Agreed for you and your needs it�s a �no brainier� to use the way you do.

Others may want (and pay) for more.

Ah but!

The OP's needs seem almost identical to mine so far. With two sets of options. The first set, either of the Three offerings. The second set a lower allowance SIM from Three or EE then choose between a phone driving things or a WiFi router.

With the phone I can take it virtually anywhere, and if the signal at my destination is poor that's no different to any mobile. With the home WiFi router ideally placed then generally better reception, and given luggage capacity take that to a destination residence.

(Ruling out dual-sim phones, though they could also be relevant).

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

With the phone I can take it virtually anywhere, and if the signal at my destination is poor that's no different to any mobile. With the home WiFi router ideally placed then generally better reception, and given luggage capacity take that to a destination residence.

Agreed - it really depends on the users requirements. Phone handset as a modem is incredibly flexible, but a desktop/home router with LTE support can have better signal reception.

Personally I carry one of those Netgear Aircards, as portable as a phone, but has much better battery life, and its a higher LTE Category than entry level smartphones.

Hi everyone - thank you so much for your help!

I tested a friend's phone on the Three network at home and got encouraging speed-test results, so I went ahead with the unlimited 4G home broadband package from them with the Huawei B311 router. I'm using it purely as a modem and I've got it plugged into my existing router's WAN port (like a cable modem) so that I can continue to use wired devices and 5GHz wi-fi. The Huawei only provides 2.4GHz wi-fi and no wired ports.

Very pleased with the results - around 60Mbps down and 30Mbps up in the middle of peak-time on a Sunday evening. More than enough to comfortably watch HD iPlayer and YouTube content and the extra upload speed compared to Virgin is a huge bonus.

One minor issue is that the allowance on the Three website is showing at 100GB. I understand from looking at this on other forums that the unlimited is classed as an "add-on" and should show up within a few days. If it doesn't, I'll have to get in touch with them - they were very clear that it was unlimited when I signed up.

Yes re the 100GB v unlimited.

AIUI the SIM-only is a phone SIM that we are allowed to tether because Ofcom say that has to be. The MiFI modem is using the same SIM as a data SIM and their highest data package is 100GB. So they give you an included "unlimited data add-on".

It seems they apply the add-on automatically within 2-3 days of activation of the SIM.

Enjoy . (Please let us know it goes OK).

Just to let you know that the unlimited data add-on has been applied to the account and the 100GB allowance has stopped going down!

I'm never anywhere near 100GB a month, but it's a psychological thing. Should I watch that random music video that just popped into my head? Better not, it'll eat a couple of hundred MB.

Unlimited just means I'm not thinking data all the time.

Thanks for the update.

That's exactly why I grabbed the £20 SIM only deal . (Which is straight unlimited, not 100GB + unlimited add-on).

Edited by RobertoS (Tue 19-Mar-19 18:48:34)