Van and home MIFI

[GWAYGWAY]

I started to fill in the form on the EE web site for their 200gb sim but gave up do to the number of questions.

Is there a way of getting an EE sim without using the formon the website?

Pay Monthly SIM Only Contracts | Phones & Tablets | EE

Already own a phone or tablet? Take a look at our pay monthly SIM only contracts and start saving money with EE - the UK's biggest, fastest network

shop.ee.co.uk

Go to a shop and buy direct.

 

[keefy13]

I am looking to get an aerial and a router to go in the van AND that I could use at home, I am fed up paying Virgine £56 a month for TV phone line and broadband, the only one I use is the broadband. I would like a good set up that could be indoors and in the van when away. I can hotspot but it runs the phone down quickly. The iPad has its own chip but the receiver is not that hot with some places. Anybody have a suggestion, that might do me? I have 105 gigabyte monthly allowance.

Teltonica router

 

[REC]

I use the poynting aerial at our holiday home with a " normal" router, in the van with 5577c and plan to take it to Portugal with us next time, as the signal in the barn is terrible. It definitely helps get a better speed. Haven't fixed it to the van, stick it as high as possible inside.....get a reasonable signal now where previously couldnt. We seem to go to a lot of black spots. All thanks to @Tezza33 who let me borrow his aerial to try!

 

[Deleted member 84929]

I am looking to get an aerial and a router to go in the van AND that I could use at home, I am fed up paying Virgine £56 a month for TV phone line and broadband, the only one I use is the broadband. I would like a good set up that could be indoors and in the van when away. I can hotspot but it runs the phone down quickly. The iPad has its own chip but the receiver is not that hot with some places. Anybody have a suggestion, that might do me? I have 105 gigabyte monthly allowance.

We use BT which allows us to use BT Fon hotspots. I use EE on my phone and have 120 GB per month for £18 which is more than enough to use for internet and tv . I mainly use the tv in the motorhome but have found I can use my Apple box gadget to connect to my phone to get Netflix or Disney or catch up. I have another SIM card from EE for £5 per month which I put in an iPad or a spare phone. But hardly use it. Except when I left my main phone behind!Once. We tried an external aerial but found it no better. When using my phone, which is constant as need it for what’s app I leave it plugged in most of the time or on a small external battery pack. We have 2 holiday bungalows we rent out and need internet all the time to take bookings and be in contact with guests. I’ve never had a problem with
the signal except once when we were at Malvern, Western Weekend, there were so many people using their internet as it was a cold wet windy night. We only recently found out we could charge our phones using the motorhome battery! Before that we used solar chargers from Amazon. Hope that gives you some ideas.

 

[Deneb]

Keep in mind...You can’t amplify a signal that does not exist. If it’s a poor quality signal, amplifying it won’t give you a better signal. Using an antenna only really helps (and by not that much) if you have direct line of site of a mast. I’m my experience, this usually isn’t the case. When you head for the Scottish Highlands, you have to accept that sending a text can be an issue in certain parts, so streaming Netflix isn’t even on the table in places. My experience has been that EE or EE piggybacked services were better than 3 on the NC500. I was amazed at the EE coverage. Not so impressed with 3 in those areas, but with 3, I can step off a plane in the US, switch my phone on and make calls and check emails for free whilst I wait for my US number to wake up, which I couldn’t do with EE...for free. So, that’s why I jumped to 3. Horses for courses.

I would say that you are being a little pessimistic. I agree that you can't amplify a signal that doesn't exist, but not that you necessarily have to have direct line of sight of a mast.

We have just returned from 6 weeks touring Scotland, NC500 route and elsewhere. With a roof mounted Panorama LPMMB 6-60 antenna, Huawei E5577c router and EE and Smarty SIMs, I only found one place we could get no signal at all, and that was in the Forest of Bowland, on an overnight stop on our way home.

On one occasion in the Highlands, my phone could only receive a signal on its own if I walked to the top of a hill near to where we were parked, a good mile and a half walk. We had sufficient signal via the router and roof antenna in the van to stream and use EE wifi calling. There were 3 nights in total across the whole of our Scottish travels where we had mobile reception too slow to support streaming, plus one night where we could only get a 2G signal.

Often, being either unable to obtain a 4G signal, or one sufficiently good to support streaming, forcing the router to 3G only got a much faster signal that did the job fine!

 

[Tezza33]

It makes you wonder why all those boats fit an external antenna when they don't improve anything, all they had to do was ask on here

 

[Deleted member 47550]

I'm with EE and have been since 1994 when they were orange and got the first business mobile in Norwich! I currently have a Samsung S10 on 4G buisiness tarrif and only once had a down spot when travelling through Glencoe. We went right up to Port a Bhaigh and across to Dornoch but on previous trips across the top had no issues either so I know EE coverage is good. I've got an android head unit in place of the VW and that could take a SIM but I haven't bothered as I simply use mobile as hotspot which works well.

In my home office I have their fibre max broadband with a landline phone. It get unlimited calls to other landlines and all mobile networks and their Smart hub and average 90mpbs (not bad considering we are at end of the line). £37/month which also gave my mobile a free 5GB data boost. I know this doesn't help the OP but here's what I have done..........................

We have had my youngest son here for quite a while!!! He's been specific job hunting which means online Zoom interviews/video calls but where he's working in our house he hasn't always got high enough signal and it would occasionally drop out. He has a brand new Lenovo laptop and even his iPhone has been dropping the signal. Spoke to EE business support (who have always been fantastic) and the next day a BT Wi-Fi extender arrived FOC (EE said it may or may not work depending on house construction - different types of cavity wall insulation often seem to cause problems but give it a try); plugged it in various sockets in hall and the room he was in and yes it did improve it slightly but not enough. Just incase the kit was faulty EE sent another to try but alas the same again. Now this is where it all changed. EE suggested trying their Smart Wi-Fi which is normally £10 on top of normal prices but I managed to blag it for cost of postage rather than add on You get a new router which is much more powerful with 6 antennae and a Smart mini disc to create a mesh network. You also get a mobile mini Wi-Fi you can take anywhere which has free 2GB data every month. (you can pay a little to get more data if you wish but they work where ever you can get 4G.

Bingo we have max signal throughout the whole bungalow; if you did need to get further away you can add up to 5 other discs (6 total). Anddddddddddddddd... should your Wi-Fi go down at home they automatically boost your mobile Wi-Fi with 250GB so you can always get online. To me £42/month inclusive of VAT.

https://shop.ee.co.uk/broadband/smart-wifi

 

[xsilvergs]

EE rang me today as they could see I had not completed the on-line form for the 200GB SIM @ £23.00.

I checked with them the data allowance while roaming, they checked, only 15GB of data while roaming, so very expensive.

 

[Deleted member 47550]

Wow that's a big difference but I would expect it to be the same with all decent providers as most small /cheaper SIM providers piggy back the main ones. Cheaper to use your mobile as hotspot in that instance then (well my business mobile allows for that with EE).

 

[xsilvergs]

Wow that's a big difference but I would expect it to be the same with all decent providers as most small /cheaper SIM providers piggy back the main ones. Cheaper to use your mobile as hotspot in that instance then (well my business mobile allows for that with EE).

I'll just buy NOS or MEO SIMs in Portugal as I have done in the past. Just walk into one of there shops and buy a month at a time, no form filling, no question.

Top up can be done in many newsagent type shops.

 

[Pandaman2020]

I'll just buy NOS or MEO SIMs in Portugal as I have done in the past. Just walk into one of there shops and buy a month at a time, no form filling, no question.

Top up can be done in many newsagent type shops.

Same for me in Morocco

 

[Zoesma]

Good morning, we have no landlines where we live. We use giff gaff for our mobiles (£6 a month) ,no set up charges. We use a mobile wifi hot spot device originally on Vodafone but now unlocked. SIM card through gift gaff.works good in van,and anywhere. We use for some streaming but we don't spend much time sitting around.
With Giffgaff we get 80gb for £20. But as we have no landlines etc it's reasonable. As we have no contract easy to stop, upgrade, cancel.

 

[Tim120]

Gonna resurect this thread with a question. I'm going to give Three home broadband a try before I tell Virgin to take a hike, they're good at hilking especially prices.
So looks like I'll be getting a Huawei B535 and if sucessful at home like others will take in the van.
Can anyone point me in the direction of a cigar lighter socket thing which could power this please.

 

[mistericeman]

Gonna resurect this thread with a question. I'm going to give Three home broadband a try before I tell Virgin to take a hike, they're good at hilking especially prices.
So looks like I'll be getting a Huawei B535 and if sucessful at home like others will take in the van.
Can anyone point me in the direction of a cigar lighter socket thing which could power this please.

12V/24V DC vehicle connector Huawei E5172 B310 B311 B315 B525 B535 TP-link etc | eBay

The simple connectors provide various solutions for connection. For worry-free use whilst travelling see the Regulated versions. The plug units are available with a 0.75 m curly cable, or a straight 2 m cable.

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[Pandaman2020]

I am looking to get an aerial and a router to go in the van AND that I could use at home, I am fed up paying Virgine £56 a month for TV phone line and broadband, the only one I use is the broadband. I would like a good set up that could be indoors and in the van when away. I can hotspot but it runs the phone down quickly. The iPad has its own chip but the receiver is not that hot with some places. Anybody have a suggestion, that might do me? I have 105 gigabyte monthly allowance.

I use a Huawei B311 which originally came from Three and although I can use it on an inverter in the van and mains at home I also have a 12v cigarette lighter lead for the van as well