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No more internet contracts

richardg

Admonishtrator
I recently set up a new business, working from a garage where internet cable connection would have been expensive, so I decided to try usb tethering the laptop to my phone. It turns out it is just as fast as an internet connection. So I tried it at home. Again, no problems using the phone for streaming music and video etc to other devices via tethering or bluetooth. So I cancelled my internet contract there also. I'm now up 100 euros a month across both properties.

Is this the way it is going to go? It seems completely pointless having internet connection for me. I'm not even a light user, I manage shopify websites for a living. Are millions of other people wasting their money having a phone and internet contract?
 
It’s OK. We’ve done it from time to time as a temporary measure. The problem is if someone else needs access and you are out (with your phone). Your phone battery will also get smashed to pieces. However, if it’s just you and it gives you what you need, why not.
 
I'm not even a light user, I manage shopify websites for a living.

I would suggest that isn't particularly heavy data wise. Yes maybe a few photos but not that high demand

It certainly works for many people, but there are contraints - if you want to tether many devices performance will drop off. It may improve with 6G but that is some way off
 
It’s OK. We’ve done it from time to time as a temporary measure. The problem is if someone else needs access and you are out (with your phone). Your phone battery will also get smashed to pieces. However, if it’s just you and it gives you what you need, why not.
when usb tethered the battery is actually charging, though
 
I would suggest that isn't particularly heavy data wise. Yes maybe a few photos but not that high demand

It certainly works for many people, but there are contraints - if you want to tether many devices performance will drop off. It may improve with 6G but that is some way off
true, i mean i am on it all day, and withlots of supporting applications open, postage labels, syncing software, photo editor etc....but i can't use them all at the same time, yet the radio plays through it while i work.
 
I’d not prepared to be without a redundancy strategy, so I’m definitely retaining both here. The phone reception where I live isn’t great either, but it is fine for pfm etc if the landline internet goes out. The UK is years, maybe decades off full 5G coverage in anywhere but major cities (a lot of places aren’t even 4G yet!), so not a decision that needs making anytime soon.
 
occasionally I tether to 5G, and it works fine for one device. But I'm not sure I'd rely on it for business critical operations.
 
I’d not prepared to be without a redundancy strategy, so I’m definitely retaining both here. The phone reception where I live isn’t great either, but it is fine for pfm etc if the landline internet goes out. The UK is years, maybe decades off full 5G coverage in anywhere but major cities so not a decision that needs making anytime soon.
is it so that as mobile contracts get cheaper, home internet is getting more expensive? when i left hull we opted for the best one and it was 55 quid...7 years ago. i've now got shed loads of gb on my phone for 20 quid
 
the only area i would worry about is system backup or other massive data transfer.

financial transactions?

could your business operate without a backup. 5g is an OK backup, but mobile cells get crowded, could be subject to climatic conditions.....
 
financial transactions?

could your business operate without a backup. 5g is an OK backup, but mobile cells get crowded, could be subject to climatic conditions.....
financial transactions? i'm on starling and paypal direct from the phone apps. the entire business is all in the cloud.
 
when usb tethered the battery is actually charging, though

It’s still killing the battery. If I was running a business from it, my main concern would be resilience. What if your phone gets lost or nicked, or just fails. As a slightly more robust solution, you could use a dedicated data sim in a 4/5G router. You could just pick it up and move it from one location to another.
 
is it so that as mobile contracts get cheaper, home internet is getting more expensive? when i left hull we opted for the best one and it was 55 quid...7 years ago.

I’m certainly not paying that much, even with my pointless landline for my ancient bakelite GPO 232 telephone! It is certainly getting to the point mobile is starting to look cheaper, and would be for many people’s usage if they are in a good area. I’ve not looked at the bandwidth as it has never occurred to me, e.g. is 4G really up to say streaming 4K video via Prime on the TV whilst doing all the normal internet things on one’s iPad? I very much doubt it is. 5G looks a long time off.

I’m sure mobile will be the default globally in a decade or two, but I really don’t see the UK leading the way. There are still so many “remote” places that barely have any internet provision at all yet. It seems a long way off. Just getting the tram the ten miles into Manchester I drop through 3G and even E areas. If I go out cycling ten miles in the opposite direction up on the moors etc there is very little signal. We really are nowhere near full coverage yet.
 
I’m certainly not paying that much, even with my pointless landline for my ancient bakelite GPO 232 telephone! It is certainly getting to the point mobile is starting to look cheaper, and would be for many people’s usage if they are in a good area. I’ve not looked at the bandwidth as it has never occurred to me, e.g. is 4G really up to say streaming 4K video via Prime on the TV whilst doing all the normal internet things on one’s iPad? I very much doubt it is. 5G looks a long time off.

I’m sure mobile will be the default globally in a decade or two, but I really don’t see the UK leading the way. There are still so many “remote” places that barely have any internet provision at all yet. It seems a long way off. Just getting the tram the ten miles into Manchester I drop through 3G and even E areas. If I go out cycling ten miles in the opposite direction up on the moors etc there is very little signal. We really are nowhere near full coverage yet.
i have a gpo 232 also! i used it to 2011, does it still dial out?
 
Mobile just isn't secure. I'm a mile from a huge Tesco Extra and apparently that's "remote" too, I'm surprised we've even got gas ;)
 
I’m certainly not paying that much, even with my pointless landline for my ancient bakelite GPO 232 telephone! It is certainly getting to the point mobile is starting to look cheaper.

Tony you can set up VOIP and use your old phone, you just need a switch/phone adaptor and a VOIP account.

I use Andrews & Arnold which costs me about £2 a month for the 'phone' and I use this switch below (£45-ish) which you just plug into the router and the phone into the switch/adpator.

High-quality Voice and Fax over the Internet
Now you can use your phone over the Internet, without compromising on voice quality or phone and fax features. The Cisco SPA112 2-Port Adapter offers the benefits of high-quality voice over IP (VoIP) without the need to upgrade your existing analog phones.

Easy to install and use, the SPA112 works over an IP network to connect analog phones and fax machines to a VoIP service provider.


https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/unified-communications/spa112-2-port-phone-adapter/index.html
 
We ditched the landline almost 8 years ago and never looked back. I use 4G broadband exclusively for my work devices (on a mains-powered router) and we have another internet connection (it’s a fixed wireless connection as fibre/DSL where we live isn’t great) which everyone else uses in the house.

We could nearly use the 4G for everything (it tops out at 150 down/35 up) but the flag is that occasionally it goes really bad - like dropping to <1M down - (and I have line of site to the mast 400m away). So for business critical use, I’d still be cautious to be 100% reliant on it. It has become better over the 3 years I have had this setup but maybe once a month I have an issue.
 
i have a gpo 232 also! i used it to 2011, does it still dial out?

Depends what area of the country, but here, yes. The limitation (other than bad sound quality) is you can’t navigate switchboards etc with a vintage pulse dialer. As an example one of the very few times I’ve ever actually used it was in a power cut to try and phone the energy company, but whilst it dials fine the ‘enter x for option y followed by #’ stuff obviously fails. As such it isn’t even a viable emergency phone. I just love the bell so let the 232 ring, but pick up on a modern wireless phone.

Tony you can set up VOIP and use your old phone, you just need a switch/phone adaptor and a VOIP account.

Good to know, but being honest I don’t need a landline at all. I shifted from PAYG to the cheapest monthly ‘Goodybag’ system on GiffGaff (get your free SIM via my affiliated link!) so no cost for calls now, I have the bakelite phone purely because I enjoy restoring them. I actually have several! I don’t need a landline at all. Everything I actually need to do is far easier with the iPhone.
 


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