# Internet Access Speeds and Equipment



## Mattskii (Oct 28, 2009)

I have been researching my best options for internet and thought I would share a few findings:

I am on the edge of Castanheira de Pera. I could swear I watched a Meo van and man installing a fiber optic cable the other week (I have a lot of experience with computer cabling so know what to look for) But Meo still tell me that even after installation it could be up to a year before it comes online. So no luck there.

They have offered me ADSL over home phone line, which they tell me will not go any faster than 4Mbps (That's Mega bits per second, not bytes!!!) For the money that is very slow, and any way I expect it would struggle to even reach that speed.

My wife and I both have 4G telephones so we are taking the very expensive option of using those for our internet, using the wireless hotspot setup on the phones to provide wireless internet in the house. This is costing us €30 per month each for 15Gig each.

I have discovered that if I get a 4G wireless router I can get an allowance of 30Gig per month for €39.99. I would expect this dedicated device to work better than our telephones running a hotspot.

How fast is 4G?

At full speed up to 100Mbps - Theoretically!
Current installations in PT - Pombal for example - running at about 50Mbps - Theoretically!
Even in big cities you may not actually see anything better than about 20Mbps until the technology is fully rolled out. 

How fast is it here? On our telephones? 

This is the interesting but. I had both of our phones connected and tested one after the other, at the same time of day, from the same laptop.

My Phone - Sony Experia SP running Android - Regularly hits up to 9Mbps
Wife's Phone - Nokia Lumia 625 Windows 8 Mobile - Max 2.9 Mbps.

This is at the same time of day from the same laptop, running speedtest.org to the same test centre in Lisbon. Regular tests always have the same results, without fail. It is very noticeable using the different hotspots how slow one is compared to the other. 

So, to summaries:

The 4G service in my area is over twice as fast as the offered ADSL option.
The 4G hotspot running from my Android phone is regularly 3 times faster than the one running from my wife's windows mobile.
I would expect a dedicated 4G router to be faster than my phone, and the "PC/Tablet" option at Meo permits double the data for less than half as much more cost. It is only fractionally more expensive than the slower Phone line with ADSL option. 

So until I get fiber in my area, that is what I am going to do. I have a device on order with the big Meo showroom in Pombal. Side note - they mostly all speak English in that shop, and are very very helpful! 

Hope this is of use to someone! 


Edit to Add:

The difference between Mbps and MBps.....

8 bits make 1 byte.

So 8 Mb (Mega bits) = 1MB (Mega Byte)

So my phone runs at 9Mbps (Mega bits per second) (9/8=1.125) = 1.125 Mega Bytes per second. 

Simples!


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## bisect (Jan 7, 2015)

Never believe MEO (PT) as they tend to lie. A lot.

Check with NOS (if you haven't already) to see what options they have for you. After a battle with MEO (who also swore there was NO fiber anywhere near us and wouldn't be for a while), turns our there is fiber to the area of the city, and the "last leg" is coaxial cable, which delivers in excess of 100MB speed (for a lot less than MEO. We had to push the local NOS office a little, since the building next to us had service but ours did not, yet... but after a visit to the local office they finally came by and connected our building. AND to top it off, the connectivity to sites and servers outside Portugal is literally about 20x faster than I ever got with MEO. Add to that fact that MEO DSL (which is usually LESS than 8 to 12 Mbps) is also feeding their IPTV service, so if you have and use TV from MEO as part of the package, your speed is automatically reduced by more than 1/3.


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## canoeman (Mar 3, 2011)

Look at Nos who seem to have best 4G coverage, they offer wireless internet & telephone at less than PT/Meo prices with unlimited traffic, go for the new Hauwei router far superior to Alcatel.

Although a fixed home service you can use in 3 locations, but at the end of the day in Portugal you only get what is actually available at your address and have to live with that until a better service is available


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## Mattskii (Oct 28, 2009)

Thanks guys! 

Did have a brief chat with NOS and they also told me there is no fiber in my area, no idea if or when there might be. I will talk to them again about their 4G offering. I'll post a full report here once I have done research! 

I am pretty certain MEO have fiber here, as I saw their van here putting in a wire to the buildings over the road. It is too small to be anything but fiber! But I have no way of knowing if it is hooked up to anything or if they are just cabling the area for later connection.


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## canoeman (Mar 3, 2011)

Nos specialize in wireless 4G you can test by buying system to check performance they have a no quibble refund policy if you can't get good reception

2 points whatever you buy also opt for lowest speed very easy to upgrade very difficult to downgrade.
With Nos or Vodafone offering if you can't a really good 4G then by reconfiguring router to work 3&4G you'll get a better speed and stability, just needs a phone call to get initial access to router


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## Mattskii (Oct 28, 2009)

canoeman said:


> Nos specialize in wireless 4G you can test by buying system to check performance they have a no quibble refund policy if you can't get good reception
> 
> 2 points whatever you buy also opt for lowest speed very easy to upgrade very difficult to downgrade.
> With Nos or Vodafone offering if you can't a really good 4G then by reconfiguring router to work 3&4G you'll get a better speed and stability, just needs a phone call to get initial access to router


I will have a chat to NOS next time I am in Pombal. I am struggling to make sense of their web site. I think all 4G routers will be backwards compatible with 3G/HSDPA/Edge service etc, so should work everywhere regardless of coverage. This is good for us as I intend to use it in our motorhome when we spend time exploring Europe! 

I would always go for the fastest equipment possible. It may not run at 100% this week, but it saves me from having to upgrade next year when services improve. I would rather have the latest tech running at half speed than last years tech running at full speed - you'd get a much better service. 

Initial access to the router will be the generic username/password, which is usually admin/admin on a Huawei. If NOS set it differently then a quick google will reveal the details. 

I am going to check in with suppliers every couple of months. I can see fiber optic cable from my window running through the village. It has to come online with one of them at some point!!!! lol
:fingerscrossed::fingerscrossed:


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## canoeman (Mar 3, 2011)

It won't work in Europe only Portugal and the home set up is not designed as a "roving" router but you can register it to 3 locations

The point I was making about speed is always sign up for the lowest speed first, very easy to upgrade to faster dearer tariff and although Nos customer service is the best I've come across versus other suppliers, it is still difficult to downgrade a tariff once you've signed a contract

Vodafone are also running Fibre in rural areas under a EU grant maybe them


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## Mattskii (Oct 28, 2009)

canoeman said:


> It won't work in Europe only Portugal and the home set up is not designed as a "roving" router but you can register it to 3 locations
> 
> The point I was making about speed is always sign up for the lowest speed first, very easy to upgrade to faster dearer tariff and although Nos customer service is the best I've come across versus other suppliers, it is still difficult to downgrade a tariff once you've signed a contract
> 
> Vodafone are also running Fibre in rural areas under a EU grant maybe them


I walked past a vodaphone shop in Pombal - I will pop in next time I am there and ask them. 

Thanks for the detail about the speed - didn't realise that they charged for different speed of access. It is more usual to charge by quantity of data. I will be in Pombal next week any way so will visit both NOS and Vodaphone and see what the options are. 

Cheers


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## Mattskii (Oct 28, 2009)

The never ending story! lol 

I went in to see NOS today and the have nothing in this area. I asked about 4G and after a long consultation on the computer she said there would only be 3G in my area. 
Went back to MEO but they still have no 4g wireless routers, they seem to have problems getting hold of them??
Will try in Coimbra at the weekend!


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## Mattskii (Oct 28, 2009)

Oh Portugal I do love your strange way, but you frustrate me so!

I went to every phone shop I couls find, and they all told me that there were no 4G wireless routers available. The guy in the MEO shop said he hadn't managed to get hold of one for over 2 months, and didn't know if or when he would get one again!!! 

So having exhausted every option I had this great idea to see if I could order one from the internet! Lo! I ordered one last night, it is on it's way! Yay! 

And then this morning I get a call from the phone shop in the Intermarche in Pombal - We have a 4G router here for you to collect this PM!! Argh!!! Now I have to sit here knowing there is one there, whilst I wait for MEO to deliver the one I ordered - and who knows how long that might take! Argh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## kingrulzuk (Jan 19, 2010)

Mattskii said:


> Oh Portugal I do love your strange way, but you frustrate me so!
> 
> I went to every phone shop I couls find, and they all told me that there were no 4G wireless routers available. The guy in the MEO shop said he hadn't managed to get hold of one for over 2 months, and didn't know if or when he would get one again!!!
> 
> ...


o Dear cant wait to find out if you got it or no?
And if you did is it working ok? whats the speed you getting?


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## Mattskii (Oct 28, 2009)

OK, I have a 4G router from MEO!!!!

It works OK, I have acceptable internet speeds of up to 7Mbps when is (What it shows as being) 3.5G mode. 

My 2 year old Sony telephone achieves up to 9 Mbps in what it calls 4G mode. 

I was really expecting a new dedicated device to be faster than an old phone!!!!! Hey Ho! 

Well, at least this is cheaper! I have a post paid tariff for Mobile internet. On the telephone I had internet as an extra on my mobile pre paid tariff. 

So I now pay €36 for 30GB when bfore I was paying €30 for 15GB. So at least there's that. Plus, of course, I have reclaimed my mobile phone. 

I will soon purchase the external areal which I will wall mount high up in the building which should improve speeds considerably.


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## kingrulzuk (Jan 19, 2010)

Mattskii said:


> OK, I have a 4G router from MEO!!!!
> 
> It works OK, I have acceptable internet speeds of up to 7Mbps when is (What it shows as being) 3.5G mode.
> 
> ...



I must say welldone to you good way to save money


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## AidanMcK (Nov 21, 2011)

> I will soon purchase the external areal


Where are you getting this - which one are you getting?


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## Mattskii (Oct 28, 2009)

AidanMcK said:


> Where are you getting this - which one are you getting?


I can't find a European distributor. I want something like this one: 

Two TS-9 Connector 4G Antenna 2M Length

It is essential to get the right connectors for your device. Mine uses the TS-9 type connectors. 

I am still digging around for the best option/supplier. May end up being ebay or amazon. 

I think there is also a model with built in signal amplification. If I can dig one up I will let you know. That would be the best option.


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## AidanMcK (Nov 21, 2011)

I ordered this one today - quite a bit cheaper than your listing:
35dBi 4G LTE Antenna TS9 Signal Amplifier for HUAWEI E392 E397 E398 E3276 E5372 | eBay
Hopefully it will do the job. It says its supports my NOS router: Huawei E5372. There are others listed at similar prices for other routers also on eBay UK.


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## Mattskii (Oct 28, 2009)

Good find. 

I might order this one it is cheaper!!! (Sorry, I had not thought of ebay as a supplier.) 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/35DBI-3G-4G-TS9-Connector-10W-Antenna-with-2M-Cable-White


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## canoeman (Mar 3, 2011)

Ideally an external shrouded aerial is a better all round solutionn


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## AidanMcK (Nov 21, 2011)

Well that antenna I bought mentioned above (35dBi 4G LTE Antenna TS9 Signal Amplifier for HUAWEI E392 E397 E398 E3276 E5372) works great. The signal now shows 5 bars all the time, whereas if I disconnect the antenna I get only 2 or 3 bars.

It doesn't increase max internet speed but it does remove slow downs we used to get periodically resulting from low/lost signal. Recommended! Doesn't need power or installation or anything, just connect a cable to the router and sit it down somewhere (I have it sitting on a window ledge inside the house).


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## Mattskii (Oct 28, 2009)

AidanMcK said:


> Well that antenna I bought mentioned above (35dBi 4G LTE Antenna TS9 Signal Amplifier for HUAWEI E392 E397 E398 E3276 E5372) works great. The signal now shows 5 bars all the time, whereas if I disconnect the antenna I get only 2 or 3 bars.
> 
> It doesn't increase max internet speed but it does remove slow downs we used to get periodically resulting from low/lost signal. Recommended! Doesn't need power or installation or anything, just connect a cable to the router and sit it down somewhere (I have it sitting on a window ledge inside the house).


I'm surprised - mine has made very little difference to be honest. Actually I just checked it again we go from 0 - 1 bars to 1 or 2 bars when we attach it. I had a look at the stats on the router and with it connected it is getting a signal strength of -99 to 103 dBm (whatever that means?) with the areal attached. We get about -92 to -99 dBm without it. And that is with it attached to the top of the window with the suction cup! (The wife hates it, it's ugly! lol)

Still we can download at about 7.5 Mbps now, so it is about as fast as my 3 year old mobile phone now! Not that impressive, but more than useable for most things. 

So for the small increase in performance I am getting it probably was worth the £10 or whatever it was I paid, but not much more than that! Ironically, I expect the stronger the initial signal the better this will perform. So in very low signal areas like mine it isn't providing a huge improvement.


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## Verinia (Apr 6, 2012)

Just to throw something else into the mix, have you considered Internet satellite, eg Tooway? We have used that happily for two years and get 20mbs down and 6mbs up. it's limited to 30gbs data allowance per month, but unlimited after 11pm until 7am? Not cheap at 54 pounds a month, but the fastest option for our village. it wouldn't be good if you have to use a VPN though because of latency issues. Slows down a bit in really heavy rain too, but we have had good service from it and it's been very reliable.


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## AidanMcK (Nov 21, 2011)

> we go from 0 - 1 bars to 1 or 2 bars


 Sounds like a decent enough improvement to me though hard to tell. You could try sticking it outside on the roof, and try different areas of the house/roof also - you'd be surprised the difference even a few meters can make sometimes.


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## Mattskii (Oct 28, 2009)

I have been monitoring my device with the areal. The number of bars is misleading. 

I was getting no bars last night - zero! But I was also getting a 4G (Usually it shows as 3G or 3.5G) signal with a strength (According to the router) of -117 dBm which is the highest I have ever seen it. Speed is phenomenal - fastest I have ever seen it. All with zero bars showing. I have had up to 3 bars show in the past, but it has been a lot slower with 3 bars signal than it is currently with 0 bars!

Go figure!! lol


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## AidanMcK (Nov 21, 2011)

That's probably a 3-bar 3G signal vs a 0-bar 4G signal I would imagine.


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