Felix is a new mobile operator from TPG Telecom (TPG & Vodafone) which offers a single unlimited mobile plan for $35 a month. The plan includes unlimited calls and texts on the 3g/4g Vodafone network along with unlimited data capped at 20Mbps which should be enough for high definition video, phone tethering is allowed but use in an external modem or as a home internet replacement is not.
1 Month Free or $35 Credit for referrer and referee after SIM activation.
Think of it like, if not being used in a modem, it's more likely only 1 person would generally use the connection.
If it's in a modem, it would more likely be used by several people. Therein placing more load on the Vodafone data network.
I guess thats the issue with an “unlimited “quota. Thx, tho’ I’m still no wiser about the amaysim scenario (which, yeah, is outside the scope of this thread)
So what’s the best device to hotspot this service throughout the household?
I currently use my old iphone 5s as my tethering hotspot internet at home. I just stick a kogan 40g once a month
As late the model as possible for 2 reasons. They have better antennas for better reception to the mobile tower (for speeds under 20Mbps) and dual band wifi as 5ghz is preferred.
What is the benefit of using a modem over a hotspotting a phone. Are there any benefits speed wise?
Speed wise it depends on your reception to the mobile tower which is dependant on the device. I found that my Huawei B818 is way better than Galaxy Tab S4 which in turn is way better than iPhone 6S. The wifi signal too if you are using it from one room to another. The 6S barely gives 3-5 metres of wifi range.
If you can get the max download up to 20Mbps and can use the wifi near your phone then a phone is suitable speed wise.
Does anyone know if they offer sharing the phone number with a smartwatch, so you can use the two independently? a service similar to vodafone numbersync https://www.vodafone.com.au/plans/numbersync?
Never heard of any third party sellers offering such a service, just the basics, you get what you pay for.
I wonder if you control the TTL , would they still be able to detect the sim is in a modem
How is the TTL from a modern any different to using your phone as a hotspot?
get a cheap smartphone and use it to tether lol
Why do you wanna use this sim in a modem? any specific reason/benefit that modem has over using a phone as a hotspot?
Most likely wifi coverage. And your phone will get quite hot when tethering which will reduce battery life. But if you have an old phone then by all means make use of it.
Great deal. Unfortunately there is no Voda reception where I am, probably a good 10km radius around me as well :(.
Thanks OP. Just in time for my rural rotation.
The value of this is stunning now that it is 20mbps instead of 5mbps.
20mbps up and down is enough for one user to do basically anything, but it will come down to your particular tower and congestion.
The telcos are going to have a hard time giving an answer to this. There is of course cheaper options and the majority of people do not need to have unlimited at all, but the point that really draws people to plans like this is not needing to think about anything. The sms, calls, and the internet all keep working at the same speed and same way, always, just $35 a month.
If they enable vowifi, volte and visual voicemail, it will be a dream too. I guess 5g isn’t enabled either yet. But tbh they might not need to, maybe Vodafone will do that themselves with their plans.
I ported in today and managed to get visual voicemail working by dialling 1217. Here’s the link on their website which listed the dialling code:
https://help.felixmobile.com.au/support/solutions/articles/5…
I've just switched and done a speed test. I was hoping it would be 20 up as well but its measuring as 5mbps upload. Still good but it would have been nice to get a symmetrical 20/20.
bugger, I really need 20Mbps up to accommodate 2 people working from home. 5Mbps might work for one person but likely not enough stability for two video conference streams.
It looks like the 5mpbs was just due to network congestion, I think musicinbed69 was right about 20 up and down (or whatever speed your phone can manage). Might be worth trying them out :)
Sorry, I think I was wrong about this. I've just done another speed test and its given me 18.9 down and 13.3 up. It must have been network congestion (previously tested at 5:30pm and now at midnight). Downloads were around 19mbps both times.
I'm using an s8+ in the Adelaide CBD with 4 bars of signal, maybe a newer phone would get better signal and speeds.
Thanks for the update! Great to know the cap is is not 5mpbs. I am quite lucky Vodafone network in my house has very good speed (faster than NBN FTTN) and I am yet to see congestion. So this might just work for me. Would like to give this a go when working from home finishes, whenever that might be!
The only thing I am missing with these mobile networks is that all of them are on CGNAT. I have some low bandwidth server apps running on home server that needs to be accessed from the internet. Need to work out how to bridge a internet accessible cloud VM to the home server over Wireguard…
@CoronavirusVaccine: Took quite a little while to get around CGNAT by using Google Cloud free tier VM. SSH reverse tunnel to port forward a local OpenVPN server port to the remote cloud VM with internet routable external IP. Wasted a lot of time to try to the same thing using WireGuard which is my preferred VPN protocol, however the SSH reverse tunnel is normally intended for TCP and doesn't play nice with WireGuard over UDP. There is about 400ms ping penalty with using Google Cloud free VM but it's sufficient for my application, just for remote checking a couple of home automation sensors on home assistant.
There are pure WireGuard set up that doesn't involve using SSH reverse tunnel. https://github.com/DCKcode/breakout-box
@CoronavirusVaccine: This reference using pure WireGuard set up works well https://www.reddit.com/r/WireGuard/comments/g0l1sn/help_me_m…
How do they reconcile;
"You are permitted to tether other personal devices, such as your laptop or tablet, to your mobile phone by creating a mobile hotspot from your phone via Wi-Fi. "
with the very next paragraph;
"However the felix plan must not be used … as a substitute for a home internet service or in a modem."
for example, an elderly, single person does not need "a home internet service" if the phone has unlimited data to tether a laptop or tablet.
They have out of date CIS's on the site. The latest one says "What does Endless data at speeds of up to 20Mbps mean for me?
With 20Mbps you can stream music and high definition video, make a video call, browse the internet and catch up on social
media, however downloading or uploading large files such as updating apps or syncing to cloud storage may be slower to load.
We wouldn't recommend it replace your home internet plan, it's good but not that good."
Has anyone signed up and using in a modem? My parents are looking to replace the $28 100GB circles plan they are on. They are low users and consume about 40-50gb/month. This plan seems to be a suitable replacement.
I understand that the modem part would be against the terms, however for their low usage, I wonder if it would be an issue.
Keen to hear what others have done in this space….
I'm trying to understand what are the benefit of using a modem over a hotspotting a phone? e.g better speed due to better antenna?
That's exactly it - usually phone hotspot range isn't as good as a wifi router/modem or proper wireless access point. So if coverage is not an issue then there's no additional benefit in using a wifi router/modem.
Folks also have a VOIP setup too which runs from a 4g modem with inbuilt voip.
Android phones have a maximum capacity of ten devices that they can tether, iPhones 4 though 11 have a max of five. This can be an issue, for e.g. on my wifi I have 2 nest minis, 2 chromecasts, a printer, 2 tablets, 2 laptops, and 2 phones.
Keen to know the answer to this
Just bought a tp link modem that uses sim card
Previously was using those pocket wifi but it died.
Definitely alluring if can be used on modem
I just want to say that I have had this plan for a week now, and I've been getting consistent speeds of 21 down and 21 up (see photo). I'm a pretty heavy data user and don't notice the limited speed when it comes to Netflix or anything. I do notice it a little bit on updating apps, but other than that I have no complaints at all. I recommend this plan.
I was just going to keep it until the new series of phones come out, but I reckon I'll stay with them and just buy a phone outright!
Btw I don't live in a major city and more a regional city. I'm also not affiliated or represent Felix mobile, this is genuine feedback.
OP pretty much summed up exactly what I was going to say. Highly recommend and very happy. The 20 up was a pleasant surprise for me as I did not expect that.
Have you tried using sim modem/router?
Or are you only using sim on mobile phone?
I haven't tried using it in a modem as I don't have one on hand, however I have used hotspot to my laptop when I was away from wifi and it was just as fast as the speedtests directly on the device.
Can someone in Melbourne on this plan run a trace route and ping to 23.227.170.222 for me? Just wanting to see US game server latency stats.
PM sent
Can someone in Adelaide on this plan run a trace route and ping to 42.186.160.108 for me? Just wanting to see China game server latency stats. thanks
I'm getting almost the same ping as Vodafone NBN; 233ms (Felix) vs 226ms (NBN).
Traceroute shows 24 hops (Felix) vs 20 (NBN)
Here are the Felix results: https://pastebin.com/48zCRciw
Added google stats for comparison.
I'm currently using vodafone and the connection in my home is really bad. Typically get 2-3mbps on 1-2 bars of connection. Are there any similar plans on other networks? I live in the hills area.
The Hills area? Obviously there is only one of those in Australia. I'm going to guess you're from NSW as they always seem to forget that any other states exist…
My bad 2156
Try looking at Circles.Life. They have data caps, but they are very generous for the price.
Very good in app chat customer service. Friendly and kind. I said my speed was only 3-9 and at night better but still 12mb. She helped me through steps but still 12. I’m happy to give it a mother try.
how long did it take for sim delivery ?
is it a prepaid or post paid plan ?
It took 3 days for my sim to be delivered and it is a prepaid plan.
thanks mate!
Why is using the sim in a modem a no-no.? (gen Q). Similarly, amaysim have 50gb plans - $30pm in a phone (with calls) or $40pm in a modem. Why are modems leper-like??