Most reliable 4G set up

Over the years I have tried various options albeit mainly to enhance a WiFi signal rather than 3/4G. Never found any of them particularly easy to use, unless I have a low threshold of getting things to work!!! Since I have had a reasonable Smart Phone I have tended to use that as a source of WiFi and most of the time it seems to work well. I suppose the phone does get a bit warm but I have never felt it got to the point where it was likely to cause problems. I often charge mine whilst in use. I don't stream but just use the connection for web browsing and email. Increasinging I am actually using the phone for banking etc.

David

We, back when camping was allowed, used our old Samsung S5s as  wifi hotspots for tablet or laptop Skype video calls without the phone overheating.

Here the duration was nearer 30 minutes, not streaming a full-length movie in real time, maybe our ask was less than the OP's?

It works very well given in our case a healthy Three signal. If that signal was iffy then we left the phone say in the awning or where we could get a stronger signal, but was within wifi range.

Getting signals, in many areas or even getting a 4G one is IMO more the issue than the ability of the kit. Clearly a better gain is a good move, but there has to be, even then, a viable signal where you are.

So the requested  "reliability" is not something you can rely on.

The Netgear M1 is going to require its unique SIM or a heck of a lot of hassle moving it from device to device.

For years I did use open access wifi with a high gain USB adaptor coupled with a tuned  yagi aerial, but with the coming of better mobile based data, that has ended doing that.

We have a Huawei tablet from EE which operates in the 4G network. It has excellent speed and is ready to tether to. Rarely do we have a connection problem with EE. 

I have exactly the set up you describe - a Netgear MR1100 (M1) with an EE sim (100Gb/month for £20) and a Poynting antenna. 

It works perfectly! Highly highly recommended. The M1 is a super piece of kit. I rarely use the Poynting antenna because the (4) internal MIMO antennas are so good. The throughput is superb. We used extensively in Scotland last year (Bunree, Brora, Dunnet Bay, Marogowan) plus Coniston in the Lakes and plenty of other locations too.

If you’re serious about your wifi, this is what you need. Well worth the investment in my opinion.

£18 per month for a Three SIM giving unlimited calls, text and data in a decent smart phone which can be tethered to my laptop, and our tablets provides all we need here and abroad.  

In my mind this is an ideal set up and I have tried all the service providers and much prefer EE.

I had considered a 4G set-up but I'm not convinced and it is an extra expense.

We use my wife's phone for important stuff when away, eg phone, text, bank and basic internet. She has 10Gb data etc for £10 month with O2.

If we plan to visit a site for any period I will only generally go where free internet is available. Many CL's in UK offer this and it's more the norm on Continental sites. I use a wifi booster to access this facility through tablet and phone. With a clear range of several 100m this works well for us and keeps costs down.

Colin

It always amazes me that, whilst a good 4G signal in parts of the UK are difficult, a remote village in Africa seems to have no problem, as demonstrated in Simon Reeves's programme on TV last evening.

I have a 4g Huawei with 3 mobile hub in my home and get between 30/75 mbps download. BT just sent me a 4g hub to use as my telephone line with broadband went down and this 4g EE unit only gets about 15mbps, so it all depends on what network and where you are that controls your connection and speed. 

We use a Netgear M2 and an EE sim card. My wife is still working and can connect to her office network whilst we are away in the MH. We also use it for connecting a Firestick TV. We haven't had any issues with signal, speed or connectivity to date, so a good setup depending on your needs.