Getting a new SIM from O2 - How?

polymaff

Today is the 14th time I've tried to get a new PAYG *sim from O2.  Nothing has turned up for the previous 13 orders - which date back to late April.

So, what's the trick?

*  I need a new sim as I need to update to a newer 'phone and my current sim is not a 3-in-1 punch-out.  It's that old - as is the 2G phone...

And I don't want to take a razor blade to the old sim!

muffinhead

You can get sim replacements in O2 stores - just remember to bring some ID with you.

https://stores.o2.co.uk/

datz

As well as the O2 stores above, other shops / online marketplaces will also sell O2 branded sim cards for around £1. They won't be blank, but you can still sim swap onto them via your account on the O2 website.

polymaff said:

And I don't want to take a razor blade to the old sim!

Yeah, the last thing you want is the sim card/tray to get stuck in the device.

savergrant

polymaff said:

Today is the 14th time I've tried to get a new PAYG *sim from O2.  Nothing has turned up for the previous 13 orders - which date back to late April.

So, what's the trick?

*  I need a new sim as I need to update to a newer 'phone and my current sim is not a 3-in-1 punch-out.  It's that old - as is the 2G phone...

And I don't want to take a razor blade to the old sim!

How are you ordering them? Are you ordering a replacement or just a new sim to sim swap to?
Iirc last time I tried to order a simple sim from o2 they bombarded me with offers of bolt-ons and didn't send the sim as i didn't order a bolt-on with it.
If I'd wanted one I would have ordered one when I ordered the sim.

polymaff

Thanks, all three,

As a disabled person, I prefer things to come to me.  Still, I checked and my nearest O2 branch is a 14 mile journey away.  Calling O2 CS seemed a simple way to get this task done..  Simple - Huh!

How am I ordering it?  Via a call to O2 number 4445. "Are you ordering a replacement or just a new sim to sim swap to?"  I answered that in the OP.  Not that CS showed any interest as to why I needed a new/replacement sim for my current O2 service.  Each time they took the order, they gave me an order number and told me that it should be with me in 3 to 5 days.

Ironically, I only need this sim so I can see what O2, 4G, signal I get here.  I'm planning to switch away from my ISP, abandoning the FTTC landline entirely.  With Lebara I've a weak 4G signal - but it is sufficient to deliver a significantly faster bit-rate than the land-line.  Plus that's a sighificantly cheaper option compared to FFTC and copper.

There's no prospect of 5G or FTTP here.

I'm no Guru in these matters - so any comment on this plan to abandon the land-line and get all calls, internet and Wifi via a a couple of Samsung S5s?

TIA

polymaff

Wonderful.  O2 have deactivated my current sim.

What a wunch of bankers.

datz

polymaff said:

Ironically, I only need this sim so I can see what O2, 4G, signal I get here.  I'm planning to switch away from my ISP, abandoning the FTTC landline entirely.  With Lebara I've a weak 4G signal - but it is sufficient to deliver a significantly faster bit-rate than the land-line.  Plus that's a sighificantly cheaper option compared to FFTC and copper.

There's no prospect of 5G or FTTP here.

I'm no Guru in these matters - so any comment on this plan to abandon the land-line and get all calls, internet and Wifi via a a couple of Samsung S5s?

Depends what your goal is and your needs are. A mobile broadband solution can add latency (less ideal if you game). Bandwidth can be more variable across the day. It can be cheaper or more expensive than fixed-line broadband. I suppose an advantage is that it is portable (holidays, second properties, etc).

On the hardware side, you have various options:

• mobile broadband router: like your current isp supplied one, likely with the functionality and features you are used to, but you drop a sim card into it instead.
• mifi device: portable, battery powered device that you insert the sim card and it creates a smallish wifi hotspot to which you can connect
• dongle: takes a sim card, plugs into a single device via usb (the cheap and more limited option)
• smartphone: similar to mifi above in that it creates a small wifi hotspot around the device for you to connect other devices to - but you can also use it for calls

I suppose what will likely influence your choice, is how you want to use the connection and your budget. Do you need ethernet? Do you need wifi coverage across your home for other devices to connect? Using your smartphone for intermittent use for nearby devices is fine (hotspot range is usually a few meters). Maybe a dedicated device can be better as a permanent solution. You are talking about using an old smartphone, so I guess you no longer care about its battery being hammered, or the limited hotspot range, and you have no concerns regarding the latest security updates.

On the service side, your options are between a normal sim and a data(-only) sim. The data only sims are usually aimed at those using it in dedicated devices to create a (mobile) broadband connection. They are often more expensive than normal tariffs. Note that your provider can tell what device the sim has been inserted into, and some will have restrictions on how their sims can be used. So make sure you do your research around that (device and tethering limitations).

There are some technical reasons where you might favour one service over another - for example some mobile providers will change your ip very frequently [link] which can cause user frustration when using it as a mobile broadband solution.

Apart from that it's just the usual stuff: pick a plan with enough data (normally unlimited if you are replacing your home broadband and do a lot of content streaming), and check coverage and service levels at your desired location (for example, a congested mast can drastically limit your bandwidth).

polymaff

Many thanks for your post.

datz said:

Depends what your goal is and your needs are. A mobile broadband solution can add latency (less ideal if you game). Bandwidth can be more variable across the day. It can be cheaper or more expensive than fixed-line broadband. I suppose an advantage is that it is portable (holidays, second properties, etc).

On the hardware side, you have various options:

• mobile broadband router: like your current isp supplied one, likely with the functionality and features you are used to, but you drop a sim card into it instead.
• mifi device: portable, battery powered device that you insert the sim card and it creates a smallish wifi hotspot to which you can connect
• dongle: takes a sim card, plugs into a single device via usb (the cheap and more limited option)
• smartphone: similar to mifi above in that it creates a small wifi hotspot around the device for you to connect other devices to - but you can also use it for calls

I'm a retired engineer, recently widowered.  I've been rethinking my circumstances.  As an engineer, I believed in "lean engineering" long before there was such a term.  "An engineer is someone who, for five bob, can create something that would cost a tenner from others"!

I started by trying a "4G LTE Unlocked USB Dongle Modem Stick Wireless WiFi Adapter Card Hotspot Router"  with a Lebara sim. That is equivalent to you first three suggestions?  It could set up and recognise that Lebara was the supplier, but couldn't connect.

So I went for your fourth solution by buying a Samsung S5 - for just under £10 - fully working!

datz said:

I suppose what will likely influence your choice, is how you want to use the connection and your budget. Do you need ethernet? Do you need wifi coverage across your home for other devices to connect? Using your smartphone for intermittent use for nearby devices is fine (hotspot range is usually a few meters). Maybe a dedicated device can be better as a permanent solution. You are talking about using an old smartphone, so I guess you no longer care about its battery being hammered, or the limited hotspot range, and you have no concerns regarding the latest security updates.

On the service side, your options are between a normal sim and a data(-only) sim. The data only sims are usually aimed at those using it in dedicated devices to create a (mobile) broadband connection. They are often more expensive than normal tariffs. Note that your provider can tell what device the sim has been inserted into, and some will have restrictions on how their sims can be used. So make sure you do your research around that (device and tethering limitations).

Actually, I got two S5s for redundancy!  Both phones could make a 4G connection, reliable - just  Useless downstairs, but fine in the upstairs hallway!   -109dBm.  At this time, Plusnet FTTC is delivering about 3 Megabit per second, whilst the S5 is 13 Megabit per second.  In that hallway the S5s can Wifi throughout the house. As you say, the S5 will need to be on PSU permanently so I wasn't concerned with the state of the battery !  The sims are just £5 per month Lebara offerings.

I've noted the added latency, but I'm not a gamer!

Thanks for the notes on limitations.  I've seen hints about this on the web.  Warnings about Vodaphone Basics etc.

There are some technical reasons where you might favour one service over another - for example some mobile providers will change your ip very frequently [link] which can cause user frustration when using it as a mobile broadband solution.

Apart from that it's just the usual stuff: pick a plan with enough data (normally unlimited if you are replacing your home broadband and do a lot of content streaming), and check coverage and service levels at your desired location (for example, a congested mast can drastically limit your bandwidth).

I will need more data - but that seems to be the thing most suppliers are beefing up.  We used to watch quite a bit of Youtube.  I still do - probably even more since I'm on my own.  About 2-3 GByte per day, so 100GB should easily cover a month.

Again, many thanks for your thoughts.  Any more thoughts - very welcome.

EDITs just consist of me trying to get MSE to space paragraphs correctly!

datz

polymaff said:

I started by trying a "4G LTE Unlocked USB Dongle Modem Stick Wireless WiFi Adapter Card Hotspot Router"  with a Lebara sim. That is equivalent to you first three suggestions?  It could set up and recognise that Lebara was the supplier, but couldn't connect.

That's just the ebay seller trying to match their listing against the common search terms people are likely to use. That is a usb dongle (that seemingly allows the creation of its own wifi hotspot). I haven't messed around with usb dongles in a long time - they are the worst of the options (but also the cheapest).

Whatever device you do choose, I would suggest getting it from a reputable manufacturer/supplier. It's not unknown for random devices to come deliberately preloaded with malware, or incompetently coded (leading to numerous vulnerabilities). And they are usually never patched or supported going forward.

Regarding your issue with lebara, it could just be related to the APN settings on the device. I'm not sure how up to date this article is, but a quick search found this [link] on the Lebara site. The ebay listing seems to suggest the APN settings on that dongle can be modified.

polymaff said:

At this time, Plusnet FTTC is delivering about 3 Megabit per second, whilst the S5 is 13 Megabit per second.

That seems very low for VDSL2 (FTTC). Are you sure that is correct? And if it is, have you checked if there is a fault on the line or with the router? That's the sort of bandwidth I would have expected for an old (early 2000s) ADSL connection on a long run from the exchange.

polymaff

datz said:

polymaff said:

I started by trying a "4G LTE Unlocked USB Dongle Modem Stick Wireless WiFi Adapter Card Hotspot Router"  with a Lebara sim. That is equivalent to you first three suggestions?  It could set up and recognise that Lebara was the supplier, but couldn't connect.

That's just the ebay seller trying to match their listing against the common search terms people are likely to use. That is a usb dongle (that seemingly allows the creation of its own wifi hotspot). I haven't messed around with usb dongles in a long time - they are the worst of the options (but also the cheapest).

Whatever device you do choose, I would suggest getting it from a reputable manufacturer/supplier. It's not unknown for random devices to come deliberately preloaded with malware, or incompetently coded (leading to numerous vulnerabilities). And they are usually never patched or supported going forward.

Yes, the USB Dongle was only my first experiment - and it failed.  I did enter all of the lebara.mobi information into the device.  It didn't make it work - and it wouldn't store those parameters permanently.  The S5s were the next step.  I'd hope that these are clean - but who knows.

datz said:

That seems very low for VDSL2 (FTTC). Are you sure that is correct? And if it is, have you checked if there is a fault on the line or with the router? That's the sort of bandwidth I would have expected for an old (early 2000s) ADSL connection on a long run from the exchange.

When I switched from full copper to FTTC I was given an expectation of 15 to 31 Megabit/sec.  There seems to be a rigid cap at 12 Megabit/sec plus massive capacity issues.  I see that in the current version of the contract I have with Plusnet, they state 9 Megabit/sec.  This morning, with Plusnet, YouTube is unable to play a video withought pausing every few minutes.  There's just about 1km of copper between me and the cabinet.  The engineers who did the upgrade to FTTC were quite assiduous in trying to improve the copper run.  They spent all morning trying to find and fix an echo on the line. They tracked it down to where my drop wire  crosses my next-door neighbour's front garden.  As it turned out, the cable had been slashed and, unbelievably, the final twang that the engineers gave the the dropwire as they worked on it was the straw that broke one of the drop wire's conductors.  They, unaware if this, went off with a promise of further fault detection - I was left with some sort of broadband, but no telephone service.  By sod's law, my wife fell that afternoon and ripped off most of her scalp. (Yes, really)  That's when I discovered the total loss of PSTN!   Thank God for mobiles.

I've switched routers - no change.  I've complained to Plusnet - no change other than their re-write of the contract.  At that time, typical speeds on ADSL were about 0.5 Megabit/sec.  I gained quite a neighbourhood reputation as the guy who could get the ADSL up to about 3.5 Megabit/sec - usually by correcting the topology errors in their houses.

datz

polymaff said:

When I switched from full copper to FTTC I was given an expectation of 15 to 31 Megabit/sec.  There seems to be a rigid cap at 12 Megabit/sec plus massive capacity issues.  I see that in the current version of the contract I have with Plusnet, they state 9 Megabit/sec.  This morning, with Plusnet, YouTube is unable to play a video withought pausing every few minutes.  There's just about 1km of copper between me and the cabinet.  The engineers who did the upgrade to FTTC were quite assiduous in trying to improve the copper run.  They spent all morning trying to find and fix an echo on the line. They tracked it down to where my drop wire  crosses my next-door neighbour's front garden.  As it turned out, the cable had been slashed and, unbelievably, the final twang that the engineers gave the the dropwire as they worked on it was the straw that broke one of the drop wire's conductors.  They, unaware if this, went off with a promise of further fault detection - I was left with some sort of broadband, but no telephone service.  By sod's law, my wife fell that afternoon and ripped off most of her scalp. (Yes, really)  That's when I discovered the total loss of PSTN!   Thank God for mobiles.

I've switched routers - no change.  I've complained to Plusnet - no change other than their re-write of the contract.  At that time, typical speeds on ADSL were about 0.5 Megabit/sec.  I gained quite a neighbourhood reputation as the guy who could get the ADSL up to about 3.5 Megabit/sec - usually by correcting the topology errors in their houses.

This sounds very much like a line fault, especially as the line has seemingly further degraded since your last contract renewal (I assume they are now guaranteeing a minimum of 9 Mbit?). Openreach are responsible for everything up to your master socket, but you need to convince your ISP to book an appointment (with Openreach) to sort it out. The Openreach engineers themselves are usually pretty good (at least the ones I have dealt with over the years).

Based on a ~1km copper run from the cabinet, it should be reasonable for you to expect (download) speeds of close to 30 Mbit on VDSL2 (it's not linear - performance degrades quickly with distance over the first km, but then further distance has less of an impact).