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Avid Contributor III
December 5, 2021
Answered

Poor home internet, 4G mobile broadband an option?

We live very remote and our home broadband will never get much higher than the existing 2mbps! Has anyone got info whether 4G mobile broadband is a viable alternative as I have heard that Sonos does not marry too well with such an internet source??

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    ratty
    rattyAnswer
    December 5, 2021

    I can’t comment on EE’s service at all. Unless you can get a decent internet service from BT (a relative has 150Mbps fibre to a rural location a few miles east of you) I would just get a 4G router and try it. If Sonos struggles then Tech Support might refuse assistance, but it’s worth a go if you’ve no alternative. 

    11 replies

    ratty
    December 5, 2021

    Mobile hotspots and 4G routers are not officially supported, but you could always try it. Depending on the service and speaker Sonos may buffer sufficiently to ride out latency spikes. 

    MarcusPosAuthor
    Avid Contributor III
    December 5, 2021

    Is it something that I should try then? 4G mobile broadband would certainly help with other internet use at home, the only thing stopping me is the Sonos issue as I have a fair few speakers that I am loathe to offload 

    Pos
    MarcusPosAuthor
    Avid Contributor III
    December 5, 2021

    We are with EE for our phones, surely they as a company would be a safe bet?

    Pos
    ratty
    rattyAnswer
    December 5, 2021

    I can’t comment on EE’s service at all. Unless you can get a decent internet service from BT (a relative has 150Mbps fibre to a rural location a few miles east of you) I would just get a 4G router and try it. If Sonos struggles then Tech Support might refuse assistance, but it’s worth a go if you’ve no alternative. 

    UKMedia
    December 5, 2021

    My system ran on a 4G service without any problems for 2 years until I recently got FTTP :nerd::grin:

    Remember: Sometimes Red Wine helps :)
    MarcusPosAuthor
    Avid Contributor III
    December 5, 2021

    Our BT speed of no more than 2mbps certainly is veering me towards a mobile internet provider

    Pos
    Belly M
    December 5, 2021

    I used 3G for a solid two years 10 years ago without issue, obviously not streaming CD quality. Used to get about 5Mbps whereas fixed line was 512kbps.

    ratty
    December 5, 2021

    I used 3G for a solid two years 10 years ago without issue, obviously not streaming CD quality. Used to get about 5Mbps whereas fixed line was 512kbps.

    Not obvious at all really. The recommended bandwidth for one FLAC stream is 5Mbps, which is for bursty buffer filling. The sustained bitrate is ‘only’ around 1-1.5Mbps (allowing for overhead).

    MarcusPosAuthor
    Avid Contributor III
    December 5, 2021

    You’ve lost me now with this tech talk…

    Pos
    Belly M
    December 5, 2021

    I used 3G for a solid two years 10 years ago without issue, obviously not streaming CD quality. Used to get about 5Mbps whereas fixed line was 512kbps.

    Not obvious at all really. The recommended bandwidth for one FLAC stream is 5Mbps, which is for bursty buffer filling. The sustained bitrate is ‘only’ around 1-1.5Mbps (allowing for overhead).

    Yeah but I needed the rest of the bandwidth for the rest of the family hence I chose to go lossy.

    It was a typo..goes off and mumbles something about kilts and bagpipes…