The owners have refused us the stage 1 install, and said if we don't exchange this Friday they will withdraw.

Not looking good then.

So time to let the property go then

We're going down to see if there's any chance of 4g. Doubt it, but worth a try.

Would you take the risk on fttp being there out of interest?.

Without actually having walked the area to see how far away existing FTTP customers are hard to say...

Given the confusion the hard stop on work in Wales created and the distance to infrastructure you have mentioned I'd not take the risk. If the ADSL/ADSL2+ speeds were in the 5 to 10 Mbps region then I would.

Good Luck with your 4G testing!

Remember, even if none of the signal-strength bars are lit-up on the router, it's still possible to get a stable connection to the router (in my experience). Also, anything 5Mbps downstream & over will be usable for remote desktop work (but aim for 10Mbps or better, & ideally 1Mbps or better upstream). You may have to test the router in many locations around the house - the best thing if possible would be to test it inside the house upstairs, in all the rooms (or even the attic!), if you had access - but failing that, in as many locations around the house as possible. I'd set up a link from your smartphone to the MR200's WiFi before leaving for testing, and also install the "Speedtest" app (from Ookla) on your phone too (if you haven't already). Don't forget to set the "Network Mode" of the MR200 to "4G Only" (in the "Internet" section under the "Basic" settings for the MR200's web page), as otherwise it may switch over to the slower 2G or 3G links, depending on signal (although - if you can't pick up 4G, you could also test it in "3G Only" and "Auto" modes too, if you have the time while on-site, to see if 3G would be viable).

Even if the 4G signal isn't too great at the moment, it usually improves over time as the mobile companies upgrade their masts in most localities.

Good Luck anyway - I hope it goes well!

Hi Adam,

I set it to 4g, with an EE 4g sim, and one of us was outside the car with the aerial on the end of a extendable paint roller pole. What a sight.

We had consistently 1 bar on the router with this set up, and I did a quick browsing the internet test on a connected iPad. Farmer appeared, so then later went back to check again and there was no bar, but was able to remote desktop and watch some of an Amazon Prime film on tablet at same time.

Didn't think about doing a speed test...damn.

We also chatted to the neighbours some 200 metres from the house, and they said they use their standard ADSL (which should be <3mb according to my DSL checker) to watch Netflix, iPlayer etc. They said it has been fine so they'd not bothered installing a TV satellite dish yet after being there for 1 year.

They also showed us a letter from the Superfast Cymru poeple saying your area is now active for FTTP, even though I could not order if for their address.

There's a couple of 60 foot high pine trees on the property...not sure if a 4G aerial would work better up there with them swaying in the wind. The cost of 4g is prohibitive ofcourse, but perhaps that in combination with the ADSL may be ok if FTTP isn't there.

So, it looks rather better than I had hoped? What do you think?

That does sound promising!
If you got 1 bar (even if not always) at ground level, then usually you should get an even better signal (maybe 2 bars or more) upstairs from the house - with 4G, the higher the better is usually true.

It's a shame you didn't run a speed test.

Yes, due to the data caps, 4G is expensive. I currently have a 32Gb per month SIM-only rolling 30-day contract. The usual EE Data SIM-only details are here: EE Data SIM-only (I'd choose "30-day" plans) - but I managed to find a special half-price deal on HotUKDeals (HotUKDeals EE) around a year ago now - paying £14.50 per month for the 32Gb. As a "turbo boost" (plus backup link) for my 2.5Mbps ADSL, it works quite well. HotUKDeals do have periodic special offers on Data SIMs that people come across.

Also, EE do special Mobile Broadband packages, with much higher data caps (up to 200Gb) - but not SIM-only, these packages include a router, plus optionally EE's own external aerial. It can get quite expensive if you are adding these to an ADSL package! However, you can opt for a 30-day contract (which I would advise), although you have to pay £99 up-front for the router. A shame as you already have the MR200! It would be nice if EE did a 200Gb SIM-only deal.

Don't forget - the TP-Link Archer MR200 is unlocked, so can accept SIMs for any of the mobile companies, EE, Vodafone, O2 & Three, so it may be worth trying a test SIM of the other networks at some point.

At least you now know you can get a 4G signal at the property using the 4G router (probably a better signal upstairs from the house too), so it gives you a reasonable backup option. Hopefully 4G data allowances will increase over time too.

I wouldn't want to advise you either way on whether to go ahead with purchasing said property though, based on just that!

The FTTP situation does sound quite optimistic too.

I understand that a standard ADSL link that has a downstream speed of 2Mbps or more, can stream SD (standard definition) video reasonably well (although 3Mbps or higher is probably recommended).

So - in summary - it does seem that combining an ADSL link with 4G (e.g. via load balancing) *could* be a viable option.

Maybe other forum members can add their advice to this?

Thanks Adam. That monthly EE pack looks of interest. Expensive, but less than satellite. I think, from asking the locals, EE have the better coverage in the area. Not sure if that router has a sim socket and therefore whether you could use the MR200 instead. Guess I'll think about that at the time.

The one bar was at around 2.5 metres height on the road side with antenna up pole. I think I could go at least twice that height on the property though with either a cabled mast, or perhaps fastening to a very tall tree (not sure if the movement may affect things though).

We may go back to the area tomorrow, in which case I'll run a speed test.

I would think you can just take the SIM supplied as part of EE's "Mobile Broadband" package and put it into your MR200, and use the MR200 with your own antenna. OR, you could use the EE router with your own external antenna. Or any combination - should be possible. As you say, something to think about nearer the time.

Yes, a cabled mast would be good. You could use something like a "J-Pole" antenna mount (or similar) to attach your antenna to the side of the house, at a suitable high-up location: Antenna Mounts.

Of course, if you opt for EE's external antenna, they will supply & install it for an extra £100 apparently.

Yes, run a speed test if you do go back again (and in different locations, if you can) - good idea. (Also, try the router with it's own built-in antennae - I found that in some locations, they can even be better than the external antenna, under certain circumstances!).

Good Luck!

Edited by AdamInTheSticks (Thu 15-Mar-18 11:45:05)

I know I am very late and this might already have been mentioned but there are government grants under Superfast Cymru to set up free Sat equipment - a saving of a few grand.

So check it out if you are still looking