Internet Woes Resolved? Kuma Connect Lite 4G for Boatlife

My biggest problem to date with boat life is how unreliable the internet is. I've been using my phone's hotspot until now and the peaks and troughs of the speed and the hotspot just disconnecting is really frustrating when your job involves the internet!
I was looking for solutions and I came across the Kuma Connect Lite as an option. I chatted to them and they agreed to send me a product to try out but my terms were "as long as I can do a proper honest review, not just say positive things"
So here it is - my review on the Kuma Connect Lite
LINKS:
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Discount code - CUTSLUICE
@kumalimited3510

[@CutSluice]

If any of you have used this product for a while… please feel free to let me know what your experience has been long term… I’ve only had a few days to judge by.

[@johnaston6440]

Best place for the aerial is outside. your living in a big tin box. Mine works a treat on the roof outside.

[@CutSluice]

My testing showed the window was almost the same as the roof. I do agree it is the best place though.

[@utubeaccount6981]

Nice, honest video, love these, but my 2 cents...Guest Wifi, well you will pay for their usage, be careful and set it up correctly. Keep inside antennas not hidden behind something, any obstruction has impact contrary to general assumption. 5G coverage might be a problem, is more prone to obstacles, and no real need for general use (yet). The speed of the WIFI part to the SIM router is always much higher and UL/DL will be limited by the 4G connection in the end, so not that important overall. Get your antenna definitely outside and if want higher speeds and also more reliability you will be needing a multisim router. PEPLink is somewhat a standard brand to consider then (used it professionally in broadcast), but with that comes elevated cost of the router and sim subscriptions., and might not be needed. The test, well yeah, it was bit of a short throw, but it gave a general conclusion indeed ;-)

[@CutSluice]

Thank you! Always appreciated. I’ll be seeing how it goes over the next 6 months or so and will give an update.

[@samd2660]

Just come across your video and seems like it's a pretty good channel!
It sounds like you've gotten one of the older models from their line, either that or they're not that up to date with their stuff, but it might also be that 4G tops out at ~150mbps anyway, so they see no point in offering 5GHz wifi, even though it has been pretty standard (even on mobile routers) for a while.
The choice of only a 4G modem is probably either down to the above, but also that 5G modems are about £200 more expensive then their 5G equivelents and _might_ need new antennas etc vs 4G, as well as basically requiring external antenna's in metal structures because of its lack of penetration.
Beware with your plans to share WiFi at events etc and check the terms and conditions of your mobile provider, the only truly unlimited plans are with 3 and Smarty (3's "cheap" brand), the other networks all have limits on the amount of data (between 400 and 600gb/mo) or the number of devices that can be tethered, and some also say you can't use even data sims in a router device.

[@CutSluice]

Thank you!
All really good points! I’ll have a read up on the terms and conditions!

[@sianwarwick633]

Seems straightforward. I'll drop my speed in the country (place where there might not be 5G).

[@greenfeather3418]

I love the technical terms… “thingies” 😂

[@CutSluice]

Sometimes words just escape me 🤐

[@stubarnes1965]

You're not really doing a direct comparison. I'd suggest doing both speed tests on your phone, one with 4G directly to the cell mast and one wifi via the Kuma to the mast. There could be overheads in a desktop OS and hardware that you don't have on the phone. As someone else has said, you really need to get that antenna outside. You're in a fairly good Faraday cage there.
Your boat roof will already have holes in is so one more won't hurt 🙂 The boat will also make an excellent antenna ground plane.

[@CutSluice]

Hi Stu,
Apologies, I probably didn’t make it clear how I’d got that set up done on the comparison.
The laptop was connected, by Wi-Fi to the Kuma which was connected to the 4G and the phone was just directly connected to 4G

[@stubarnes1965]

@@CutSluice I was just suggesting doing both tests from the phone, one directly via 4g and one via the wifi to 4g on the Kuma. This would negate any OS differences.

[@CutSluice]

@@stubarnes1965 ahhh! I get you!
I have done that and similar results.
That phone connected to the Kuma had a better upload than connected on it’s own to mobile data

[@anthonynewey3821]

Had no problem with my standard ee mobile router

[@CutSluice]

That’s great to hear. Where in your boat did you put it?

[@greenfeather3418]

Have you got a brother or something? Who was that in the background?

[@CutSluice]

Who knows?!

[@jamesfever6790]

Well done Dan, love the work and editing you put into your videos, great job!

[@CutSluice]

@@jamesfever6790 thank you, James! Hope you are well!