Posted 3 days ago

EE (4G sim) modem or starlink for home use

I have BT internet

It is expensive and my speed is only 15

I can get 75 - 100 on a EE sim mobile on 4G (This seems to be a good speed for 4G - we do not have a 5G signal in our area)

I am therefore thinking about getting an EE contract for a 4G router


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ee.co.uk/sho…ils


For a family with 3 teenagers, would it be worthwhile getting a EE home (sim) router Smart 4G Hub 2 or starlink?

EE would be cheaper but I am worried about "fair usage" policy of 1000gb per month

What would you advise?
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  1. AndyRoyd's avatar
    Is that EE option £150 upfront and £50/m, plus annual rise on that £50/m?
    If so, that seems steep, moreso with 1TB/m limit.

    3 & Voda are the only (obvious) networks offering unlim data with no restrictions.

    3 starts from around £10/m on 12m+ contract; Voda via TM £16/m 30days.
    Buy your own router;
    4G LTE router say £30+ via CEX with 24m warranty;
    5G router say £110+.

    Teens may not appreciate cellular ping.
    aLV426's avatar
    I used a Voxi SIM in an EE 4G router, 5G routers are silly expensive and sadly I don't appear to get coverage.
    The kids didn't notice the ping (Fortnite on Xbox & Youtube)
    52625931-PRJWG.jpgNote that Starlink can creep up to around 100ms ping although you should see around 40~50ms....
    (Gaming - such as Fortnite benefits from a sub 50ms ping, 67ms is still playable though) (edited)
  2. ifitsfreeitsmine's avatar
    Check BT account to see your current monthly data usage, if your data usage is fairly constant and is within your 1000Gb new contract allowance then it should be enough for your family needs.
    Your current speed is slow, if new service is much faster, then expect your data usage to increase.
    You will normally be charged alot if you exceed your data allowance so check what they charge and be prepared to set limits in your account so that you do not exceed your allowance.
    Your current broadband is slow and expensive, if you can get faster and cheaper then it's a no brainer so long as you get enough data allowance and get reliable reception.
    If you do decide to switch, which ever system you decide to use check your cooling off period. If for example you get 2 weeks, during those 2 weeks stress test the system to make sure it works for you. If it doesn't fulfill your needs cancel it before the period ends, you don't want to be stuck with a 24 month contract which don't fulfill your requirements.
  3. KodaBear's avatar
    EE don’t tend to cut you off when you pass the fair use policy. In my experience they just stop you from being able to use 5G and drop you to 4G at whatever speed is available over that network technology. If 4G is all you have there anyways you may not experience any slow down whatsoever.

    You’re probably better off getting your own router and SIM separately yourself though. It will likely be better value for money.

    I wouldn’t bother considering Starlink at all.

    Have you checked BIDB.uk just to see if there happens to be any other options you haven’t considered for better internet at your address? It will also show which other mobile networks have good coverage where you live as EE is most expensive and if you can get something good from the other networks it may help you out a lot here - Three and EE often share their cell towers with each other for example and Three home broadband is only £22 a month without a fair use cap. Speeds may not be quite so high however as their network is typically more congested.
  4. TristanDeCoonha's avatar
    Do you have any fibre companies operating in your area? Many offer 1gb speed for around £27 per month with no limits
    FrampyStinkwonkel's avatar
    This
  5. pekoz1's avatar
    Unless you already know that 15 is the best download speed you can possibly get via your BT connection .......??

    It maybe worth just double checking whats possible at your home ....from the BT Openreach side of things anyway.....before you move to the 4G solution. Its pretty simple to check what you can get in 2 steps....

    If you find your UPRN (unique property reference number) on this site
    findmyaddress.co.uk/search

    cut and paste your home's UPRN or just make a note of it

    open up the BT Wholesale Checker (Broadband Availability) web page and paste in your UPRN into the UPRN box and Submit
    broadbandchecker.btwholesale.com/

    The results page will tell you whats available / at what speeds . maybe block out your UPRN for anonymity and post the results on here if you need help with deciphering anything.

    So that will tell you whats possible at your property from the broadband solution provided via BT Openreach.....via BT or other companies using BT Openreach products like say Zen.

    (Its posssible that you should be getting better than 15 from whichever broadband connection type you currently have)


    This wont cover Virgin or any other independent fibre suppliers.....
    Helpful567's avatar
    Author
    Thanks for the advice - it says that the best I can get is 15
  6. Helpful567's avatar
    Author
    Thanks to everyone for the advice

    I have just tried a vodafone and a 3 sim

    sadly both provide approximately 5 meg speed.

    My O2 sim has 3 meg speed

    So it looks like the options are either EE or starlink
    KodaBear's avatar
    If you’re quick CMLink are a partner brand of EE and have an introductory offer for £24 a month on a rolling contract for unlimited data for the first 3 months then £30 after that. You’ll find it cheaper to get one of these and then get your own router to use with it. CeX sell them at decent prices with a 2 year warranty included.
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