topic Re: Unlimited data sim card in a 4G router - Actually unlimited? in Archived Posts

Unlimited data sim card in a 4G router - Actually unlimited?

camy252 — Fri, 21 Aug 2020 10:10:47 GMT

I've now spoken with EE on three different occasions and been given conflicting info on this each time.

I signed up to an unlimited sim only deal for £35 which I put into a 4G router. When speaking to EE a few days later about another matter, the advisor eluded to the fact that if i put that sim into a router, it thinks its a hotspot and i actually only get 100GB a month! I was a bit frustrated at being misled the first time so I asked if this could be confirmed. The advisor confirmed that i would get 100GB a month!

So i had to cancel that contract and take out a £50 a month one that is only 500GB a month but they said thats the most they do. I'm now spending more a month, have a data cap AND a router I'm not going to use but paying for. But, I settled with it thinking that was my best choice for home broadband.

Spoke to another advisor today and he's not aware of any issues putting an unlimited sim into a router. There isnt much about this on the internet but from what I've read, you should get unlimited data even if you put this into a router.

So now I'm a bit confused (and a little annoyed) but all this so can anyone confirm if they have been able to use more than 100GB on their unlimited sim?

Its a rubbish situation to be in because I'd have to use more than 100GB to test this theory which would probably take more than my 14 days grace period to work out! My worry is EE have misled me so i'd take out the more expensive deal.

Re: Unlimited data sim card in a 4G router - Actually unlimited?

XRaySpeX — Fri, 21 Aug 2020 11:28:31 GMT

You've been misinformed! The 100GB pm limit relates only to gifting data to other users on your a/c. You may only gift data to others from the 1st 100GB of all your data. Other than that you may use the rest of your 1000GB data for your own use, like tethering devices to the hotspot holding the unlimited data SIM.

Re: Unlimited data sim card in a 4G router - Actually unlimited?

camy252 — Fri, 21 Aug 2020 11:31:11 GMT

Bit more confused now. No matter who i spoke to, they all agreed hotspotting data was restricted to 100GB.

The issue was whether putting the unlimited sim into a router would be considered hotspotting and therefore would restrict the user to 100GB a month instead of 1000GB.

Re: Unlimited data sim card in a 4G router - Actually unlimited?

XRaySpeX — Fri, 21 Aug 2020 11:35:38 GMT

As I told you, it's all untrue! Hotspotting/Tethering is NOT gifting data to which the 100GB limit applies & only to that.

Re: Unlimited data sim card in a 4G router - Actually unlimited?

camy252 — Fri, 21 Aug 2020 11:44:39 GMT

Okay thanks. Appreciate the replies, it just that contradicts what I've been told by all the EE people I've spoken to.

Guess i dont really care about hot-spotting, just more about what happens when you use an unlimited sim in a 4G router.

Re: Unlimited data sim card in a 4G router - Actually unlimited?

camy252 — Fri, 21 Aug 2020 11:56:21 GMT

I think some clarity from EE when you're buying the contracts would be good here as I see a few people have been caught out by all this.

I would certainly make it very clear that:

You can put a phone sim into a router BUT it has the following restrictions.....11 devices, a hotspot data cap (if applicable), gift data cap etc.

State that to avoid the device cap (other than the one set by the router - 64 devices on my Tp-Link 4G router for example) you need to take out a wifi 4g plan but the most data you can have is 500GB.

Unless its a loop hole which is going to be closed very soon. In which case, im sorry to everyone for bringing it up!

They do have an unlimited wifi 4gee deal with the Huawei CPE Pro router at £70 and thats unlimited so i dont understand why they dont offer an unlimited deal with the cheaper routers, or offer an unlimited sim only deal for broadband 4G (not phone sim) without the device limit (which is related to hot-spotting)

Re: Unlimited data sim card in a 4G router - Actually unlimited?

XRaySpeX — Fri, 21 Aug 2020 12:05:10 GMT

It's all covered in Unlimited Plans.

How do you know that this doesn't equally apply to the 5GEE Home Router with Antenna (Huawei CPE Pro router)?

Re: Unlimited data sim card in a 4G router - Actually unlimited?

camy252 — Fri, 21 Aug 2020 12:11:26 GMT

Cos it says 1000GB of data with the CPE Pro deal (i know not unlimited but same as FUP 1000GB so consider it the same).

But thats for a sim card thats clearly designed for use in a router, as it comes with a router. So I'd be surprised if that had a hotspotting device cap of 11 considering its clearly for home broadband use.

What I'm suggesting is a sim card only deal for unlimited (1000gb FUP if needed) broadband not phone mobile data. So no device cap (other than the one set by the router). Basically whatever conditions the CPE Pro £70 p/m sim card comes with, is the one we want. Just without the router costs.

Re: Unlimited data sim card in a 4G router - Actually unlimited?

XRaySpeX — Fri, 21 Aug 2020 12:16:57 GMT

It was your interpretation that 1000GB = Unlimited that prompted my Q 😉.

Re: Unlimited data sim card in a 4G router - Actually unlimited?

camy252 — Fri, 21 Aug 2020 12:22:50 GMT

Yup im with you on that one. For simplicity I'm equating 1000GB to be unlimited for the sake of convenience. Certainly unlimited in my eyes as i probably will struggle to reach that limit. However I may go over the 500GB which is my most concerning issue.

Had a look through your link and theres no mention of an 11 device cap for unlimited sim cards when put inside a router. Nor is there any mention of routers which makes me think its possibly a loop hole (that will closed very soon) that you can put one in a router without any issues.

What I really need is someone who has an unlimited sim card (for a phone) in a router to confirm if they were able to go over the 100GB and if they were able to add more than 11 devices to their home network. There seems to be a bit too much ambiguity surrounding this issue, especially when you speak to advisors at EE.

Re: Unlimited data sim card in a 4G router - Actually unlimited?

XRaySpeX — Fri, 21 Aug 2020 12:55:55 GMT

Unl imited Plans

If you regularly tether 12 or more devices, we will consider this non-personal use and have the right to move you to a more suitable plan.

EE considers the active devices behind a router to be tethered to it.

@camy252 wrote:

Nor is there any mention of routers which makes me think its possibly a loop hole (that will closed very soon) that you can put one in a router without any issues.

There is no loophole. EE can't prevent you putting any SIM in any device of your choosing. To do so would break Net Neutrality rules. So there's no loophole to close.

Forget that 100GB limit for hotspotting/tethering. It's a figment of someone's imagination. There are many using unlimited data phone SIMs in MBB routers & using far more than 100GB outside of gifting data. Look in the 4GEE WiFi forum for them.

I've nothing more to say on this subject. I've covered it all!

Re: Unlimited data sim card in a 4G router - Actually unlimited?

camy252 — Fri, 21 Aug 2020 13:08:37 GMT

You've been very patient with me thank you XRaySpeX and your replies have been very helpful. Sorry if I'm getting confused.

'To do so would break Net Neutrality rules'

This is interesting as I didn't realise it was actually against the rules. Again, I'd wished someone at EE at advised about this when I was going through all this.

'EE considers the active devices behind a router to be tethered to it.'

This is a very helpful bit of information that does shed some light on what the advisors have been telling me. Does give some credibility to the idea that the sim DOES know its in a router (as opposed to a phone) and could cap the data despite it being 'unlimited'. Meaning the hotspotting cap may not be a myth and Im safer going with the 500GB sim which has been designed for router purpose.

To conclude then, I'm still annoyed I've been missold a more expensive and capped data plan however if its capped data vs capped devices, i'll take the data!

Thanks again.

Re: Unlimited data sim card in a 4G router - Actually unlimited?

Mokka — Tue, 16 Mar 2021 17:36:07 GMT

That's odd. I can only share my data until 100 GB ends... And its a hotspot !

Re: Unlimited data sim card in a 4G router - Actually unlimited?

XRaySpeX — Tue, 16 Mar 2021 17:45:02 GMT

@Mokka : Not odd at all! It's a condition of EE unlimited data plans. You may only gift data to other nos. from the 1st 100 GB each billing month.

Re: Unlimited data sim card in a 4G router - Actually unlimited?

Alanh3 — Fri, 19 Mar 2021 15:31:47 GMT

I took out an 18 month 100GB data plan on 4gee router and when i found it wasnt enough I got on to EE and the guy I spoke to put me onto an unlimited sim deal to use. My son has been playing his Xbox for hours a day plus pc use for school work and we have not had any problems with data use. My son was doing the 100GB in a few days just with Xbox so you shouldnt have problems with data caps.

Hope this helps