Three Network is "Throttling us all" [My Opinion]

[TonyA]

I have only been a Smarty user for about six or so months. I do like the service they offer and would like to continue using them..

The problem for me is that the 3 (Three) Network is very unreliable during daylight hours.

Every day from about 07:30 the speed drops from about 20 MB per second [overnight speed] to about 530 Kb to 1Mb per second. This service remains like this for the majority of the day until after midnight when it reverts to approximately 20 Gb per second.

I find this unacceptable and unworkable and wish to ask in open forum what others are experiencing. I do understand that I may be doing something wrong which is inhibiting my internet access speed. But I just don't get the difference between the daytime rubbish speeds when others are using the Three network and nighttime half-reasonable speed when mass access to the web drops away.

I have included a few Screenies to show my point.

Please "Three" STOP Throttling me ...

Regards

Tony

[Strandloper]

@TonyA,

Have you been able to check what the signal is like (not just speed)?

I use Mastdata, and my signal strength (RSSI) is usually around -98dBm, and this runs true throughput the day.

I don't notice any drop off with data speed that available to me

[TonyA]

Hi StevenW, thanks for your reply, I didn't know about the Mastdata signal checking site, I have just tried it for my postcode here are the results. By the way it took me 4 minutes to log into the Smarty website due to signal difficulties. That was at 22:40 this evening.

I am sure that its not a Smarty issue ...

[TonyA]

Just re-ran speedtest at 00:20 hrs and hey ho increased speed ....

[JJP2]

 Really ?

Not in my experience 

[TonyA]

Wow JJP2 - "Envy On" I can only dream of such service ... Thumbs Up

[JJP2]

Smarty - Still on steroids for me 

[JJP2]

 Admittedly, that test is at 01.40 hours Saturday 29th July, but that is a superb speed to achieve on my iPhone 13 mini 

[TonyA]

OMG ... If I had just half of that kind of service I would be very happy.

I failed to mention in my original post that I am using a Microsoft Surface laptop [Windows 10 + 8Gb Ram] hard-wired via RJ45 [not solely relying on Wi-Fi] connected to a TP Link AC1200 Dual Band Gigabit Router connected [hard-wired] to a roof mounted Poynting [690-3800 MHz] antenna.

I use a Smarty unlimited data only SIM.

Could I make some realistic improvements, all suggestions are very welcome.

I have looked at alternative networks such as EE and o2 but I prefer to stay with Smarty if I can resolve my signal difficulties.

All the best ...

[JJP2]

I am by no means an expert on routers and antennas. 

Do you have other devices connected to the router, such as a PlayStation, Firestick, etc, which would eat into the available bandwidth ?

[TonyA]

Hey JJP2 - No I don't have anything else connected to the router, its solely used to connect my laptop to provide me with an internet service.

In time - when I finally manage to get a stable, adequate service I would like to stream TV network services like Prime or Netflix, Catch Up TV and the like.

But hey ho ...

For now just an accessible and useable service would be cool ...

Cheers ...

[JJP2]

Just a thought - You’re not in a caravan, motor home or mobile home, are you ? 

If you are, any nearby metal  structure could be acting as a Faraday cage, and causing issues with the coverage / speed. 

Smarty do say that mobile broadband should not be used as a long term solution to fixed line broadband. You are paying what, £18 or £20 for the unlimited data SIM ? My fixed line broadband with “PlusNet” is £29.17 a month, and until 9th August, they have an offer on, £24.99 a month (Probably an 18 month or 24 month contract) which is not much more than you are paying for the Smarty SIM. That’s for full fibre too.

I have used “PlusNet” broadband since 2011, and can’t fault them, otherwise I would have jumped ship to another company. 

[TonyA]

Hi again, thanks for your info, "Thumbs Up"

No I am not in a caravan, motor home or mobile home but something very similar.

I am in a Park or Holiday Home which is a known as a Lodge, it does have a metal sub-frame [like a static caravan] and our lodge is made of timber, similar to a log cabin. Our lodge is not mobile, it is sited in a permanent location.

Great thinking regarding the possibility of a Faraday cage which may causing issues with the coverage / speed.

But what I don't understand if that is the case is why it doesn't affect my signal 24 hours each day. My nighttime signal strength and on some other daytime occasions I can manage intermittent but reasonable services up to 35 Mbps. I will explore this idea further to see where it may lead me.

Thanks also for the PlusNet info ...

The main reason for using a mobile internet facility is because we only visit our lodge for long weekends and a few occasional longer breaks during the year, so it doesn't make financial sense to pay annual fees for a full blown landline with all the trimmings.

Cheers and thanks again for your thoughts 👍

[JJP2]

 

As you only use the lodge for occasional weekends, it doesn’t make sense for you to sign a contract for a fixed line broadband account. 

As for mobile broadband, you may experience problems with any network, due to the metal subframe of your lodge, unfortunately.

Check out network coverage of all networks. Then, buy a SIM card or two from the networks offering the best coverage, and then a cheap 30 day package from them, to see what kind of connectivity and speeds you get.

Another option would be to stay with Smarty, or another network network offering better coverage, spend £11 on this USB Wi-Fi dongle, available from Amazon, which has 12,000 positive reviews, which would plug straight into the USB port of your Microsoft Surface. As it plugs into the USB port, you would at least be able to use the Surface outside the lodge, in the garden, or cafe etc if there is one on the park where your lodge is. This means any mobile broadband signal would not be obstructed by the metal subframe of your lodge.

As it’s Amazon, if the dongle doesn’t work, you can of course get a full refund. (Other brands of dongle are of course available 😉)

Foktech dual band Wi-Fi dongle 

[TonyA]

Hi JJP2

You said "As for mobile broadband, you may experience problems with any network, due to the metal subframe of your lodge, unfortunately."

I don't understand how daytime hours The Lodge frame interferes with my signal but late night early hours of the morning it doesn't. The difference is enormous.

Daytime Speeds [07:30 (ish) and all day long I struggle with around 1 Mbps Overnight 00:10  to 07:30 hrs I can sometimes achieve anything up to 20 Mbps]

Three's coverage map show "very good 4G coverage for calls, text and data both indoors any outdoors". Coverage map attached ...

I have decided to try my mobile Wi-Fi  tp-link 4G lte wich I have had for a year or so and have had decent results while on the move - I will connect using a giffgaff SIM [which uses the o2 network] to see if I can achieve better connectivity and service with them as there is an o2 network antenna within about 1 mile of our lodge.

https://www.tp-link.com/uk/home-networking/mifi/m7350/

Thanks for your idea regarding a dongle, I am going to try my Mi-Fi first and will certainly try getting away from the lodge to see if it helps by not being near the metal frame. [Good suggestion].

I'll keep you informed of the outcome after trying it for a few weeks.

PS ... Thanks a lot for all your suggestions and ideas, you have been very helpful. 👍

I will post again in once I have set up and tested the Mi-Fi. I won't be back at the lodge for a couple of weeks so don't hold your breath.

Cheers ...

[JJP2]

At a guess, no more than that, the poor daytime speeds may be due to network congestion, with possibly a lot of times also trying to use Smarty or Three mobile broadband ? 

Night time speeds better as people are asleep, watching TV etc 

Just my thoughts, nothing scientific at all.

[JJP2]

From signalchecker.co.uk :

 

[JJP2]

Loathe to say this, but you might have to switch to another network to get 4G speeds :

 

[leedorney]

This is easy why Tony is not getting a decent signal, like we're all at the will of other people grabbing onto phone masts and taking the effective bandwidth in this case the mobile signal strength. So Tony's problem is exactly that, it gets better at night so his available signal strength is hampered in the day. What he'd be best doing is downloading an app so he can see where he nearest mast is BUT this is got one serious caveat that screws all this, he's hooking a laptop up to this network and they never go well, the Sims are designed for a mobile phone, do he's best using a dongle on some way from a service that caters for it, that's my two peneth..