Hoping to get some pointers before commiting to the 24 month contract

On 12/11/2022 10:46, Mike Halmarack wrote:
> Hoping to get some pointers before commiting to the 24 month contract

1. Check the coverage area!
https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-telecoms-and-internet/advice-for-consumers/advice/ofcom-checker
and each mobile netwrok has a coverage map, google search should find
them for you.

2. Be prepared to put up an external 4g aerial is signal is marginal

3. You can buy PAYG monthly sims so you can do some speed testing
assuming you have an out of contract unlocked dongle or 4g router. I did
this with Voda, 3, EE and o2 for my location. recorded results in a
excel spreadsheet by using www.speedtest.net or www.fast.com at several
points of the day.

Also there are websites out there that will test for packet loss.
(speedtest and fast can do ping and jitter as well as UL and DL speed.

As it happens I have a Pi here that runs automated speedtest every 30
mines on my fibre connection.

Smarty coincidentally piggy backs on 3 and they are doing a 5g SIM and
50GB data month for a tenner a month....

On Sat, 12 Nov 2022 12:46:23 +0000, SH <i.love.spam@spam.com> wrote:

>On 12/11/2022 10:46, Mike Halmarack wrote:
>> Hoping to get some pointers before commiting to the 24 month contract
>
>1. Check the coverage area!
>https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-telecoms-and-internet/advice-for-consumers/advice/ofcom-checker
>and each mobile netwrok has a coverage map, google search should find
>them for you.
>
>2. Be prepared to put up an external 4g aerial is signal is marginal
>
>3. You can buy PAYG monthly sims so you can do some speed testing
>assuming you have an out of contract unlocked dongle or 4g router. I did
>this with Voda, 3, EE and o2 for my location. recorded results in a
>excel spreadsheet by using www.speedtest.net or www.fast.com at several
>points of the day.
>
>Also there are websites out there that will test for packet loss.
>(speedtest and fast can do ping and jitter as well as UL and DL speed.
>
>As it happens I have a Pi here that runs automated speedtest every 30
>mines on my fibre connection.
>
>Smarty coincidentally piggy backs on 3 and they are doing a 5g SIM and
>50GB data month for a tenner a month....
>

Big help, thanks.
--

Mike

On 12/11/2022 14:50, Mike Halmarack wrote:
> On Sat, 12 Nov 2022 12:46:23 +0000, SH <i.love.spam@spam.com> wrote:
>
>> On 12/11/2022 10:46, Mike Halmarack wrote:
>>> Hoping to get some pointers before commiting to the 24 month contract
>>
>> 1. Check the coverage area!
>> https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-telecoms-and-internet/advice-for-consumers/advice/ofcom-checker
>> and each mobile netwrok has a coverage map, google search should find
>> them for you.
>>
>> 2. Be prepared to put up an external 4g aerial is signal is marginal
>>
>> 3. You can buy PAYG monthly sims so you can do some speed testing
>> assuming you have an out of contract unlocked dongle or 4g router. I did
>> this with Voda, 3, EE and o2 for my location. recorded results in a
>> excel spreadsheet by using www.speedtest.net or www.fast.com at several
>> points of the day.
>>
>> Also there are websites out there that will test for packet loss.
>> (speedtest and fast can do ping and jitter as well as UL and DL speed.
>>
>> As it happens I have a Pi here that runs automated speedtest every 30
>> mines on my fibre connection.
>>
>> Smarty coincidentally piggy backs on 3 and they are doing a 5g SIM and
>> 50GB data month for a tenner a month....
>>
>
> Big help, thanks.

This also helps for finding cheap PAYG SIMS:

https://payg.pythonanywhere.com/ and it tells you what netywork it
piggybacks onto.

Also some routers do not have all the APNs (Access point names) for the
UK mobile networks, so be prepared to find the APM for your network of
choice/test and input into the Router. :-)

In article <tko4j0$11n3$1@gioia.aioe.org>, SH wrote...
>
> On 12/11/2022 10:46, Mike Halmarack wrote:
> > Hoping to get some pointers before commiting to the 24 month contract
>
> 1. Check the coverage area!
> https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-telecoms-and-internet/advice-for-consumers/advice/ofcom-checker
> and each mobile netwrok has a coverage map, google search should find
> them for you.
>
> 2. Be prepared to put up an external 4g aerial is signal is marginal
>
> 3. You can buy PAYG monthly sims so you can do some speed testing
> assuming you have an out of contract unlocked dongle or 4g router. I did
> this with Voda, 3, EE and o2 for my location. recorded results in a
> excel spreadsheet by using www.speedtest.net or www.fast.com at several
> points of the day.
>
> Also there are websites out there that will test for packet loss.
> (speedtest and fast can do ping and jitter as well as UL and DL speed.
>
> As it happens I have a Pi here that runs automated speedtest every 30
> mines on my fibre connection.
>
> Smarty coincidentally piggy backs on 3 and they are doing a 5g SIM and
> 50GB data month for a tenner a month....

"Mobile Virtual Network Operators" (MVNOs) can be very cheap indeed, though
they rarely (ever?) deliver the top speeds available from their "parent"
network.

These sites are very helpful:
https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/mobiles/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_Kingdom_mobile_virtual_network_ope
rators
= https://bit.ly/3g0h7Tk

--

Phil, London

On Sun, 13 Nov 2022 13:28:04 -0000, Philip Herlihy
<PhillipHerlihy@SlashDevNull.invalid> wrote:

>In article <tko4j0$11n3$1@gioia.aioe.org>, SH wrote...
>>
>> On 12/11/2022 10:46, Mike Halmarack wrote:
>> > Hoping to get some pointers before commiting to the 24 month contract
>>
>> 1. Check the coverage area!
>> https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-telecoms-and-internet/advice-for-consumers/advice/ofcom-checker
>> and each mobile netwrok has a coverage map, google search should find
>> them for you.
>>
>> 2. Be prepared to put up an external 4g aerial is signal is marginal
>>
>> 3. You can buy PAYG monthly sims so you can do some speed testing
>> assuming you have an out of contract unlocked dongle or 4g router. I did
>> this with Voda, 3, EE and o2 for my location. recorded results in a
>> excel spreadsheet by using www.speedtest.net or www.fast.com at several
>> points of the day.
>>
>> Also there are websites out there that will test for packet loss.
>> (speedtest and fast can do ping and jitter as well as UL and DL speed.
>>
>> As it happens I have a Pi here that runs automated speedtest every 30
>> mines on my fibre connection.
>>
>> Smarty coincidentally piggy backs on 3 and they are doing a 5g SIM and
>> 50GB data month for a tenner a month....
>
>"Mobile Virtual Network Operators" (MVNOs) can be very cheap indeed, though
>they rarely (ever?) deliver the top speeds available from their "parent"
>network.
>
>These sites are very helpful:
>https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/mobiles/
>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_Kingdom_mobile_virtual_network_ope
>rators
>= https://bit.ly/3g0h7Tk

Thanks for the additional info Philip.
--

Mike

Mike Halmarack wrote:

> Hoping to get some pointers before commiting to the 24 month contract

buy a 30 day SIM and test it in the places that are important to you?

Philip Herlihy wrote:

> SH wrote...
>
>> Smarty coincidentally piggy backs on 3 and they are doing a 5g SIM and
>> 50GB data month for a tenner a month....
>
> "Mobile Virtual Network Operators" (MVNOs) can be very cheap indeed, though
> they rarely (ever?) deliver the top speeds available from their "parent"
> network.

Not much throttling with virgin SIM only when I got my pixel5a, unfortunately I
don't often get a sniff of 5G signal

<https://www.speedtest.net/my-result/a/8267614908>

On 14/11/2022 11:19, Andy Burns wrote:
> Philip Herlihy wrote:
>
>> SH wrote...
>>
>>> Smarty coincidentally piggy backs on 3 and they are doing a 5g SIM and
>>> 50GB data month for a tenner a month....
>>
>> "Mobile Virtual Network Operators" (MVNOs) can be very cheap indeed,
>> though
>> they rarely (ever?) deliver the top speeds available from their "parent"
>> network.
>
> Not much throttling with virgin SIM only when I got my pixel5a,
> unfortunately I don't often get a sniff of 5G signal
>
> <https://www.speedtest.net/my-result/a/8267614908>

I'll raise you this: :-D

https://www.speedtest.net/result/13938755029

On Mon, 14 Nov 2022 11:06:35 +0000, Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk>
wrote:

>Mike Halmarack wrote:
>
>> Hoping to get some pointers before commiting to the 24 month contract
>
>buy a 30 day SIM and test it in the places that are important to you?

Sounds like a good idea to me.
--

Mike

SH wrote:

> Andy Burns wrote:
>
>> <https://www.speedtest.net/my-result/a/8267614908>
>
> I'll raise you this:   :-D
> https://www.speedtest.net/result/13938755029

But that's home fibre, rather than a mobile phone, isn't it?

On 14/11/2022 14:27, Andy Burns wrote:
> SH wrote:
>
>> Andy Burns wrote:
>>
>>> <https://www.speedtest.net/my-result/a/8267614908>
>>
>> I'll raise you this:   :-D
>> https://www.speedtest.net/result/13938755029
>
> But that's home fibre, rather than a mobile phone, isn't it?
>

Drat! I'm BUSTED! :-)

Our home fibre is supplied by Vodafone which just also happens to be a
mobile network!...

On 12/11/2022 12:46, SH wrote:
> On 12/11/2022 10:46, Mike Halmarack wrote:
>> Hoping to get some pointers before commiting to the 24 month contract
>
> 1. Check the coverage area!
> https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-telecoms-and-internet/advice-for-consumers/advice/ofcom-checker and each mobile netwrok has a coverage map, google search should find them for you.
>
<snip>

Where I live all the networks say there is good coverage indoors and out.

There's some consistency there. They are all lying. I've tried them all.

I occasionally get a signal indoors. If I stand still outside I can
sometimes make a call. The signal is so bad that smart electricity
meters don't work.

Ofcom's data seems to be better than the network's own data - it only
thinks one of them will work. We've been forced to get phones that allow
wifi calling.

Andy

On 16/11/2022 21:16, Vir Campestris wrote:
> On 12/11/2022 12:46, SH wrote:
>> On 12/11/2022 10:46, Mike Halmarack wrote:
>>> Hoping to get some pointers before commiting to the 24 month contract
>>
>> 1. Check the coverage area!
>> https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-telecoms-and-internet/advice-for-consumers/advice/ofcom-checker and each mobile netwrok has a coverage map, google search should find them for you.
>>
> <snip>
>
> Where I live all the networks say there is good coverage indoors and out.
>
> There's some consistency there. They are all lying. I've tried them all.
>
> I occasionally get a signal indoors. If I stand still outside I can
> sometimes make a call. The signal is so bad that smart electricity
> meters don't work.
>
> Ofcom's data seems to be better than the network's own data - it only
> thinks one of them will work. We've been forced to get phones that allow
> wifi calling.
>
> Andy

Thats why I mentioned external 4g antennas.....

Theres a trange from Solwise and they can be mounted on a TV aerial pole
provided your 4g router has a pair of sockets to permit the external
antenna to be connected.

See https://www.solwise.co.uk/3g-antenna-outdoor.htm

Some of them are directional so if you point one at a mast KNOWN to
provide the network you want, that has more gain than an omnidirectional
one.

www.mastdata.co.uk will tell you where the masts are and which networks
is using that mast. Mastdata willa lso indicate what bands is in use at
that mast so some masts for the same network offer 5g or higher data
rate but some other mastseither have a slower data rate or don't support 5g.