I need faster home data/Internet, is a Sim only contract, my best option + a 4G router?

pw23

Since living in my home for the last few years, I have never had good Internet access, the best I can get is standard Broadband, but this means speeds of one to 2 MB max

as there are two of us, using the Internet all day, long, the speeds can go extremely slow (sometimes as low as 0 .3 NB).


So as all fibre-optic and faster service providers can't supply my property with any faster, broadband and open reach aee not updating my line till the end of 2026, I'm thinking of resorting to a mobile Sim that I put inside a sim 4G router, to then get Wi-Fi to my computer and phone

I have compared online and it seems VOXI mobile are the most competitive price C
for unlimited data, minutes and texts. , but after contacting the Support and my idea of using the 4G Sim router to send Internet through my property, they said that the Sim is only meant to be used for phones so couldn't comment further

By looking online at a video, it seems you can use a mobile Sim in a router and then connect a landline phone and that it also suggests you can make phone calls from the sim that's in the router with a VoIP adapter , so that I can utilise the data through Wi-Fi and my telephone to use the unlimited minutes

https://youtu.be/BEoQ6A_XYJg

theoretically, with this idea of a set up, can I use the Mobile contract with VOXI B to Supply Internet to my home with the 4G router, whilst at the same time being able to use the unlimited minutes with that adapter on my landline


If not, does anybody have any suggestions on a walk around?

- Ideally, I would use a 5G data sim but due to the health concerns suspected with 5G. I'm still reluctant to use it.

booneruk

I have a cheap 4G sim (Lebara) and a reasonably cheap 4G router (Huawei) that I use as a backup internet since I'm a hybrid office/home worker who requires constant connectivity. It works fine, and yes, the router has a telephone socket that I could use to make calls on should I wish to. I get download speeds of up to 20Mbps (but then I am in Outer London).

Regarding MBs vs Mbps - it's important to know which units you're comparing. I've used megabits/second, 20 of which is a download rate of around 2.5MB (megabytes) per second. What do you get when you run a test at speedtest.net ? (it will give you a reading in megabits per second)

If I intended for such a setup to be my main internet connection then I'd be studying which network provided the best signal coverage (all providers will use either Vodafone, EE, O2 or Three as far as I know) in my area. I'd also try to guestimate what I'd need in terms of monthly allowance in gigabytes (though there are unlimited deals out there as you've seen). You might be fine with a 20GB monthly allowance which may be cheaper than unlimited. 

I'd be checking if my potential 4G provider explicitly prohibited use of their services via routers, although I believe this is something that can't be enforced anyway (others might be able to comment with more authority)

Finally, if I lived in a rural location I'd be looking into 4G external antennas to maximise the signal strength and therefore download speeds (many routers have standard connectors which allow for these to be used)

As for 5G - what stopped me going for 5G was patchy indoor coverage, but most of all MUCH more expensive routers. What didn't stop me going with 5G was "health concerns", that as far as I understand are all mythical: https://fullfact.org/online/5G-symptoms-street-lamps/

Final note, if anyone plays multiplayer games then a 4G connection may have considerably higher latency than a fixed broadband connection and would result in potentially poor gaming experience.

EDIT - I saw the post below mine and thought I needed to check my 4G download speeds again! I in fact get 200Mbps, so 25MB per second download speeds. Happily, that's still slower than my wired connection of 350Mbps

alanwsg

I'm looking at doing the same thing when my Plusnet contract expires.
I have a 4G LTE Modem (5G modems are much more expensive) and have tried my 1pMobile SIM in it, it worked straight away and gave me download speeds of around 120Mb - four times my Plusnet FTTC line.

Smarty (3 network) do an unlimited data SIM for £18/month and specifically say you can use it for tethering.
Also there's some interesting data-only SIMs on Amazon that you buy outright
E.g. https://www.amazon.co.uk/EE-Unlimited-Data-Sim-Preloaded/dp/B0BV35VQBL/ref=sr_1_6?crid=2YQFRRE7O1VMD

NOTE that mobile internet will almost certainly be behind CGNAT, so no incoming calls available.

matelodave

what heath concerns about 5G.

In what way would a router parked in the corner of your lounge etc be any more dangerous than a mobile phone in your pocket irradiating your gonads or holding it up to your head whilst making calls and don't forget the 5G signal is all around you whether you've got a router connected to it or not, you dont know what the bloke next door is radiating.

Perhaps you should reduce your TickTock time and do some proper research

flashg67

I used 4g as my main broadband for a while, and still use it as a back up for WFH - Lebara unlimited sim using about 400gb per month with no issues in the last 2 years. I now use Boundless  who are a 'WISP' provider - worth seeing if there is a similar supplier near you - we have a small dish antenna on the wall pointing to their nearest transmitter. It's a popular option where I am (rural area)
Edit to add that 4g does have higher latency - an issue if you're a gamer etc

J_B

pw23 said:

............. So as all fibre-optic and faster service providers can't supply my property with any faster, broadband and open reach aee not updating my line till the end of 2026, ............

We are in the same boat here.

We use a WISP service called https://www.airband.co.uk/ (other companies are available) their customer 'service' is abysmal but it works brilliantly 'most' of the time.

Others in a similar situation have used Starlink, but that's not very MSE

wongataa

pw23 said:

- Ideally, I would use a 5G data sim but due to the health concerns suspected with 5G. I'm still reluctant to use it.

There are no health concerns with 5G or 4G or 3G or 2G.

DullGreyGuy

pw23 said:

Since living in my home for the last few years, I have never had good Internet access, the best I can get is standard Broadband, but this means speeds of one to 2 MB max

as there are two of us, using the Internet all day, long, the speeds can go extremely slow (sometimes as low as 0 .3 NB).


So as all fibre-optic and faster service providers can't supply my property with any faster, broadband and open reach aee not updating my line till the end of 2026, I'm thinking of resorting to a mobile Sim that I put inside a sim 4G router, to then get Wi-Fi to my computer and phone

I have compared online and it seems VOXI mobile are the most competitive price C
for unlimited data, minutes and texts. , but after contacting the Support and my idea of using the 4G Sim router to send Internet through my property, they said that the Sim is only meant to be used for phones so couldn't comment further

By looking online at a video, it seems you can use a mobile Sim in a router and then connect a landline phone and that it also suggests you can make phone calls from the sim that's in the router with a VoIP adapter , so that I can utilise the data through Wi-Fi and my telephone to use the unlimited minutes

https://youtu.be/BEoQ6A_XYJg

theoretically, with this idea of a set up, can I use the Mobile contract with VOXI B to Supply Internet to my home with the 4G router, whilst at the same time being able to use the unlimited minutes with that adapter on my landline


If not, does anybody have any suggestions on a walk around?

- Ideally, I would use a 5G data sim but due to the health concerns suspected with 5G. I'm still reluctant to use it.

Where is your home? House or flat? Have you checked for providers that dont use OpenReach?

Our last and current place is copper to the exchange, doesn't go via a cabinet for some reason and so we similarly were typically on up to 5Mbps on a good day and below that on a normal day. No upgrade options via Openreach due to lack of cabinet and no timescales for any types of upgrades.

We discovered out buildings were prewired for Hyeroptic as a non-OR based supplier and so a simple case of pulling an ethernet cable from the ceiling in the first flat, just plugging into an ethernet port in the second, into our router and in 5 minutes we had 1Gbps speed if we wanted it. 

Neil49

Have you ascertained that mobile reception with your chosen network is actually up to the job? Where I live there are poor signals from all 4 networks.