In some situations rather than installing a broadband internet connection, you will be able to use a mobile router with a SIM card. At one of my Church locations the download and upload speeds over 4G are much higher than the Broadband connection at home.
How to check the 4G connection
Before committing to a SIM card contract you will want to identify which provider is best for you. With your smartphone goto www.speedtest.net and click GO – there will be two results a DOWNLOAD and an UPLOAD speed. If you are envisaging live streaming or making conference calls the UPLOAD speed is the most significant. You will need to have a consistent UPLOAD speed of at least 6Mb/s for streaming and conference calls (e.g. Zoom, TEAMS). Then ask family and friends using different mobile providers to check the speed at the location of your church or wherever you are planning to use a mobile router. In that way you will establish which provider has the best connection.
Pay As You Go or Monthly contract
Either will work, and you need to establish which will work best for you. Consider the need to check the data available on a regular basis to ensure that you don’t run out of data mid worship service or other activity.
Which mobile router?
Many mobile routers are available. I use a TP-Link Router and have found it to be reliable.
How much data will I need?
It will depend on the resolution at which you are streaming. Monitor how much data you are using, and that will help you ensure that you have sufficient data for your requirements. At 1080p you will use roughly 3Gb per hour.
Donald McCorkindale
September 2023