ed fournier Posted December 17, 2017 Author Share Posted December 17, 2017 I wish I hadn't bothered with 4G now - getting pap download speeds all of a sudden (I'm guessing this is related to the approaching Christmas hols and lots of devices being used elsewhere). Now getting about 4-5 mbps. Anyone else on 4G broadband having the same issues? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pongo Posted December 17, 2017 Share Posted December 17, 2017 Contention is always going to be an issue. But, separately - have you tried using an external antenna? Also - have you changed something in the near environment. For example - led Christmas lights? I know that some people put their lights up very early these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ed fournier Posted December 17, 2017 Author Share Posted December 17, 2017 Hmmm... we have lots of Xmas lights! And I moved the Alexa recently - much closer. I'll move a few things around. Thanks for info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pongo Posted December 17, 2017 Share Posted December 17, 2017 Try it with all the lights turned off and Alexa unplugged. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobbie Bobster Posted December 17, 2017 Share Posted December 17, 2017 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ed fournier Posted December 17, 2017 Author Share Posted December 17, 2017 When you talk about an antenna, do you mean one like this? https://www.broadbandbuyer.com/products/15383-solwise-4g-xpol-a0001/reviews/#content Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pongo Posted December 17, 2017 Share Posted December 17, 2017 Maybe. There is no definite answer since it depends on the site. There are a variety of options with respect to external aerials. That one is omni directional. Depending on your location a directional one might work better. And it depends on how good the signal is to begin with. If you are already in a strong signal area then signal will not be the issue. Or may not be the issue. One potential issue with an external antenna is cable loss. Ie that the advantages of an external antenna are offset by signal lost over the length of the cable. There is no single correct answer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mannin Posted May 3, 2018 Share Posted May 3, 2018 Following my glowing report of the 4G service, things have gone down hill, I have a 40 Mb/s service and the following are indicative of the service I actually receive: http://www.speedtest.net/result/7274420564 http://www.speedtest.net/result/7273287028 http://www.speedtest.net/result/7237785827 http://www.speedtest.net/result/7237416271 http://www.speedtest.net/result/7237288250 http://www.speedtest.net/result/7235860272 Which is painful at best, time to return to fixed line 4 Mb/s I guess.......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David2716 Posted May 3, 2018 Share Posted May 3, 2018 If out of range for VDSL, you can get a deal for a 4G SIM and 4G router with MT for ~£35/month. My ADSL line sync was 4-5Mb and wont get VDSL or fibre for the foreseeable future. I now never go below 10Mb/s and often reach 50-80Mb/s outside of peak hours on MT 4G. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mannin Posted May 4, 2018 Share Posted May 4, 2018 @David2716 is that for an unlimited service? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manxman27 Posted May 4, 2018 Share Posted May 4, 2018 After years of emailing them complaining about them having no plans to install VDSL in my street, they offered me the deal that David2716 mentions. The cap is 1000GB per month which is fine even with my kids YouTube addiction. It's nice being able to upload a video in minutes rather than over night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David2716 Posted May 4, 2018 Share Posted May 4, 2018 @mannin I was offered 200GB or 1000GB. The difference between the two is only a few pounds per month, so I went for the latter which for most is pretty much like being on unlimited. Only problem I've encountered with it was double NAT which caused issues for some online games that used p2p. I got a fixed IP for an extra £10 a month to resolve this and altogether a very similar price to line & ADSL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mannin Posted May 4, 2018 Share Posted May 4, 2018 1 hour ago, David2716 said: @mannin I was offered 200GB or 1000GB. The difference between the two is only a few pounds per month, so I went for the latter which for most is pretty much like being on unlimited. Only problem I've encountered with it was double NAT which caused issues for some online games that used p2p. I got a fixed IP for an extra £10 a month to resolve this and altogether a very similar price to line & ADSL. Thanks, for the info. As for the double NAT you can normally get round that by placing your console in a DMZ, if you are gaming on a PC I can see why you wouldn't want to expose that via a DMZ though. I'll give it a try and see how it works....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David2716 Posted May 4, 2018 Share Posted May 4, 2018 4 hours ago, mannin said: Thanks, for the info. As for the double NAT you can normally get round that by placing your console in a DMZ, if you are gaming on a PC I can see why you wouldn't want to expose that via a DMZ though. I'll give it a try and see how it works....... I did try putting the console temporarily into a DMZ with no joy. Could have done something wrong. Please let me know if you run into any similar issues caused by the CGNAT and can get around it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ballaughbiker Posted May 12, 2018 Share Posted May 12, 2018 Quote When you talk about an antenna, do you mean one like this? https://www.broadbandbuyer.com/products/15383-solwise-4g-xpol-a0001/reviews/#content I have been using a UK EE 4G sim in four places including the IOM instead of wired broadband. It costs £29 for 50 gigabytes a month. Speeds are up to about 70 megabit/sec down and 50 up although it is very variable. UK 4G seems to be the best. I use both D link and Huawei 4G routers with external antenna connections. There is no performance difference between makes but if you are more than 1 or 2 km from the tower an external antenna makes a significant improvement. One of the sites I use this is 5km from the mast although I can see it and I tried that Solwise antenna. It improved things but the same company makes a much more directional antenna which just about doubled the speed. Setting is critical though. Most come with a 5 metre downlead which I wouldn't recommend increasing. Some cell's 4G frequencies are as high as 2.6 GHz where cable losses are significant. It is much better to place the router near the antenna and then run the connection in Cat 5e/6 to where it is convenient than try and place the router in the convenient place. One surprising benefit of EE 4G is that no matter where you are, you get a UK IP address which is handy for stuff normally blocked outside the UK. PS I have just gone back to a "wired" connection in one of these places due to the need to watch tv via the net. It is amazing how much data that can burn up doing that. We are in a rural area but the service is amazing and not too expensive. For £43/month unlimited I am getting 850 M.bit/sec down and 645 up. The UK, even Virgin Media, has a very long way to go to catch up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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