Van and home MIFI

regnarts said:
Has anyone got any experience of using these Mifi's in Europe for general internet use & watching UK tv using either the Firestick, Nowtv or others which ones are best. Been looking at Smarty Sim but poor connection problems are common.
Click to expand...
Smarty limits bandwidth between 8am and midnight over a certain limit of data read small print
3 doesn't smarty piggybacks off 3
 
I use an Amazon fire stick £49.00 and connect to my EE 4G mobile via hot spot on my phone. So long as you have 4G and plenty of available data on your mobile phone ( my plan is unlimited) I can watch anything anywhere including Europe ( not sure what happens to that after ******).
 
Simonfrench said:
I use an Amazon fire stick £49.00 and connect to my EE 4G mobile via hot spot on my phone. So long as you have 4G and plenty of available data on your mobile phone ( my plan is unlimited) I can watch anything anywhere including Europe ( not sure what happens to that after ******).
Click to expand...
Use a vpn the phone still thinks your in UK
 
chrismilo said:
Smarty limits bandwidth between 8am and midnight over a certain limit of data read small print
Click to expand...

I don't think so!
From the T and C:

"With our Unlimited plan there’s no hidden ‘fair use policies’
within the UK, giving you all the access to the Internet you’d need
without worrying about hefty bills and no data speed restrictions."
 
I've been using a mifi router and Virgin SIM card at several adresss in the UK. I've had this for just under 12 months. The router was £35, a one off payment. I pay £32 per month for unlimited data allowance and maximum 10 Mbps download speed. It's on a rolling month by month contract. It has been fine in the UK. I watch tv, stream nexfix and other streams (football from other sources than Sky 😉). If the router was 5g the speed would be quicker but the connectivity worse that's part of the deal but I just use 4g.
When I bought the mifi I was told I'd be able to unlock it from virgin after 1 month. I wanted to do this so I could use my EE SIM card ( from my mobile, to use that allowance) with it, or any other, should I wish. It took an age to do ( 4 attempts ) and as part or that process I complained and got the £35 I originally payed for it refunded.
I'm in France at the moment and part of their "fair useage policy" I'm limited to 25gb per month. I checked and every mobile operator in the UK has a this kind of restriction in one shape or another unless it's a very low allowance to start with. Or if you are with EE, as part of their response to Covid you will be "seen" as being in the UK and not in Europe.
Again I've used it at a couple of different locations and it's been ok, not as good as UK but to be honest but I'm in more rural areas.
Overall I'm satisfied with the set up and will continue to use it when I return my home address next week. Virgin customer service is not the greatest imo but now I'm set up and running I'd recommend the network. If you are at a static address you can check mobile network coverage in the UK on their website.

Regarding data allowance someone earlier said use a VPN so you wouldn't be seen as being outside the UK, this wouldn't work regarding data allowance as, I think, and stand to be corrected, the network you use can still be detected somehow? I use Surfshark and can't use BBC iplayer here or Sky exactly as you can in the UK. If anyone uses a different VPN with better results please let me know.
 
Derekoak said:
That is what we have been doing for a year. My samsung 5 phone has an unlimited calls / data/ text sim in it cost less than 12 pounds a month for a year. It has a hotspot that supports data for 2 tablets at home and away. We have a reasonable signal at home so an aerial is not needed there. We have not paid for landline broadband for years now.
Similarly in France we mostly get 4g signal so our needs are mostly met without an external aerial. It is just so simple, and my phone still has calls and texts. The same sim in a mifi with external aerials at home and the car would get more speed if we streamed but for what we need, our only cost is that sim and a leftover 24gb prepaid sim in one tablet used when we occasionally go in 2 directions and the hotspot does not work. That sim will not be replaced.
My wife has a Smarty sim in her phone basically 5 pounds a month for calls and texts and pay for data only as needed at I think 1.25 a gb. As she mostly uses my hotspot that is very little.
Click to expand...

What network are you with for £12 per month?

Also 3 looks like a better deal at £20 per month than mine at £32 with Virgin.....time for a change!
 
In case it helps anyone: Depending on your data requirements some of the better value plans currently available are Three unlimited everything for £18/mth or Smarty (Three) 30gb for £10 with unlimited minutes & texts, via U-Switch, with no tethering limits either.
 
We just got an offer from 3 for the mifi and data sim for £20 pcm. It can be used at home and away so we could replace our landline and get internet when we're travelling for less than we pay just for home...
 
RichardP said:
We just got an offer from 3 for the mifi and data sim for £20 pcm. It can be used at home and away so we could replace our landline and get internet when we're travelling for less than we pay just for home...
Click to expand...
Thats what we done 3 yrs ago But went for the Huawei B311 router supplied with the contract from 3 same price as you qoute and will work connected to vans 12v but also we had a contract phone sim £7 unlimited call an texts as when sims in the router or mifi you'll not be able to receive or make calls. Just be sure it'll work well where you'll be using it most.
I see their out of stock with 3 at the moment but heres a good price perhaps with a sim only deal

Pardon our interruption...

www.ebay.co.uk
 
Last edited:
carol said:
What are these antennas that people keep talking about?
Click to expand...

Various types from Puck types...

www.ebay.co.uk

Outdoor 2G 3G 4G LTE MiMo Puck Antenna Cellular Low Profile Omni Dual Inputs 2 | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Outdoor 2G 3G 4G LTE MiMo Puck Antenna Cellular Low Profile Omni Dual Inputs 2 at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products!
www.ebay.co.uk

To either Poynting omni directional

Screenshot_20201018-105307_eBay.jpg


And directional types
 
witzend said:
but also we had a contract phone sim £7 unlimited call an texts as when sims in the router or mifi you'll not be able to receive or make calls.
Click to expand...
After posting this I got to thinking if there's any router that you can connect a phone to to make and receive calls to make full use of that sim ?
 
Mike White said:
I've been using a mifi router and Virgin SIM card at several adresss in the UK. I've had this for just under 12 months. The router was £35, a one off payment. I pay £32 per month for unlimited data allowance and maximum 10 Mbps download speed. It's on a rolling month by month contract. It has been fine in the UK. I watch tv, stream nexfix and other streams (football from other sources than Sky 😉). If the router was 5g the speed would be quicker but the connectivity worse that's part of the deal but I just use 4g.
When I bought the mifi I was told I'd be able to unlock it from virgin after 1 month. I wanted to do this so I could use my EE SIM card ( from my mobile, to use that allowance) with it, or any other, should I wish. It took an age to do ( 4 attempts ) and as part or that process I complained and got the £35 I originally payed for it refunded.
I'm in France at the moment and part of their "fair useage policy" I'm limited to 25gb per month. I checked and every mobile operator in the UK has a this kind of restriction in one shape or another unless it's a very low allowance to start with. Or if you are with EE, as part of their response to Covid you will be "seen" as being in the UK and not in Europe.
Again I've used it at a couple of different locations and it's been ok, not as good as UK but to be honest but I'm in more rural areas.
Overall I'm satisfied with the set up and will continue to use it when I return my home address next week. Virgin customer service is not the greatest imo but now I'm set up and running I'd recommend the network. If you are at a static address you can check mobile network coverage in the UK on their website.

Regarding data allowance someone earlier said use a VPN so you wouldn't be seen as being outside the UK, this wouldn't work regarding data allowance as, I think, and stand to be corrected, the network you use can still be detected somehow? I use Surfshark and can't use BBC iplayer here or Sky exactly as you can in the UK. If anyone uses a different VPN with better results please let me know.
Click to expand...
luckily for us, we had a Vodafone 100GBP a month contract which is pretty old, and it allows me to use the entire data allowance in europe. When I was going to change to a different contract with Vodafone, I realised that t here is a roaming limit now, so kept the original contract on ...costs £15 a month but I can use it all in Portugal and combined with the data sim from home which is limited to 25gb a month, I have plenty of data! Did get a month contract smarty sim also last year when we were stuck there during lockdown and used more data than usual, but that was a monthly contract. Cheaper than the Vodafone pt sim which was the only alternative. No signal with HIS or Meo in our barn.
 
GWAYGWAY said:
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.
Click to expand...
Assuming that you’re happy with your contract provider then I’d take a look at motorhomewifi.com they can sell you the MiFi device & an external aerial if you need it.
 
number14 said:
We use a Huawei mifi with twin antenna inputs and a Poynting puck antenna. Works well for us.
Click to expand...
I have bought a puck and a huawei mifi unit. Trouble is the mifi I find has NO aerial socket and is no different from my EE dongle that I didn't get on with. So stuck with that and no better reception because the aerial doesn't connect to it???????????? Puck it.
 
number14 said:
We use a Huawei mifi with twin antenna inputs and a Poynting puck antenna. Works well for us.
Click to expand...
Which one is it? The one I bought has no aerial socket????????????? I bought the puck and it has some delicate little connection but they nee a socket to fit to, the van is a metal box and really needs an an external aerial to get a good signal
 
GWAYGWAY said:
Which one is it? The one I bought has no aerial socket????????????? I bought the puck and it has some delicate little connection but they nee a socket to fit to, the van is a metal box and really needs an an external aerial to get a good signal
Click to expand...
Well, I'm confused now. I checked my Amazon purchase history and found that I had purchased an E5577 (IIRC it was actually an E5577c) last July. There is a little flap on mine next to the USB charging port which lifts and reveals 2 antenna inputs; I had to buy 2 little adaptors from fleabay to match up with the Puck. However, looking at the listing photos now the outline of the little flap is not shown and other listings also do not seem to show it. It seems as if Huawei have discontinued the antenna inputs, although I am happy to be corrected if others here can find otherwise.
 
For info on the EE data limit when abroad, I just changed to a contract with them yesterday, and after I committed to the contract I remembered to clarify their data limits when abroad. According to the guy on the phone the 50Gb limit is not rigidly enforced. He said it was only there if someone was using lots of data probably for business purposes.

In addition we have never needed a vpn to get iPlayer, Netflix, Amazon prime etc abroad using data from SIM cards. Works absolutely fine.
 
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