Backup 4G router

wizard

wizard

wizard

Associate
Joined
19 Oct 2018
Posts
372
Thinking of keeping a decent 4G router as a temporary backup (recently "burnt" wit ISP FTTP outage). Don't want to spend more than £50ish, so do not mined a used one. Any suggestions please? I assume these have sim slots.
 
GuruJockStrap said:
Isn't just a case of picking up a MiFi device (£40 ish) where you can connect up to a minimum of X devices you require wireless connectivity and get a data only SIM from a network operator that provides the best coverage in your area?

Or am I missing something?
Click to expand...

Just looking for recommendations on MiFi device really.
 
snarloas1982 said:
A 4g router may give you a better connection from the end device to the router. But if you have poor mobile reception already will you benefit with this vs using hotspot? I suppose this is what you have to ask yourself.
Click to expand...
Should have mentioned earlier - have better reception in the front downstairs front room for some reason than the rest of the house. So, my thinking is to place a 4g Router there to provide emergency backup internet to some (not all) devices.
 
Zefan said:
Tbf this is the first time you've mentioned bad reception. Due to that, I think use of/correct setup of a directional antenna will be of more impact than choosing any specific router, although it's possible that some routers may not come with external antenna capability.
Click to expand...
Agreed on bad reception point. I am seeking advice on good 4G router with antenna for this.
 
Caged said:
Do you want to point out where you said that? A £50 mobile router is going to perform worse than an average smartphone.
Click to expand...
Apologies - did not earlier but see post 13 above. Cannot leave the smartphone in one place where there is good signal, hence router route or maybe Hotspot for more flexibility in future
 
Caged said:
I would consider the duration of outage you are trying to cover for here. If you're expecting to fail over to 4G for several days then yes it makes sense to have a separate router, but if you're filling a few hour gap while your FTTC has an issue then I'd look at a router that could be a wireless client to my hotspotted phone, or can have the phone connected to it via USB.
Click to expand...
FTTP. Had the misfortune to have lost internet twice for 3-5 days! At the mercy of Openreach rather than the ISP!
 
SpellowHouse said:
I did this a few months back. I tried a variety of equipment.

My ordinary router is an ASUS, which has a failover. It can either use the USB or an Ethernet port. It's not really that important, though, because you can just manually unplug your current modem and plug in a 4g router in its place.

Having tried a few, I particularly like the Zyxel because they had a reasonable amount of configuration, and you could set the IP on the LAN side to 192.168.0.1 which didn't clash with my normal routers settings of 192.168.1.1.

You can get a zyxel router, used, for that sort of money. TP-Link offer some alternatives, but I didn't try one of those.

There is little point in buying a fast router if you are in a poor reception area. A cheap one will perform just as well as one costing twice the price.

As to which service you buy, the best I found was 3. Their SIMs are available in the jungle, and they just plug in and work. Others, you have to put them in a phone first to register the SIM before it works.

I am still not entirely sure of all the rules for the SIM, but I think it has to be used once every six months, or it stops working altogether and in addition, most of them also lose their data allowance within a month if it is not used.
Click to expand...
Thank you. What Zyxel model are you using please?
 
a1ex2001 said:
I have a HUAWEI B535 (Can be had second hand for about £50) it wasn't originally purchased as a backup but I haves used it when the landline connection has died, we use a mesh wifi so it was just a question of plugging in the router and connect the mesh to the $G router instead of the broadband one and everything was back alive. It is a pretty basic bit of kit but seems reliable and gets decent enough signal where I live when used with a GiffGaff sim which are convenient as you can top them up when ever and however much you need and I didn't have to put it in a phone to activate it you can even pick up txt messages on the router.
Click to expand...
Interesting point. I assume you are talking about a GiffGaff PAYG card? Does these expire every month or do you need to use it every often? Switched from Tesco Mobile (does not give Wifi calling on Pixel 6:mad:) to O2 directly. More data at lesser price and good Wifi calling!Does it matter that GiffGaff does not support Wifi Calling?

B535 look tempting but just wondered if I should also consider Mobile broadband which would work as a backup option should the Broadband goes down and cannot get Wifi calling?
 
Last edited:
In an emergency situation (no internet) and for a very short term solution, would my phone sim be an option with a 4G modem / mobile router?
 
AnastieByte said:
I was using a Huawei B525 4G router at my caravan It was ok for streaming Netflix etc. I then ordered a Huawei B535 to see if it improved the speed due to some tech using two towers or something similar! That router did increase my speeds. I also tried a Poynting Omni antenna but that made no difference.

The B535 certainly appears fast for 4G and around £60 used.
Click to expand...

Managed to get B535-333 for £65 on ebay. Looked at B353-232 around £60ish but 333 has a Voip phone connection which may be useful.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom