Forum Discussion
Three Network is "Throttling us all" [My Opinion]
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.
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 👍
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 😉)
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 ...
Loathe to say this, but you might have to switch to another network to get 4G speeds :
