Low cost IoT 4G plan

colm_c

I'm putting together a mobile IoT project and for connectivity I'm looking at some form of mobile broadband / 4G.

Trying to find a low cost / low volume plan, but everything seems to be 20 euro per month minimum, and all the comparison sites are based on maximum data.

Likely consumption is < 1GB per month.

Any ideas of providers / plans?

danm14

If speed isn't an issue (which I doubt it would be at 1GB/month), Lycamobile (using the Three network, 3G only) gives 3GB for €4.99 every 28 days

kenmc

Have you looked at LoRawan at all? How mobile will it be? Would it be within a radius of a fixed point where you could position a lorawan gateway?

Ten Pin

Vodafone PAYG 1GB add-on 5 euro per 28 days
https://n.vodafone.ie/shop/pay-as-you-go-plans/add-ons.html

colm_c

kenmc wrote: »

Have you looked at LoRawan at all? How mobile will it be? Would it be within a radius of a fixed point where you could position a lorawan gateway?

I hadn't, but this will need to be fully mobile, so no fixed gateway.

wexfordman2

colm_c wrote: »

I'm putting together a mobile IoT project and for connectivity I'm looking at some form of mobile broadband / 4G.

Trying to find a low cost / low volume plan, but everything seems to be 20 euro per month minimum, and all the comparison sites are based on maximum data.

Likely consumption is < 1GB per month.

Any ideas of providers / plans?

Vodafone have launched an NBIOT product, not sure of the pricing, but it is targeted at iot,.so cost should be low

ted1

What kind of scale is the project and how much traffic will there be?

Sigfox might be an option.

I know previously we got sims for €5.65 a month from O2 with 250mb. We just added them onto the company account. I don’t think they were specific data sims but just additional numbers that happened to have Data

colm_c

ted1 wrote: »

What kind of scale is the project and how much traffic will there be?

Sigfox might be an option.

I know previously we got sims for €5.65 a month from O2 with 250mb. We just added them onto the company account. I don’t think they were specific data sims but just additional numbers that happened to have Data

Low scale, once off project where I'll be doing some data logging and transfer to the cloud.

Sigfox is interesting although the messages might be a little bit too small for what I need.

kenmc

A bit more info around what your data requirements, packet size etc might help

Apogee

I posted a similar query here recently about the Vodafone UK V-Sim product which is specifically designed for IOT. Apparently it supports roaming, but I have no more info on it.

https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=107181278

naughto

danm14 wrote: »

If speed isn't an issue (which I doubt it would be at 1GB/month), Lycamobile (using the Three network, 3G only) gives 3GB for €4.99 every 28 days

Would 3 all you can eat data work on pay as you go

MayoForSam

I've a similar request for a holiday home with WiFi controlled heating, I want to be able to control the rads remotely when I'm not there so I'm looking for a cheap data only plan to use with a 4G LTE router, I presume the Lycamobile SIM would meet my needs?

ted1

MayoForSam wrote: »

I've a similar request for a holiday home with WiFi controlled heating, I want to be able to control the rads remotely when I'm not there so I'm looking for a cheap data only plan to use with a 4G LTE router, I presume the Lycamobile SIM would meet my needs?

a lesson I learnt is to put the 4g/3G power supply on a timer and power cycle it at least once a day.

Newtown90

Sorry for dragging up a thread a few months old, but I'm looking to get similar for my holiday home.

Has anyone found a mobile broadband sim that suits that doesn't cost the €20 a month I've been paying.

scorn

I'm in the same boat. The main issue for me also is the signal strength of where we are at. 3 are non-existent but Vodafone has some coverage there. Not sure what infrastructure Vodafone use (their own?) as 3 obviously don't use the same...

drunkmonkey

scorn wrote: »

I'm in the same boat. The main issue for me also is the signal strength of where we are at. 3 are non-existent but Vodafone has some coverage there. Not sure what infrastructure Vodafone use (their own?) as 3 obviously don't use the same...

Are you sure the device your using supports all the frequenciues both networks transmit on. You may be not seeing all the network.

scorn

drunkmonkey wrote: »

Are you sure the device your using supports all the frequenciues both networks transmit on. You may be not seeing all the network.

Yeah - that's on my mobile phone. Used to be on Vodafone but it was switched to 3 and that's when the bad reception started (it's a work phone so I have no control over the carrier).

antodeco

VF do IOT Sims. I think there is a 1GB for €6. If you ask about a TEB02 SIM it will do.

listermint

Newtown90 wrote: »

Sorry for dragging up a thread a few months old, but I'm looking to get similar for my holiday home.

Has anyone found a mobile broadband sim that suits that doesn't cost the €20 a month I've been paying.

Pay extra for additional data on your phone plan and use it as a hotspot whilst you are there.

Obviously cost he additional data first.

Simplest solution

Newtown90

listermint wrote: »

Pay extra for additional data on your phone plan and use it as a hotspot whilst you are there.

Obviously cost he additional data first.

Simplest solution

Cheers for the reply, it's when I'm not there I'd like to have control though thanks.

Thanks Listermint, Will check out the TEB02 Sim with Vodafone thanks.

Newtown90

Spoke to Vodafone online chat this morning.

They advised getting a Pay as you Go Sim and once topped up text "5DATA" which will get you 1gb for €5.

Seems my best option. Thanks lads

scorn

What hardware are you using in the holiday home with a sim at the moment? Be interested in doing the same with Vodafone - seems a good solution.

Newtown90

Currently renovating but planning to install a nest, nest smoke alarm, a few sonoffs and Yeelights. Need to checkout an alarm option.

scorn

Thanks - though I was wondering about the device you were using with the sim card itself

Also, if you have an existing alarm check out konnected as they offer a board replacement that can work with various hubs.

bk

Newtown90 wrote: »

Currently renovating but planning to install a nest, nest smoke alarm, a few sonoffs and Yeelights. Need to checkout an alarm option.

Just be careful with IP cameras that stream to the cloud. Video uses a lot of data. Probably a good idea to keep an eye on your data use the first couple days/weeks.

You could still use cameras, but ideally ones that only stream when you log in to view them or they detect motion. If the latter, probably best to only use them indoors, outdoors can trigger lots of movement by accident I find, wind, trees/bushes moving, etc. Could again kill your data.

wexfordman2

bk wrote: »

Just be careful with IP cameras that stream to the cloud. Video uses a lot of data. Probably a good idea to keep an eye on your data use the first couple days/weeks.

You could still use cameras, but ideally ones that only stream when you log in to view them or they detect motion. If the latter, probably best to only use them indoors, outdoors can trigger lots of movement by accident I find, wind, trees/bushes moving, etc. Could again kill your data.

I thought no a DVR might work best in that scenario, no streaming, all stored locally but with remote access and alerts etc

bk

wexfordman2 wrote: »

I thought no a DVR might work best in that scenario, no streaming, all stored locally but with remote access and alerts etc

Yes, that is sort of what I meant.

There are different options.

The problem with a pure DVR, with no cloud storage option at all, is if someone breaks in they may destroy the DVR before you get a chance to log in and view the footage/download the footage.

I think one or two IP cameras inside a holiday home, that only upload when movement is detected is a good compromise. Inside an empty holiday home, they should rarely upload, so not a problem, but they should upload the video if someone actually breaks in. I think this is generally the best option indoors.

For outdoor cameras, in this case, then yes a DVR with alerts would be ok. But if you end up getting lots of alerts from random motion * and you keep logging in to view it, then you will quickly use up the data.

* I've a Yi Camera outdoors and I'm getting over a dozen notifications per night from it. Mostly false alerts from lights from the road outside and tree movement, plus the odd bird. I find you quickly get bored of looking at such alerts and it quickly devalues the usefulness. In this case, checking each alert, would likely kill the data.

I suppose a better camera with proper person detection, rather then general movement detection would be better and handle this better. But the person detection needs to be local, not cloud based in this case. Most seem to be cloud based, so wouldn't help with this case.

I'd think with a holiday home, I'd start with one or two Yi Indoor Cameras with SD cards in them (thus like a DVR) indoors, to help keep an eye on the place. Peace of mind if nothing else. Cheap and cheerful. Outdoor options I don't have a good recommendation yet, at least if money is a concern.

v10

Vodafone V-Sim is only €2.99 per month after buying the sim for €10.

Newtown90

v10 wrote: »

Vodafone V-Sim is only €2.99 per month after buying the sim for €10.

Only for their "smart devices" though? Would be no use in a router.

v10

Newtown90 wrote: »

Only for their "smart devices" though? Would be no use in a router.

I don’t know for sure but how does it matter what it’s used in as long as you can change APN settings in router.

According to the website “If your device isn't listed, you can still purchase a V-Sim but please be aware you will need to change your APN settings.”

Might be worth €10 to try it ?

scorn

scorn wrote: »

Thanks - though I was wondering about the device you were using with the sim card itself

Any suggestions? I would think that leaving a spare (old) mobile phone plugged in permanently would not be a great idea... Of course, I could google it but if someone is already using something that works, it'd be good to hear about.