Mobile Phone as Home Broadband

[STRBramley]

I've had a search for this and can't seem to find anything.

Virgin Media are currently doing a sim only deal for £15 for unlimited calls, texts and Internet.

My question is could this then be used to set up a mobile phone as a hot spot to basically have home broadband and a mobile phone for £15 a month?

 

[Paprika123]

It's not unlimited.

For customers who joined Virgin Media after 25 June 2012 excessive use over 3.5GB of data per calendar month will result in their maximum bandwidth being restricted to 3G speeds (384kbit/s downstream, 200kbit/s upstream) on our network.

 

[STRBramley]

It's not unlimited.

What if you joined in 2010?

Also, being capped to 3G isn't too bad is it? I assumed it would be a 3G connection anyway.

 

[Knuckles]

jesus is doing this

 

[Paprika123]

What if you joined in 2010?

Also, being capped to 3G isn't too bad is it? I assumed it would be a 3G connection anyway.

http://store.virginmedia.com/the-legal-stuff/our-service.html#11

Tethering isn't included in the unlimited allowance either.

 

[C2kev]

Use giffgaffs 12quid deal. Unlimited and can be tethered to my tablet even though they say you cant do it on thier website

 

[riz]

Some EE plans and all of three plans allow unlimited tethering.

I tether all the time at work and its great. It would be a bit fiddly at home though.

 

[Goodj]

Depends on your actual useage.

I'd never recommend it, given you could get a basic broadband home line for, what, £17 a month? (talktalk, primus, Plusnet).

I used to use my mobile as my connection when I was on the road with work....yes it worked, but it's just not reliable enough.

Also, if people care to look into the terms and conditions of their mobile phone agreements, you may stumble across something called a "fair usage policy"...this is where they spot you're tethering and proceed to either

1) ignore it
2) flick your connection down to 2g once you break a certain amount of data (usually 1/2gb, especially on cheaper deals)
3) send you a text and tell you to stop it
4) bin off the connection altogether and send you snotty messages about upping your tariff.

again, all depends who you're with.

 

[Jaff.]

Does guff gaff do 4g?

 

[Stunty]

Does guff gaff do 4g?

They will do, 'sometime in the first half of this year'.

 

[Jaff.]

Ahh right, thanks

 

[jesus]

The One Plan on 3, £15 a month 'all you can eat data' and unlimited tethering.

90gb in 3 months!

 

[STRBramley]

The One Plan on 3, £15 a month 'all you can eat data' and unlimited tethering.

90gb in 3 months!

Do you use this instead of home broadband then? What speeds do you get?

 

[HoneyBadger]

The One Plan on 3, £15 a month 'all you can eat data' and unlimited tethering.

90gb in 3 months!

This!

Although I'm just shy at around 100Gb in 4.5 months hahaha!

Note: It's rapid during the day, considerably slower in the evenings when tethered.

 

[172Ben]

There traffic management software will slow it down if it needs to.

Especially leachers

 

[CrippsCorner]

Mate at work does this, no complaints, but he uses on average about 20Gb per month. I actually tried this for a while but I went over my allowance of 8Gb I blame YouTube!

 

[jesus]

There traffic management software will slow it down if it needs to.

Especially leachers

3 doesn't seem to get slower at any point in the day/week/month.

Do you use this instead of home broadband then? What speeds do you get?

Yes - works a treat! If you have your phone plugged in via USB it charges it at the same time... bonus

I tend to get around 4-6mpbs. My broadband at the old house (Sky) was only getting 4 tops.

 

[172Ben]

It won't happen very often if at all but it's in there Terms that if they believe you are using it excessively or leaching then they can restrict your speed.

 

[STRBramley]

Bad news :S
http://www.gizmodo.co.uk/2014/02/ar...ed-tethering-on-threes-the-one-plan-numbered/

 

[172Ben]

Only a matter of time till it happened

 

[CrippsCorner]

Just informed my mate about this and he's gutted... used 34Gb in 4 months so far!

 

[jesus]

New customers only from what people have been saying. I'm on 95.3gb in 3 months!