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bures999

Casual Member
When my contract with Plusnet ends, considering using the 4g Network for broadband possibly with Three as it has the most signal Strenght
But why is Unlimited data with Sim card for a Mobile phone cheaper than a comparable Sim package for a Router
Being a novice at this, why cant I buy a Sim for a phone and use it instead in the router.
Or are they two different types/sizes ?
 
You can use a phone sim in a router - might need an adapter if you've got one of the smallest sims in a phone (nano sims?) as most routers need the middle "micro" size.

Not looked at Three's pricing as we're on Vodafone at the moment but would imagine they've priced the router packages based on expecting more usage compared to the phone version. There may also be differences in terms of performance or limits - plenty of people on here are on Three and hopefully someone can fill in the gaps.

Also worth checking coverage through all the providers - and if you can grab some PAYG sims from each one to test actual signal strength to see which performs best for you. Three have some fantastic deals but also seem to be most inconsistent - might get lucky and have fantastic performance on the other hand it might be all over the place.

As a final thought, wouldn't worry too much about any bundled routers - try something like the Huawei B818. Can make a huge difference to the speeds you can achieve!
 
Just be aware, high signal strength doesn't necessarily mean the best speeds - there are a number of variables, not least the amount of users on your mast, that can affect the achievable speeds, even with 'full bars' of signal.
 
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possibly with Three
Do not commit to contracts on Three unless you've tested them thoroughly, most horror stories around here are related to them.

Get payg sims from all operators and test speeds and latency properly at various times of the day.

In my area I'm getting 100mbps+ from O2 (giffgaff sim) and EE, while Vodafone is around 10mbps and Three with the most rubbish service (2-3mbps). This seems to be a national trend somewhat.

Personally after thorough testing I'm on a 18m contract on EE (5G) for a similar price to fttc.
 
When my contract with Plusnet ends, considering using the 4g Network for broadband possibly with Three as it has the most signal Strenght
But why is Unlimited data with Sim card for a Mobile phone cheaper than a comparable Sim package for a Router
Being a novice at this, why cant I buy a Sim for a phone and use it instead in the router.
Or are they two different types/sizes ?
You can use a SIM for a phone in a router. I've never had a problem doing this, and indeed EU regulations have gone some way to making it illegal for providers to discriminate between the uses the SIM is put to. But I would be very wary of Three - common problems are poor backhaul, which means you can get a good signal from the mast but poor download speeds, and continual stalling of internet queries despite good speed tests - a VPN is the way round this. EE tends to be much better, but it all depends on local conditions. So test a lot and don't sign up for a 24 month contract with Three - and their customer service is generally perceived as appalling.
 
I'll echo Lucian and say don't just go with three off the bat. Try different sims from different carriers first.
 
Thanks for those responses. Unfortuately our village lies in a valley, so mobile providers are limited.
"Three" the last time I looked gave a 30 day money back guarantee.
ie O2 is non existant even for a mobile,
I will take up the advice and try various Sims to see which provides the best service
 
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Usually where there's Three there's also EE.
Where do you live? You can check cellmapper etc for masts.
 
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Thanks for those responses. Unfortuately our village lies in a valley, so mobile providers are limited.
"Three" the last time I looked gave a 30 day money back guarantee.
ie O2 is non existant even for a mobile,
I will take up the advice and try various Sims to see which provides the best service
Another option might be to have a chat with https://www.4g-internet.co.uk - they can run a desk survey looking at coverage for you and offer a 14 day money back guarantee if you decide to go ahead.
 
The only real difference I could find between an unlimited 'phone' SIM and a 'router' SIM is that if you have a technical problem they won't provide any support if you have a phone SIM installed in a router.
 
Usually where there's Three there's also EE.
Where do you live? You can check cellmapper etc for masts.
Bures, CO8 5LH
I looked at mobile apps etc for Mast Locations but found none that gave that info.
I would be very interested to know what masts feed our village
We did have one years ago in the village, Orange > T-Mobile > EE but it was recoverd for some reason. Much to the annoyance of the farmer who was on a lucrative 10yr rental contract.

I will also look at https://www.4g-internet.co.uk -
 
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Cellmapper is a crowd sourced dataset - users with the app running on their phones drive/walk around and the app collects information about the network it is connected to (signal levels, the mast IDs etc). That data is then sent to their central servers for processing and it is then displayed on their website maps.

Looks like EE is the only one mapped for Bures - the 'last seen date' of the eNB (mast) ID: 202007 is from June 2020, so I'd think the mast does still exist.
As mentioned above, usually EE and Three share masts, so there is a probability that Three are there too, however as there is no collected data for Three in Bures it's hard to be 100% sure.

It looks like Vodafone and O2 have (share) a mast to the North, but signal trails looks poor for Bures, as you mentioned for O2 already.
Vodafone:
O2:
 
The EE Mast has definatly been removed and by what you are saying relocated somewhere else, The Original Mast (Orange/T-Mobile/EE) was located in a small clump of tall Conifer Trees. at the highest point in the village It was camourflaged just to look like another tall Conifer tree. Very clever and difficult to distinguish between the two.
Cell mapper indicates Vodaphone/EE and O2 to the north of Bures, That would be the Sudbury TV mast, Interesting that you are lucky to get one bar of signal with O2 in the village
Thanks for that info, that proves very usefull.
Being so close to the mast, doesnt guarantee a good TV reception. Digital signal pixelates when the weather is inclement.
 

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Yeah, I looked on Google streetview and saw the camouflaged mast, though the imaging does seem to be from 2011 and given you said EE had been removed I figured it was that.

However, notice there is a secondary uncamouflaged mast to the left - when EE/Three agreed to mast share it would have been less costly to put EE's hardware onto the 'normal' mast than to put Three's onto the camouflaged one.
I assume this is the mast that still exists and gived Bures it's EE/Three coverage, given the cellmapper data at least


f-js



Edit: looking at the planning applications it seems the camouflaged mast was originally requested by Orange, with the one to the left being applied for by One2One (T-Mobile). I would think that during the merger of those into EE the camouflaged mast was decommissioned and the normal one kept, then later on Three joined the same mast as part of their mast share agreement (MBNL).
 
Three do a free sim with 200mb data per month, so you can use it for some quick tests.

 
For what it's worth EE claim you can get very good 4G coverage at your post code, Three says you'll get good 3G. Worth getting a payg sim from both and check.

Btw, why do you want to switch from plusnet? What speed are you getting?
 

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Gavin
I will go and have a look in the next few days, Below the fake mast was a large brick built building which could be seen from the road.
I do know that has also disappeared as the concrete base is still standing
I think the smallholder/farmer told me 5+ years ago he was getting £7k in rent plus he was on a 10 year contract. If they pulled out, he would hold them to the remaining years
Watch this space, for an update

Lucian
When I download large Gb files for a Train Simulator that I play, speeds can drop down to kilobits
Plusnet/BT reckon I should get up to 38Mb/s but in reallity is normally hovers around 20Mb
Plusnet CS is now terrible, my Uncle lost all service with PN a few months ago. To help him out I called CS where I was told " We are too busy to help you today you will have to call back tommorow" Very helpfull
 
Roger.. well, as was said, grab a few sims and start testing.
 
Cellmapper is a crowd sourced dataset - users with the app running on their phones drive/walk around and the app collects information about the network it is connected to (signal levels, the mast IDs etc). That data is then sent to their central servers for processing and it is then displayed on their website maps.

Looks like EE is the only one mapped for Bures - the 'last seen date' of the eNB (mast) ID: 202007 is from June 2020, so I'd think the mast does still exist.
As mentioned above, usually EE and Three share masts, so there is a probability that Three are there too, however as there is no collected data for Three in Bures it's hard to be 100% sure.

It looks like Vodafone and O2 have (share) a mast to the North, but signal trails looks poor for Bures, as you mentioned for O2 already.
Vodafone:
O2:
Gavin
I took a ride to look this morning and Yes there is Mast. It the normal type uncamouflaged with the normal vertical cylindical dishes. The Conifers have grown considerably over the years, so unless you stop and look carfully its amongst the trees. Its also not in the exact same place as the previous mast
So EE have this mast plus another on the Sudbury TV mast 2-3 miles to the east according to cellmapper- Interesting !!
 
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