Sponsored Links

Need help finding best solution for rural mobile broadband

jgm0

Casual Member
Hey all, I'm somewhat of a beginner when it comes to networking and mobile broadband. I have had to learn more about it after moving into the countryside to a house that has no wired connection.

In my previous home I was successful in getting a decent 20mb/s download speed with a Smarty SIM card in a TP-Link archer MR400 without an antenna with the router on a windowsill with near enough line of sight with the local mast.

In my new home, I am struggling to get anything more than a consistent 5mb/s download speed with the same setup as we are in a small valley and surrounded by trees and I'm not sure where best to position the router as we are surrounded by different masts and I'm not sure which is best to try get a reliable connection with.

After some investigation on CellMapper I discovered that the Vodafone network has a tower closer to me, so I ordered an ASDA sim only plan (on the vodafone network) and after testing it in the router I was disappointed to learn it had even slower speeds than Three/Smarty. Is this because I cannot reliably select a specific tower to pair with?

Screenshots of cellmapper masts Three vs Vodafone: (images were too big to upload)

Another thing to note is that I seem to get faster speeds on Three using my mobile (Samsung S10E) over the TP-Link router, is this just because my mobile has better antenna?

I am considering an external antenna, but as I am renting the property I do not want a fixed solution and was considering a window mounted omni-directional antenna. Failing this, I would probably opt for Starlink but want to find cheaper options first.
  • How can I find out what SIM card/network provider would be the best option reliably?
  • If I were to invest in an antenna, what would be the best setup and where should it be positioned?
Thanks for reading. Cheers.
 
Generally, -in my opinion- for those that are rural, EE/Three are the best providers as their networks are typically Band 3 or Band 1, Three also being able to top up with B32 in some instances. O2 and Voda are of little use for broadband in a rural setting because they typically only provide band 20 which covers greater distances but is also massively over subscribed and slow as a result.

May have to widen your search somewhat. There are very good tower locations to the north and east (Rudge and Arn hill down)

You'll likely get better speeds with a phone than a router because most routers are pretty dumbed down, limited aggregation (combining of frequencies) and limited bands (might only be 1/3/20/7 etc) whereas a phone usually can aggregate way more and use way more bands.
 

Attachments

  • bleep.webp
    bleep.webp
    75 KB · Views: 81
@jgm0 Dazmatic was pretty much spot on.
What speeds are you getting with your phone and which phone is that? Based on this we can look at hardware options.
 
Sponsored Links
Samsung S10E - LTE-A (7CA) Cat20 2000/150 Mbps

Much better than your MR400 which is I think is Cat4, hence the difference. If the phone is receiving a good signal, then a well-positioned router (say loft) on its own may suffice. An external antenna may or may not help. A good quality outdoor router is the Rolls Royce.

Much will depend on your budget. 5G routers (which are also LTE Cat20+) are coming down in price and if investing you may need to consider 700Mhz n28 5G which is coming (not on Voda).

However, in the meantime, you can get sub £100 LTE CAT12 routers that may provide good 4G service until 5G/Cat18+ prices continue to fall.

Use your phone both inside and outside walking around your house and measure the signal strength at each point. It should give you a good idea on direction.
 
I would try the Three mobile broadband which you can do for one month very cheaply (use top cashback as well!)...just return the box if it does not work out....you may even be able to use the 14 day cooling off period...not sure.
Check the coverage with your postcode here : https://www.three.co.uk/Discover/Network/Coverage

I have one and if it's in a window sill (exact angle and position is key) I think the signal strength would be just as good as a window mounted antenna. Try all of your windows (upstairs is usually better) and login to the router as you move it to see the signal strength (closer to zero is better...so -75 is better than -105). Obvs an external would be better but you might be surprised. They pick up 3G, 4G and 5G so you may get lucky, they are adding masts all the time as well.
Let us know how you get on.
 
Generally, -in my opinion- for those that are rural, EE/Three are the best providers as their networks are typically Band 3 or Band 1, Three also being able to top up with B32 in some instances. O2 and Voda are of little use for broadband in a rural setting because they typically only provide band 20 which covers greater distances but is also massively over subscribed and slow as a result.

May have to widen your search somewhat. There are very good tower locations to the north and east (Rudge and Arn hill down)

You'll likely get better speeds with a phone than a router because most routers are pretty dumbed down, limited aggregation (combining of frequencies) and limited bands (might only be 1/3/20/7 etc) whereas a phone usually can aggregate way more and use way more bands.
Ok thank you so much for the insights. My neighbour has EE so I'm going to test and compare that with my Three network.

When you say widen my search, is it even possible for me to reach those far-away towers and if so, how can I target which ones I want to connect with?
 
Ok thank you so much for the insights. My neighbour has EE so I'm going to test and compare that with my Three network.

When you say widen my search, is it even possible for me to reach those far-away towers and if so, how can I target which ones I want to connect with?
In short, yes - in reality, there is a lot to be considered.

Solwise have a great elevation tool where you can put a pin in a map between 2 points (e.g. home and a tower) and will tell you how far it is and show whether you've got line of sight to the tower.


For example, I use a tower 5 miles away with a few obstructions (woods, trees, traffic, trains etc) but the tower is very tall and have my own 5.5m pole outside with large (good quality) antennas above the eaves of the house and regularly hit 150mbps down 20mbps up on Three - 5 miles away.

So long answer is yes - depending on how deep your pockets are.
 
Sponsored Links
Samsung S10E - LTE-A (7CA) Cat20 2000/150 Mbps

Much better than your MR400 which is I think is Cat4, hence the difference. If the phone is receiving a good signal, then a well-positioned router (say loft) on its own may suffice. An external antenna may or may not help. A good quality outdoor router is the Rolls Royce.

Much will depend on your budget. 5G routers (which are also LTE Cat20+) are coming down in price and if investing you may need to consider 700Mhz n28 5G which is coming (not on Voda).

However, in the meantime, you can get sub £100 LTE CAT12 routers that may provide good 4G service until 5G/Cat18+ prices continue to fall.

Use your phone both inside and outside walking around your house and measure the signal strength at each point. It should give you a good idea on direction.
Ok great, can you recommend some routers at different price points? I would like to keep it sub £100 if possible.
 
ZTE MF286D CAT 12.
"D" important to get Cat12
Most are locked to THREE (forum members can assist for the brave)
Prices vary considerably but realistically these now should be £40-£60 perhaps more for unlocked but I wouldn't spend much more.

Higher spec routers are coming down in price. There is lots of overpriced nonsense currently on eBay particularly Cat 4.
 
ZTE MF286D CAT 12.
"D" important to get Cat12
Most are locked to THREE (forum members can assist for the brave)
Prices vary considerably but realistically these now should be £40-£60 perhaps more for unlocked but I wouldn't spend much more.

Higher spec routers are coming down in price. There is lots of overpriced nonsense currently on eBay particularly Cat 4.
If I were to get one without the external antenna, can you recommend what kind of bunny ear antenna I should get with it?
 
Sponsored Links
Supports 3G/HSDPA Operating Bandings/Frequencies:
B1/B2/B5/B8(2100/1900/850/900mhz)

May drop if no 4G or trying to use RJ11 (VoLTE set but not recognised)

As most are patched THREE and unlocked much will depend on what UI is left available.

Sold as an LTE router. Why 3G if 4G signal?
 
Sponsored Links
There are a few of those masts, while being green, don't look right to me. Someone might have assumed their location without actual sighting it. It happens quite a bit unfortunately!

Might be wise to run CellMapper and contribute some data points for the area and even see if the mast, is in fact there at the location marked on CellMapper. Just remember to turn it off when at home, work or as family or friends homes!
 
Top
Cheap BIG ISPs for 100Mbps+
Community Fibre UK ISP Logo
150Mbps
Gift: None
Virgin Media UK ISP Logo
Virgin Media £22.99
132Mbps
Gift: None
Vodafone UK ISP Logo
Vodafone £24.00 - 26.00
150Mbps
Gift: None
NOW UK ISP Logo
NOW £24.00
100Mbps
Gift: None
Plusnet UK ISP Logo
Plusnet £25.99
145Mbps
Gift: £50 Reward Card
Large Availability | View All
Cheapest ISPs for 100Mbps+
Gigaclear UK ISP Logo
Gigaclear £17.00
200Mbps
Gift: None
Community Fibre UK ISP Logo
150Mbps
Gift: None
Virgin Media UK ISP Logo
Virgin Media £22.99
132Mbps
Gift: None
Hey! Broadband UK ISP Logo
150Mbps
Gift: None
Youfibre UK ISP Logo
Youfibre £23.99
150Mbps
Gift: None
Large Availability | View All
Sponsored Links
The Top 15 Category Tags
  1. FTTP (6024)
  2. BT (3639)
  3. Politics (2720)
  4. Business (2439)
  5. Openreach (2405)
  6. Building Digital UK (2330)
  7. Mobile Broadband (2144)
  8. FTTC (2083)
  9. Statistics (1899)
  10. 4G (1814)
  11. Virgin Media (1763)
  12. Ofcom Regulation (1582)
  13. Fibre Optic (1467)
  14. Wireless Internet (1462)
  15. 5G (1405)
Sponsored

Copyright © 1999 to Present - ISPreview.co.uk - All Rights Reserved - Terms  ,  Privacy and Cookie Policy  ,  Links  ,  Website Rules