Geekzone: technology news, blogs, forums
Guest
Welcome Guest.
You haven't logged in yet. If you don't have an account you can register now.


photosolo

6 posts

Wannabe Geek


#323176 3-Nov-2025 11:12
Send private message

Hi there, Im looking for any help I can get on this one.

 

I have an off the grid self-build home in Rural Wales. 

 

For the most part the house runs like any other, I have a 48v Lifep04 battery bank powering the house via an Outback Inverter. 

 

All the house appliances run like you would expect. However, Im conscious that we don't have a huge capacity battery bank & solar in this part of the world is poor for about half the year. As a result I really try my best to reduce any unnecessary electricity loads. 

 

This brings me on to the internet. We have 2 problems.

 

Problem 1: our current internet is supplied via a copper phone line & we are many miles from the exchange. We are literally the end of the line. As a result our download speed is 3mb... Yes 3mb !

 

I don't want to go down the Starlink route as they seem really juicy on power & the missus hates Musk (dont want to get political).

 

It is worth mentioning also that the 4g on our land isn't amazing but it has to be better than the current home Wifi.

 

So I am currently looking into the option of an outside 4g router/antenna, with some kind of switch/router with POE & a Wifi AP

 

One possible setup Ive found is: 

 

 

 

Mikrotik 4G LTE6 POE Router SXT

 

Mikrotik hEX POE (RB960PGS)

 

Mikrotik RouterBoard cAP Lite - RBcAPL-2nD

 

 

 

I'd be interested to hear anyones thoughts on this. I know I have a lot to learn still. 

 

 

 

Also worth mentioning that we have access to a Welsh government grant (ABC) of up to £500 to buy the hardware that will provide our home with decent internet... in theory 

 

 

 

Thanks in advance

 

Dan


Create new topic
Dynamic
4015 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1851

ID Verified
Trusted
Lifetime subscriber

  #3430389 3-Nov-2025 11:27
Send private message

Welcome to Geekzone, Dan.

 

Before spending any money, can you sanity-check the plan to move to 4G?  Can you ask a friendly local to borrow their 4G router (without external antenna) and give it a good test at home for an hour or two, ideally at peak time, to see how it works in the real world?  If it works acceptably without an external antenna, that would likely confirm sufficiently that it's a good solution for you and would be even better with an external antenna.





“Don't believe anything you read on the net. Except this. Well, including this, I suppose.” Douglas Adams




photosolo

6 posts

Wannabe Geek


  #3430437 3-Nov-2025 11:39
Send private message

I can confirm already that 4g isn’t available in our house. We would 100% need an external (directional) router/antenna.

 

 


Dynamic
4015 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1851

ID Verified
Trusted
Lifetime subscriber

  #3430493 3-Nov-2025 12:01
Send private message

photosolo:

 

I can confirm already that 4g isn’t available in our house. We would 100% need an external (directional) router/antenna.

 

 

Ok.  In that case, I would do my best to borrow a router and external antenna for testing.  It would be a shame to use the government grant for 4G equipment that does not actually make a positive difference.

 

Are there any WISP's in your area that may have you in their coverage area?  My in-laws live rurally and have a 30/10 connection with a Wireless ISP.  They have had a very positive experience and it's sufficient for their needs.  Fixed wireless internet access, UK: Members map for UKWISPA





“Don't believe anything you read on the net. Except this. Well, including this, I suppose.” Douglas Adams




photosolo

6 posts

Wannabe Geek


  #3430499 3-Nov-2025 12:42
Send private message

Annoyingly rural mid-wales is ignored by these community internet scheme things. 


Dynamic
4015 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1851

ID Verified
Trusted
Lifetime subscriber

  #3430526 3-Nov-2025 14:01
Send private message

Rats.  Have you considered Brdy satellite-based internet access?  Ping times will be slower as (unlike Starlink) the satellites are not LEO, which means browsing web sites would likely feel a bit slower, but streaming video should be fine.  My last experience with satellite-based internet was around 20 years ago.

 

https://brdy.com/uk/ 

 

Again, ideally find someone local to you using it and give it a try.

 

---

 

If you take a deep breath and have another look at Starlink, the review I link to here suggests that the Starlink Mini consumes notably less power.  You might still be best to power it off when not in use.  https://www.ecoflow.com/us/blog/how-much-power-does-starlink-use 

 

---

 

If you've been waiting this long for decent internet and can wait another 12 months, hopefully that would give time for Amazon Kuiper to get up and running.  You would be substituting one US-based billionaire for another, but this one is less controversial.  https://www.aboutamazon.com/what-we-do/devices-services/project-kuiper 





“Don't believe anything you read on the net. Except this. Well, including this, I suppose.” Douglas Adams


photosolo

6 posts

Wannabe Geek


  #3430603 3-Nov-2025 20:02
Send private message

Thanks for this, I don’t think I’ve tried Brdy will look into this now!

 

yes the Starlink mini is much more energy efficient. My biggest issue there is the monthly cost. Last check was around £100 for unlimited.

 

 Thanks also for the heads up on the Amazon thing. I wasn’t aware the other slightly less Bond villain was also creating a competitor to Starlink - will do some more research on this. Thanks again


 
 
 
 

Shop now for Dyson appliances (affiliate link).
photosolo

6 posts

Wannabe Geek


  #3430607 3-Nov-2025 20:14
Send private message

Well I was getting quite excited about Brdy, the website was telling me they can provide internet to my postcode. 

 

Then i thought i'd try and do some googling and quickly discovered they apparently went into liquidation in March this year ! 

 

No mention of this on their website though ?


shk292
2916 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 2040

Lifetime subscriber

  #3430700 4-Nov-2025 11:12
Send private message

Liquidation probably because starlink is lower latency, better bandwidth and cheaper.  You're really hobbling yourself if you discount this as an option. And noting how many yachts use it, it's hard to believe that power consumption is a major problem

 

Just my $0.02

 

 


photosolo

6 posts

Wannabe Geek


  #3430706 4-Nov-2025 11:28
Send private message

It’s not an insane amount of power but it is a lot for an offgrid house in Wales in the winter. 
The Summer is a non issue. Just like most yachts I guess the sun is usually shining. 
The Starlink Mini sounds ideal but that’s almost £100 a month. 
To be honest I’m pretty close to just trying Starlink but I’d rather not give my cash to Musk if I can help it


Dynamic
4015 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1851

ID Verified
Trusted
Lifetime subscriber

  #3430718 4-Nov-2025 11:49
Send private message

Interestingly, there is no Residential Lite plan showing in the UK version of the Starlink web site.  It's been available in NZ for 12-ish months though I think in high-demand areas the Lite plan is sometimes made unavailable.

 

NZ: https://starlink.com/nz/service-plans

 

UK: https://starlink.com/gb/service-plans

 

Perhaps contact them and ask if the Lite plan is an option they can arrange for you in Wales?





“Don't believe anything you read on the net. Except this. Well, including this, I suppose.” Douglas Adams


Create new topic








Geekzone Live »

Try automatic live updates from Geekzone directly in your browser, without refreshing the page, with Geekzone Live now.



Are you subscribed to our RSS feed? You can download the latest headlines and summaries from our stories directly to your computer or smartphone by using a feed reader.