No more internet contracts

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 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

 

when usb tethered the battery is actually charging, though

 

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.

 

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.

 

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? i'm on starling and paypal direct from the phone apps. the entire business is all in the cloud.

 

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.

 

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

 

You don't need a phone to connect to 5g/6g internet - you can get a dedicated router with a sim card slot.

 

Surely the OP would use a personal phone as normal, and simply buy another for use in the business premises with the 100 Euros saved on previous contracts?

 

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.