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Broadband without using Copper Phone Line

Deer

Casual Member
We may be looking into changing from Three mobile broadband to a standard Wi-Fi package, but we don't want to be forced to use the copper phone line since it's in a very difficult place by a door (who knows why, it was like that when we moved in) and we don't want the ISP to put up wires everywhere. We were with Virgin Media before Three, but had no end of trouble with them and got sick of them hiking up the price for increased speeds we didn't need. We don't want to go back to them, but I'm struggling to find other ISP who don't use the phone line. We don't really want to stay with mobile broadband either as it has been unreliable as well. Does anyone know of any in our area (EN11)? We would ideally want a 30-50mbps speed. Thank you.
 
Don't think there is much choice really.
I think I recommended the EE business contract for £25, unlimited data. Have you tried that? You could be getting 5G in EN11 (I do in EN2).
 
We only have 4G here at the moment, no idea if they'll set up 5G anytime soon. I'll have a look at EE again, but their average speeds are on the lower end in our area. I think it's looking like we will have to go via the phone line somehow, but still keeping an eye out.
 
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EE is definitely an option as you already have the 4G Router

If you want to go back to fixed things have moved along now. Many ISPs are ditching the offer of phone service or have moved to offering an VoIP option alongside FTTC/FTTP broadband. Only ADSL is now dependant on a landline phone bundle.

Even BT now offers Broadband without a phone service

You will need to use your full postcode to verify if you can get FTTC (most of Hoddesdon is covered). I would simply look for the cheapest (here on ISPreview, comparison sites or directly on ISP sites). There are lots of offers on currently. Even if it comes with phone you can ignore it.

If you have not used the old telephone line for some time then you may need to pay for an engineering visit and if you do then get them to move the line-in to somewhere more appropriate. Some have it direct into a lounge, study, cupboard or like mine is diverted into an attached garage.

You can either depend on the ISP Router WIFI, cable from the router to well placed WIFI Access points or purchase one of the cheaper WIFI Mesh systems to get the WIFI where it is needed.
 
I looked at the EE/BT business plan, but looks like there's no option to go without paying for a home phone.
 
Also, every provider I check only seems to offer 32-36mbps when I put my postcode in. Does that mean that it's impossible to get anything faster?
 

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Fixed broadband providers are now very conservative regarding the performance of the line and will not offer packages that may cause issues. In addition for business yes they all seem to insist on a phone service (and other add-ons that bump the price up + VAT) but many BT/EE/Sky will offer a VoIP service not a landline now. So you could take it and simply not use the VoIP. They are looking for increased revenue on the business calls/packages.

The best Business package I have seen currently actually is BT Superfast Essential & Digital Phone Line.

I would try a EE SIM in your 4G Router first. A lot cheaper Business or Consumer.
 
I went on a site called SamKnows, which I think lists everything that is available to me. Virgin media and Vodafone are probably going to be a no though. We've had a bad experience with Virgin and heard horror stories of Vodafone.

  • BT Wholesale ADSL
  • BT Wholesale ADSL Max
  • BT Wholesale WBC (21CN)
  • BT Wholesale SDSL
  • Vodafone LLU
  • TalkTalk (CPW) LLU
  • Sky Broadband
  • Virgin Media (Cable)
Still can't see anything for more than 30mbps. Would be nice to get 50mbps. I'll carry on researching bit by bit, no rush at the moment since we've still under contract until the summer.
 
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You must be pretty far from the cabinet.

Btw 4g, dug up your older posts and noticed you have the Huawei AI hub (aka b900). It's a starting point, but it's cat 6 and you can get much better speeds from EE with a higher cat device such as the b818.
 
I think you're right, we're in the middle of a housing estate with very little common space, so no room for a box close by.

Yes, we're with Three at the moment, but have been put off due to the issues we've had (now fixed with LTE H-Monitor, touch wood) and it's still slow, around 10-14Mbps generally. Occasionally we get 20-25mbps, but it's not reliable.

What is cat? I'm learning quickly, but still new to a lot.
 
CAT is basically the generation of 4G that your router can support. The router you have supports CAT 6 but there's much higher versions on newer routers such as the B818 which is CAT 19.

You could always just pay for a move of your existing phone line once it's installed. It may be a bit of an awkward connection but pretty much most of the popular copper line providers will provide a very stable connection over the phone line without issue.

If you're sticking with 4G Vodafone and EE are generally the best for it. Vodafone you can get cheap cashback deals and EE are a bit more expensive but they're also the fastest.
 
EE always seem to say "up to 36 Mbps" for 4G connections on their checker, irrespective of what you'll actually get. They do for us, and we actually get up to 195 Mbps (band 3, intra-band CA), and consistently over 100 Mbps except at the most congested times (when it can drop to 50 Mbps or so for short periods).
 
Yes, we're with Three at the moment, but have been put off.
Yeah, everyone is attracted to them due to the prices, but it's an excellent example of "you get what you pay for". That said you can often find promotions or cash back on offers from the other providers which can bring the price down and ultimately give you a solution you can actually use.
 
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EE always seem to say "up to 36 Mbps" for 4G connections on their checker, irrespective of what you'll actually get. They do for us, and we actually get up to 195 Mbps (band 3, intra-band CA), and consistently over 100 Mbps except at the most congested times (when it can drop to 50 Mbps or so for short periods).
Would be lovely if we could get that, but it's difficult with no guarantee while having to be under 12-24 month contract. I had an EE phone and that was roughly 20-30mbps I think, but I don't know if it would be quicker in a router.
 
Get a PAYG EE sim with a few gigs of data and put it in the router, change the APN to EE PAYG if its does not automatically change from the Three one and try it out. LTE H-monitor will still work and Band 3 is best for a first try on EE but also try auto.
 
I went on a site called SamKnows, which I think lists everything that is available to me. Virgin media and Vodafone are probably going to be a no though. We've had a bad experience with Virgin and heard horror stories of Vodafone.

  • BT Wholesale ADSL
  • BT Wholesale ADSL Max
  • BT Wholesale WBC (21CN)
  • BT Wholesale SDSL
  • Vodafone LLU
  • TalkTalk (CPW) LLU
  • Sky Broadband
  • Virgin Media (Cable)
Still can't see anything for more than 30mbps. Would be nice to get 50mbps. I'll carry on researching bit by bit, no rush at the moment since we've still under contract until the summer.

Sam Knows is very out of date... Sam doesn't know anymore...
 
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