4G to wifi router - which plan/SIM allows this?

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EB255GTX

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#320242 22-Jul-2025 12:29

Previous thread on the hardware involved for context... this post is about the 2degrees product suitability.

We would like a 4G to wifi router at a rural holiday property, for occasional use hence no contract or monthly fee ideally.

The TP-Link Archer M400 looks OK and takes external antennas, and the 2degrees data sidekick SIM/plan looks perfect.

Anyone know of a problem with this idea - like hotspotting not allowed from the data sidekick SIM? I have an enquiry in place with 2degrees but it might take a while, and real world experience or info from the knowledgeable folk on here is valuable.

SaltyNZ

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#3396160 22-Jul-2025 12:53

Noting that we do not officially condone the use of normal mobile plan SIMs in routers and reserve the right to address unusually high usage at any time, we do not actively attempt to restrict hotspotting on any mobile plan.

Of course if you're thinking of holiday connectivity then you will probably be contending with the rest of Auckland moving to Whangamata for the week (insert your local equivalent here) so your mileage may vary.

The RAN people would very much appreciate you steering your router away from L900 as it is only 5MHz. I may or may not recommend the Mikrotik Chateau LTE12 from personal experience, which will allow you to control the band(s) it uses. It isn't clear to me that the TP-Link has this level of configurability - the spiel suggests it is trying to hide all that detail from the user.

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These comments are my own and do not represent the opinions of 2degrees.

EB255GTX

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#3396163 22-Jul-2025 13:10

Thank you, exactly the sort of info I hoped for when posting :-)

TBH the price difference between the Mikrotik and TP-Link while about double, is also not much in an absolute sense considering the other bills involved in owning a holiday home. I now lean towards purchasing quality once rather than inferiority twice.

Now is the bands thing related to congestion/usage in that area, or just a thing regardless? I am guessing you mean 900 has 5MHz bandwidth so does that mean limited number of users, or limited throughput, or throughput drops with users or what?

The area is south island rural, there's not likely to ever be a concentration of people within a few sq km because there's nothing there but forest which is why we purchased it! If I can change the bands the router uses with no real impact I'll do it anyway, but wondering in case due to the location that band is the only or best one available.

SaltyNZ

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#3396168 22-Jul-2025 13:32

The 5MHz bandwidth for L900 is global, as that's just how much spectrum we have in that band. It is shared between all users, so you will get a lower maximum throughput and a higher likelihood of congestion on that band simply because of the lower capacity.

We have 10MHz in L700, which will also penetrate further because in general the longer wavelengths travel further through air for the same radiated power. This means you are more likely to pick up a usable L700 signal than L900, and all things being equal you will also get better speed due to more bandwidth and lower contention.

Congestion is probably less of an issue right out in the sticks but the better range of L700 is an advantage. In the LTE interface configuration you can lock it to LTE and band 28 (700 APAC) only.

That Mikrotik also supports external antennas - it has a pair of connectors on the back - but note that it doesn't come with them out of the box. Given they are standard RF connectors though you can buy whatever antenna you like.

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These comments are my own and do not represent the opinions of 2degrees.

EB255GTX

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#3396172 22-Jul-2025 13:38

Really appreciate your time, thanks!

SaltyNZ

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#3396174 22-Jul-2025 13:58

Actually, for the TP-Link I see this:

Network Type
4G: FDD-LTE B1/B3/B7/B8/B20 (2100/1800/2600/900/800MHz)

It does not have Band 28 support. You definitely want to avoid this router for rural use then.

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These comments are my own and do not represent the opinions of 2degrees.

EB255GTX

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#3396175 22-Jul-2025 14:02

Close the box of nails for that TP-Link coffin, we're done here.

Now I'm on a research jaunt for the right antenna (gotta be the right colour of course) to pair with the Mikrotik!

Thank you again :-)

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Move to New Zealand's best fibre broadband service (affiliate link). Free setup code: R587125ERQ6VE. Note that to use Quic Broadband you must be comfortable with configuring your own router.

nztim

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#3396191 22-Jul-2025 15:42

SaltyNZ:

It does not have Band 28 support. You definitely want to avoid this router for rural use then.

That should NOT be sold in NZ!

Any views expressed on these forums are my own and don't necessarily reflect those of my employer.

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#3396192 22-Jul-2025 15:43

Just be careful with the Mikrotik, it is very easy to have the router exposed to the internet causing you to be haxed

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EB255GTX

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#3396242 22-Jul-2025 19:56

SaltyNZ:

Noting that we do not officially condone the use of normal mobile plan SIMs in routers and reserve the right to address unusually high usage at any time, we do not actively attempt to restrict hotspotting on any mobile plan.

A followup if you would be so kind.... I'm happy with the Mikrotik you recommended, and have been all over the RouterOS guides etc for the last 3 coffees now. This certainly looks to be a step up from the usual TP Link or Huawei device.... anyway, on the 2deg site there is mention in various places of rural broadband not being possible with a BYO modem, and similar verbiage in the setup guides and plan selectors.

Here's my take from what I have picked up so far, could you comment?

I think that rural broadband is a 700MHz (only? or at least usually?) service on a 2deg wireless broadband account/SIM. 2deg knows it is a RB connection.

What I am planning to do - using a 4G/LTE WAN capable router with a standard prepay or data sidekick or even a pay monthly SIM is taking advantage of the lack of restrictions you mention above, and will happen to use 700MHz 4G in the area I will use intend to deploy it, but in the end is just another normal device, not a rural broadband connection.

If that's correct.... why is there a RB connection type? Priority of service maybe? What really drives my question is the RB accounts seem to cost way more than data sidekcik given i can share sata to the sidekick from my main 2deg account. I don't mean to get into pricing details, moreso - surely you get something more for the RB cost? Maybe that something is simply support and pre set up, no hassle, supplied modem? Of course, 2deg reserves the right to restrict the use of normal SIMs in the way that I will be using it at any time in future so I guess that's another reason to pay for the "real" RB service.

At this stage I think MY way forward is clear, but I've gotten all intrigued on whether this is a service thing in technical terms or more admin around it as above :-)

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#3396268 22-Jul-2025 20:23

No QOS on RBI connections

SaltyNZ

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#3396285 22-Jul-2025 21:15

2degrees only supports wireless broadband on the devices we supply. With a WBB service we will supply a modem that is pre-configured and supports all our bands.

Just as it is possible to use a SIM in a handset you bought from the parallel importers rather than one that we sell directly, it is possible to use a router you purchased yourself. However if you do, you are on your own: customer care definitely can't help you diagnose a problem with a Mikrotik router.

Should you request a WBB service from 2degrees we will check your billing address and your plan options may be limited. In particular if you tell us your address is in an area only covered by RCG sites (that's the Rural Broadband) then there is only one plan we will sell you - the $75/170GB Rural Broadband plan.

For sure whatever plan you purchase, the router you use must support Band 28 / L700 in order for it to have any realistic chance of working in a rural area, RCG or otherwise. All the devices we sell will do that.

iPad Pro 11" + iPhone 15 Pro Max + 2degrees 4tw!

These comments are my own and do not represent the opinions of 2degrees.

Quic Broadband

Move to New Zealand's best fibre broadband service (affiliate link). Free setup code: R587125ERQ6VE. Note that to use Quic Broadband you must be comfortable with configuring your own router.

EB255GTX

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#3396295 22-Jul-2025 21:46

Gotcha, all makes sense and is about what I expected.

The same is perfectly justified across many industries, like that customer wanting support on a hydraulic motor they bought from you "not having as much power as it should" but they are using thier own hyd lines of unknown ratings to power it is kinda a parallel :-)

In this case I understand and am fine with providing my own support in the knowledge that if it was mission critical I'd change to the supported solution!