Bumping this plan back up. Been using it as a NBN alternative as a wifi hotspot in spare phone for family of 4 for past 2 years with no issues (most of the time 3 devices streaming together).
1 Month Free or $35 Credit for referrer and referee after SIM activation.
I used a Huawei 4g router before but Felix suspended my service and asked me to promise that I no longer use a router device. They actually have an authorized device list https://felixmobile.com.au/terms-policies/device-list
Now I’m using an old iPhone sharing connection to an Ethernet port on a Windows PC which is connected to a Wifi router.
Which 4G Huawei Modem?
B818-263
@sicaboy: Hi friend
I have the B818 and recently trialled felix which I am loving and will be sticking with. I feared my beloved B818 would become antiquated. Are you saying I can have my phone hotspotting via USB to the B818 and then ethernet (or its Wi-Fi) from the B818 to a PC or other devices?
@Guybrush57: No, sicaboy is saying he was using his Huawei B818 and Felix eventually realized and cut off his service because of it. So the idea is, use something on their approved device list.
Who knows why… it's a dumb rule. Who cares if someone uses a modem or a phone to connect… they're still going to visit the same sites, download all the same things they would have on either device.
@easternculture: Yeah several years ago, before I bought a pocket wifi modem, I had to do it that way. I used my laptop online through my phone over wifi. But the charger couldn't keep up… I'd have to go and find something else to do for an hour or two while the phone charged, because the charger couldn't charge it fast enough, lol.
iPhone sharing connection to an Ethernet port
🤔
on a Windows PC
With power prices increasing, NBN internet will be cheaper for you soon. 🫠
That's unlucky, I've been using a Huawei 4g modem for a year and half with no issues so far
That's lucky !
I can't think how they'd know you were using a router other than by the MAC address which they probably ran after your relatively high usage Mage them suspicious.
Did you try cloning the phone's MAC address on the router?
They know what devices connect to the 4G network.
They can tell.
Some Routers have a function for this purpose, where they can present as Mobile Phone to the network.
I don’t think it’s simply from a MAC address, as the cellular devices will sign in to a tower when they connect. So there must be something else.
@sicaboy: As firecall said, their equipment knows because our devices "broadcast" what kind of hardware they are. e.g. Vodafone is shutting down their 3G network later this year… and I have a 2G/3G dumbphone… They are constantly sending me reminders worded like: "You seem to be using a 3G only device. This is to inform you we will be shutting down our 3G network permanently, blah blah."
@[Deactivated]: Phones do not broadcast what type of hardware they have.
All phones have a unique identifier called an IMEI.
From that carriers can work out what the device is.
But they might also be sending those messages in a more rudimentary way to any device that has only connected via 3G in the last x months.
They would do that because you might have a 4G phone and have manually set it to 3G only so you would lose service even though you have a 4G phone.
@spaceflight: That's what I meant… not hardware they "have" … but hardware they "are." (I just left out the IMEI bit.) ;-)
Most likely via the IMEI.
@cnitsuj: 4 and 5G routers have a SIM and IMEI same as a phone and they log into the network the same.
I'm not saying I know better but I can't see how any of those things would identify a router to the carrier over a phone, only the MAC which can be easily cloned.
@firecall do you know any particular router or router manufacturer that has this phone impersonation feature? I'm interested to look further into it.
If our devices are 'broadcasting' their device type then surely this is easy to spoof.
@TheKLocker: They can lookup the model using the IMEI using a website like this
https://www.imei.info/
@TheKLocker: Cant recall off the top of my head - I was into it a while ago when using 4G at home as my NBN FTTN was so bad.
There are bunch of weird brands of 4G Routers you wont find in Office Works!
Look for ones that run OpenWRT or have IMEI changing capability and so on!
It's a rabbit hole of weird and wonderful devices! :-)
MAC address is for things like wifi and Ethernet.
Your phone's identifier to the mobile network is it's IMEI.
MAC address is irrelevant.
Correction: 250- 300 gb per month
I was going to say you are doing very well if that was weekly!
How the f do you work from home on up to 20mbps?
I used to use MS Teams and screen share on a 1.5Mbps connection. That wasn't 100% smooth but I reckon 2Mbps would have been flawless. I now use 20 and it is fine.
and if your internet speed does not allow video call as you climb out of bed with hair looking like a bird's nest, it'd be a terrible tragedy
Teams work fine, no lagging, no disruption.
Im a software dev 🤪, usually have 1-2 max meetings a day,
You would be surprised but mostly you adapt 😁
Easy.
does router improve internet?
my Felix drops all the time want someone become really slow
Depends on which router and antennas you use but the router should be able to improve both the 4G WAN connection and the WiFi LAN connections.
good to know. i guess Huawei 4g route does the trick :)
300 gb per week or month? If per week, that would be a lot of ‘internet browsing’..!
How much data can you actually use before they kick up a stink with the fair use policy
From the comment above, sounds like they have no problem with usage exceeding 1TB a month
Oops its 300 gb max per month use for me. Just realised i mistyped to per week.
Felix: This can't be used as a home internet replacement
Dylan: https://i.postimg.cc/J4fdb2KC/Screenshot-20230622-190227.jpg (look at the lower left corner)
I just checked now, on average we use about 350-400gb a month with the peak amount used sitting around 650-700gb.
I've been using Felix the past 18 months and my father has been using it the past couple of years
What device do you use it with at home?
I use a Huawei B525 4g modem
I've been using 500GB a month with no probs yet. I tether by USB to a pocket router, GLiNet 750AR. Works fine, except for occasional DNS clashes, so I switch on 1.1.1.1 and that fixes it. Ironically, the Vodafone site causes a DNS clash.
Ironically, the Vodafone site causes a DNS clash.
I had the same problem and had to do the same.
One user claimed he was downloading 1TB per month without repercussions.
I'm running at about 500GB with them.
if only it was not vodafail
How original.
Yeah I gave up on Vodafone. The network is always congested where I live. Somedays you are lucky to be able to stream YouTube at 240p. Switched to Telstra and now rarely experience slowness. It’s also nice to actually have more coverage too. Tons of spots where Telstra works where Vodafone doesn’t.
Pay more, get more 🤔
Actually I'm spending less now than I was with Vodafone. I've never been with Felix, but I expect a network reseller to be no better.
Nothing but a great experience for me when I did the 1 month free trial with them. I wish they would bring that back so I could cycle between them and Boost every other month.
On that note the referral deal linked in the OP is $35 credit to be used on a future purchase, no longer a free pay-nothing 1 month trial as it were.
I live in regional VIC and have had no issues with felix that I didn’t have with Optus. In fact, I had even better reception at my families place in rural VIC, where I never had it with Optus.
Yeah 20Mbps isn’t great, but I can stream and download without noticing it
20mbps
family of 4
Your family must be very patient.
Streaming in 320p.
144p
streaming pee
@nobro25: Those were the days…. everyone on 56k modems playing Counter-Strike 1.3 online on 56k modems where everyone's ping was around 120ms. Anyone joining with ISDN or ADSL (this was in South Africa) would have ping < 100ms, they would get kicked! 😄
Not sure but we use close to 1TB data per month so we must be streaming close to 1080p or at least 720p
Netflix shows 1080p when i press a button on the remote that shows streaming data (on sony tv app).
Hd video usually streams well on this network. Don't expect 4k though.
I get 4k no probs, Foxtel, Netflix and YouTube.
I stream 4k on Felix no dramas
What are the upload speeds like?
Can you share a Speedtest result?
Uploads very slow. 1mbs from memory.
Nope, close to 20Mbps. See screen shots below and have only 1 bar reception
Ping 23ms
1 bar and it gives those speeds? Nice! Around my neck of the woods they have bugger all spectrum but I manage to get by. Only 4K streaming is beyond my reach but I have managed to solve that problem. Yarr!
@Guybrush57: It’s going to vary on location, but I found with Vodafone you’ll more than likely be in a location where the network is crap. If you’re one of the lucky ones that get good speeds then it’s obvious a good deal. I’m not sadly
Ditto, been with them for a couple years, 20mbps uploads for me all the time too, genuinely better than when I had Telstra home internet in the day.
For some reason I just hit 65.3Mbps download and 1Mbps upload, if it's capped how did I triple the max download speed?! In the past all speed tests have sat below the 20Mbps
How do you upload screen shot to OZB?
this could be a good backup for my crap NBN service
I used Felix for over a year. It was great but earlier this year it deteriorated dramatically to a point it was unusable. I had 2 connections , one on my phone and one at my house. Always used as per requirements of Felix (in an approved mobile phone) and when it started to go pear shaped the speeds were different between devices and remained that way even when swapping between phones. It was clear that Felix was capping my connection to below 1Mbps. It was in different areas so I new it had nothing to do with tower congestion.
Like me new sign ups will be very pleased with Felix only to be confused of all those negative comments. Eventually you will become one of them. There is nothing wrong with the Vodafone network, though Sydney is terribly over subscribed, but how Felix/TPG/Vodafone manage their network is the issue.
I highly do not recommend Felix , it will only cause frustration in the long run. There are better choices out there.
How strict are they with the approved device? I have Motorola g31 and it's not in the list
Won't be a problem.
Which 4G modem should I pair with this deal? Im looking to switch my NBN and try this for home internet.
Just use an old phone I reckon is the safest bet
Use an old phone and tether by USB to a travel router.
Use one from the approved device list
I'm so glad db1 left their comment as it seems like everyone else is getting top of the line internet speeds and reception. Just want to corroborate db1's experience - about 8 months ago I would've been recommending Felix to absolutely all the normies. Felix's service was reliably around 19/10 (that's speeds not a rating) and I was able to watch 1080p videos, video call and play Valorant on it, sometimes even download large ~20GB files in a reasonable time <1hr. I was using on average 120GB/mo which probably more than an average person, but the most I ever used in a month was 200GB.
Since about ~8 months ago, that speed had dropped to 10/6 making Valorant unplayable and meant reducing video quality when on YouTube. I had also noticed reception would drop out in random places (e.g. the train commute from Caulfield to South Yarra station has no reception) - I only ever live and commute around metro Melbourne in the inner suburbs so this is very concerning for a telecom provider. I was about 80GB/mo back then. About 4 months ago, that speed had dropped to 6/2. Literally could not even voice call on discord (or any other app) with stable ping or connection. YouTube was constantly buffering and could only use 50GB/mo. Pretty much forced me to switch out to mate a month ago.
I live alone in inner Melb suburbs and am the only one using this mobile data. It's the only source of internet I have at home and on the road. I mainly use internet during peak hours. Felix made it easy to port out.
Don't you get ping spikes on valorant? whenever I try hotspot wired or wireless I always get ping spikes that result in lag.
Yes but I'm also iron and happy so 🤷
I just wanna point out that at a full 20Mbps, you can only download a maximum of 9GB an hour so your 20GB files in <1hr is impossible.
Lol oops mb idk, I remember I used it for downloading lectures and big exam packs in bulk. Point is it was usable for all of my use become unusuable.
Great deal, any catch other than patchy Vodafone reception? Might pick one up as a second sim for my phone…
Don't understand why this post is getting so many + votes. It is normal price.
Check these half price for 3 months deals.
https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/779298
https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/665774
I used a Tenda AC1200 with this for years without issue, 700GB/m.
My father has had it for months now, after Felix sent him a warning from using his Telstra provided router.
The following location, only 300 metres away had almost no Vodafone reception. I also found you need to be very particular about finding the right spot in your home for reception.
It’s only a matter of time. Once on the Vodafone shit list you’re left with no option but to leave. I would advise on an exit strategy ready to put in motion. Using a router you can be terminated instantly. Mobile phones are just data limited to such a degree you think your on 3G.
Interesting story. So it appears that once you get flagged for "excessive data consumption", further breaches can get you blacklisted as a customer by the Telco. Felix does not even verify user ID when they order a sim card online. One can simply register as a new customer all over again.
My recommendation with using this would be get a cheap phone that can get 4G reception. Connect to Gl.iNet and use that as a router pushing the wifi connection. Atleast then you can put in some router settings.
How's ping in games? Ive been on Spintel's 4G home internet network, wasnt that great tbh
forget about gaming, i think the service is only good for web surfing , maybe some low res youtube
tried this and found it heavily throttled - could reach max 10-12 mbps while at the same time in the same place I could get 80-100 mbps with Kogan (same Vodafone network so in theory same speed). Used it twice during the free trial, both times it was crap, threw the sim in the bin
Australia is so far behind compared to the rest of the world when it comes to mobile internet. Been to Italy last year - could get 600 GB/month for like 15 euros at crazy speed (easily getting to 150-200 mbps and I was just in a small town)
Yes but what is the alternative? All other providers have 1, 1.5, or 2Mbps shaping.
Vodafone currently has 600GB/month for $65
That's 20 GB a day , will need some real heavy use to exhaust that.
If you are really looking for actual unlimited data then yeah probably Felix is the only one out there. But again, at 10-12 Mbps I bet you won't download that much and probably won't be able to stream anything in 4k etc. Goes to show further how poor is offer in Australia when it comes to mobile internet data plans
I've bee using this as my home internet for since January this year. I use this with Huawei 4g router. (inner west, Sydney)
Mobile reception is very bad though, wouldn't recommend with mobile phone use.
Typical use: work from home, movies (1-2a week), YouTube, basic social media and internet browsing. 250- 300 gb per week