So in my last post I wrote about Skinny 4G wireless broadband. I have had this for about 10 days and it's been really good. I have two computers connected to it, one in each main room of the house, and using a proper computer with it instead of a limited Raspberry Pi is really the key to getting the most out of it. But just as relevant is the observation that it is way better than the Vodem that I used to plug into one of my PCs via the USB port. There were plenty of times when that wouldn't connect reliably and it was often very slow especially in daytime. I was half expecting the same sort of challenges with Skinny but like my earlier evaluation of the new Spark wireless broadband for a relative, I was left pleasantly surprised by the performance and reliability of Skinny Wiress Broadband.
It so happens the same product is available as Skinny Jump at a much cheaper cost for people who have various forms of economic or social constraints that make it difficult for them to pay for a full wireless product, and certainly paying $10 for 60 GB is quite a lot cheaper than my $39 plan for the same volume. However although I can qualify for the Jump product and would not have to pay upfront for a modem as I have, I will continue with what I have purchased as I believe I am able to afford it and therefore the Jump funding subsidy can be directed to those most in need of it.
I don't have the modem running the whole time, it gets turned on and off with the computer - and it comes on and connects itself up pretty quickly without any issues at all. It took very little effort to get it in a position where it gets 3 bars of signal (maximum strength) and the speeds it is giving me are really good, easily comparable with Jetstream (ADSL) and way better than the throttled speeds I have been getting on my free connection from the school. The Huawei B618 modem is not quite as full featured as the Nanobridge that connects to the school - the B618 can issue DHCP addresses for example but can't handle address reservations and some of the other bells and whistles that the Nanobridge manages. But it is quite satisfactory for home use. I have turned off its WLAN because I don't as yet need to be able to connect to it wirelessly and also to avoid interfering with the existing wireless network in the house from the Unifi AP Pro.
At the moment Skinny have granted us extra free data because of the COVID-19 lockdown but I will still have to pay $39 at the end of the month whether I use the extra data or not but at least I don't have to worry about going over cap for the next month or two. But so far usage is going well and I don't have to worry about going over cap in any case because most days would average less than 2 GB.
Overall therefore Skinny 4G Wireless Broadband is highly recommended.
