Went to Tenerife using Three's Feel At Home £20 add-on.
Video Streaming - blocked
App Store - blocked
Tethering - blocked
Speed - 5mbps
Video Streaming - blocked
App Store - blocked
Tethering - blocked
Speed - 5mbps
Three 'Feel at Home' Data Speeds
12 of 23
Originally Posted by nigelbb:
“I haven't seen throttling when connected to Orange here in France & I can run Speedtest as much as I like getting similar 3G speeds that I see in the UK (1-15Mbps down & 0.1-3Mbps up). Without a VPN I see a complete block on streaming even a low bit rate service like BBC iPlater Radio.”
“I haven't seen throttling when connected to Orange here in France & I can run Speedtest as much as I like getting similar 3G speeds that I see in the UK (1-15Mbps down & 0.1-3Mbps up). Without a VPN I see a complete block on streaming even a low bit rate service like BBC iPlater Radio.”
OK thanks. When I was in the US I tried to connect via my own VPN back to a PC at home in the UK, I couldn't connect to that at all successfully, but I didn't try a 3rd party VPN.
Used it in Fnrace last week and it was fine on their Orange network.
I used the Euro internet pass in Germany the week before and it was pants. One day I could not even buy a pass due to a stupid error message.
I used the Euro internet pass in Germany the week before and it was pants. One day I could not even buy a pass due to a stupid error message.
Originally Posted by Orbitalzone:
“Just been to New England and found that on a couple of occasions I couldn't make voice calls when on Tmobile, I would get an error message saying the service wasn't available (and sometimes no voice message to say there was an error) - changing to AT&T seemed to correct that.
Data speeds were pretty lousy, in Boston city centre I'd get 5mbps on 3G (AT&T or Tmobile) but actually using the data was another matter, clearly it's very restricted on everything, web pages were slow as dialup but usable more or less.
However it was invaluable for Google maps as a sat nav, driving through the city.
Out in the sticks in Maine, New Hampshire there are vast swathes of no voice coverage at all and really makes me appreciated what fairly decent coverage we have in the UK. When in a small town, data was usually on Edge but it did work and was usable. Rarely saw 3G unless a large built up town.”
“Just been to New England and found that on a couple of occasions I couldn't make voice calls when on Tmobile, I would get an error message saying the service wasn't available (and sometimes no voice message to say there was an error) - changing to AT&T seemed to correct that.
Data speeds were pretty lousy, in Boston city centre I'd get 5mbps on 3G (AT&T or Tmobile) but actually using the data was another matter, clearly it's very restricted on everything, web pages were slow as dialup but usable more or less.
However it was invaluable for Google maps as a sat nav, driving through the city.
Out in the sticks in Maine, New Hampshire there are vast swathes of no voice coverage at all and really makes me appreciated what fairly decent coverage we have in the UK. When in a small town, data was usually on Edge but it did work and was usable. Rarely saw 3G unless a large built up town.”
Interesting, I've just returned from three weeks in New England too (Nice isn't it
?)I was on EE, my wife on Three. We both had solid T-Mobile in Boston (I had 4G she had 3G, presumably Three have no roaming agreement for 4G, because at no point did I notice her on 4G). Away from Boston, both phones predominately locked to AT&T, 4G for me, 3G for her). You're right about Maine and NH, large patches of no coverage, though for both of us it was with 3 or 4G or nothing at all. I don't recall ever seeing Edge or GPRS. I had my phone Bluetooth linked to the hire car's audio system, which gave a useful signal strength read out on its display.
As for speed, I don't know, we both only really used data for Whatsapp, and it was fine. Though one evening the Wifi in our b&b was so dire, I tethered her ipad to my phone and used AT&T 4G. In total we each used about 400 megs. 'Free' for her, and 25 quid for a 1GB/30 day allowance for me. I don't use Google Maps abroad, I use maps.me, you can download in advance maps and routing on a state by state level, so zero data usage when navigating.
(If you want really fast free WiFi there, go to a laundrette, I backed up all our photos taken so far to Dropbox in less time than the wash took !)
Originally Posted by JFC:
“Used it in Fnrace last week and it was fine on their Orange network.
I used the Euro internet pass in Germany the week before and it was pants. One day I could not even buy a pass due to a stupid error message.”
“Used it in Fnrace last week and it was fine on their Orange network.
I used the Euro internet pass in Germany the week before and it was pants. One day I could not even buy a pass due to a stupid error message.”
Notice how 3 customers can no longer use Bouygues Telecom in France anymore. Still I think Orange is better so all is not lost.
EDIT: It seems they are back in agreement again
Originally Posted by Pencil:
“Went to Tenerife using Three's Feel At Home £20 add-on.
Video Streaming - blocked
App Store - blocked
Tethering - blocked
Speed - 5mbps”
“Went to Tenerife using Three's Feel At Home £20 add-on.
Video Streaming - blocked
App Store - blocked
Tethering - blocked
Speed - 5mbps”
They purposely leave speed tests open so you have the fake notion that your Feel at home connection is amazing. In fact, as you have seen, most stuff is blocked and any web browsing that is not a speed test website is slowed down to sub-dialup speeds.
It's not that the App Store is blocked, because it isn't, but the speeds I was getting were in the 0.08mbps range.
And Three has said nothing about plans for 4G roaming. It's now pretty standard for EE and Vodafone.
Originally Posted by jonmorris:
“And Three has said nothing about plans for 4G roaming. It's now pretty standard for EE and Vodafone.”
“And Three has said nothing about plans for 4G roaming. It's now pretty standard for EE and Vodafone.”
Yes, I've had 4G roaming via EE in Germany and the US, but never ( most recent trip there early Sept) The Netherlands ?
Originally Posted by Mark C:
“Yes, I've had 4G roaming via EE in Germany and the US, but never ( most recent trip there early Sept) The Netherlands ?”
“Yes, I've had 4G roaming via EE in Germany and the US, but never ( most recent trip there early Sept) The Netherlands ?”
You should get 4G on EE roaming if you select the KPN network in the NL.
Three has it for Danish and Swedish users roaming with each other but as far as I know that's it, and that doesn't mean Three users can use Three's 4G network in Denmark or Sweden.
And even on a Three network, you're still throttled.
The scheme is great for most people, and most uses, plus few people even know there's any throttling and would likely blame the foreign network than even think to ask Three UK if they had anything to do with it, but now other networks are offering roaming deals for £3-5 a day that has 4G roaming and, AFAIK, no throttling the Feel at Home scheme isn't quite as impressive as it once was.
Plus they've stalled on adding new countries.
And even on a Three network, you're still throttled.
The scheme is great for most people, and most uses, plus few people even know there's any throttling and would likely blame the foreign network than even think to ask Three UK if they had anything to do with it, but now other networks are offering roaming deals for £3-5 a day that has 4G roaming and, AFAIK, no throttling the Feel at Home scheme isn't quite as impressive as it once was.
Plus they've stalled on adding new countries.
Originally Posted by rasseru16:
“You should get 4G on EE roaming if you select the KPN network in the NL.”
“You should get 4G on EE roaming if you select the KPN network in the NL.”
Tried that, it wouldn't let me log on, remained firmly stuck on TMobile Nl
Originally Posted by jonmorris:
“Three has it for Danish and Swedish users roaming with each other but as far as I know that's it, and that doesn't mean Three users can use Three's 4G network in Denmark or Sweden.
And even on a Three network, you're still throttled.
The scheme is great for most people, and most uses, plus few people even know there's any throttling and would likely blame the foreign network than even think to ask Three UK if they had anything to do with it, but now other networks are offering roaming deals for £3-5 a day that has 4G roaming and, AFAIK, no throttling the Feel at Home scheme isn't quite as impressive as it once was.
Plus they've stalled on adding new countries.”
“Three has it for Danish and Swedish users roaming with each other but as far as I know that's it, and that doesn't mean Three users can use Three's 4G network in Denmark or Sweden.
And even on a Three network, you're still throttled.
The scheme is great for most people, and most uses, plus few people even know there's any throttling and would likely blame the foreign network than even think to ask Three UK if they had anything to do with it, but now other networks are offering roaming deals for £3-5 a day that has 4G roaming and, AFAIK, no throttling the Feel at Home scheme isn't quite as impressive as it once was.
Plus they've stalled on adding new countries.”
~
Exactly, I've read people here blaming Spanish networks for the poor speeds!
Luckily I still have my old spanish sim card and have often been able to compare both and the difference is like night and day... Three Feel at Home is almost a joke. At least it's free - !!
Right, I've published an article and notified Three that I was doing so (and they say they'll respond with a comment) about the data speed issue.
http://jmcomms.com/2015/11/02/sort-i...-like-at-home/
I hope people can comment on this, and also share it as much as possible to Three doesn't just let the dust settle and carry on as normal.
I really want Three to admit to throttling and explain what it's going to do about it!
http://jmcomms.com/2015/11/02/sort-i...-like-at-home/
I hope people can comment on this, and also share it as much as possible to Three doesn't just let the dust settle and carry on as normal.
I really want Three to admit to throttling and explain what it's going to do about it!
Originally Posted by jonmorris:
“Right, I've published an article and notified Three that I was doing so (and they say they'll respond with a comment) about the data speed issue.
http://jmcomms.com/2015/11/02/sort-i...-like-at-home/
I hope people can comment on this, and also share it as much as possible to Three doesn't just let the dust settle and carry on as normal.
I really want Three to admit to throttling and explain what it's going to do about it!”
“Right, I've published an article and notified Three that I was doing so (and they say they'll respond with a comment) about the data speed issue.
http://jmcomms.com/2015/11/02/sort-i...-like-at-home/
I hope people can comment on this, and also share it as much as possible to Three doesn't just let the dust settle and carry on as normal.
I really want Three to admit to throttling and explain what it's going to do about it!”
Excellent post. I find that by not throttling speed tests, they are just lying.
By the way, it's quite interesting what you say about the Google App Store.. in my experience, Three actually blocks the Apple App Store. I've never ever ever been able to download an app when using Feel at Home.
Updated with a response via Twitter. It should be noted that I'm still waiting for an official response from Three via their press office.
We need to keep up the pressure, as Three would appear to want to just palm me (and others) off and hope the story becomes old news tomorrow and gets forgotten.
We need to keep up the pressure, as Three would appear to want to just palm me (and others) off and hope the story becomes old news tomorrow and gets forgotten.
Originally Posted by jonmorris:
“Updated with a response via Twitter. It should be noted that I'm still waiting for an official response from Three via their press office.
We need to keep up the pressure, as Three would appear to want to just palm me (and others) off and hope the story becomes old news tomorrow and gets forgotten.”
“Updated with a response via Twitter. It should be noted that I'm still waiting for an official response from Three via their press office.
We need to keep up the pressure, as Three would appear to want to just palm me (and others) off and hope the story becomes old news tomorrow and gets forgotten.”
by the way I forgot to mention; I only use Three for roaming on feel at home countries because it's free. I don't pay for hte euro pass anymore.
I use a Knowroaming sticking: it's basically a SIM card stuck on top of your three sim card. When you travel abroad you can switch to Knowroaming and pay for Unlimited data for 8$ daily, which turns out exactly the same as the euro pass but with NO throttling or restrictions (I can often tether my ipad and even watch iplayer/youtube/etc)
Originally Posted by jonmorris:
“Updated with a response via Twitter. It should be noted that I'm still waiting for an official response from Three via their press office.
We need to keep up the pressure, as Three would appear to want to just palm me (and others) off and hope the story becomes old news tomorrow and gets forgotten.”
“Updated with a response via Twitter. It should be noted that I'm still waiting for an official response from Three via their press office.
We need to keep up the pressure, as Three would appear to want to just palm me (and others) off and hope the story becomes old news tomorrow and gets forgotten.”
Their Twitter response is total bullshit. Next time I'm in Spain I will send you a one to one comparison of Three on Movistar and a local Movistar sim card.
That Knowroaming thing sounds quite clever - maybe add that in my comments for the benefit of others?
Originally Posted by jonmorris:
“I hope people can comment on this, and also share it as much as possible to Three doesn't just let the dust settle and carry on as normal.
I really want Three to admit to throttling and explain what it's going to do about it!”
“I hope people can comment on this, and also share it as much as possible to Three doesn't just let the dust settle and carry on as normal.
I really want Three to admit to throttling and explain what it's going to do about it!”
I really don't see what you expect to gain out of this.
Three's offering is objectively better than the competition, even with the throttling and restrictions, and the average person simply isn't going to care about the throttling.
The other options you talk about are very expensive - like EE or Vodafone's pay per day models. They ask you to pay a comparatively large amount for a small amount of data.
The average person will simply think "oh this doesn't work abroad" and move on.
Throttling is actually being quite polite as it's so bad it effectively blocks many things.
I hope to get Three to respond and come clean. They've asked for another day (I asked Friday) so fingers crossed.
Please do post what you've said though on my site, as it needs differences of opinion!
I hope to get Three to respond and come clean. They've asked for another day (I asked Friday) so fingers crossed.
Please do post what you've said though on my site, as it needs differences of opinion!
The only thing I'd add is that prior to Feel at Home, you'd have paid thousands for some of the data people want to use streaming big data. Abroad I think they expect consumer customers to be looking at maps, browsing or maybe updating social networks, rather than streaming TV.
I think they throttle it to limit the amount of data people can use, because the international network to network cost is still very high and that's the only way they can make it cost effective.
When they say "we have saved you £800" on your £15 plan, they really mean it, as on any other network it would have cost a fortune, but the limitation IS the speed as it isn't meant for large data consumption, just basic use.
I think they throttle it to limit the amount of data people can use, because the international network to network cost is still very high and that's the only way they can make it cost effective.
When they say "we have saved you £800" on your £15 plan, they really mean it, as on any other network it would have cost a fortune, but the limitation IS the speed as it isn't meant for large data consumption, just basic use.
Originally Posted by Thine Wonk:
“The only thing I'd add is that prior to Feel at Home, you'd have paid thousands for some of the data people want to use streaming big data. Abroad I think they expect consumer customers to be looking at maps, browsing or maybe updating social networks, rather than streaming TV. .”
“The only thing I'd add is that prior to Feel at Home, you'd have paid thousands for some of the data people want to use streaming big data. Abroad I think they expect consumer customers to be looking at maps, browsing or maybe updating social networks, rather than streaming TV. .”
Whether that's the intent or not, they do sell it as if you can use it "like you're at home". I wonder if this will be the "one plan tethering saga mark 2"
They do point out the throttling on the feel at home page:
Quote:
“You'll be able to stream and connect to Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) while in a Feel At Home destination but both of these will be slower than they are in the UK.”
“You'll be able to stream and connect to Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) while in a Feel At Home destination but both of these will be slower than they are in the UK.”
But going by reports that seems to drastically understate reality
Originally Posted by Thine Wonk:
“The only thing I'd add is that prior to Feel at Home, you'd have paid thousands for some of the data people want to use streaming big data. Abroad I think they expect consumer customers to be looking at maps, browsing or maybe updating social networks, rather than streaming TV.
I think they throttle it to limit the amount of data people can use, because the international network to network cost is still very high and that's the only way they can make it cost effective.
When they say "we have saved you £800" on your £15 plan, they really mean it, as on any other network it would have cost a fortune, but the limitation IS the speed as it isn't meant for large data consumption, just basic use.”
“The only thing I'd add is that prior to Feel at Home, you'd have paid thousands for some of the data people want to use streaming big data. Abroad I think they expect consumer customers to be looking at maps, browsing or maybe updating social networks, rather than streaming TV.
I think they throttle it to limit the amount of data people can use, because the international network to network cost is still very high and that's the only way they can make it cost effective.
When they say "we have saved you £800" on your £15 plan, they really mean it, as on any other network it would have cost a fortune, but the limitation IS the speed as it isn't meant for large data consumption, just basic use.”
When I pay £5 I do expect to be able to use data, which might be updating an app, using Google Maps or downloading some music.
On Vodafone, it's £3 and gives full 4G access with no blocking of anything at all. I have 20GB per month, so that's £3 per day to use part of that allowance.
Originally Posted by jonmorris:
“When I pay £5 I do expect to be able to use data, which might be updating an app, using Google Maps or downloading some music.
On Vodafone, it's £3 and gives full 4G access with no blocking of anything at all. I have 20GB per month, so that's £3 per day to use part of that allowance.”
“When I pay £5 I do expect to be able to use data, which might be updating an app, using Google Maps or downloading some music.
On Vodafone, it's £3 and gives full 4G access with no blocking of anything at all. I have 20GB per month, so that's £3 per day to use part of that allowance.”
On the £5 a day I agree. On the Feel at home I'm not so sure, because it has to be viable for the network otherwise surely it's not worth them doing.
Vodafone's traveller addons have been an absolute godsend for me when I've been abroad, its one of the main reasons I haven't jumped ship to a cheaper network yet. I don't think I can even articulate how important it is to have unfettered, reasonably priced connectivity pretty much everywhere I go.
Its a shame as when Feel at Home kicked off it felt like there was so much potential there, now it just seems to be dying a slow death. Maybe tried to do too much too soon?
Its a shame as when Feel at Home kicked off it felt like there was so much potential there, now it just seems to be dying a slow death. Maybe tried to do too much too soon?
12 of 23
