts in when the regular broadband drops out 
https://www.techadvisor.com/article/722702/bt-hybrid-connect-review.html
Halo is something different.

Sarahspangles

When I last looked at the Halo offer it involved them posting out a 4G dongle if there was an outage!  I suppose they did used to be part of the General Post Office….

For backup, I just tether to my phone, and start my next ‘goodybag’ a bit earlier if I use up the current one.  I don’t feel I need another device.  I’m more likely to need a Plan B for power cuts as the laptop plus phone don’t run that long on batteries

Cisco001

A decent speed broadband is £30 a month.
It would be cheaper to just upgrade your existing phone tariff to unlimited data.

HaroldWhistler

PensionMan123 said:

Has anyone actually used the backup EE service - did it help when needed? Was it fast enough? Did it interfere with the broadband?

1. Check which of the "main" mobile networks have the best 4G coverage in your area. 

2. Make a note of the mobile providers who use the underlying networks with the best 4G signal in your area. E.g. Lyca use O2, Lebara and Asda use Vodafone, Smarty and Superdrug mobile use Three etc.

3. Select an Unlimited 4G Data SIM from one of those providers in (2) who offer rolling 30 day contracts (or a longer contract if you are comfortable with that) at fixed prices. 

4. Pop in the new SIM into a "Mifi" device (usually available at Currys or Amazon for around £30-£50). That acts as a Wifi hotspot which you can connect your home devices to (computers, smart tv, laptops, phones etc). Alternatively, you can pop them into certain Routers that have a SIM slot (can be purchased online, or in store somewhere) if you want a wider coverage area. 

5. You may find the 4G broadband to be faster than the existing copper (FTTC) broadband. In which case, you could just drop the broadband at the end of the contract and wait it out till FTTP becomes available in your area. 

6. Sometimes there are MSE deals for Lyca and Lebara SIMs with different amounts of data. Depending on your data needs, you could go for one of those packages. 

Bronvahl

PensionMan123 said:

We currently have BT broadband Fibre 2 in our home - full fibre not available in this area. 

A few months ago, there was some network outage (in our local area) which meant that Openreach had to undertake some emergency repairs. It took several hours for the issue to be fixed. Going to libraries etc is not really helpful and my house is quite far from the office.

As I work from home, and internet being so crucial these days, is there a good backup. My phone package is fairly basic and only has 12gb (including personal hotspot).

BT claims the Halo could be as little as a few pounds extra each month. It think we are paying some 20-30pounds for the internet element of our bill. On the website it says we can get Halo 3 in our area - new customers £64.99. I am only interested in the backup internet rather than fancy things like HD streaming. 

Two options for you

1. When I was with BT and lost connection I found it did not affect all my neighbours, I was able to use BT-Wifi that was from another subscriber, once I realised it worked I got a router that could boost the signal to my home.  You have to login again every 3 or 4 hours but it was a life saver for me.

2. You can get a router that supports SIM, a friend of mine got one these when his Landlord cut broadband and put in a smart meter (something Landlord paid dearly for later).

https://www.tp-link.com/uk/home-networking/3g-4g-router/tl-mr6500v/

You can get unlimited sim from 3 or Smarty for between £16 and £20 a month, but the trick here is to get the router and order the free sim online, then activate it only when you have downtime. 

Also if your supplier fails to provide service they should be prepared to send you a sim immediately, but for some the waiting is unacceptable, so inform them you will be holding them responsible for taking out alternative service including cost of any router.

If you want tech info on how to have a router setup for BT-Wifi use then PM me, router cost is from around £40 to £50 but the config is a little complex.