New Full Fibre wires are looking a complete mess, I'm thinking of going to a 5g sim router instead.

Roobags

BT Openreach are making a complete mess of the houses where I live as the new 'Fibre to Premises is being 'looped' around the front of smart looking houses with the new wires not being able to turn 90 degrees around corners, bends, under soffits and through walls etc. It is all looking a complete mess.
I am now seriously considering ditching BT (and any other wired service) and I am thinking of buying a 5G Sim router for my home internet and also taking out a 'virtual landline' from an online VOIP provider so that I can keep my current landline number. I would simply have to plug my current home phone into the router (it's a cordless twin handset). It all looks very simple to me.
I am a light user of the internet, semi retired, occasionally working from home, the most data heavy device I use is an old BT TV box with BBC iPlayer and Netflix, which I very rarely watch anyway.
I would be interested in your thoughts and guidance if anyone else has done this?
It looks like I would be saving a lot of money too, with one of the MSE recommended Data sims.
Thanks, in anticipation...

ButterCheese

Streaming an HD video from Netflix etc, the minimum recommended speed is 5Mbps.  So that should be easy to achieve if you have a good mobile signal.  Have you done a load of speed tests from your phone using your 4g/5g?  I'd do that first.  I believe you can also send back a SIM router within 10 days if it doesn't perform well enough.

The only potential problem I can see (which happened to me when I tried one, albeit 10 years ago); is if more than one person is streaming video for example.  At peak times (evenings/weekends) its generally worse, and you've already got strain on the netflix/BBC servers to start with.  Example, we have a 350Mbps wired connection, but when the kids are gaming or streaming, we can sometimes only get 70Mbps.  It's handy to have that extra headroom, but if that's of no consequence to you then SIM router is a much cleaner solution. 

ButterCheese

Just to add, you'll also get "loss" from the router location to the farthest/most awkward part of the house.  The speed and integrity of the signal can be worse, so if you do get one, make sure you try to test every scenario with regard to when/where/how you are using the internet

littleboo

Its quite possible to use a 4G or 5G service if the coverage in your home from one of the providers is sufficient, you would need to check what is possible in your location and you may find you need the router in a very specific location for it to work. I have one as a backup and it needs to go in the loft.
You can use a standalone VOIP provider but its unlikely that you will be able to do that and then just simply plug the phone into the router - that's possible when you buy a bundled voice service from your ISP, but not if you buy separate internet and voice services. You would need a standalone ATA, a SIP phone, or a router with a built in, configurable ATA. 

flaneurs_lobster

Is there any reason why the new FTTP cable couldn't follow the route of the existing phone service cabling?

Roobags

Thanks, I should have said we are a recently retired couple with no kids, so very light users. I am very tempted to try a 4/5G router with a cheap data Sim and a virtual landline, I estimate the router would cost a one off £100 and thereafter £10pm for a monthly Sim card and less than £10 pm for a virtual landline....so about £20 per month instead of BT currently charging me £58. We want to keep our traditional landline phone handsets as they are more comfortable to hold for long phone calls with elderly parents. Has anyone else done this?...

Roobags

littleboo said:

Its quite possible to use a 4G or 5G service if the coverage in your home from one of the providers is sufficient, you would need to check what is possible in your location and you may find you need the router in a very specific location for it to work. I have one as a backup and it needs to go in the loft.
You can use a standalone VOIP provider but its unlikely that you will be able to do that and then just simply plug the phone into the router - that's possible when you buy a bundled voice service from your ISP, but not if you buy separate internet and voice services. You would need a standalone ATA, a SIP phone, or a router with a built in, configurable ATA. 

Thanks, The router I am looking at getting is a ZTE MF286D which has a built in telephone port, so do you know if that would be simple or do I need the ATA (whatever that is?!) Thanks.

Roobags

flaneurs_lobster said:

Is there any reason why the new FTTP cable couldn't follow the route of the existing phone service cabling?

My current copper wites go neatly in though my roof and through the loft and floorboards, they want to run the new fibre wires all around the outside of the front of my house and it will look a real mess, like what they are doing to my neighbours.

littleboo

Roobags said:

littleboo said:

Its quite possible to use a 4G or 5G service if the coverage in your home from one of the providers is sufficient, you would need to check what is possible in your location and you may find you need the router in a very specific location for it to work. I have one as a backup and it needs to go in the loft.
You can use a standalone VOIP provider but its unlikely that you will be able to do that and then just simply plug the phone into the router - that's possible when you buy a bundled voice service from your ISP, but not if you buy separate internet and voice services. You would need a standalone ATA, a SIP phone, or a router with a built in, configurable ATA. 

Thanks, The router I am looking at getting is a ZTE MF286D which has a built in telephone port, so do you know if that would be simple or do I need the ATA (whatever that is?!) Thanks.

I believe that phone socket is so you can make a call using the mobile number associated with the SIM card, not for using VOIP

iniltous

You  should do a trial run first , some people manage perfectly well on a mobile service for home broadband use , others don’t , the easy thing is to use your mobile as a hotspot with a selection of different network providers data sim (the prepaid or PAYG variety) to determine the best network operator in your area  , if it’s satisfactory then proceed from there  ….TBH , anyone on here saying it’s great , or it’s terrible is relatively useless , as you don’t live in the same place as they do.

Roobags

littleboo said:

Roobags said:

littleboo said:

Its quite possible to use a 4G or 5G service if the coverage in your home from one of the providers is sufficient, you would need to check what is possible in your location and you may find you need the router in a very specific location for it to work. I have one as a backup and it needs to go in the loft.
You can use a standalone VOIP provider but its unlikely that you will be able to do that and then just simply plug the phone into the router - that's possible when you buy a bundled voice service from your ISP, but not if you buy separate internet and voice services. You would need a standalone ATA, a SIP phone, or a router with a built in, configurable ATA. 

Thanks, The router I am looking at getting is a ZTE MF286D which has a built in telephone port, so do you know if that would be simple or do I need the ATA (whatever that is?!) Thanks.

I believe that phone socket is so you can make a call using the mobile number associated with the SIM card, not for using VOIP

Oh...that's interesting...It look like I might need to do more research and perhaps get some technical advice.