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Temporary home internet access
Posted: Sat Aug 26, 2023 9:02 am
by DefTrap
I probably need to be in the UK for a period of anything between 2 to 4 weeks (managing a changeover between tenants) and it would be useful to have internet / wifi onsite so that I can also do at least some actual office work from site. (i.e work off my laptop on teams calls all day).
Is there anywhere that offers this sort of flexible temporary service? I don't mind paying a bit of a premium natch' but nothing ridiculous. Needs to be available at the drop of a hat and straightforward returns of any provided equipment.
Caveats. I own the place so I can do what I want.. "Mobile solutions" might be considered but bear in mind I have a non UK phone contract if it needs to hook into that.
Re: Temporary home internet access
Posted: Sat Aug 26, 2023 9:23 am
by Horse
Buy a cheap burner phone and uk data sim?
Re: Temporary home internet access
Posted: Sat Aug 26, 2023 9:35 am
by DefTrap
Horse wrote: Sat Aug 26, 2023 9:23 am
Buy a cheap burner phone and uk data sim?
Interesting. Ta.
Cheap isn't the driving factor, I'd pay double for it NOT to be a massive faff, or leave me stranded in meetings due to unforseen glitches.
Bear in mind as a non-res that "setting up accounts" for things is extraordinarily tricky sometimes. "Computer says no" attitude. I do have UK bank accounts but no shizzle like recent bills to prove that I'm a random Joe and not a sex-trafficker or money-laundromat.
Re: Temporary home internet access
Posted: Sat Aug 26, 2023 9:37 am
by KungFooBob
4/5G is the answer, depending on coverage.
Re: Temporary home internet access
Posted: Sat Aug 26, 2023 9:41 am
by cheb
I recently got a sim for my spare phone from RWG, I don't remember them wanting anything other than my payment details. They piggy back off the EE network if that's important to you.
Re: Temporary home internet access
Posted: Sat Aug 26, 2023 9:42 am
by DefTrap
KungFooBob wrote: Sat Aug 26, 2023 9:37 am
4/5G is the answer, depending on coverage.
Bear with me. What the fook does that mean in practical terms.?
If I flew in tomorrow with my fashionable Europop suitcase containing my laptop and my mid range phone on an EU contract, what are my options for setting up my home office asap.?
And bear in mind also I've never looked into mobile hotspotting etc...
Re: Temporary home internet access
Posted: Sat Aug 26, 2023 9:42 am
by Horse
KungFooBob wrote: Sat Aug 26, 2023 9:37 am
depending on coverage.
That
Forgot to add it before. Talk to neighbours, find out which are the reliable networks.
I live in Newbury, home of Vodafone's International HQ. But can drive a couple of miles and not get reception on the network.
Re: Temporary home internet access
Posted: Sat Aug 26, 2023 9:44 am
by Rockburner
Just use your phone and hotspot. 4G is fast enough.
If your French provider doesn't allow roaming just buy a UK sim with decent amounts of data.
Which port are you coming in on? I'd lend you my 4G hotspot device and it's EE sim (20Gb/m iirc) if it wouldn't be a massive faff for you to pick it up and drop it off again?
Re: Temporary home internet access
Posted: Sat Aug 26, 2023 9:49 am
by DefTrap
Rockburner wrote: Sat Aug 26, 2023 9:44 am
Just use your phone and hotspot. 4G is fast enough.
If your French provider doesn't allow roaming just buy a UK sim with decent amounts of data.
Which port are you coming in on? I'd lend you my 4G hotspot device and it's EE sim (20Gb/m iirc) if it wouldn't be a massive faff for you to pick it up and drop it off again?
Ok I think I get that mobile hotspot thing is the solution now. In my head it is all routers because that's all I've ever used ...
I'll check out the coverage, it's been more than a decade since I lived in that area (I think when I originally moved in we were still on dialup!

).
Thanks for the offer RB! Haven't made any firms plans at all for dates and routes, might be driving over (any of the south coast ports are possible) or swooping in via Stansted ....
Re: Temporary home internet access
Posted: Sat Aug 26, 2023 9:49 am
by KungFooBob
Re: Temporary home internet access
Posted: Sat Aug 26, 2023 9:53 am
by ChrisW
I bought a couple of EE 4GEE Mini routers to temporarily replace a duff fixed line.
I think they were £80 and included a sim pre-loaded with 120GB valid for 12 months. They worked great.
Re: Temporary home internet access
Posted: Sat Aug 26, 2023 4:29 pm
by porter_jamie
Yes ask your neighbours which 4/5g provider has the consistently best signal and nip.dowj Argos or whatever and get a payg SIM.
I got one for going on holiday as my provider was known not to work in the outer hebrides. I asked the landlady which one to get and sorted it before I went. The cost was basically irrelevant. Id do it again in a heartbeat.
Re: Temporary home internet access
Posted: Sat Aug 26, 2023 5:07 pm
by DefTrap
How much data am I likely to burn through with a couple of weeks mainly teams call blethering?
Re: Temporary home internet access
Posted: Sat Aug 26, 2023 6:16 pm
by ChrisW
I've not used Teams for sometime but I'm sure you can set the calls bit-rate to a custom value so see what's the minimum you're happy with and then it's easy to work out what you'd use.
Re: Temporary home internet access
Posted: Sat Aug 26, 2023 6:53 pm
by Horse
Re: Temporary home internet access
Posted: Sat Aug 26, 2023 6:54 pm
by porter_jamie
I got an EE SIM and you can get unlimited for what seemed like not silly money. It wasn't free like, but wasn't a piss take
Re: Temporary home internet access
Posted: Sat Aug 26, 2023 7:04 pm
by Mussels
DefTrap wrote: Sat Aug 26, 2023 5:07 pm
How much data am I likely to burn through with a couple of weeks mainly teams call blethering?
I've worked for several hours at a time on video calls and remote desktop and I've never been worried about hitting my 10GB per month limit even if I needed it for several days. It worked fine.
When you tether tell your computer that it's a metered connection so it restricts updates.
Re: Temporary home internet access
Posted: Sun Aug 27, 2023 9:22 pm
by Demannu
Huawei cube router and a giffgaff/ASDA/lebarra unlimited sim card
It's what I've used in France and UK for a couple of years. Fast enough to stream movies, so should cope with vid conferences.
Re: Temporary home internet access
Posted: Mon Aug 28, 2023 9:31 pm
by mangocrazy
Demannu wrote: Sun Aug 27, 2023 9:22 pm
Huawei cube router and a giffgaff/ASDA/lebarra unlimited sim card
It's what I've used in France and UK for a couple of years. Fast enough to stream movies, so should cope with vid conferences.
Aren't you restricted to 5GB per month when roaming in the EU? That's the deal my giffgaff SIM imposes. Keen to find one that gives me more data than 5GB.
Re: Temporary home internet access
Posted: Tue Aug 29, 2023 6:59 pm
by Demannu
mangocrazy wrote: Mon Aug 28, 2023 9:31 pm
Demannu wrote: Sun Aug 27, 2023 9:22 pm
Huawei cube router and a giffgaff/ASDA/lebarra unlimited sim card
It's what I've used in France and UK for a couple of years. Fast enough to stream movies, so should cope with vid conferences.
Aren't you restricted to 5GB per month when roaming in the EU? That's the deal my giffgaff SIM imposes. Keen to find one that gives me more data than 5GB.
but he's going to be in the UK!
SWMBO has GG, no idea what she uses, but now only give her 2 months roaming
i use smarty, 12gb limit and 90 days roaming.
if you need a foreign sim, try prixtel, monthly account and lets you use it in our septic isle.