I’d really appreciate input on whether this seems a good idea, or not.
Currently I have FTTC which up until October last year was stable, if slow. 26 down, 2 up.
I then started getting regular daily (but random) drops and after getting no help from my (then) ISP I moved to A&A. I’ve had many engineers out and spent a huge amount of time (and money) proving it’s not my wiring, equipment etc. Issue has been tracked to degraded cable from pole to ground, however OpenReach will not repair it within any timeframe.
Then almost 3 weeks ago we totally lost internet. Sync ok but no ppp handshake. Error is “ Out Of Sync Fail:GTC_FTTC_SERVICE_1400 DSL port, splitter or Tie Pair issue found most likely near to DSLAM. Continue submitting trouble report.” Despite A&A chasing we still have no internet!
I purchased a Huawei 535 and used the included Three SIM to get us up and running quickly. 4G is more variable and I’ve not yet made any effort to site the router in an optimal location, but at the least we get 26 down, 15 up.
I used the VPN service from A&A to get a fixed IP address and bypass CGNAT.
I have tried my EE SIM and get around 50 down, 45 up.
Initially my thoughts were to use the 4G connection as a backup or load balanced connection. However, I’m now thinking why bother? Why not just go for EE, use A&A VPN and that’ll still save me £10/month in to the bargain.
Summary-
A&A FTTC 26/2 but random drops and currently no internet.
Three + A&A VPN 26/15 minimum, would save £15 month
EE + A&A VPN 50/45 minimum, would save £10 month
Does this sound sensible?