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Post by MartinT on Jan 24, 2021 16:11:55 GMT
Plan B:
- renew Plusnet for one more year at £22.99, keep the broadband as a failover, then ditch
- test the Three SIM card when it arrives to check signal strength
- go with the Three 4G Hub deal at £22, disable wi-fi and use it with our BT Whole Home mesh for wi-fi
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Post by MikeMusic on Jan 24, 2021 16:30:21 GMT
Another idea Transfer the number for free to Sipgate and VOIP I actually managed that when we moved factory Clever little thing I picked up on CIX www.sipgate.co.uk/Been meaning to remind myself how did it and install here Probably even easier now |
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Post by MartinT on Jan 24, 2021 17:10:28 GMT
Good thought.
Checked: Three don't support VOIP services.
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Post by MikeMusic on Jan 24, 2021 17:18:35 GMT
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Post by ant on Jan 24, 2021 17:28:30 GMT
Same here re the landline, the last time a phone was actually plugged into it was when the mobile network was down and i needed to make a phone call. Before that it must have been a few years.
Nobody ever rings on it other than people trying to sell me stuff.
I have used my phone as a hotspot (the contract is unlimited everything) when our broadband went down but it was a pretty sketchy connection on 4g. 5g may be a different matter. I was able to cast youtube to the telly from the phone but the quality was 480p. That was about it.
My kids do alot of online gaming so it isnt viable for me
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Post by MartinT on Jan 24, 2021 18:37:33 GMT
Sipgate does it all I believe. Yes but, you're missing the point. Three comes with its own 4G router and their service (never mind the router) doesn't support VOIP. I think once we're a year down the line we'll ditch the land phone. It was the same with TV. Everything comes down the internet now, but I still get "I want to know what's on". |
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Post by MikeMusic on Jan 24, 2021 19:04:00 GMT
Being non technical could Sipgate carry the VOIP on top of the Three set up ?
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Post by MartinT on Jan 24, 2021 19:07:17 GMT
Being non technical could Sipgate carry the VOIP on top of the Three set up ? No, Three won't pass it through. |
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Post by MikeMusic on Jan 25, 2021 10:12:41 GMT
Being non technical could Sipgate carry the VOIP on top of the Three set up ? No, Three won't pass it through. Ooh, stinky Three |
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Post by MartinT on Jan 25, 2021 10:41:06 GMT
S'ok, Plan B should work. I shall await the arrival of the trial Three SIM to ascertain the signal strength.
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Post by MikeMusic on Jan 25, 2021 13:37:33 GMT
Interested to hear how it performs
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Post by MartinT on Jan 27, 2021 20:26:21 GMT
12.85Mbps today on the so-called 'Infinity' landline. Pitiful.
The Three SIM has arrived. I'll put it on test tomorrow exactly where it would sit in a router.
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Post by MartinT on Jan 28, 2021 14:17:07 GMT
Rats - it's not good news.
BT signal strength (as used in music room) -104dB
Three signal strength -112dB
That's not going to be good enough for TV streaming without dropouts.
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Post by MikeMusic on Jan 28, 2021 16:15:41 GMT
Do you know why ?
Guessing the Force is week in the Three doodah
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Post by MartinT on Jan 28, 2021 17:21:28 GMT
Different masts, different distances and terrain.
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simon
Rank: Duo
Posts: 71 
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Post by simon on Jan 28, 2021 18:43:10 GMT
Do you have the option of fitting an external high gain antenna?
Although you'll need to keep the cable run from the antenna to the router as short as possible. Otherwise any gain made from the antenna will be lost in cable attenuation.
Can you put the Sim in a phone or put the router on an extension lead and see what the signal outside is like? Depending upon the building construction and band 3 are using in your area you can get alot of loss.
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Post by MartinT on Jan 28, 2021 20:42:48 GMT
Good idea, Simon. I checked and the Huawei 5G router they supply has an antenna socket. I found more signal near the window so could mount one there. Lots of signal outside, already checked (this Android tablet has a SIM socket - I'd forgotten)
The other promising thing is that Three are upgrading to 5G across the country so performance should improve further as the router is already 5G capable.
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simon
Rank: Duo
Posts: 71
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Post by simon on Jan 28, 2021 21:13:44 GMT
There's a company called Panorama antennas who produce some great aerials for this type of application but can be a little expensive. They are pretty much the industry standard for blue light vehicles.
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Post by MartinT on Jan 30, 2021 1:21:02 GMT
I took a punt on the Three service with 4G hub (I got it wrong, you can't order the 5G in a 4G area). The hub is a Huawei B535 which gets good reviews. I've also ordered a 4G MIMO window antenna to help boost the signal a bit. £22/mo (6 months at £11/mo) for unlimited data - can't argue with that.
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Post by MikeMusic on Jan 30, 2021 10:49:04 GMT
Keep us informed Only problem now is that the Chinese Secret Service will know about all the music you play  |
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