Hi all,
I'm moving into a new property which I've discovered has no ports for ADSL and is not NBN ready, so I'm turning to mobile broadband now, specifically eyeing the Optus 200 GB/month plan.
Just wondering how I would actually use the SIM card - do I buy a modem? I think I've got an old Telstra USB dongle somewhere - would that work? I'd rather not use a USB style modem if I have to plug it into my laptop to use internet on all my other devices.
Is this Stuart Robert? :)
hahahaahhaaa love it.
If you have an old mobile lying around, you can pop the SIM in there and use it as a hotspot. Just have it permanently plugged into its charger.
Bear in mind that the older phones don't do that fancy ol' channel bonding, and you'll have limited speeds.
Newer phones and modems can go crazy and get over 250mbps in the right areas. It's pretty crazy.
be careful if you do this as hotspotting can make some phones run hot
Options:
1) If your current router has a USB port - plug in the telstra dongle (if unlocked); or pick up a router that has a USB port if cost effective
2) Use an old mobile phone as a dedicated hotspot
3) Pick up a cheap unlocked wifi 4G modem - coles/woolies have them pretty often for under $100
There's lots of ways you can use the SIM card. In addition to what has been listed above, you can also get routers that can take a SIM card (if you have multiple computers, I'd recommend this over a wireless dongle)
https://www.optus.com.au/shop/broadband/home-wireless-broadb…
Yep. I have both setups. One for house and one for shed to use with security system.The best is definitely the one that takes 4g sim.seems quicker. The other is serviceable though. I use the Vividwireless unit.
The Optus modem sucks. I had to change the DNS to 8.8.8.8 in all my devices to bypass the crappy DNS implementation in the modem. Also, I end up using my iPhone as a hot spot because the speeds are much faster on it compared to the modem.
I signed up to this plan a couple month back. I bought a vivid wireless router that I can put my sim card straight into. I live in Melbourne and may speeds vary greatly. Sometimes I get 20 or 30mbs, but a peak times ie 6pm, i've noticed speeds drop right down to 1mb. I've played around the router a bit so I'm not sure if it's an issue with the traffic that my local tower gets or the router itself.
My Optus/vividwireless also slows down at night. A previous suggestion re using 4g phones is also worth trying. It really seems to come down to the provider though.
Have you tried another router to see if it's the vivid that is the issue? I'm overall pretty dissatisfied with the average speeds I get as I was hoping to use of for PS4 gaming. The inconsistency kill me.
I’ve been doing this for a year, I have 2x Optus 200gb plans with data pooling. I’m using the Optus AC800S modem (cat 9) plugged in to an Asus AC68U wireless router via USB. It took a little configuration to get set up, I had to use the USB 2.0 port instead of the 3.0, and it sometimes stops working & I need to unplug the modem while I restart the router & then plug the modem back in once the router is running.
Otherwise it’s been good.
I’m doing this because I was getting about 10mbps on ADSL (that would also go down completely after heavy rain) and then 2.5mbps on Optus cable during peak times (100mbps off peak, but that wasn’t much use to me). 4G seems to be no worse than 25mbps peak, and I’ve had up to 140mbps off peak.
Does your setup deliver consistent speeds without any dropouts? My vivid wireless router is so slow. I know it's slow because my s9 phone also with optus gets much faster speeds so I would think that my coverage is not the problem. How much did your Optus AC800S cost? Is it compatible with most routers?
The speeds are consistently around 25mbps during peak times and consistently around 70mbps off peak, but I do get dropouts - maybe once per fortnight. Optus tells me my comparatively low speeds (for 4G) & drop outs are because I live too close to the tower, I'm in the maximum radiation band which is also apparently a low signal area. I don't know if that's true or not. My iPhone gets similar speeds, not sure about dropouts.
The trickiest part was finding a decent WiFi router that allowed WAN over USB, rather than the AC800S being compatible specifically. I've only tried it with the AC68U and it mostly works well, but after a dropout it requires a full restart of the modem & router.
I just bought the AC800S from Optus, paid off month to month. I can't remember how much it cost. The NETGEAR Nighthawk that Telstra sells looks like a better modem (and has an Ethernet port to use for WAN into a router) BUT it's not compatible with the fastest Optus bands.
4G wouldn't be my choice of connection, but it's much better than the ADSL or HFC cable I have available.
eyeing the Optus 200 GB/month plan
Which one? These ones come with a wifi modem
https://www.optus.com.au/shop/broadband/home-wireless-broadb…
While these ones need to BYO your own modem
https://www.optus.com.au/shop/broadband/mobile-broadband/dat…
If the later, then just buy one the optus prepaid mifi devices, pop your simcard into that and away you go.
$60 for this https://offer.optus.com.au/shop/prepaid-device/wifi-e5577b
I have been in a similar aituation. Optua Usb stick modems dont have good constant availability, mainlu useful for occasional use or backup. I would recommend NETGEAR LTE Modem LB2120 street price around $170 very stable unlocked modem connected to the wan port of an existing router . I have tried the ASUS 4G-AC68U AC1900 Dual-Band LTE Wi-Fi Modem Router requires resenting every few days.
leave the sim in the phone ,download PDAnet from playstore & install on phone ,then download the windows version
PDAnet
connect phone to pc usb port & follow prompts , I used this when the NBN stopped in my street
& was unable to make a hotspot on my phone
no root
Assuming you have an android 'phone, connect phone to computer with usb to micro usb cord. In phone, go to Settings, turn wifi on. Tap 'more'. Tap 'Tethering & portable hotspot'.Tick the box 'USB tethering'. Easy-peasy, I can download at <400 Mbps [using Telstra system].
Only go to mine if aarn's does not work , I should have mentioned this as 1st option
My solution was the not so cheap Teltonoka RUT950. No complaints so far.
Very reliable then?
My signal is weak so it does dropout every now and then although it could be the router.
You could also buy something like the Asus 4G-AC68U and just insert your Sim in that. You have to update the setting to connect to Optus though.
I have used one it requires a hard reset every few days - not recommended for remote use
I am using one currently with Telstra and have used with Optus prior, with no issues whatsoever
am glad yours works well! could be am in the outer suburbs
5 days without a ''thanks'', good work pal
Am in a similar suituation myself. No NBN in my area so I’m looking at mobile broadband. I would prefer a router with a SIM card slot, have been looking at the tp-link archer mr200. Anyone using this or similar?
What did you get and which sim plan?
I got the Optus 100Gb month to month plan and it’s has a bonus 100gb data every month so 200gb per month. I ended up buying a Netgear Nighthawk M1 modem on EBay. I’m getting 50/20 speed and it’s pretty reliable. Way better than adsl.
I'm getting the 200GB/m plan, with the )$ upfront 4G Plus WiFi Modem (Cat 6) B525.
Also consider the new Optus 5g broadband plans if you’re lucky to be in the zone
I use a Huawei E5573 4G WiFi modem. It does not need to be plugged in to use and connects up to 10 devices at once.
I just got the 200GB/m with the Huawei b525 modem. I must say, I'm impressed, as I'm consistantly getting faster d/u speeds than I was with Telstra velocity.
Some wifi routers have USB ports for you to connect your USB dongle, but you will need to check the compatibility list. Or you can maybe just use a pocket wifi if your place isn't very big.