Wildanet

Does anyone on here use this ISP? Are they any good?
Site at https://wildanet.com/for-home/#package-details

I assume you are aware it is wireless broadband from a local hub?

Yes I realise that - which is one of the reasons I've asked the question

I currently get around 1.9 - 2.0 (at the hub) where I live in Cornwall (c.3 miles from green box) which is why I'm considering this - although the PM's promise of full fiber in the next few years my be a better option.

What�s your 4G signal like, and who is your mobile with?

Are you into latency-critical gaming?

4G is very patchy outside and our walls are 1.5ft thick

No online gaming, but stream when I can.

Last M/S OS upgrade took around 5 hours to down load, and I once updated my SatNav which took 8 hours as the line was so bad the connection kept dropping.

BT is our ISP. Line to our farmhouse from the overhead lines is 3/4 miles. Green Box is abour 2 miles further away. OpenReach have investigated and say they can do nothing further.

I need an unlimited use contract as I am running a number of Grid computing systems ( SETI, LHC and World Community Grid projects)

Thanks for your interest.

In reply to a post by silverdove:

4G is very patchy outside and our walls are 1.5ft thick

I would still be strongly tempted to try going 4G if there is a signal even if it's patchy using a phone at ground level.

What I would do is go for say a Mikrotik SXT 4G kit mounted high up on the house on the outside pointed directly at the 4G mast.

https://mikrotik.com/product/sxt_4g_kit

and there is always the the LHG 4G kit for even more antenna gain.

https://mikrotik.com/product/lhg_4g_kit

Going down this route you should be able to get a reliable 4G signal.

Then run some exterior grade Cat 6 inside to a Ubiquiti EdgeRouter X SFP, to power it from the EdgeRouters 24V passive power over ethernet and put the Mikrotik into bridge mode. If anyone says that the Mikrotik can't be put into bridge mode that was only true of the now discontinued SXT LTE 4G.

For WiFi use one or more out of an UniFi AC Lite, UniFi AC LR or UniFi AC Mesh as required all of which can be powered from the EdgeRouter using 24v passive power over Ethernet. Noting that the AC Mesh is rated for outdoor usage should you wish to extend WiFi outside. You could power up to four WiFi points the 4G uplink and still have an SFP port which with an RJ45 SFP could be used for an uplink to a switch for more ethernet ports. Failing that shortly the EdgeRouter 12P will be available in the UK (though much more expensive) which has 10 ethernet ports that can do 24V passive power over ethernet.

There are options to use Mikrotik routers and WiFi points but personally I think the Ubiquiti ones are better. You could even use some random consumer grade piece of [censored] and a PoE injector to power the Mikrotik 4G modem but I would not advise that myself. My guess is that inside the house WiFi coverage is not grate so a decent solution is worth investing in. The Ubiquiti software has an excellent tool for predicting coverage so you can be sure to get good WiFi throughout the house.

If power cuts are a problem (often are in remote locations) then the upcoming EdgePower 24 (just waiting for stock to get to the UK) gives a nice integrated and efficient UPS solution by avoiding the inversion from battery to mains back down to 24V to power everything.

I appreciate the solution is not exactly cheap,but you get what you pay for and this is quality kit which would work and be supported for many years by the manufactures unlike the cheap consumer grade stuff that tends to be dropped after a couple of years.

Finally if some day you do get FTTP then you can simple hook the ONT into the EdgeRouter and off you go. Though the EdgeRouter X SFP will struggle with a full symmetric 1Gbps, but would be fine on a 330/50 connection. The EdgeRouter 12P on the other hand could easily cope with symmetric 1Gbps and then some though it only has 1Gbps ports.

I do know someone in Constantine and someone in Coverack who had terrible speeds. They had only FOD fibre on demand available rather than cheaper FTTP but bt still seemed to give it to them without much install cost. Possibly because they were below the minimum required speed? So it might be worth checking the BT DSL checker and just seeing if your exchange has FOD enabled. You could also glance up and the telegraph poles around you, does it look like fibre on them, do the poles have a yellow "Fibre on pole" warning sticker on them. If they are in your area it would be a good sign.

Another possible red herring would be the government rural voucher scheme. It's not clear if you can qualify as an individual or need a group of your neighbours.
https://www.superfastcornwall.org/getting-connected/...

And yes standing holding a phone out of an upstairs window and seeing what sort of signal you get on various networks is always worth a try.