Forum Discussion

PhilipM_2194613's avatar
PhilipM_2194613
SMARTY Pioneer
03-08-2023

Data Only SIM

Hi Smarty Forum, 

I recently purchased a Unlimited Data only SIM which I have put in a MikroTik LTE external router.

I have added in a APN as per the Smarty instructions and am getting around 28Mb down and 43Mb up.

I live rather rurally so I am extremely happy with that - much better than phone line (19Mb down and 0.9Mb up)

The problem I am having is that the speeds are not consistent. Last night after two hours stable it dropped to around 0.37Mb down and this morning is around 8Mb. 

It does not seem to be Tower traffic related as it is not happening at specific times so I wonder if I have missed something in the setup or am doing something wrong.

Any help or assistance would be much appreciated.

Many thanks.

4 Replies

  • Chalkychap's avatar
    Chalkychap
    SMARTY Trendsetter
    03-08-2023

    You might want to bear in mind the SMARTY terms & conditions state an unlimited data only SIM should NOT be used as a long term substitute for landline broadband - I think this is covered in sections 5.15, 5.16. 

  • MSF's avatar
    MSF
    SMARTY Guru
    03-08-2023

    PhilipM_2194613  The fact that you are able to get signal is encouraging and suggests that you have set it up correctly.

    With my limited knowledge of mobile signal tech, I wonder if this drop in speed is purely down to some form of congestion at certain times.

    Smarty do stress that mobile data should not be seen as a replacement for broadband and I guess this is one of the reasons.

    • Strandloper's avatar
      Strandloper
      SMARTY Motivator
      03-08-2023

      PhilipM_2194613,

      Could you keep a record of when things are slower?

      Recording the weather, whether traffic is high or low on nearby roads (if any), along with the speeds?

      There may be correlations between these, but otherwise it's as MSF suggests

      • PhilipM_2194613's avatar
        PhilipM_2194613
        SMARTY Pioneer
        03-08-2023

        Hi StevenW & MSF

        Many thanks for coming back to me so quickly, much appreciated.

        I guess it must be traffic related (perhaps that is why the Up link is so much better than the down?).

        I'll key an eye on it and see if I can discover a pattern to it. Interestingly the variation only started on Monday, it was consistent all weekend so that may suggest a traffic problem.

        Thanks once again.