Three UK - 4G Home Broadband - any users here?
Discussion
parabolica said:
Is it possible to use range extenders for 4g b/b? i.e. like the plug-in ones you can use for traditional bb. The thick walls in my place mean the signal to some of devices is marginal.
Sorry if it's mentioned elsewhere in the thread but I couldn't see anything.
If you get a 4g router then yes. We have a Huawei B315-4G, it has 4 ports and we have our hue bridge, arlo hub and a powerline plugged in, we then have wireless access points on other powerlines in the house. We live in a old house and mesh is useless and we've found the power lines with wifi to be unreliable as well. The netgear PLP-1000 does the job for us. Note if you a jumping through a consumer unit then you'll take a big hit on speed, if you're on the same AC circuit they work really well.Sorry if it's mentioned elsewhere in the thread but I couldn't see anything.
A question for the experts.
I'm on Vodafone, with the Huawei B525 router (also using Google Mesh pucks)
Since swapping to this, I can no longer access my network camera or NAS drive from outside of the network.
It seems port forwarding doesn't work on 4G networks (at least I can't figure it out)
Can anyone assist? I have a reolink IP camera and using a synology NAS
I'm on Vodafone, with the Huawei B525 router (also using Google Mesh pucks)
Since swapping to this, I can no longer access my network camera or NAS drive from outside of the network.
It seems port forwarding doesn't work on 4G networks (at least I can't figure it out)
Can anyone assist? I have a reolink IP camera and using a synology NAS
This might help with the setup on the router. https://superuser.com/questions/1163821/port-forwa...
AndyTR said:
This might help with the setup on the router. https://superuser.com/questions/1163821/port-forwa...
Cheers for the post, I'll check the setup compared to mine. Coincidentally my IP camera and my synology all stated working after I posted here, very very odd.
Now if I could only get my Xbox to have an Open NAT, I'd be very happy
I'm still fighting with Three over my poor speeds, yesterday they suggested a replacement SIM might help, I couldn't see how but dutifully headed to the nearest Three store in a shopping centre packed with maniacs and collected one. It hasn't helped.
They say they'll send me another AI Cube to try. It wint help.
I still have full signal strength, pretty much line of sight to the mast etc - their service status page for my postcode still says they have an issue. It's said this for months.
Discussions so far seem to suggest and repairs to 3G and 4G stuff is mothballed while they focus on 5G.
In the meantime we'll carry on watch YouTube at 144p and only having one device connected at once
They say they'll send me another AI Cube to try. It wint help.
I still have full signal strength, pretty much line of sight to the mast etc - their service status page for my postcode still says they have an issue. It's said this for months.
Discussions so far seem to suggest and repairs to 3G and 4G stuff is mothballed while they focus on 5G.
In the meantime we'll carry on watch YouTube at 144p and only having one device connected at once
thetapeworm said:
I'm still fighting with Three over my poor speeds, yesterday they suggested a replacement SIM might help, I couldn't see how but dutifully headed to the nearest Three store in a shopping centre packed with maniacs and collected one. It hasn't helped.
They say they'll send me another AI Cube to try. It wint help.
I still have full signal strength, pretty much line of sight to the mast etc - their service status page for my postcode still says they have an issue. It's said this for months.
Discussions so far seem to suggest and repairs to 3G and 4G stuff is mothballed while they focus on 5G.
In the meantime we'll carry on watch YouTube at 144p and only having one device connected at once
Had the same problem with my Three mobile phone. Eventually I had enough and moved to a different provider. They say they'll send me another AI Cube to try. It wint help.
I still have full signal strength, pretty much line of sight to the mast etc - their service status page for my postcode still says they have an issue. It's said this for months.
Discussions so far seem to suggest and repairs to 3G and 4G stuff is mothballed while they focus on 5G.
In the meantime we'll carry on watch YouTube at 144p and only having one device connected at once
ashleyman said:
Had the same problem with my Three mobile phone. Eventually I had enough and moved to a different provider.
I suspect that's where I'm heading, tempted by the BT FTTP that's been rolled out locally, just annoying I'll still be paying for the Three contract at the same time. thetapeworm said:
I suspect that's where I'm heading, tempted by the BT FTTP that's been rolled out locally, just annoying I'll still be paying for the Three contract at the same time.
You may have already mentioned it but I'm not reading back through 20 pages to check 
- can you not put the sim in your phone and use it for free voice calls and texts to get some use from it, then get a sim from another provider for your home internet? Lemming Train said:
You may have already mentioned it but I'm not reading back through 20 pages to check - can you not put the sim in your phone and use it for free voice calls and texts to get some use from it, then get a sim from another provider for your home internet?
Oh yeah, it won't go unused, they'll be 24/7 unlimited downloads at 10Kbps no matter what - can you not put the sim in your phone and use it for free voice calls and texts to get some use from it, then get a sim from another provider for your home internet? 
DuckSauce said:
A question for the experts.
I'm on Vodafone, with the Huawei B525 router (also using Google Mesh pucks)
Since swapping to this, I can no longer access my network camera or NAS drive from outside of the network.
It seems port forwarding doesn't work on 4G networks (at least I can't figure it out)
Can anyone assist? I have a reolink IP camera and using a synology NAS
The major UK LTE providers use CG-NAT which prevents port forwarding. Essentially your router will carry a private IP on their network which isn’t reachable on the internet. They can’t give millions of consumers unique public IP addresses simply because there aren’t enough to go around. I believe there may be some exceptions available for businesses but as another Vodafone user I’ve never found a way around this. I’ve never raised it with them though.I'm on Vodafone, with the Huawei B525 router (also using Google Mesh pucks)
Since swapping to this, I can no longer access my network camera or NAS drive from outside of the network.
It seems port forwarding doesn't work on 4G networks (at least I can't figure it out)
Can anyone assist? I have a reolink IP camera and using a synology NAS
Edited by theboss on Tuesday 24th December 20:31
Stussy said:
techguyone said:
Most likely it'll be EE
Been really pleased with our 4G EE, plenty quick enough to stream HD video. If it ever slows down a simple reboot sorts it every few weeks at worst
Still can't make a voice call though as no signal bars on my phone
. But for internet duties I'm very impressed and happy with EEs product. Very much exceeded my expectations.I have no line of sight to the mast, and am in a terrible area for mobile reception on the north Cornwall coast.
I’m seeing an average of 25-35 up and down, while not as quick as it could be, it’s plenty good enough for me and mrs to browse and stream stuff.
Especially when the best effort BT could offer us was 1mb download on a good day!
I’m seeing an average of 25-35 up and down, while not as quick as it could be, it’s plenty good enough for me and mrs to browse and stream stuff.
Especially when the best effort BT could offer us was 1mb download on a good day!
techguyone said:
Lemming Train said:
techguyone said:
Interesting and informative thread, I've learnt a few things for sure.
The main one being to avoid Three (and their offshoot) like the plague if you want a working connection 
.so, been using a 3 mobile broadband for about a month now. I get between 5 and 25mb download speed which is fine at the top end but I get moans from the family if at the bottom end. I am using a B525 router which seems ok, it needs an occasional reboot which appears to improve speeds.
So which Poynting Antenna do I need to improve the performance, I checked their website and the antenna choice is a bit bewildering.
I had bought a cheap ebay antenna that you stick on the window but its useless and the speed goes down rather than up with it fitted.
Help!!!!
So which Poynting Antenna do I need to improve the performance, I checked their website and the antenna choice is a bit bewildering.
I had bought a cheap ebay antenna that you stick on the window but its useless and the speed goes down rather than up with it fitted.
Help!!!!
The Poyntings have been mentioned a few times in this thread. The general consensus for those of us already running B525s is that they don't improve speeds but in fact reduce them. The reason for this could be that whilst you may see an increase in signal strength, you are also seeing an increase in noise as well which reduces your SNR, hence the reduction in actual speed. The B525s have a good reputation for the performance of their internal antenna and often proves to be the best option for achieving the highest speeds. Even just using the optional rabbit ear antennas on mine saw a good 25% reduction in speeds over the internal antenna.
Your natural instinct is to think that obtaining the biggest antenna will net you the fastest speeds but it doesn't necessarily work like that because of the noise factor.
Most people tend to go for the Poynting A0002 directional because it has the biggest gain numbers, but unless you have a clear, visual and unobstructed line of sight to the mast and you know 100% sure that the mast is the one you are connecting to (your closest mast isn't necessarily it) then you're likely to make matters worse for yourself. If there are any structures in the immediate vicinity then you'll suffer because the signal reflects off other buildings and scatters, meaning that the signal is hitting your antenna from a multitude of different directions. That's no good when your antenna isn't pointing in any of those directions. Instead you should opt for the A0001 omni-directional which has lower gain but will 'capture' the signal reflections and scatter if you don't have a line of sight and/or you're in a built-up area.
You also have to consider the signal losses you'll see in the cabling from the antenna to the router and your PC if you're hard-wiring it, both of which (co-ax and ethernet) will be significant if you mount the antenna on your chimney, for example.
It's very much trial and error with this 4G stuff! Stuff you'd expect to work often doesn't and stuff you'd think has no chance of working actually works great! One guy on here has his router shut away in his airing cupboard and gets better speeds with it in there than anywhere else in his house.
Your natural instinct is to think that obtaining the biggest antenna will net you the fastest speeds but it doesn't necessarily work like that because of the noise factor.
Most people tend to go for the Poynting A0002 directional because it has the biggest gain numbers, but unless you have a clear, visual and unobstructed line of sight to the mast and you know 100% sure that the mast is the one you are connecting to (your closest mast isn't necessarily it) then you're likely to make matters worse for yourself. If there are any structures in the immediate vicinity then you'll suffer because the signal reflects off other buildings and scatters, meaning that the signal is hitting your antenna from a multitude of different directions. That's no good when your antenna isn't pointing in any of those directions. Instead you should opt for the A0001 omni-directional which has lower gain but will 'capture' the signal reflections and scatter if you don't have a line of sight and/or you're in a built-up area.
You also have to consider the signal losses you'll see in the cabling from the antenna to the router and your PC if you're hard-wiring it, both of which (co-ax and ethernet) will be significant if you mount the antenna on your chimney, for example.
It's very much trial and error with this 4G stuff! Stuff you'd expect to work often doesn't and stuff you'd think has no chance of working actually works great! One guy on here has his router shut away in his airing cupboard and gets better speeds with it in there than anywhere else in his house
.Lemming Train said:
The Poyntings have been mentioned a few times in this thread. The general consensus for those of us already running B525s is that they don't improve speeds but in fact reduce them. The reason for this could be that whilst you may see an increase in signal strength, you are also seeing an increase in noise as well which reduces your SNR, hence the reduction in actual speed. The B525s have a good reputation for the performance of their internal antenna and often proves to be the best option for achieving the highest speeds. Even just using the optional rabbit ear antennas on mine saw a good 25% reduction in speeds over the internal antenna.
Your natural instinct is to think that obtaining the biggest antenna will net you the fastest speeds but it doesn't necessarily work like that because of the noise factor.
Most people tend to go for the Poynting A0002 directional because it has the biggest gain numbers, but unless you have a clear, visual and unobstructed line of sight to the mast and you know 100% sure that the mast is the one you are connecting to (your closest mast isn't necessarily it) then you're likely to make matters worse for yourself. If there are any structures in the immediate vicinity then you'll suffer because the signal reflects off other buildings and scatters, meaning that the signal is hitting your antenna from a multitude of different directions. That's no good when your antenna isn't pointing in any of those directions. Instead you should opt for the A0001 omni-directional which has lower gain but will 'capture' the signal reflections and scatter if you don't have a line of sight and/or you're in a built-up area.
You also have to consider the signal losses you'll see in the cabling from the antenna to the router and your PC if you're hard-wiring it, both of which (co-ax and ethernet) will be significant if you mount the antenna on your chimney, for example.
It's very much trial and error with this 4G stuff! Stuff you'd expect to work often doesn't and stuff you'd think has no chance of working actually works great! One guy on here has his router shut away in his airing cupboard and gets better speeds with it in there than anywhere else in his house.
Very good post.Your natural instinct is to think that obtaining the biggest antenna will net you the fastest speeds but it doesn't necessarily work like that because of the noise factor.
Most people tend to go for the Poynting A0002 directional because it has the biggest gain numbers, but unless you have a clear, visual and unobstructed line of sight to the mast and you know 100% sure that the mast is the one you are connecting to (your closest mast isn't necessarily it) then you're likely to make matters worse for yourself. If there are any structures in the immediate vicinity then you'll suffer because the signal reflects off other buildings and scatters, meaning that the signal is hitting your antenna from a multitude of different directions. That's no good when your antenna isn't pointing in any of those directions. Instead you should opt for the A0001 omni-directional which has lower gain but will 'capture' the signal reflections and scatter if you don't have a line of sight and/or you're in a built-up area.
You also have to consider the signal losses you'll see in the cabling from the antenna to the router and your PC if you're hard-wiring it, both of which (co-ax and ethernet) will be significant if you mount the antenna on your chimney, for example.
It's very much trial and error with this 4G stuff! Stuff you'd expect to work often doesn't and stuff you'd think has no chance of working actually works great! One guy on here has his router shut away in his airing cupboard and gets better speeds with it in there than anywhere else in his house
.I have the A0002 because I have clear line of sight to the only mast operating in my area (confirmed by several mast checking sites/databases) and see considerable improvement in signal quality metrics when pointing straight at it.
In *most* use cases the Omni-directional is indeed better for all the reasons above.
I haven’t actually fixed mine outside yet. I’ve just had a wireless broadband connection (Airband) fitted which gives me 50/10Mbps with much lower latency and jitter than LTE and am using that primarily. I still plan to configure the LTE but only when I’ve identified and procured a small weatherproof PoE LTE router which can be mounted right next to the antenna outside, thus keeping the Co-ax attenuation to an absolute minimum. I also intend to configure policy based routing or a software-defined WAN solution to determine exactly which traffic types should use which link... e.g. video streaming over LTE and all my important real-time remote working over WiFi.
If anyone deliberating over one of these is anywhere near Shropshire they are welcome to borrow it to try (the directional aerial).
Edited by theboss on Friday 27th December 18:32
Gassing Station | Computers, Gadgets & Stuff | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff