Smarty APN vs. 3 APN

Does anybody know what the difference (if any) is between using the 3 APN and Smarty's APN setting detailed here?

In reference to help.smarty.co.uk/en/articles/1155220-using-the-internet-after-you-...:

General APN settings:

Name: 3
APN: mob.asm.net
User name: [leave this field blank]
Password: [leave this field blank]
MMSC: http://mms.um.three.co.uk:10021/mmsc
MMS proxy: mms.three.co.uk
MMS port: 8799
APN type: [leave this field blank]

Non, you could put Donald Duck in the APN name and it’ll still work . All data is filtered via same link regardless. This differs from Three where the APN does make a difference.

May I ask what the difference (if known) with APN on 3 is?

I see a Hotspot one !

On Three one of the APN’s is designed for mobile routers and allocates you an actual IPv4 address so you are not behind CGNAT. It also used to remove content blocking and can give lower ping as traffic isn’t being analysed as heavily. The usual one designed for phones is behind CGNAT and has content blocking enabled. People find it marginally slower ping wise. Might be a few other differences but these are the main ones.

Hmm. That could be helpful, so I guess the hotspot one might help me with the fixed IPv4?

In reply to a post by mlmclaren:

Hmm. That could be helpful, so I guess the hotspot one might help me with the fixed IPv4?

Not quite sure what you mean by hotspot one. But if you use 3internet rather than three.co.uk you should get non CGNAT so long as you are on 3 and not Smarty.

Hmm.. I do beleive i was using the 3internet apn when I first signed up for mobile broadband and Im pretty sure I was still behind CGNAT.

I shall have to experiment if my following trial of Vodafone don't work out.

You can put what you like in the APN but, depending on your subscribed service, Three will redirect you to the "correct" APN anyway. So, you can configure 3internet and still be behind CGNAT.

In reply to a post by inetuid:

You can put what you like in the APN but, depending on your subscribed service, Three will redirect you to the "correct" APN anyway. So, you can configure 3internet and still be behind CGNAT.

I think it depends on the device you are using to connect rather than the subscription. For example on Three PAYG and Three sim only phone plan using 3internet in a Huawei B525 gives the non CGNAT service.

It's likely that if they detect the device is a phone they re-route though.

In reply to a post by gary333:

I think it depends on the device you are using to connect rather than the subscription.

and if you're using a Smarty SIM, the bets are off, this is a truely discount service, and you get hit with CGNAT and I believe a transparet proxy for web traffic, to reduce their costs.