Chap on uk.telecom.mobile seeks advice

Postcode TS4 3BW

Predicted mobile coverage says O2 OK and better than some (4G Good indoors and outdoors. Good for mobile broadband.)

I was in the Cardio wards recently, used Vodafone without issue. The NHS network also worked but a bit overloaded. Much of the hospital is clad with aluminium which does not help so ask for a bed by the window !

Thanks. I reposted your reply in utm. Hope it helps.

He should check out the hospital Wi-Fi. Most seem to have a system for patient use these days.

Tim

They do and they don't

Many are firewalled to the hilt - I couldnt download emails using POP in one hospital - had to use a mobile phone and skip the wifi. Also bandwidth is often very congested. And sometimes it simply doesn't work.

And if you want voice or text you will need wifi calling if the external signal is weak - as it is in many hospitals crammed with electronic gear

That hospital has free wi-fi for staff and patients.

I don't know the area, but hospitals generally are not great for mobiles. Good signal in some parts, nothing in others. I have two SIMs in my phone and was once somewhere in a hospital where neither worked, and I couldn't wander around to find a better place. Windows are definitely important, but hospitals have lots of areas without any.

Maybe WhatsApp over hospital wifi might be a temporary workaround? Or at least email?

But check on how good it is and how firewalled.

That's what works best for me.

Plus wifi calling .

But some hospitals may only allow webmail. POP and IMAP may well be firewalled out

Even if you arrive by ambulance ? :-(

It's possibly worth investing in a VPN, especially one that's designed to run over 'awkward' networks like that.

I used to have a mobile data SIM that was massively firewalled and I defeated it by running OpenVPN on port 443 on my server. It looked like HTTPS to the mobile operator's firewall but was a full connection inside.

For example, it looks like SurfShark can use port 443 for OpenVPN or SSTP:

Theo

Probably a very good idea.

I had no problem using it for anything in June at James Cook, just congested at times.