Welcome to the gang RussandSandy, enjoy here and out in the playground.
I have used a Telstra Netgear portable WiFi device fir years and find it great. It can also have a external antenna attached that comes in very handy at times. I have mine on a plan. Works best for me.
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DOUGChief One Feather (Losing feathers with age)
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Hi Russ we have a Telstra prepaid 4GX wifi modem that I have used for the last 3 years without problems on all our trips around Tas, SA, Vic and NSW. I just bought a newer version last week from the Telstra web site for $97 with free shipping including Sim card and 20 gig of data (normaly $139), I could only get it on line as Telstra shops don't stock them. I usually recharge it on online which I think costs me around $150 for 40gig of data which is good for 6 months. You can run up to 6 devices off the unit - the only reason that I replaced the old one was because it wasn,t holding its charge and for that price it was easier just to buy a new one.
Welcome RussandSandy, I have had the Telstra 4G wifi prepaid for 5 years and only last week had to replace it. Worked fine everywhere we went including all over Tassie. Purchased the same but updated and transferred my Sim card to it, Coles have them for $49
I have Optus wireless broadband at home which means I can take the modem anywhere in Australia and access the internet anywhere there is an Optus mobile 4G signal. Where no Optus I use my mobile phone with Telstra.
We have been on the road 5 years and tried the Netgear router. Unfortunately it still needs a reasonable signal to be of much use.
We use ours mostly for downloading data. Ended up with CelFi signal booster, advertised on this forum. Expensive, but it does work. Stuart Highway is hopeless most of it's length, as is most of WA. At least if the CelFi can sniff out a signal you might get a bit of bandwidth to do some browsing.
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Kevin Kyle
On the road full time with Son and 21 year old cat and 3 year old Manx.
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We have a Boost mobile sim in our iPhone & hot spot that to my laptop PC or our iPad for the benefit of a larger screen (WiFi connection).
Boost uses the full Telstra mobile network and my 'plan' is $150 for 80gig that lasts 12months. Though this plan may only be available to existing customers.
More than enough for us and the speed is adequate.
-- Edited by Cupie on Wednesday 17th of February 2021 09:53:19 AM
I use my phone as a hotspot with a Belong SIM ($10 per month) - Belong is wholly Telstra owned and uses their wholesale network. I have found it to be quite adequate in all the locations one may expect mobile signal.
I use about 1GB of data per month, that's for regular net surfing and e-mail - I virtually never watch video, YouTube et al.
Edit:
Outside mobile coverage areas I use e-mail over HF Amateur Radio but that's a *whole* different story :)
-- Edited by Mike Harding on Wednesday 17th of February 2021 08:24:53 AM
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"I beseech you in the bowels of Christ think it possible you may be mistaken"
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We hedge our bets, wife has blue brand and I have the white one, sometimes they both work, othertimes only one network works
My white wifi moderm linked to my phone account has been excellant.
The wife hotspots and shares her account when the occasional needs arise.
The modem may not be perfect but you do get use to lack of communication after awhile.
The advantage of using a wifi modem is it has a potable aerial jack to extend its range and the other is I found is my phone while hotspoting seems to use a lot more battery.
Just be aware that there is a very big difference in the areas covered (especially in the outback) by the full Telstra network and the wholesale network. Look at the coverage maps each re seller or provider has and the difference is very clear.
Cheers
I found having both the Telstra and Optus portable wifi modems gives you good coverage on the travels. The modems are about $50 each. Recharging to the max gives me plenty of gigabytes of data usable for 12 months rather than limited monthly.
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Cheers, Richard (Dick0)
"Home is where the Den is parked, Designer Orchid Special towed by Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited"
"4x250W solar panels, Epever 80A charger and 3x135Ah Voltax Prismatic LiFePO4 Batteries".
RussandSandy wrote:Have been advised to purchase a - WIFI SIM CARD MODEM (we already have the sim card ) any advice appreciated
Russ, when purchasing the modem, get the shop to install the SIM card and check that it works. A lot of these devices are locked to a particular network. If you get hold of a modem that is locked to a network the SIM does not operate on, it will not work.
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PeterD Nissan Navara D23 diesel auto, Spaceland pop-top Retired radio and electronics technician. NSW Central Coast.
We hedge our bets, wife has blue brand and I have the white one, sometimes they both work, othertimes only one network works
My white wifi moderm linked to my phone account has been excellant.
The wife hotspots and shares her account when the occasional needs arise.
The modem may not be perfect but you do get use to lack of communication after awhile.
The advantage of using a wifi modem is it has a potable aerial jack to extend its range and the other is I found is my phone while hotspoting seems to use a lot more battery.
