Help! I tried to switch ISP and now I have no internet: Using 4G and/or 5G for home broadband
This guide is aimed at users in the United Kingdom. Experiences in other jurisdictions may vary. I have included details why I started using 4G for internet access in case anyone finds it entertaining. If you are only interested in the practicalities then feel free to skip the "My story" section.
I recently made a critical error. After staying with the same ISP 5 years I arranged to switch ISP immediately before Christmas. Earlier in the year, my existing ISP had tried to charge me for additional services I did not and could not receive. I don't regret trying to switch but my timing could have been better.
With my switch due to go ahead on December 23rd inevitably the process did not go smoothly. I ended up with no internet over the Christmas period and eventually cancelled the switch because I sensed the process was going to drag on.
For those who are not from the UK. The majority of domestic phone lines in the UK are run by a company called Openreach. Openreach was created in 2006 to separate the BT network from the rest of the business. This was to ensure BT did not get preferential access to the network and was intended to encourage competition. This worked and there are now a number of different companies who provide internet and telephone services.
Unfortunately, my previous experiences working with Openreach have not been good. Last time I dealt with them 5 years ago I was switching to fibre. They missed appointments multiple times and took 3 months to connect my broadband.
This time around after spending many hours on the phone to my proposed new ISP I was told they needed to send an Openreach engineer. By this time I had already started using 4G as a temporary workaround and found it was working well. Sensing that this was going to drag on I decided to cancel. I was still within the 14 day cancellation period. If I had left it much longer this would have become more complicated. At this stage, I was using two different approaches to get internet access on the other devices in my home:
The only way to know for certain is to try it for yourself. Fortunately, this is quite easy. Most mobile phones will allow tethering and some mobile operators - including Three - offer free sim cards with limited data to test your coverage.
One area which most consumers don't think about or understand is latency. Latency can be thought of like the delay applied to each request. Average real-world latency with 4G averages around 50 milliseconds. Fixed-line broadband averages around 20 milliseconds and 5G averages 1 millisecond. This is something you are only likely to notice with online gaming. It's even difficult to notice with VOIP.
This is by far the easiest solution. These are packaged products so you know the provider allows this kind of use.
Three also offer 5G home broadband in some locations.
You aren't necessarily limited to data sim card with these devices. Many regular plans will allow you to use a sim card in such a device. This can be a more cost-effective solution for unlimited data. However, be careful, some mobile operators strongly discourage this. For example, O2 only allow tethering up to 12 devices and limit data to 600 GB.
Smarty is a common choice for this. You can even find people selling Smarty sim cards bundled with 4G routers on Amazon and ebay. There is no need to buy these bundles. You can get a sim card directly from Smarty.
My story
I recently made a critical error. After staying with the same ISP 5 years I arranged to switch ISP immediately before Christmas. Earlier in the year, my existing ISP had tried to charge me for additional services I did not and could not receive. I don't regret trying to switch but my timing could have been better.
With my switch due to go ahead on December 23rd inevitably the process did not go smoothly. I ended up with no internet over the Christmas period and eventually cancelled the switch because I sensed the process was going to drag on.
For those who are not from the UK. The majority of domestic phone lines in the UK are run by a company called Openreach. Openreach was created in 2006 to separate the BT network from the rest of the business. This was to ensure BT did not get preferential access to the network and was intended to encourage competition. This worked and there are now a number of different companies who provide internet and telephone services.
Unfortunately, my previous experiences working with Openreach have not been good. Last time I dealt with them 5 years ago I was switching to fibre. They missed appointments multiple times and took 3 months to connect my broadband.
This time around after spending many hours on the phone to my proposed new ISP I was told they needed to send an Openreach engineer. By this time I had already started using 4G as a temporary workaround and found it was working well. Sensing that this was going to drag on I decided to cancel. I was still within the 14 day cancellation period. If I had left it much longer this would have become more complicated. At this stage, I was using two different approaches to get internet access on the other devices in my home:
- Wifi tethering on my mobile phone. This worked well for devices that use wifi but I have some devices without wifi and additionally, my Android phone only allows a limited number of devices to connect.
- Connecting my phone to my Windows PC via USB and configuring the computer to allow other devices to connect to the internet. This works well. The downside was I had to keep my phone connected to the PC and the PC had to be switched on.
Common misconceptions about 4G broadband
It is more expensive than fixed-line broadband
Currently 4G broadband starts at £20 a month for "unlimited" data (capped at 1000 GB).It is slower than fixed-line broadband
The term 4G now covers a variety of related technologies. As a result, you may find misleading figures online when trying to compare performance. I have achieved real-world speeds of 58 Mbps with GiffGaff and 41 Mbps with Three. Your experience will almost certainly be different. I have seen others reporting much better and much worse.The only way to know for certain is to try it for yourself. Fortunately, this is quite easy. Most mobile phones will allow tethering and some mobile operators - including Three - offer free sim cards with limited data to test your coverage.
One area which most consumers don't think about or understand is latency. Latency can be thought of like the delay applied to each request. Average real-world latency with 4G averages around 50 milliseconds. Fixed-line broadband averages around 20 milliseconds and 5G averages 1 millisecond. This is something you are only likely to notice with online gaming. It's even difficult to notice with VOIP.
It is only available with restrictive data caps
There are unlimited data plans available. In practice all unlimited plans whether 4G, 5G or fixed-line have caps. The actual data caps will depend on your provider but unlimited plans tend to include caps between 600 GB and 1000 GB. A typical domestic household will use around 200 GB so these will effectively give you unlimited use.Switching to 4G or 5G broadband means I cannot have a landline
This actually depends on your own preference. Switching to 4/5G means you don't need to have a landline number if you don't want one. However, you have options if you want one:- You can keep your landline without broadband. This is normally an expensive option, so I would not recommend it.
- You can switch to a VOIP provider. One option is a SIP provider. SIP is a technology used to provide VOIP services. There are a lot of companies who can provide you with a local domestic landline number for SIP. These companies include sipgate, voipfone and many more. Some of these providers will give you a landline number for free on a pay as you go basis. To use these services you can either get a SIP phone or use a SIP-ATA gateway to use your existing landline phone. A SIP-ATA gateway is a small device that connects an analogue phone to a network so it can use SIP services. These are sometimes called VOIP gateways. A basic SIP-ATA gateway costs around £30. Analogue phones are typically cheaper than SIP phones, so this may be a cost-effective solution.
How to use 4G or 5G for Home Broadband
Boxed and ready solutions
If you want a hassle-free solution you can signup to home broadband directly with Three and get unlimited data. Three are currently charging from £22 a month for this service. I would strongly recommend getting a free sim first and checking your coverage before committing to a contract. Other mobile operators offer similar products but all I have found have been more expensive and/or more limited.This is by far the easiest solution. These are packaged products so you know the provider allows this kind of use.
Three also offer 5G home broadband in some locations.
Temporary solutions
If everything in your home accesses the internet via wifi you can simply use your mobile phone as a wifi hotspot. If you set the wifi network name and password to the same as your home wifi. All devices in your home should connect to it if you turn off your router. Alternatively, if your family needs access to the internet while you are out, you can buy a cheap second hand unlocked mobile and use a different sim card. You can also buy cheap 4G routers or MiFi devices.DIY solutions
You can buy a 4G router to replace your existing router. I haven't found any unlocked 5G routers but these should be available when 5G becomes more popular. I use a 4G+ Cat6 AC1200 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router. Be aware that some 4G routers do not support 4G+ speeds. This means you won't be able to exceed 40 Mbps. However, such routers may be a cheaper option if 4G+ is not available in your area.You aren't necessarily limited to data sim card with these devices. Many regular plans will allow you to use a sim card in such a device. This can be a more cost-effective solution for unlimited data. However, be careful, some mobile operators strongly discourage this. For example, O2 only allow tethering up to 12 devices and limit data to 600 GB.
Smarty is a common choice for this. You can even find people selling Smarty sim cards bundled with 4G routers on Amazon and ebay. There is no need to buy these bundles. You can get a sim card directly from Smarty.
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