Satellite Broadband Experience and Recommendations

Property & Home
21

Hi Rod - take a look at the Bouygues 4G Box - I’ve had mine since March and it’s just brilliant. 30 day free trial, no contract, unlimited usage, no hassle - plug it in, switch on and off you go for 33€ per month!

Works a dream with my IPTV, internet radio, security system, IP Cameras, phones / pads etc with amazing speeds - average 45mbps down and just about the same up (often much higher).

Here’s the link to test their 4G network near your - it looks like Champagne Mouton itself has good coverage:

Bouygues 4G Test Network Coverage

And here’s the link to test your eligibility for their 4G Box (it’s not currently available in all areas even though the 4G network may be)

Bouygues 4G Box - Test Eligibility

22

Thanks Simon, there’s a tiny black hole that may or may not be over our prospective house - I’ve gone back to the agent to see if I can find out. It’s looking promising though. Thanks for all your help. :slight_smile:

23

Note also that because you get 4G on a smartphone does not mean you’ll get it on a in-house 4G (sometimes called a BBox) signal.

Yes, it is good to find just where the antenna is, but you also need a good reception antenna. If you think your 4G-signal will make it through the walls into your house, then you might end up sadly mistaken.

The deployment of 4G-antennas in France provides one of the worser 4G-services of any European country. A multi-nation 4G-rating is found here. Will you be surprised to see that the UK is 43rd and France 61st in the ranking … ?

1 Like
24

Only useful in very strong signal areas - and then in modern buildings with thin walls.

Otherwise you need a “4G Router” such as eg https://www.wifi-stock.co.uk/details/teltonika-rut955-lte-4g-dual-sim-router-.html1 - that allows an external antenna to be used.

[1] product chosen at random to illustrate the genre - not a specific recommendation.

25

Not sure what you guys are talking about when you refer to a ‘BBox’ - could you clarify please?

26

Yes it does.

27

If you get 4G on a smartphone in the house then you will get it on a 4G router. I must admit I read Tony’s comment as “if you get 4G outside, you might not get it in the house”

Edit: But the data rate inside could be a lot lower, even if the 4G connection can be maintained. Ultimately it’s all about antennae and structures which block the signal.

28

And the BBox - what are you / he referring to?

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That’s not a BBox! I have the 4G Box from bouygues and it’s excellent! The BBox is their ADSL fixed line internet service - I guess @LeRicain is confused.

31

In that case he has led me on as well.

But the Bouygues 4G Box could, I guess, easily become know as a BBox, maybe :slight_smile:

Regardless - it is clearly the sort of device being discussed and it clearly has a built in 4G antenna so will not get a drastically better signal than a phone - if you live in a poor signal area where 4G is possible outside but not inside (or at significantly reduced speed) then a commercial system which allows an external antenna will perform much better.

It probably doesn’t matter that a particular device is, or is not known as a BBox.

32

Well it does when Bouygues market both their 4G Box (internet via 4G mobile networks) and BBox’s (ADSL, VDSL & Fibre internet via fixed line) - entirely different technologies and connection methods.

In any case - you can attach booster antennas to the 4G box should you feel so inclined. However, if your 4G mobile signal is weak indoors then I wouldn’t bother! 4G internet is simply not for you.

33

OK, found that now - see what you mean & apologies.

My defence, is that I could only choose Orange anyway so didn’t need to do extensive, detailed, research on all the xDSL products on offer. To be honest I don’t even try to follow the UK market in that much depth.

I’d disagree with this. We have a terrible phone signal in the house (i.e no-G except close to a window), but tolerable outside and I got a perfectly usable internet connection using a 3G router (no 4G at the house) with an external antenna, until Orange put VDSL in the village and we got connected that way.

I would also disagree with the idea of a 4G booster, for one are they legal in France? For another they might be able to up the transmit power to punch out through walls but they can’t really improve the received signal except by use of a better antenna.

There is a basic principal of fringe reception for any radio transmission which is to start with the best antenna in the best position before any sort of amplification is considered.

In sort of case being discussed a 4G antenna mounted on the outside of the building.

34

Sorry Paul I’m afraid you’re talking about stuff way beyond my knowledge base! :slight_smile: A friend in a nearby village has attached a simple low cost (from Amazon) 4G antenna to his Bouygues 4G box and it works a treat! No idea how and not really interested, but it most definitely does.

1 Like
35

The “B” in BBOX stands for “Bouygues”, which is one of the four major suppliers of internet connection in France.

The other three are Orange, Free … and SFR.

There are a plethora of offerings but not that many actual network-owners - that is, the companies that actually set up the network. The above mentioned four carriers broker their connections to a good number of others who resell the service. My bank actually does this!

According to latest reports Orange has the largest 4G-coverage in France. But, in general, France is a laggard regarding 4G, one of the most important Internet communication systems today. (The other three being fiber-optic, DSL and Satellite.)

Availability of offerings is obvious dependent upon where you live. If you reside in a large city, you have a good choice offerings. If you live in the countryside, go for a satellite connection because 4G is laggard in terms of antennas installed.

Try as I may, I cannot find one antenna-company willing to install a 4G antenna (which is really quite tiny) on my TV mast. And the DSL in the countryside is ridiculously slow.

I was curious so I kept my DSL-connection whilst putting in a 4G receiver box. I measured bandwidth download times in both instances; that is, via DSL and 4G.

The 4G connection was between 2 and 3 times quicker. (BUT, if you live in a rainy part of France, be careful because the weather will indeed affect signal-strength! Which does not happen on a DSL line via the telephone network. But DSL is very, very slow in the countryside because too many people are connected and the service is not being upgraded technologically.

Do not choose the “VDSL” option (supposedly better than “ADSL”), which I had and was painfully slow. VDSL degrades seriously if a connection is beyond 1.6kms from the local central-box.

36

Did he install the 4G-antenna on the roof of his house?

37

Hi Tony - what utter condescending rubbish! :stuck_out_tongue::stuck_out_tongue::stuck_out_tongue:

I’m fully aware who Bouygues are - as you’d know if you’d bothered to read my posts! A Bbox is their ADSL / VDSL / Fibre - fixed line ‘offering’ and has nothing to do with their 4G ‘offering’. As I stated earlier - you’re simply confused.

I live in a rural location in one of the least populated departments in the country and we are superbly well served by 4G (from all operators) and ADSL/VDSL & Fibre services - again from all the operators. The average 4G speeds are around 60-80 Mbps currently and the minimum ADSL is around 15 Mbps - all unaffected by rain (?!?!). So not sure where you get your network info but it’s patently wrong.:stuck_out_tongue::stuck_out_tongue::stuck_out_tongue:

38

May I suggest that if living in the countryside and interested in 4G one should look at the 4G-antenna maps that are available on the Internet to see where a 4G-antenna is actually located in relation to their house. (Google carte antenne 4G)

Which is how I located my 4G-antenna in line-of-sight of my house at about 2kms, and the Bouygues “BBox” works rather well.

39

Don’t be daft - he attached it to the aerial socket provided on his Bouygues 4G Box. You know, the socket made for aerial boosters! Perhaps you need to take a look at the Bouygues 4G Box modems and then all will become clear.

40

Tony - will you please stop confusing people!! The Bouygues 4G Box is NOT a Bbox. The Bbox is a fixed line modem.

The Bouygues 4G box is by far the best and cheapest 4G internet option currently available on the French market - unless of course anyone knows differently ??? :slight_smile: