Reply With QuoteYou arw worrying about 6mbps on ADSL - we are lucky to top 1.5 mbps and also have a 4G router with a Vodaphone SIM with 50 Gb pcm for 25 pounds a month
On that we get a heady 9 mbps on 4G - its very easy to chew thro data v quickly....
Has anyone here got any experience with the EE 4G Router? I live in the Gloucestershire countryside and am not able to get a broadband download speed above the current 6Mbps (and upload of 0.6Mbps). With respect to the EE 4G router I have the following questions:
1. Can the default DHCP range be managed/changed?
2. Can the user set static IP addresses?
3. Can it be used in Bridge mode only?
4. Can the WiFi element be switched off?
Ultimately what I would like to have is the EE4G router as an AP with the Netgear Orbi (that I already have) acting as router and WiFi source. I did phone EE but after twenty minutes of back and forth with a non-techie individual I gave up. I suspect a trip to the local EE store won't be much better.
Last edited by Skier; 19th July 2018 at 14:03.
You arw worrying about 6mbps on ADSL - we are lucky to top 1.5 mbps and also have a 4G router with a Vodaphone SIM with 50 Gb pcm for 25 pounds a month
On that we get a heady 9 mbps on 4G - its very easy to chew thro data v quickly....
EE is offering 200GB for £60 a month. I am with BT mobile (it uses the EE network) and inside the house (it's a converted barn with very thick walls in places) I can reliably receive 68Mbps down and 16 Mbps up. If I go with this I will move my mobile away from BT and ditch the landline entirely. I would be happy to see the back of BT.Originally Posted by cypermethrin
There are different versions of the 4g router, you get buy a generic one a put a SIM card in it. Tp-link and Netgear do some, Hauwei do them do and EE branded one I have is one of these. I have not real ability to change settings on that one but did look at a tp link one before our broadband got sorted and you could makes all the changes you listed I think. BT and EE mobile are on the same network but there are some differences, getting less over time
You could get an LTE bridge , SIM free, thats designed just for the job
https://www.amazon.co.uk/NETGEAR-LB1...gear+lte+modem
Following this thread as we are moving house tomorrow, and have ordered a 4GEE Router. Hopefully it'll be decent as we will be relying on it.. Broadband speeds are a dizzy 2-4MBps otherwise.. Signal check on the EE website looks good. Fingers crossed..
Will be interested to hear the answers to the OP questions, even if I don't quite understand them!
We are looking at an extra antenna to boost the signal strength in the house from the 4G router. And recommendations welcome, there are 2 LTE spots on the back of the router.
BT/EE have just launched their own outdoor antenna for the LTE router, i would go with that. It will have been tested and be the correct config for the bands EE are using.
...buying antennas off ebay is not so reliable, lots of bullsh*t. I work in this space and have seen some cheap antennas from well known Chinese brands claim high gain that seems impossible for the design and cost. So purchased one and had it tested and it was delivering 1/4 of the gain it claimed, strangely enough in line with branded antennas at similar cost. It was just an unethical marketing ploy.
Also watch out for cable loss, depending on frequencies used the loss on a 10m cable will negate any gain from the antenna, so you are better off just putting the unit close to the window. Keep any antenna cable as short as possible from outdoor antenna. Extend the router using ethernet if required so its closeby indoors.
The issue with these is that they don't have an Ethernet port which I need. I went into the Cheltenham EE store today and bought the router. It was set up fairly easily and after some fiddling the Netgear Orbi mesh network, NAS, Sonos etc. are all now happily up and running and I'm seeing around 60Mbps down and 12Mbps up. If it proves reliable over the coming weeks BT (broadband and landline) will be getting ditched in its entirety. My mobile is also with BT and I'll be changing that tomorrow.
So far so good. The EE 4G router itself was up and running within minutes - very straightforward. At this stage I am using just the basic router - no external antenna and getting 60Mbps plus download and 12Mbps upload. What I had issues with was then incorporating the Netgear Orbi mesh WiFi. I had to let the EE router act as the router (vice as an Access Point) and switch the Orbi into Access Point mode. This wasn't, and isn't, my preferred option but it's now working well. Regaining access to my NAS took some figuring out but I won't bore you with that. Things such as Hue lighting and Sonos required setting up but that was reasonably quick to do.
If you have any issues post back in this thread.
the LB1110 I posted a link to is an LTE ethernet bridge (not a hotspot) you can get them with 1 or 2 ethernet ports....anyway, you are up and running now with EE router.
being a bridge, you can run your Orbi in router mode. Or you need to switch the EE router into bridge mode (if supported)
Anyone used 4G as their sole wifi source for an extended period of time?
I've always worried about the connection dropping out and feel 'traditional' broadband to be a safer bet from that standpoint. No idea where I got this from really and could be alot of rubbish.
I connect remotely to work often so a stable connection more important than the top line speeds really. Those in the know, how does the reliability of a 4G system stack up now?
Apologies, you're correct. I didn't look at the linked device in detail.
I've been up and running for about 22hrs with no issues but I'll be giving it around 2 weeks before I phone and cancel my BT subscription. My take on this is how often have you lost mobile phone service when at home? In my case I don't think I ever have, or not that I have noticed or has affected me. I'll post back in a couple of weeks.
If I could have got any provider to offer decent speeds via either landline or FTTP I would have gone with that. However, BT are not going to provide anything and the local 'Fastershire' initiative is moving at such a glacial pace I am fed up with waiting. A contract has been let with Gigaclear to provide FTTP but there's no date for it. I could just about live with the 6.5Mbps download speed (the only thing it really prevented me from doing was streaming 4K TV), but the upload speed of just 0.6Mbps meant that monitoring security cameras and systems was hit and miss when away from home.
Last edited by Skier; 10th January 2019 at 23:14.
Interesting thread this.
Cutting a long(ish) story short(ish), just before Christmas my rock stable 20Mbps BT copper line connection to the local exchange disappeared as the result of a joint failure in the underground ducting. The problem was promptly diagnosed and pinpointed, however for a number of reasons it then took over a month to fully resolve. I decided to take advantage of this opportunity to investigate how feasible it had now become to ditch the landline and go completely cellular.
Somewhat fortuitously it turned out that PCWorld/Currys, underwritten by the major network operators, were effectively giving away the entry level mobile wi-fi devices in return for signing up to a data contract - including rolling monthly ones.
As a result, after a couple of visits to the local branch I ended up with devices from Vodafone (Huawei), Three (Huawei) and EE (Alcatel) all fully discounted to zero cost in return for signing up to their cheapest rolling data contract. After a couple of days testing the first two I simply cancelled the data contract and retained the device against future needs
In the case of EE I was able to take extra advantage of a 'limited time special offer' - again rolling monthly - which, combined with their coverage in my local area being by far and away the best of the three, made it worth retaining as a permanent backup.
The testing I carried out on the devices was somewhat subjective and not particularly scientific, and I am now back on my usual stable 20Mbps copper. However the general conclusion I reached is that transferring from copper to cellular, for my own particular broadband needs, is entirely feasible both practically and economically. There remain a few minor concerns though, eg the connection never felt as predicable or robust as the copper wire, also 1Gb of cellular usage does not appear to be anywhere near the same as 1GB of copper usage - presumably the result of the protocol overheads from the extra layers.
In conclusion I will be sticking with the copper short term but I am confident I could readily switch if required/necessary, though like the OP I would probably opt to purchase a fuller featured device. I would also be careful not to burn my bridges prematurely as well,
I look forward to seeing your continuing observations.
Yes. We have a Three 4G sim as our only home WiFi. It has generally been much more reliable than a previous Talktalk wired connection in another (rural) part of the country. The router hardly ever has to be reset in order to regain a connection.
That is until a couple of weeks ago. Three must have been having problems with their local transmitter because data connection was very sketchy and their Network Status site was showing an error. It it now seems to back up and running. However, that is only 2 weeks in nearly a year.
Hi,
What data plan is that on ???
We live in the country & currently get a terrible 1mbps through BT Broadband...........my only worry is how much data we would get through.
I'd love to go with it , but would want Unlimited so I had no worries .
I work from home , and once connecting faster , I'd worry what the rest of the family would consume , leaving me nothing for work.
Would love to ditch BT broadband AND the landline.
Another Q re. this ...........EE looks like the only option I can see with 200gb , so this might be the one to go for.
Does anyone know if I can add Devolo Wi-Fi extenders to the Router ?
Unfortunately, I can’t like directly to the specific page on three.co.uk.
But it is the equivalent to this sim only deal:
“All-you-can-eat data.
£35.00 a month.
1 month Advanced plan”
From my office in rural Herefordshire, my wired Sky broadband package gets 3.33mbps (down)/0.33mbps (up).
My 4G on the other hand gets 88.9mbps (down)/10.6mbps (up) - using TP Link AC750 router on EE. My issue is the fact that VOIP doesnt work properly on the 4G system, as no-one can here me when I speak!
As already mentioned, faster speeds means lots of data being used!
I can see no reason why you shouldn't be able to. I am using Devolo DLAN 1200 Powerline adapters in my network but use the Netgear Orbi to get good WiFi throughout the house rather than WiFi extenders.
Hi .....sorry , my bad.
It's the DLAN 500 power line adapter i have.
So , can I connect these to the EE router directly do you think ?
So , is that unlimited data then ?
I was struggling to find a 4g Mobile 'unlimited' deal .
- - - Updated - - -
So , is that unlimited data then ?
I was struggling to find a 4g Mobile 'unlimited' deal .
Absolutely. I have a couple of unused DLAN 500 adapters and have used one for test purposes without issue.
That's great to know ......thanks for that.
So my last 2 worries are reception and eating through the data too quickly .
I wish they just did unlimited and I'd pay for it .
You can buy additional data should you go over the allowance. I have no idea how much it is. During the discussions in the shop I was told that once 80% is used you get a message letting you know you're getting close.
Mmm....I had a look earlier and I'm sure it was something like £20 per 20gb , which felt pricey
What does ‘all you can eat’ mean to you?
Yes ....I'm assuming that's what it means .....but as I say , I just couldn't find unlimited data on their mobile data plans .
I will recheck their site , but when I looked this morning I thought it was 40 or 50gb
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These posts might now be better via PM. I might edit some of my old posts.
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So, four days in to the EE 4G Router as my Broadband solution. So far, so good: no dropouts, no issues with any aspect of internet or LAN accesses. Here's a screenshot of Speedtest results showing the difference between my BT connection and that from the EE 4G solution. I still plan on giving it two weeks before cancelling the BT landline but it's looking good.
Last edited by Skier; 16th February 2018 at 19:00.
That looks very promising, I will be watching to see how you get on over the next few weeks. We have excellent EE 4G here, it would be nice to wave goodbye to BT and the need for rental charges on a landline we dont use
Ordered my EE 4G Home Router yesterday from the EE site online ...........it says they are in Stock and available to despatch within 1 day , but I have had a phone call to say it will be 7-14 days.
I've gone for the £45 per month , 18month contract on the 100gb pm data plan. Its on the contractual agreement you can up your data (to 200gb) but you cant go down.
I currently get 0.8 - 1.1 mbps download speed , so anything which is even 10-15 mbps would be life changing for us
Last edited by steviefleming; 16th February 2018 at 17:39.
Update from us too. We’ve moved house and switched to a 4GEE router as all broadband providers were saying 2-4mbps. We’ve been getting a consistent 40mbps upstairs, the router is downstairs, bog standard with no boosters, antennas, extra routers etc. Very happy so far. Gone for 200GB which is roughly what we need (avg 150GBp/m).
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Are you using any sort of VPN with the EE Router ?......and if so , any issues at all ?
So, four days in to the EE 4G Router as my Broadband solution. So far, so good: no dropouts, no issues with any aspect of internet or LAN accesses. Here's a screenshot of Speedtest results showing the difference between my BT connection and that from the EE 4g solution. I still plan on giving it two weeks before cancelling the BT landline but it's looking good.
I am not using a VPN with the router; there doesn't appear to be the facility to do so. It isn't a requirement for me at this point. I have just updated the firmware to the current version; it takes some time but was seamless enough.
So I got the EE 4g router last night , set up by 6pm...........its nearly 24 hours later and 10gb is gone already !!!!
I cant understand it ....I'd say my wee fella has probably done 5-7 hours gaming (Fortnite) , so I didn't think that would eat that amount of data.
I've done internet browsing ....no youtube or video steaming
No on Demand or Netflix on TV
No Facetime or Skype
If we consume at this rate , this will NOT be an option
I've got 4 Devolo Dlan500 Wifi Powerlines connected to the router ...............Anyone know if these will eat data ?
I'm clutching at straws ....just don't know whats eating the data so much
That certainly seems to be a very high rate if correct. I'd let it settle down for a few days and keep monitoring.
To answer a couple of your questions: The Devolo Powerline Adapters will not add to the data usage. I'm not a gamer so can't comment on how much data that would use though I suspect quite a bit if it's HD for that length of time.
Don’t forget the PM that I sent you, Steve. 😉
There have been several updates to Fortnite in the last 2 weeks. Season 3 was released and has been updated a couple of times since. I can’t find specific download sizes but the main installer is between 9 and 15GB and I would expect updates to be 3-5GB each. Game updates always seem to be huge these days. What platform is he playing it on?
So, it's been almost 3 weeks with this setup now and I thought I'd give an update. So far it has been rock solid: no dropouts, no slowing etc. So much so, my BT service (landline and broadband) will cease on 19 March. I will not be sorry to see the back of BT and it only irks a little that BT owns EE!!! There are only three properties along the lane I live on and one of the neighbours has also now converted to this as their Internet solution.
Some observations that I have fed back to EE and I offer purely from my perspective. I should mention that I have it connected to the Netgear Orbi RBK50 mesh setup to provide seamless WiFi throughout a large barn conversion. The EE 4G Router's WiFi is disabled.
- The router is designed as a simple router with limited functionality. It should have the facility to operate in Bridge Mode so that it can be connected to a more capable router that can be configured by an Advanced User.
- The blue status LEDs should auto-dim; they are too bright at night. Not a huge issue but would be a nice feature.
- It's limited to connecting to no more than 32 devices. Not an issue for me but may be for some.
That's it.
Last edited by Skier; 10th January 2019 at 23:17.
I’ve not had a BT landline since 1999 and rely on my mobile. Used 3 and here in Northumberland their 4G flies regularly up into the 90’s for downloads.I know 3 get some stick but I’ve been with them for years.
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Here’s my results with the top one taken just now.
IMG_4123.JPG
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Are you doing speedtests?
They tend to use a lot of data, as they ram as much data through the line as they can. I was staggered how fast I used data when I speed-tested various 4G networks to establish the viability of using a 4G connection.
Hi ,
Yes I have !!!..........that's really helpful .
I've been doing them non-stop over the last 24-30 hours , both in the excitement of the faster mbps and seeing where I could optimise the placement of the router.
Now I know its quicker , but more importantly , now I know its consuming lots of data , I shall stop doing that !
thanks for that ....
Easily done.
I only found this out when I called one of the 4G service providers about my data not being available to do my Ookla speedtest and they confirmed that the data allowance I had purchased had all been used before the test had finished! On average, I think I used just under 1Gb of data per test if it was on 4G speeds, but nowhere near that if only a 3G connection was available.
I just used the Windows 10 data usage option to find out how much data a single Speedtest run used. i reset mu usage then ran Speedtest. According to Windows, Chrome downloaded 138MB in a single run. I still think Fortnite updates are the culprit.
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