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Kit recommendation for Rural East Yorkshire

dan_m2k

Casual Member
Long time lurker, first time poster so hopefully I don't break any rules...

We've got a static caravan in rural East Yorkshire (roughly where the red X is in the image below) and we're having trouble getting stable mobile broadband reception.

We had a TP-Link AC750 (Archer MR200) router (which is going back - reason below) and have tried Smarty (Three) and GiffGaff (o2);

Smarty struggles to maintain a decent up/download rate making streaming hard going (at around 40-50% signal), and whilst Giffgaff (around 75% signal) started off rock solid and a decent rate, we're now having issues where the connection seems to drop and the router needs a disconnect/reconnect or restart to get the signal back (hence why it has gone back).

My iPhone on Three and my wife's iPhone on o2 don't have the same issue in the caravan, but I'm not sure how to read the coverage map I've attached, I just used it to get a sense for what would be the most viable signals.

I need a recommendation for a good mobile broadband router that will do the job (and based on the coverage map, whether I should stick with GiffGaff or attempt to use the cheaper Smarty)?

There is already an external LTE antenna on the caravan (this one) so it'd be great to be able to use it but happy to spend a few quid on a better model if it'll be a bit more reliable and stable.

Screenshot 2023-08-20 at 17.00.06.jpg
 
OK, that antenna is rubbish. Those cables are so thin, they probably lose whatever signal the antenna gained and then some. Have you tried the router's original bunny ear antennas, is the connection more stable?

I'd try a good directional antenna pointed at the masts across that body of water. What mast (cell id etc reported by the router) do you normally connect to?
 
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Unfortunately, mobile broadband is a minefield and picking the right path through it is a challenge.

4G routers that appear to be cheap are generally considered to be absolutely naff and not worth the investment and are not feature rich. In fact, the cheap routers are incredibly expensive when you think about what they're capable of.

There are a few exceptions, MF286D are cheap, plentiful but only support 1 external antenna in useful frequency ranges out of the box. Sercomm (Three 4G Plus) router is very capable, cheap but not feature rich.
the NR5103E is more expensive, however it has relatively good support for external antennas and impressive capabilities but errs on the side of cheaper 5G routers.

There are of course others on the market depending on availability but in terms of tried, tested and documented these are generally considered more than adequate for most scenarios.

A note on antennas - avoid ultra cheap as they're crap. Stick to a better known brand, research is important here. LPDA's and Yagi-Uda antennas are what I would say are the best compromise between performance and space - more specifically LPDAs as they cover a wider bandwidth.

It ultimately depends on what your happy to settle with as their are zero guarantees.

<Opinion>

Bin the TP-Link - It's extremely limited in its capability
Bin the antenna

Stick with the Three network - Smarty etc.

For future proofing, get a NR5103E from ebay, it's 5G enabled and will serve you a while and definitely capable - however a Sercomm router will do for 4G. If you're technology capable there is more that can be done also.

Given your location, I would personally try and direct antennas towards south Humberston across the water - there is a mast right on the coast giving B1+B3 for Three - It likely has B32 as well so there's potentially 45Mhz bandwidth up for grabs.
It's 8 miles as the crow flies but mostly across water so as long as there are no other obstructions, should see something fairly decent - might even get 5G as I can see 5G round some parts of Grimsby.

For antennas, a pair of LPDA antennas installed at 90 degrees to each other - height is important here, given your remote location the higher the better. I always recommend Iskra LPDAs as I've seen superb performance with them compared to other manufacturers.

I might even have a couple of spare Iskra LPDAs going (I have 2 redundant sets currently) I likely wouldn't mind parting with.

</Opinion>
 
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He's near Easington (E Yorkshire), that distance would be about 9-10 miles, but as we know from @dazmatic's case reception over water can be quite good.
I personally don't have anything over water - it just happens the tower I use is 49 metres tall, the tallest in the area and that I live on the edge of the village albeit at the bottom of a hill with little else between me and the tower. I think that hitting 300Mbps on 4G regularly over 5 miles is pretty good going.
 
OK, that antenna is rubbish. Those cables are so thin, they probably lose whatever signal the antenna gained and then some. Have you tried the router's original bunny ear antennas, is the connection more stable?

I'd try a good directional antenna pointed at the masts across that body of water. What mast (cell id etc reported by the router) do you normally connect to?

Yeah, it was the same with the bunny ears. No improvement sadly. I don't have the TP-Link (And I'm currently in Leeds!) so I don't have access to Cell ID etc.
 
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Unfortunately, mobile broadband is a minefield and picking the right path through it is a challenge.

4G routers that appear to be cheap are generally considered to be absolutely naff and not worth the investment and are not feature rich. In fact, the cheap routers are incredibly expensive when you think about what they're capable of.

There are a few exceptions, MF286D are cheap, plentiful but only support 1 external antenna in useful frequency ranges out of the box. Sercomm (Three 4G Plus) router is very capable, cheap but not feature rich.
the NR5103E is more expensive, however it has relatively good support for external antennas and impressive capabilities but errs on the side of cheaper 5G routers.

There are of course others on the market depending on availability but in terms of tried, tested and documented these are generally considered more than adequate for most scenarios.

A note on antennas - avoid ultra cheap as they're crap. Stick to a better known brand, research is important here. LPDA's and Yagi-Uda antennas are what I would say are the best compromise between performance and space - more specifically LPDAs as they cover a wider bandwidth.

It ultimately depends on what your happy to settle with as their are zero guarantees.

<Opinion>

Bin the TP-Link - It's extremely limited in its capability
Bin the antenna

Stick with the Three network - Smarty etc.

For future proofing, get a NR5103E from ebay, it's 5G enabled and will serve you a while and definitely capable - however a Sercomm router will do for 4G. If you're technology capable there is more that can be done also.

Given your location, I would personally try and direct antennas towards south Humberston across the water - there is a mast right on the coast giving B1+B3 for Three - It likely has B32 as well so there's potentially 45Mhz bandwidth up for grabs.
It's 8 miles as the crow flies but mostly across water so as long as there are no other obstructions, should see something fairly decent - might even get 5G as I can see 5G round some parts of Grimsby.

For antennas, a pair of LPDA antennas installed at 90 degrees to each other - height is important here, given your remote location the higher the better. I always recommend Iskra LPDAs as I've seen superb performance with them compared to other manufacturers.

I might even have a couple of spare Iskra LPDAs going (I have 2 redundant sets currently) I likely wouldn't mind parting with.

</Opinion>

Thank you! All super helpful.

The TP-Link is gone and is on it's way back to Amazon! Lesson learned that buying that cheap is a waste of time. I'll have a look at the NR5103E but hoping to find something I can have delivered before we go back this weekend. I was looking at HUAWEI routers - any good? I was reading previous posts and concluded that I should go for at least a Cat6/7 router in my location.

I never thought about targeting a mast over the Humber purely thinking about distance. Good shout.

Let me know what you'd take for your antennas, though again, I might need to look at something Amazon can get to me ahead of the long weekend.
 
Fascinating location Dan.

I used to live in Willerby and loved my drives to Spurn Point. Away from it All. Another world!

Pretty hairy in the winter. A good test for how 'static' your caravan really can be.
 
Assuming you have a smartphone, get an app like Network Cell Info Lite, Netmonster, Cellmapper etc. and check which cells you are picking up in and around the house. Try all four networks, PAYG SIM cards without credit on them should work (I have an ID mobile SIM in my phone which ran out of credit a year ago, still good to check Three coverage).
Together will the Cellmapper data, you should get a good idea which network is best.
 
Thank you! All super helpful.

The TP-Link is gone and is on it's way back to Amazon! Lesson learned that buying that cheap is a waste of time. I'll have a look at the NR5103E but hoping to find something I can have delivered before we go back this weekend. I was looking at HUAWEI routers - any good? I was reading previous posts and concluded that I should go for at least a Cat6/7 router in my location.

I never thought about targeting a mast over the Humber purely thinking about distance. Good shout.

Let me know what you'd take for your antennas, though again, I might need to look at something Amazon can get to me ahead of the long weekend.
You really want a higher cat, say 18+, meaning it can aggregate more download bands, this can be crucial.
Huawei gear is generally fine, but be wary of them because out of the box fitting external antenna is generally not possible. I am talking about the higher end ones, not the likes of B535 which are getting too old now.
 
Fascinating location Dan.

I used to live in Willerby and loved my drives to Spurn Point. Away from it All. Another world!

Pretty hairy in the winter. A good test for how 'static' your caravan really can be.

It's a tremendous location, especially in winter because apparently in my old age I really value how remote it is!

I think the Council mandated that we're all chained down after a 2013 tidal surge took a few out and washed away the road to Spurn.
 
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You really want a higher cat, say 18+, meaning it can aggregate more download bands, this can be crucial.
Huawei gear is generally fine, but be wary of them because out of the box fitting external antenna is generally not possible. I am talking about the higher end ones, not the likes of B535 which are getting too old now.

Ah, I'll stop looking at the B535 then :)

I can't seem to find anything higher than Cat7 when browsing Amazon. And I can't find what the spec of the Zyxel NR5103E router is that was recommended earlier *mind, blown*
 
Thank you! All super helpful.

The TP-Link is gone and is on it's way back to Amazon! Lesson learned that buying that cheap is a waste of time. I'll have a look at the NR5103E but hoping to find something I can have delivered before we go back this weekend. I was looking at HUAWEI routers - any good? I was reading previous posts and concluded that I should go for at least a Cat6/7 router in my location.

I never thought about targeting a mast over the Humber purely thinking about distance. Good shout.

Let me know what you'd take for your antennas, though again, I might need to look at something Amazon can get to me ahead of the long weekend.

I have a pair of Iskra P60 and P58. The P58 pair I'd be willing to part with but I'd need to find some cables for them (cabling was remade for lower loss cabling)

Are you near Suffolk at all, Bury st Edmunds direction?
 
Ah, I'll stop looking at the B535 then :)

I can't seem to find anything higher than Cat7 when browsing Amazon. And I can't find what the spec of the Zyxel NR5103E router is that was recommended earlier *mind, blown*
Cat levels aren't generally listed on Amazon and they only really tell part of the picture.
 
Ah, I'll stop looking at the B535 then :)

I can't seem to find anything higher than Cat7 when browsing Amazon. And I can't find what the spec of the Zyxel NR5103E router is that was recommended earlier *mind, blown*
20230228_100238.jpg

Screenshot_20230821_154134_Edge.jpg

There you go dan_m2k (Cat 22) :)
 
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