MIFI or other Mobile WIFI devices when touring France Switzerland Italy etc

[Sonny terry]

Hi All,

I'm hoping to be across the water on the 31st, (if i get my airbag ECU fixedby then )

I'd appreciate any advice on getting WIFI on the road, we had an old Huawei MIFI , we bought a "one month offer" SIM in France which worked reasonably well.

I wonder if more recent MIFI devices are better at grabbing the signal or if you have any reccomendations for a particular unit. that gave good results

Then, whatever device we use, I wonder if we can buy a "roveable"data SIM in UK if that migh be a way to go.

As always, any advice gratefully received.

Best Regards

Terry

 

[denisejoe]

We just hotspot from our mobile phones although no good if you want to use loads of data.

 

[Orion]

For a good data SIM have a look at the RWG thread. Their £28 per month 200gb data only Global SIM has been working flawlessly for us in the U.K, France, Italy, Greece, and now on Crete.

Regarding mobile wi-fi the Teltonika range of commercial grade mobile routers are good but a decent roof mounted antenna can make a big difference - Poynting MIMO with connections to match the router is my preference.

 

[ChrisL]

Tesco mobile is still offering all your data with no extra charge for roaming for two months in every four at least until the end of this year, unlimited data is £25/month or £22.50 if you have a club card, I spent 2 1/2 months in the EU last year with no issues using around 500 gb's/month.

 

[h1ghway1]

I'm on Tesco mobile and have been in Europe for 3 months, no problems using phone as hotspot...100gb for just under £20 per month.

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[TheMachMan]

We’re in Italy at the moment and have been using a TP Link portable 4G router with a 160GB data only EE sim from Argos.
We used it in France, Switzerland & Spain so far and it’s been faultless even in some remote areas.
I cannot understand the need to spend a fortune on a roof mounted system, as we have been streaming YouTube, SkyGo & iPlayer with ease.

 

[PaddyM]

Maxview Roam with the cheapest data sim at any given time , works well for me .

 

[Sonny terry]

We just hotspot from our mobile phones although no good if you want to use loads of data.

Thanks for the advice. I'll check out my contract.

Terry

 

[Sonny terry]

We’re in Italy at the moment and have been using a TP Link portable 4G router with a 160GB data only EE sim from Argos.
We used it in France, Switzerland & Spain so far and it’s been faultless even in some remote areas.
I cannot understand the need to spend a fortune on a roof mounted system, as we have been streaming YouTube, SkyGo & iPlayer with ease.

looks really interesting. I"ll see what we can do with that. Terry

 

[Sonny terry]

I'm on Tesco mobile and have been in Europe for 3 months, no problems using phone as hotspot...100gb for just under £20 per month.

I'm on Tesco pay monthly I'll check that out. Thanks. Terry

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[Sonny terry]

Maxview Roam with the cheapest data sim at any given time , works well for me .

Thanks for the advice. I have been looking at MAxview on line so it's good to get a reccomendation. Terry

 

[Sonny terry]

For a good data SIM have a look at the RWG thread. Their £28 per month 200gb data only Global SIM has been working flawlessly for us in the U.K, France, Italy, Greece, and now on Crete.

Regarding mobile wi-fi the Teltonika range of commercial grade mobile routers are good but a decent roof mounted antenna can make a big difference - Poynting MIMO with connections to match the router is my preference.

Thank you, Looks interesting. I will check them out. Terry

 

[ChrisL]

I'm on Tesco pay monthly I'll check that out. Thanks. Terry

Just make sure you are have the correct Tesco apn settings when in the EU, it is possible for the sim to automatically log into an O2 apn in the UK but this is unlikely to work in the EU.

 

[h1ghway1]

Just checked my Tesco account and now confirmed free roaming for 2023 .

 

[DerryW]

We’re in Italy at the moment and have been using a TP Link portable 4G router with a 160GB data only EE sim from Argos.
We used it in France, Switzerland & Spain so far and it’s been faultless even in some remote areas.
I cannot understand the need to spend a fortune on a roof mounted system, as we have been streaming YouTube, SkyGo & iPlayer with ease.

Hi What TP Link portable 4G router are you using. Thanks

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[Nirvanauk]

As we are talking Mifi and not SIM cards I have a Huawei 5577 complete with ears and it is absolutely useless. I get more speed using my mobile as a hot spot.

 

[ChrisL]

As we are talking Mifi and not SIM cards I have a Huawei 5577 complete with ears and it is absolutely useless. I get more speed using my mobile as a hot spot.

Try manually selecting a network rather then letting it do it automatically, i presume you're travelling with it?

 

[Nirvanauk]

Try manually selecting a network rather then letting it do it automatically, i presume you're travelling with it?

Thanks I’ll give it a try. I assume I go into settings, find a list, then select one? Yes, I am travelling with it down the Vendee at present.

 

[ChrisL]

Thanks I’ll give it a try. I assume I go into settings, find a list, then select one? Yes, I am travelling with it down the Vendee at present.

Yes, from memory you go into settings than network and i think it's in their somewhere, i had to do that once in Spain, and once in France.

 

[Coastal Cruiser.]

Did eight different countries last year on one of our trips away and our Netgear M2 with EE sim pulled a good enough signal to stream 4K onto our TV
Think we had one night where it was a bit iffy so not to bad.
Tried the Smarty data sim in the UK this year when away and it was crap our mobiles on Vodafone pulled a better signal

We are away next month so will be giving the RWG data sim a go.

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[Nirvanauk]

Yes, from memory you go into settings than network and i think it's in their somewhere, i had to do that once in Spain, and once in France.

Unfortunately I don’t have a network setting . I’m starting to think that Smarty network is rubbish.

 

[ChrisL]

Unfortunately I don’t have a network setting . I’m starting to think that Smarty network is rubbish.

Are you using the Huawie hi link app? If so you must be logged in, then tap on the settings icon in the top right corner and then you should see a screen like this.

Tap on network

Then tap on network carrier

Turn off auto select network and do network search and see what looks worth a try, you may need to try several, if none improve things then just turn auto select back on.

 

[TheMachMan]

Hi What TP Link portable 4G router are you using. Thanks

Mobile Wi-Fi 4G fino a 150Mbps con display a colori

This MiFi router uses 4G LTE to reach up to 150 Mbps downloads. Just insert a 4G SIM to create your personal WiFi hotspot wherever. Enjoy HD movies, fast downloads, and video chat.

www.tp-link.com

 

[Nirvanauk]

Ah, haven’t been using an appWill try harder. Many thanks.

 

[BikerJon]

I just hot spot off my phone and use ID mobile SIM. I have 150gb a month for £12 roam like home. Unused balance gets carried forward and therefore I have 300gb a month for £12.
I am currently in Europe and have been using the phone as a hotspot for my TV for the last month. Used 26gb and just been told I have another 300gb as the monthly plan has been renewed.

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[Jugster]

We’re in Italy at the moment and have been using a TP Link portable 4G router with a 160GB data only EE sim from Argos.
We used it in France, Switzerland & Spain so far and it’s been faultless even in some remote areas.
I cannot understand the need to spend a fortune on a roof mounted system, as we have been streaming YouTube, SkyGo & iPlayer with ease.

Hi
I have the same to link Wi-Fi, with smarty 3 sim. I have not been able to get it to work since leaving the uk? Phones work great with 4g but TP link will not connect? Any ideas why it won’t work please
Thanks

 

[ChrisL]

Hi
I have the same to link Wi-Fi, with smarty 3 sim. I have not been able to get it to work since leaving the uk? Phones work great with 4g but TP link will not connect? Any ideas why it won’t work please
Thanks

First you need to check that roaming is turned on in the tp link settings, if it still doesn't work then you need to check the APN settings and make sure they are as described in the link below, I don't have a tp link so I don’t know if there is an app or if you will need to access the settings via an IP address. If by IP address you can try 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1 although the link says phone the same APN will work on the tp link. The default log in and password is usually admin, admin unless it has been changed.

Setting up your phone to work abroad | SMARTY Help Centre

Updating your settings so SMARTY works abroad

help.smarty.co.uk

 

[BigPaul]

Unfortunately I don’t have a network setting . I’m starting to think that Smarty network is rubbish.

Confirmation…. Smarty is rubbish and their customer service is worse, so we dumped that! Unfortunately we fell for the Lebara sim hype and I think it’s actually worse. 2 two hour calls to India (I checked). And we’re still without signal!!! Grrrrr…. We’re using a brand new android tv and a swanky new tp link router all set up by a computer whizz, but the nice people at lebara can do nothing. Grrrr!…….rant over! I’m in Spain by the way, on the costas so plenty of signal.

 

[daveclare]

Currently using an RWG 200gb for £20 a month whilst abroad. Combination of Netgear M2 and mobile hot spots (not that often) keeps us streaming 4k movies and downloading numerous Readly magazines.

 

[lou020]

Another vote for RWG, £20 for 200GB, had it in a Huawi Mifi, worked perfect for the fire stick and everything else whilst in France & Belgium. Beware...the £18...200GB data only is for the UK only. The global sim is £30 for 200GB.

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