SIM Card Recommendations for Traveling (1 Viewer)

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Jul 2, 2024
29
13
West Lancashire District, UK
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104,271
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Adria Matrix
Good day to you all,

What sim cards do people use for the internet in a motor home/caravan? How much data are we likely to use if we are away approx 1-2 weeks a month and sometimes travelling abroad? Can you purchase one that you can disable when not using and then reactivate when needed and what are the best networks?

Many thanks
 
Jun 20, 2023
200
83
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96,807
MH
planning oneā€¦
It honestly shouldn't be hard. They all are the same. Password for wifi and Admin password printed on back (in the battery case usually) along with what to enter into your laptop to get logged in (web url to the admin page). That is something I do use a smart phone camera for though as the text is so small it's hard to read so I would suggest if you don't hvae a smart phoen you transpose that information to a notebook in the van as it's impossible to see if it's in a motorhome cupboard (as ours lives).

All there is to change is the APN for a sim card, and the ZTE is handily preprogrammed for many UK sims already so you just put sim in, turn on, done in most cases. It is in general very simple to configure and use any wifi router, and they all are near enough same these days. For newer providers you may need to change the APN depending on who suppleis the sim. I'd be more than happy to run anyone through configuring these at a motorhome show if they need it, we're at Norwich next week and can go through how ours works (we have the older cat12 ZTE, but it's same pretty much as a newer one).
Is there a website somewhere that shows this so I can see before I buy one..?
Thanks
 
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May 16, 2023
1,245
3,005
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95,993
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Bailey Alliance 66-2
Is there a website somewhere that shows this so I can see before I buy one..?
Thanks
Likely in the manual for the ZTE device. If you search APN settings for ZTE on youtube, you'll get literally HUNDREDS of videos showing the process. The warning I give with ZTE devices is you MUST turn off mobile data in the options PRIOR to changing any APN setting. (it can get stuck on a bad APN). Turn off mobile data on the device through the gui, then go to apn settings and change then, finally turn back on the mobile data.

It's not hard if you grab a video. The settings for your sim card we write down, you usually only need the APN name, username and password. For an ee carrier memory is it's normally everywhere, with username eesecure and password secure with auth type = none.
(finall option isn't saying don't authenticate, it's saying don't use encryption when authenticating despite "none". ^ works for all carriers that use EE in general (including virtual carriers).

For Three native sims, it's three.co.uk with no username or password and auth type - none again. Make sure the username/password totally blank as anything in there breaks it. For Smarty there are some other settings if you roam (need to look them up).

If you use a Three setting on a smarty sim, it will work, but it'll be slow and won't roam. Ditto vice versa, which is why we recomend you check APN settings as most ZTE devices are prone to using Smarty settings on a Three "normal sim" which slows the performance quite a lot.
 
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Jun 29, 2020
169
110
Preston, UK
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72,441
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boxer L4 H3
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self built and finished
Been looking at 1p mobile for use in the uk.
Has anyone had any fair use issues with their unlimited data packages
 
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Sep 27, 2021
102
94
Inverness, Highland, Scotland, UK
Funster No
84,491
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Cathargo
Exp
2015
Good day to you all,

What sim cards do people use for the internet in a motor home/caravan? How much data are we likely to use if we are away approx 1-2 weeks a month and sometimes travelling abroad? Can you purchase one that you can disable when not using and then reactivate when needed and what are the best networks?

Many thanks
Hi I am still searching for an unlimited data sim to go into our router for our next trip January france/Spain without much success . This year I bought a Sim from Vodafone on our way down through Spain it worked very well amd cost about 32Euro a month charged to your bank account the only problem was to cancel it as they make it very difficult and we ended up paying an extra month when we were back in uk. There must be a company out there that you can buy an unlimited data sim payable monthly and easy to cancel,100mb is not enough per month as we are in europe for the max 90 days
If anybody has any suggestions they would be very welcome
 
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MichaelT

LIFE MEMBER
Nov 12, 2015
3,908
8,241
Colchester
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40,159
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Carthago I 143 LE
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Since 2016
Hi I am still searching for an unlimited data sim to go into our router for our next trip January france/Spain without much success . This year I bought a Sim from Vodafone on our way down through Spain it worked very well amd cost about 32Euro a month charged to your bank account the only problem was to cancel it as they make it very difficult and we ended up paying an extra month when we were back in uk. There must be a company out there that you can buy an unlimited data sim payable monthly and easy to cancel,100mb is not enough per month as we are in europe for the max 90 days
If anybody has any suggestions they would be very welcome
IQ Mobile, just buy multiple of 100gb as needed.
 
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Aug 18, 2021
40
39
Funster No
83,530
MH
Dreamer
Hi I am still searching for an unlimited data sim to go into our router for our next trip January france/Spain without much success . This year I bought a Sim from Vodafone on our way down through Spain it worked very well amd cost about 32Euro a month charged to your bank account the only problem was to cancel it as they make it very difficult and we ended up paying an extra month when we were back in uk. There must be a company out there that you can buy an unlimited data sim payable monthly and easy to cancel,100mb is not enough per month as we are in europe for the max 90 days
If anybody has any suggestions they would be very welcome
This looks like it ticks the boxes https://connectpls.com/unlimited-data-sim/. I've ordered, the sim arrived in a couple of days by Special Delivery. I have it connected in my router (it's a vodafone sim), heading abroad next week so will see how it goes.

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Oct 26, 2013
88
54
Reading
Funster No
28,751
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Globecar PVC
Exp
Since 2012
I've got the IQ Go sim. Used it in a TP link last week in Holland, Germany and France, no problems. Have just ordered the ZTE U50 - 5G Mobile Wi-Fi router from IQ as well. We also have ID Mobile for our phones which give us 30GB roaming each.
How are you finding the ZTE U50?

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Apr 19, 2022
246
502
Funster No
88,188
MH
Autotrail
Good day to you all,

What sim cards do people use for the internet in a motor home/caravan? How much data are we likely to use if we are away approx 1-2 weeks a month and sometimes travelling abroad? Can you purchase one that you can disable when not using and then reactivate when needed and what are the best networks?

Many thanks
Previously we have used Popit mobile. Ā£25 for 100gb 30 day rolling contract. My wife recently renewed her phone contract with EE. Ā£10 per month unlimited data. Next time we go we will pay EE Ā£25 per month for the time we are away to unlock her data across the EU. Anyone with EE and with plenty of data might consider that option.
I use ID mobile. Ā£7 per month for 15gb. Unused data rolls to next month up to a max of 30gb. I can use all that no charge in the EU.
 
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Oct 25, 2023
8
38
Guernsey
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99,515
MH
AutoTrail Savannah
Exp
I'm a newbie
Thank you for your valued information regarding the IQ mobile and i take it that this works purely abroad? Was hoping that we could get one which we could use in the UK and also abroad? Not too clued up on modern tech as you can tell ha ha
The IQ Mobile SIM works in the UK as well as the rest of Europe. We have used it for the past four months in the UK, France and Spain, absolutely perfect coverage everywhere we went.
 
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Mar 21, 2010
2,514
3,022
Funster No
10,727
Good day to you all,

What sim cards do people use for the internet in a motor home/caravan? How much data are we likely to use if we are away approx 1-2 weeks a month and sometimes travelling abroad? Can you purchase one that you can disable when not using and then reactivate when needed and what are the best networks?

Many thanks
Try IQ Mobile they have some good deals . When you ring them you speak to a real person!
Colyboy
 
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Nov 14, 2018
1,197
3,127
Europe
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57,224
MH
A grey one
Exp
since 1996
How are you finding the ZTE U50?
Really pleased with it. Currently in Greece and it using it right now. It's worked well through Germany, Italy as well. Had a few iffy nights weatherwise so were able to watch iPlayer without any buffering issues. Have also FaceTimed with folk in UK. We are using an IQ Mobile Go sim which is really good.

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Jan 11, 2023
14
14
Whitby, UK
Funster No
93,363
MH
Bailey Alliance 76-4
Exp
Since 2021
Hi
There are loads of options and a few threads on here about this already. We've recently just been in France for just under 4 weeks. We had an IQ Mobile 100gb data sim which just about covered our usage but the Euro's did start part way through our trip and I watched quite a few matches. You buy the sim for 1 month and then buy again mid-month or the following month if you need more. No contract but you do have to pay Ā£20 for the sim card which is an annual fee. So in the above example we paid Ā£40 total and another 100gb next month (or any month in next year) would be another Ā£20. Roaming is unlimited, it was usually a stronger signal than the campsite wifi, and I never struggled to get a service, anywhere in France. Oh and their support (Frazer) was first class and helped me no end when my router wouldn't connect at first install.
Totally agree. Buying the data when you need it suited me and was a saving over the year from my Smarty card
 
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Jun 6, 2020
336
245
Funster No
71,520
MH
Apache Hi Line 634
Quick update to the thread -

Portugal - 15 day sim - unlimited data Vodaphone ā‚¬20.

Spain data sim 150gb - registered - ā‚¬15

Both sims used in HUAWEI MI-FI

Sept 24
 
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