Hello,
I’m looking for a 4g data sim card to use no more than 1GB of data a month. This will be used as a backup for remote surveillance camera so there’s no need for text messages or calls. I see Lebara offers 20GB for 6 euros a month which is far more than I need. However, I was wondering if any providers just sell the data as prepaid on a pay-as-you-go sim which either lasts until the data runs out or has a validity period of more than a month?
You would almost certainly need more than 1gb for running cameras. Any trigger would use that up in mintutes. I am just looking at Reglo mobile on line, 100gb for €9.xx per month sans contract.
You may not need that much, I was looking for it to screen films whilst on holiday as well as running other stuff whilst away. UK now imposing roaming limits around 25Gb means a French sim will be the way to go for me. Interested to hear what else Lebara have on offer as I can only see the UK deals.
This is a PIR solar motion detection camera. It only switches on when it detects motion and then sends an image. The main cameras I use are connected to the ADSL line.
Ok my camera senses pixel movent and pings me on my mobile but in a month I can get through 3Gb.
Depends on your settings and compression. I have WIFI solar cameras with PIR sensors and they barely use any data. Sometimes only 100mb a month. I have high compression enabled. Also, I don’t view the streams unless necessary.
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Three, Vodafone, EE, and O2 are UK providers. There are limitations to using it France?
Try https://www.prixtel.com. Their prices scale automatically each month depending on how much data you use. Starts at 6.99/month for 30Gb, and increases to 10.99 for 70Gb
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Lebara is only 6 euros a month. Unless there’s a better deal, maybe I’ll just stick with that.
Is this really a discussion about +/- €6 a month? 
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Look after the pennies and …
Not sure what’s so funny? This isn’t my main internet service that I use for my phone or home internet. It’s for a specific use and I will need several subscriptions. Perhaps you just wouldn’t understand so I won’t bother explaining.
I agree entirely but surely there must be a “life’s too short” cut off
Ahh, well that makes more sense. 
It adds up though and “feels” too expensive when less than 1GB a month is needed - I’m in much the same boat with the S3. Audi used to have a physical SIM slot so that you could use any provider, they have removed that and I now only have the option of a data plan from “Cubic Telecom” - it is a similar price at £6/mo but for only a shade over 2GB - which makes it a poor deal.
Fortunately I don’t actually need a data plan for the car.
I had a look at some prépayée offerings and they all look a bit expensive to be honest.
Looks like Auchan might offer 5GB for 3,99€ using the Bouygues network.
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Is it a virtual SIM or is it Audi dictated? if Audi are doing updates over the air then you wouldn’t get far with 2GB.
Which brings me to another point, I see some car manufacturers are trying to charge subscription for options/features. Despite having loved and pushed annuity revenue streams during my working life, as a punter I don’t like subscriptions. The exception is MicroSoft 365, which for a family is IMO actually good value (though I hate to admit it).
As far as I can work out on the new systems (MIB3) it’s an eSIM, I think the head unit runs Linux so it would not have been impossible for Audi to have allowed import of a new eSIM into the system.
Updates etc don’t come out of the data plan which is for connected devices via the car WiFi hot spot.
It starts to get tricky if you want to use Android auto wirelessly. At that point the phone would quite like to use the car WiFi as its route to the internet - but unless you sign up to a data plan it just goes to a captive portal wanting you to sign up, as these things do.
That would be fine if the phone recognized that it needs to use LTE data, which it sort of does but only after long time-out periods which stop some sites working at all.
The car has an option to not use the WiFi for data - brilliant, just what I need.
Except it nags, every ******* time the phone connects to the WiFi to turn it back on, which is somewhat frustrating.
Not sure if Android 11,12 or 13 will handle it better - but I would need a new phone for that 
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Yes, none of this stuff is seamless yet. Bloody CarPlay always starts Apple Music in the Merc. no matter that BBC Sounds is actually what I’ve ben listening to. Loads of Micky Mouse fixes on the net to fix it, none of which work.
It took me ages to get Android Auto working wirelessly at all. I’m not even sure why it started working in the end, can’t say I’m super impressed although Google maps looks a bit better than the car’s navigation maps.
I guess I ought to get Amazon Music working.
Maintaining all this “labour reducing” technology is a full time job 
CarPlay, Mercedes Me, My BMW, Alexa, Siri, Apple Home, Blink, Tapo, Tado, Wallbox, Hi-Kumo (Hitachi) ICO, VeSync, Devolo, most recently TeamViewer (courtesy of another thread on here) etc. etc. And when it goes wrong, as the only one in the house that understands how it all hangs together there an urgent demand for immediate tech support
My own fault, I’m addicted to fiddling with this stuff but I’ll soon need a “Mission Control” room at home.
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