Mobile Phone Signal & Broadband, North Norfolk
Discussion
Hi, contemplating relocating to North Norfolk where we've been holidaying for the past 12 or so years.
One issue we have is the poor mobile phone reception I have (Vodafone) and
also the misses (EE).
Broadband speed in our target area seems to be 1Mb compared to 4.5/ 5.5 where we live & I work.
We'd like to live in a village rather than a major town so I understand that affects the signal strength.
Is there anything we could potentially do to improve broadband speed if we relocated? I accept I'd have to rely on a landline to make & receive calls, which would cost me as I use my mobile a lot for work (self employed) to make calls to other mobiles.
Any advise greatly received.
One issue we have is the poor mobile phone reception I have (Vodafone) and
also the misses (EE).
Broadband speed in our target area seems to be 1Mb compared to 4.5/ 5.5 where we live & I work.
We'd like to live in a village rather than a major town so I understand that affects the signal strength.
Is there anything we could potentially do to improve broadband speed if we relocated? I accept I'd have to rely on a landline to make & receive calls, which would cost me as I use my mobile a lot for work (self employed) to make calls to other mobiles.
Any advise greatly received.
Which bit of North Norfolk are you thinking of?
The cynic in me thinks broadband is possibly better in the Chelsea on Sea stretch. My parents live in Sheringham, which is a few miles south of that, and their broadband is iffy. But, I live in Cambridge, so I'm used to excellent broadband.
The mobile reception has got better.
Do you like wind turbines? that is now the prevailing sea view (thanks, London-centric politicians who don't have to look at the things every day; you just get a complacent self-congratulatory glow for the week or two when you deign to visit and escape your bubble).
Rant over. And I am happy to try and answer questions sensibly, although I don't live there anymore myself.
The cynic in me thinks broadband is possibly better in the Chelsea on Sea stretch. My parents live in Sheringham, which is a few miles south of that, and their broadband is iffy. But, I live in Cambridge, so I'm used to excellent broadband.
The mobile reception has got better.
Do you like wind turbines? that is now the prevailing sea view (thanks, London-centric politicians who don't have to look at the things every day; you just get a complacent self-congratulatory glow for the week or two when you deign to visit and escape your bubble).
Rant over. And I am happy to try and answer questions sensibly, although I don't live there anymore myself.
I have to use a Vodafone Sure Signal where I live (uses internet to give 3G phone signal in your home). That might get round the landline to mobile issue. But if the broadband speed is really that low in the area, it might not work very well.
Not sure about increasing broadband speed though.
Not sure about increasing broadband speed though.
Check out the better broadband for Norfolk website - it may give an idea if the area you are thinking of is inline for an upgrade.
https://www.betterbroadbandnorfolk.co.uk/
My parents live in N.Norfolk and the mobile coverage has got a lot better where they are but the broadband is still very poor. No fibre just ADSL2 where they are.
You can use mobile broadband for home broadband with some extra kit but costs are increased - like: https://www.solwise.co.uk/4g-routers-rut240.html and and an external antenna.
Also you could have an additional BT line installed and bond the lines together to get almost double the speed but again with additional cost.
Finally the DSL checker is a good resource too - https://www.dslchecker.bt.com/
You can check by postcode if you don't have the number too
https://www.betterbroadbandnorfolk.co.uk/
My parents live in N.Norfolk and the mobile coverage has got a lot better where they are but the broadband is still very poor. No fibre just ADSL2 where they are.
You can use mobile broadband for home broadband with some extra kit but costs are increased - like: https://www.solwise.co.uk/4g-routers-rut240.html and and an external antenna.
Also you could have an additional BT line installed and bond the lines together to get almost double the speed but again with additional cost.
Finally the DSL checker is a good resource too - https://www.dslchecker.bt.com/
You can check by postcode if you don't have the number too
Edited by ecotec on Tuesday 10th September 18:35
Europa1 said:
Which bit of North Norfolk are you thinking of?
The cynic in me thinks broadband is possibly better in the Chelsea on Sea stretch. My parents live in Sheringham, which is a few miles south of that, and their broadband is iffy. But, I live in Cambridge, so I'm used to excellent broadband.
The mobile reception has got better.
Do you like wind turbines? that is now the prevailing sea view (thanks, London-centric politicians who don't have to look at the things every day; you just get a complacent self-congratulatory glow for the week or two when you deign to visit and escape your bubble).
Rant over. And I am happy to try and answer questions sensibly, although I don't live there anymore myself.
Looking at a search radius of 15 miles north, East or West from Fakenham.The cynic in me thinks broadband is possibly better in the Chelsea on Sea stretch. My parents live in Sheringham, which is a few miles south of that, and their broadband is iffy. But, I live in Cambridge, so I'm used to excellent broadband.
The mobile reception has got better.
Do you like wind turbines? that is now the prevailing sea view (thanks, London-centric politicians who don't have to look at the things every day; you just get a complacent self-congratulatory glow for the week or two when you deign to visit and escape your bubble).
Rant over. And I am happy to try and answer questions sensibly, although I don't live there anymore myself.
Kettmark said:
Europa1 said:
Which bit of North Norfolk are you thinking of?
The cynic in me thinks broadband is possibly better in the Chelsea on Sea stretch. My parents live in Sheringham, which is a few miles south of that, and their broadband is iffy. But, I live in Cambridge, so I'm used to excellent broadband.
The mobile reception has got better.
Do you like wind turbines? that is now the prevailing sea view (thanks, London-centric politicians who don't have to look at the things every day; you just get a complacent self-congratulatory glow for the week or two when you deign to visit and escape your bubble).
Rant over. And I am happy to try and answer questions sensibly, although I don't live there anymore myself.
Looking at a search radius of 15 miles north, East or West from Fakenham.The cynic in me thinks broadband is possibly better in the Chelsea on Sea stretch. My parents live in Sheringham, which is a few miles south of that, and their broadband is iffy. But, I live in Cambridge, so I'm used to excellent broadband.
The mobile reception has got better.
Do you like wind turbines? that is now the prevailing sea view (thanks, London-centric politicians who don't have to look at the things every day; you just get a complacent self-congratulatory glow for the week or two when you deign to visit and escape your bubble).
Rant over. And I am happy to try and answer questions sensibly, although I don't live there anymore myself.
But, then again, I probably don’t use it as much as you would!
I live in west Norfolk and when I moved in 6 months ago the internet was under 1 mb. Luckily it’s now been upgraded and my little village can get up to 300mb.
My neighbours who could get a signal. Normally houses not bungalows achieved 12mb through satellite internet which I think maybe subsidised if the internet isn’t at a certain speed.
This was my neighbours provider http://www.itswisp.co.uk/
My neighbours who could get a signal. Normally houses not bungalows achieved 12mb through satellite internet which I think maybe subsidised if the internet isn’t at a certain speed.
This was my neighbours provider http://www.itswisp.co.uk/
Europa1 said:
The cynic in me thinks broadband is possibly better in the Chelsea on Sea stretch...
I'm on the coast in the Chelsea-on-Sea bit. Fakenham is where I usually do my food shopping.Broadband is fine where I am (about 31mbps download/9mbps upload, as I type this); mobile signal is lousy and depends on the weather (it's better when it's raining, for some reason).
The wind turbines are well off-shore, so you'd have to be fairly obsessive to notice them, most of the time.
I'm south Norfolk.
Standard broadband in my village was 2.5mbps when we moved here two years ago.
Our little village now has fibre.
We nearly got b4rn with 1000mbps but BT got here quicker with standard fibre.
Our mobiles are with 3 and we've recently upgraded our handsets so we now get much better coverage.
Standard broadband in my village was 2.5mbps when we moved here two years ago.
Our little village now has fibre.
We nearly got b4rn with 1000mbps but BT got here quicker with standard fibre.
Our mobiles are with 3 and we've recently upgraded our handsets so we now get much better coverage.
The broadband is gradually improving but the phone signal is carp (doesn't matter which network). If you're self employed (depends what business) expect a huge drop in sales - people in Norfolk don't buy much! A work colleague said to me before I moved here "that area's the Saleman's Graveyard" - he was right. Oh - and your car will be too wide for the lanes
I'm in Aylmerton and we moved here from just down the road in West Runton a couple of months ago.
Broadband is with BT and absolutely fine, i get 70mb down and around 20mb up. I work in IT and it is more than enough day in, day out.
Mobile on the other hand is more problematic. When we were down near the beach in Sunny Runny we got 4 bars of 4G with Vodafone, 1.5 miles up the hill and in the Felbrigg woods and we get a terrible signal with 1 bar sometimes and 3 bars at others. Clearly the trees in leaf make a huge difference to the signal. I will be going down the Vodafone Sure Signal route.
In general though North Norfolk is an absolutely wonderful place to live. I have been up here 15 years and consider our quality of life to be absolutely fantastic.
Regards Mike
Broadband is with BT and absolutely fine, i get 70mb down and around 20mb up. I work in IT and it is more than enough day in, day out.
Mobile on the other hand is more problematic. When we were down near the beach in Sunny Runny we got 4 bars of 4G with Vodafone, 1.5 miles up the hill and in the Felbrigg woods and we get a terrible signal with 1 bar sometimes and 3 bars at others. Clearly the trees in leaf make a huge difference to the signal. I will be going down the Vodafone Sure Signal route.
In general though North Norfolk is an absolutely wonderful place to live. I have been up here 15 years and consider our quality of life to be absolutely fantastic.
Regards Mike
blackmme said:
...consider our quality of life to be absolutely fantastic.
Maybe it's just me, but the fact that I am not permanently connected to a smartphone is a big contributor to that. I spend at least 2 hours a day walking on the beach with the dogs, and during that time, if you want to talk to me or email me, you're just gonna have to wait...Equus said:
blackmme said:
...consider our quality of life to be absolutely fantastic.
Maybe it's just me, but the fact that I am not permanently connected to a smartphone is a big contributor to that. I spend at least 2 hours a day walking on the beach with the dogs, and during that time, if you want to talk to me or email me, you're just gonna have to wait...
O/T, but which beach do you walk along? I didn’t think Burnham had a beach as such. We take our dog to either Wells or Holkam. Other walks are Felbrigg or Holt country park. Our favourite is probably Sheringham Park where we can do a circular 7 mile walk.
Grandad Gaz said:
I had a vision of you permanently connected to Pistonheads.
Only when I'm working (I'm incapable of only occupying myself with one thing at a time, so I've usually got PistonHeads and several other things open on one screen, while I draw on CAD on the other). Which, yes, increasingly feels like all the time... so much for semi-retirement. 
I count the 'Chelsea on Sea' Coast as running from Blakeney up to Holme next the Sea (Old Hunstanton at a push, but that's getting a bit too close to New Hunstanton, where no self-respecting Chelsean would be seen dead). Burnham Market is just kind of its regional capital?
I'm usually to be found at either Brancaster Beach or the walk between Burnham Overy Staithe to Wells (via Holkham Bay, of course). Occasionally Thornham to Holme, but that's not so dog-friendly, due to the nature reserve.
Equus said:
I count the 'Chelsea on Sea' Coast as running from Blakeney up to Holme next the Sea (
I would definitely place its eastern boundary further along the coast than Blakeney. Cley is certainly part of 'Chelsea on Sea' (based on the prices they seem able to charge in the deli!) and really so is Salthouse now as well. Recently (the last 18 months) I have noticed the 'Retirement Micra's' of Weybourne seem to be becoming replaced by more Volvo's and RR's so I guess the spread down the coast is continuing further; although as mentioned in respect of Hunstanton in the west I cannot see it embracing Cromer!
Regards Mike
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