Data Dongle/Hub for Gaming

Jase

Jase

Jase

Soldato
Joined
19 Oct 2002
Posts
5,197
Location
Pembrokeshire
I'm having a few internet issues at the moment and thinking of getting a data dongle/hub as a back up.

I would want to use it for gaming so any recommendations on what to get? Ideally a pay as you go option. I don't usually get 5G here only 4G.

Thanks
 
TP-Link MR600 is a great choice - obviously going to need a sim plan as well with it - personally lean towards EE if you are going to be gaming as they seem to have the lowest consistent latency.

Just be aware for gaming even in an excellent signal area on 4G you'll be at a disadvantage in fast paced games - even with a consistent low ping you don't quite get the same responsiveness for some reason as a fixed line and generally you'll get a lot more latency variation than a fixed line - this is what I get most of the day on EE 4G:

Pinging bbc.co.uk [151.101.0.81] with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 151.101.0.81: bytes=32 time=30ms TTL=54
Reply from 151.101.0.81: bytes=32 time=30ms TTL=54
Reply from 151.101.0.81: bytes=32 time=35ms TTL=54
Reply from 151.101.0.81: bytes=32 time=30ms TTL=54
Reply from 151.101.0.81: bytes=32 time=31ms TTL=54
Reply from 151.101.0.81: bytes=32 time=40ms TTL=54
Reply from 151.101.0.81: bytes=32 time=32ms TTL=54
Reply from 151.101.0.81: bytes=32 time=32ms TTL=54
Reply from 151.101.0.81: bytes=32 time=98ms TTL=54
Reply from 151.101.0.81: bytes=32 time=33ms TTL=54
Reply from 151.101.0.81: bytes=32 time=31ms TTL=54
Reply from 151.101.0.81: bytes=32 time=33ms TTL=54
Reply from 151.101.0.81: bytes=32 time=33ms TTL=54
Reply from 151.101.0.81: bytes=32 time=29ms TTL=54
Reply from 151.101.0.81: bytes=32 time=31ms TTL=54
Reply from 151.101.0.81: bytes=32 time=31ms TTL=54
Reply from 151.101.0.81: bytes=32 time=32ms TTL=54
Reply from 151.101.0.81: bytes=32 time=30ms TTL=54
Reply from 151.101.0.81: bytes=32 time=32ms TTL=54
Reply from 151.101.0.81: bytes=32 time=32ms TTL=54
Reply from 151.101.0.81: bytes=32 time=32ms TTL=54
Reply from 151.101.0.81: bytes=32 time=32ms TTL=54
Reply from 151.101.0.81: bytes=32 time=32ms TTL=54
Reply from 151.101.0.81: bytes=32 time=31ms TTL=54
Reply from 151.101.0.81: bytes=32 time=32ms TTL=54
Reply from 151.101.0.81: bytes=32 time=32ms TTL=54
Reply from 151.101.0.81: bytes=32 time=33ms TTL=54
Reply from 151.101.0.81: bytes=32 time=32ms TTL=54
Reply from 151.101.0.81: bytes=32 time=33ms TTL=54
Reply from 151.101.0.81: bytes=32 time=33ms TTL=54

Normally the baseline is 26ms and a little more consistent - but the nearest tower to me is down for maintenance. For most games it is perfectly playable though - personally I rarely if ever get it drop or see packet loss, etc. but your mileage likely will vary area to area.

There is the cheaper MR6400 which works very well - but increasingly the lacking of more advanced features like gigabit LAN and having only Cat4 LTE support is starting to become a false economy over the MR600 as technology moves on.
 
Jase said:
I'm having a few internet issues at the moment and thinking of getting a data dongle/hub as a back up.

I would want to use it for gaming so any recommendations on what to get? Ideally a pay as you go option. I don't usually get 5G here only 4G.

Thanks
Click to expand...
WJA96 said:
TP-link MR600.

www.tp-link.com

4G+ Cat6 AC1200 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router

This 4G LTE router supports 4G+ Cat6 for 300Mbps speeds. Plug in your SIM and enjoy HD movies, file downloads, and gaming. Gigabit Ethernet ports provide speed and reliability.
www.tp-link.com www.tp-link.com
Click to expand...

Thanks both, looks ideal. It's more of a backup as I had constant disconnects last night then a spell of no internet.
 
I had a thought and tried my mobile hotspot before I bought a dongle/router.

On a 4G connection (with EE) I am getting a download speed of 214KB/s :( pretty much unusable.

I guess I won't see much of a difference if I get the router if the 4G speed is so bad anyway?
 
Last edited:
Depends on a few things whether it is just as bad:
  • What network you use. Get a few free PAYG sims stick a quid on them and see if you get better performance on one network vs another
  • The quality of the router itself
  • Closely related to the router - the signal picked up by the antennae. I got results similar to you but by mounting an external poynting aerial, directing it towards the mast and running the cables back to the MR600 inside I now get an acceptable (for me) 20Mbps with <100ms latency which is fine as a backup for work.
 
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