Irish mobile broadband SIM card APN settings

Huawei B593s-22 disconnectedIf the device / modem shows a signal, but will not connect, it is very likely that the APN setting is incorrect, particularly if trying to use a phone SIM in a modem/router.  Most routers automatically configure the APN from the SIM or have preconfigured APNs per the SIM type, so it’s likely it is either trying to configure an obsolete APN or picking up an incorrect APN from the SIM.

Many Eir (Meteor) and Three masts will allow the SIM to connect with any APN name keyed in, except when roaming.  With Eir, it can result in an intermittent connection where sometimes the router can connect in 3G mode and refusing to connect altogether in 4G mode.  With Three, it varies from mast to mast with some 3G masts only accepting the correct APN for the type of SIM, e.g. 3ireland.ie for a Three phone SIM.

The APNs below are ones I’ve run into either trying SIMs myself or while helping people configure their forum/device such as with friends and on boards.ie.  These are the main networks that offer data SIMs.  I also included their phone SIM APNs for reference.  Three is the only network I’m aware of that still offers public IP addresses in some areas with their data plans, required for remote access such as CCTV and home server access.

As far as I am aware of, none of the main Irish networks require a username or password.  If a dial-up number is required, it is *99#

Note: If the device is showing ‘No Signal’ or No Service’, it is not an APN issue.  The APN is only required to establish an Internet connection, which occurs after the device has established a connection with the network.  The above right screenshot shows an example where the router has a connection to the network (3 bar signal), but is disconnected due to an incorrect APN setting.

Three / O2

  • 3ireland.ie (Three phone SIM)
  • 3internet (Three data SIM, public IP address*)
  • 3broadband.ie (Three data SIM, private IP address)
  • nbs.ie (former NBS data SIM, private IP address)
  • internet (business phone & former O2 phone SIMs)
  • open.internet (former O2 data SIMs, private IP address)
  • open.internet.public (former O2 data SIMs, public IP address*)

*Public IP address may need to be requested.

Update 13 Jan ’21: Three is working to make public IP addresses available again, going by this recent post on their forum.

Note: Data roaming must be enabled to connect in 2G/3G mode with Three SIMs.

To check whether a Three phone SIM is a former O2 SIM, check the APN setting on the phone.  If it is ‘3ireland.ie’, it is a native Three SIM and if it is ‘internet’, it is a native O2 SIM.  Three still supplies O2 native SIMs with certain contracts, particularly iPhone and Business contracts.  On most Android phones, the APN setting can be accessed by going into the Network settings menu and then into ‘Access point names’.

Warning! Using the incorrect APN with bill pay SIMs can result in auto-of-bundle charges even on the unlimited / All You Can Eat plans, especially with business, iPhone and former O2 plans.   Some Three bill pay phones such as the iPhones are configured to use the open.internet APN for tethering, which will also result in out-of-bundle charges when attempting to tether directly from the handset (Hotspot mode).

Eir / Meteor / GoMo

  • data.myeirmobile.ie (Eir phone SIM)
  • data.mymeteor.ie (phone SIM with GoMo or Meteor branding)
  • data.eir.ie (older Eir phone SIM)
  • broadband.mymeteor.ie (data SIM with Meteor branding)
  • broadband.myeirmobile.ie (data SIM with Eir branding)
  • isp.mymeteor.ie (older Meteor data SIM, 3G-only)
  • wap.mymeteor.ie (older Meteor phone APN)
  • eircom.ie (older Eir phone SIM, may use Meteor’s APN)
  • broadband.eircommbb.ie (older Eir data SIM APN, public IP address*)

*Public IP addresses are not offered by Eir/Meteor.  They may still be available by request on Eir data SIMs.

GoMo Note: GoMo uses the former Meteor APN settings.  While GoMo does not offer a mobile broadband package at this time of posting, they likely would use the Meteor data SIM APN.  With a suitable router (e.g. Huawei B525), the phone SIM will function for data (using either Meteor phone or data SIM APNs), voice and SMS.

Update 13 Jan ’21: I have received multiple reports that a GoMo SIM no longer works for phone calls via the telephone jack of Huawei routers.

Meteor note: One person with an older Meteor SIM let me know that the ‘isp.mymeteor.ie’ APN will no longer connect in 4G mode.  This happened shortly after the brand change to Eir.  I also tried this APN with a more recent Meteor SIM and it could only connect in 3G mode with this APN.  For anyone with this issue, try the ‘broadband.mymeteor.ie’ or ‘broadband.myeirmobile.ie’ APN.  With my prepay Meteor broadband SIM, these are the only APNs that will connect in 4G mode.

Vodafone

  • live.vodafone.com (phone data bundle)
  • hs.vodafone.ie (broadband bundle)

Warning! The APN must match the type of data bundle, otherwise it incurs out-of-bundle charges.  All bill pay data SIMs use the hs APN.  The day/week/month passes on prepay also use the hs APN.  All phone data bundles including the €20 top-up for 5GB data plan use the live APN.

Note: Unlike other networks, Vodafone issues the same prepay SIM for both mobile phones and data devices.  When registering for My Vodafone, it will ask whether the SIM will be placed in a phone or modem.  It will then show the relevant bundles.  As mentioned already, it is essential that the correct APN is configured on the device as attempting to use a phone data bundle with the hs.vodafone.ie APN will incur out-of-bundle charges as if no bundle was present.

The bundles can be viewed by expanding the ‘Mobile broadband add-ons’ at the bottom of the ‘Buy an add on’ page in My Vodafone:

Vodafone prepay data add-ons

If a Vodafone SIM that was used in a router/SIM is to be later used in a phone or vice versa, this setting can be changed by going into the ‘Manage My Details’ link at the top right in My Vodafone, then go into ‘Change personal details’ and then ‘Edit details’ and change the account type drop-down to select ‘Mobile Broadband User’ or ‘Mobile Phone User’.

Rural Wi-Fi

  • 3ireland.ie (data SIM, private IP address)

Tesco Mobile

  • tescomobile.liffeytelecom.com (phone SIM)
  • tmidata (data SIM)

Note: Data Roaming must be enabled to connect.

Post Mobile

  • isp.postfone.ie (phone SIM)

Note: While Post Mobile uses the same MCC/MNC as Vodafone (272-01), Post Mobile is actually a true MVNO using Vodafone’s network service for connectivity, including 4G.  ASPIDER-NGI provides the NVME service including Internet data for Post Mobile.

48 / 48 Months

  • 48months.liffeytelecom.com (phone SIM)

Note: Phones that were previously configured for Tesco Mobile may automatically set the APN as tescomobile.liffeytelecom.com.  This also works for mobile data.

Virgin Media

  • internet (phone SIM)
  • internet.ie.upcmobile.com (hotspot APN)

Lycamobile

  • data.lycamobile.ie (phone SIM)

Note: Lycamobile has 4G access as of 28th May 2020, previously limited to 3G.

iPhone Personal Hotspot note

To enable the personal Hotspot feature, go into Settings -> Mobile Data -> Mobile Data Options -> Mobile Data Network. Under “Personal Hotspot”, add the corresponding above phone APN and leave the username/password fields blank.

If the Mobile Data Options menu does not have a Mobile Data Network item, you will need to clear the previous mobile operator profile.  In this case, go into Settings -> General -> Profiles.  Touch the operator profile, then touch ‘Remove’.

Note: The menu steps may be different depending on the iOS version.  I also received a report that the APN settings are inaccessible with Post Mobile.

Other

If you have come across any other data APN names, feel free to mention them below.

138 thoughts on “Irish mobile broadband SIM card APN settings”

  1. Great article. Thought you and your readers might like to know that in Co. Leitrim we recently had a 48.ie phone SIM that was disabled at the start of Feb 2021 after operating fine for over 6 months… Apparently data-only use in a (standard TP-link) WiFi Router – which was what we were exclusively using it for – is not allowed under the T&Cs so they disabled the SIM… We’re in the process to changing to a GoMo SIM for our WiFi router so hopefully we won’t have the same issue. Any alternative recommendations for a cost-effective data-only SIM would be welcome ! 🙂

    1. I would be tempted to just get another 48 SIM, although it would mean paying the higher €10.99 price they currently charge for 100GB. There are new EECC amendments due to be signed into Irish law that will prevent mobile providers from restricting which devices customers can use their SIMs in. Three’s contract notification page mentions more about these EECC amendments.

      If GoMo performs well, at least you’ll get an additional 20GB (their fair use allowance is 120GB) and the speed is throttled (1-5Mbps) instead of being cut off when you hit the 100GB mark on 48.

      1. That sounds good Sean. Does it mean that I can use my Huawei router for data and telephone call through Gomo?
        Thanks,
        Bert

        1. Unfortunately, it appears that GoMo blocks calls going through when the SIM is not in a phone as I’ve heard others that were unable to make or receive calls with the SIM in a router that has an RJ11 port. The SIM will work fine for data once the APN is configured on the router.

  2. Hi Sean,
    Even when the EECC amendments are implemented in Irish law? Can GoMo still block calls going through a router?
    Kind regards,
    Bert

  3. Hi Sean, I’ve just come across your website and find it very informative. Where I live in Tipperary I get 4 to 6 megs download with Eir. Its OK for most things but I have an Iptv subscription and this speed causes some buffering. I got a loan of a Huawei router(b535) with 3 sim and speeds averaged around 20 mgs. Unfortunately I’ve 10 months left on my Eir contract but I bought a second hand b525 (for the RJ11 port) from CeX which I was assured was unlocked. I was going to use it with a 48 sim. (same network as 3). However its locked to 3. Long story short, is it possible to unlock this router. I contacted 3 but no joy(GDPR ect. ). I will keep the router and go to 3 when Eir contract finishes.
    Sorry for being so longwinded…
    Regards
    Syl.

    1. I suggest first contacting CeX about this as most of their products have a 24 month warranty, especially since the product is not as described. The only way to unlock the B525 that I’m aware of is by flashing third party firmware, which is how I unlocked my previously 3 locked router. You will need a USB A-A cable, Philips screwdriver and an Ethernet cable. This video covers the steps to download and install the third party firmware and unlocking. As with any third party modification, there is a risk this could brick your router and invalidate the warranty, so only consider this as a last resort. On the other hand, the firmware does had a few useful features such as band selection in the router interface and a live signal meter showing the band, RSRP, RSRQ and SINR readings.

      1. Hi Sean, thanks for the prompt reply.
        I think unlocking the router would be way beyond my capabilities. I’ll try a 3 sim which should work and will then keep the router. It’s in excellent condition and came with two antenna for €80. I’ll use it in tandem with the Eir broadband or maybe see can I cancel my Eir contract!!!!!Not too sure what the penalties are for that.
        If I have any more difficulties I hope you won’t mind me getting back to you.
        Thanks again for your help.
        Regards,
        Syl.

  4. Hi Sean, thanks so much for this article, was incredibly helpful. Have just purchased a Vodafone mobile phone sim card with unlimited data and planned to use it in my TP- link right now and then revert it to a mobile at a later point. However i am unable to connect using the TP link. Can you advise if the APN settings above are still correct? As i’m using a mobile data package it looks like the “live.vodafone.com (phone data bundle)” is the correct setting?? Do you or anyone else know if Vodafone prohibit the sim being used as data only?

    1. So far I’ve only tried this with a Vodafone X SIM, which worked fine a Huawei B818 with the live.vodafome.com APN. Try the SIM in a phone just to make sure the data is active on the SIM. I have heard this happen before, usually where the SIM can connect in 3G, but not 4G.

      Just in case you are putting the APN setting in the wrong location, follow this guide, but for step 9 put Vodafone Live in the “Profile name:” field and put live.vodafone.com in the “APN:” field.

  5. Hi Seán,

    Thanks for creating the page. It is a great resource. I am aware that this query is not directly related to this article but I thought you may be able to help anyways!

    I am currently using a Vodafone prepay SIM in a TP Link router with APN live.vodafone.com. The internet works perfect (over 4G) and never misses a beat. The only issue I have is that the VPN I use for work keeps disconnecting. I am able to connect to my work VPN, but after 5/10 minutes it disconnects.

    This issue does not happen when I am connected to any other form of internet. Even if I use an EIR sim in the same router I do not have this issue. The IT and Security department in my work have reviewed it and have said that there is nothing wrong with the VPN that it must be an issue on the Vodafone end.

    Have you ever come across an issue like this?

    I would rather stick with the Vodafone SIM if possible as the coverage with EIR in my area is hit and miss, coverage with 3 is pretty much non existent.

    Thanks

    1. I wonder if the 4G connection is cycling down/up periodically. You’ll probably not notice this while streaming as many services auto reconnect in the background such as WhatsApp calling, whereas a VPN will not. If your router has a LOG section, you can check if it recorded any brief data disconnections the time the VPN dropped. Another telltale sign would be your IP address changing, i.e. check what WAN IP address your router reports. After your VPN disconnects, check it again. If it changed, then something is interrupting the 4G connection.

      If your main 4G connection is fine, i.e. no change in the WAN IP address or anything new reported in the router’s LOG (if present), you can try changing the VPN’s MTU size to 1300 (see this guide). If it’s a work provided laptop, you’ll likely need to get an admin to do this if you don’t have administrator access. To date, the most common MTU size issue I heard of is where the VPN connects, but there is no connectivity over the VPN.

  6. Hi again. Just to give a little update and ask another question if I may. I have tried out the gomo, 48, and clear mobile sims in my routers, and the CM sim was the only one that allowed voice calls to Irish landlines and mobiles (00353 before the number). My phone is connected to the b535-235. Hope that may help others. The CM sim, even with the capped speeds, is a good little sim.
    My question is a little long winded. I have both routers connected to a 2port powerline adapter, but I don’t know how to prioritise ethernet connections to devices. I know the xbox is connected to the CM sim/router due to the it’s ability to tells me download speeds (gomo speeds are superior) but how do I make the wired connection “choose” the GM sim/router. Similarly the case with the fire stick and sky box – I can’t tell which wired connection is being preferred. So how do I get a device to choose from 2 available wired connections? Apologies if this is incomprehensible. Sean.

  7. Hi Sean, Great site! thanks for this! I’ve just bought a Huawei B525 4G router that i’m hoping I can use with a sim card for home broadband. Question, if the device is locked to Three, will I be able to use it with 48 Months? (seem to be 10.99 for 100g data – same network as three). Also, are the data speeds the same on the virtual networks as the three networks or do they throttle them back?

    1. Unfortunately a Three network locked router will not accept a 48 SIM as it has a different mobile network code, like how it will not work in a Three locked phone. You can try unlocking it with third party firmware (example video), which requires a special USB A-A cable and a screwdriver. As with using any third party firmware, there is a risk that this could brick the router.

      From my own testing the Three and 48 network appear to have equal access to the network, such as the following example where I tested my Three broadband SIM against a 48 SIM to see which gets faster when both download simultaneously:
      https://confusedbird.com/thread-81.html

  8. Hi. I’m trying set up 4g dongle using gomo. I have signal strength, I have sim card valid, wifi app is open. The globe saying meteor data is red and says 4g offline. I can’t figure out the settings for this. Please help

    1. For GoMo, I recommend disabling the SIM pin using a phone. I found Eir’s SIMs (possibly GoMo also) picky accepting a SIM entered in a router. For the APN, try data.mymeteor.ie or data.myeirmobile.ie

      Finally, ensure the network preference is set to Automatic, i.e. not 4G only. The Eir network sometimes requires the SIM to connect in 3G mode first before allowing 4G access.

  9. Hi Sean,

    Any update on this being passed so Vodafone can’t restrict their 5G Vodafone X offering. Cheers Sean.

  10. Hi Sean. Thanks for the informative blog. I’ve just invested in a Huawei 5g cpe pro 2, which is showing pretty good 5g speeds. I have a three prepay SIM in it. Do you know if I need to change the APN to a different one to avoid throttling or should I stick with the automatically populated one Open.internet

    1. You can try “internet” and “3broadband.ie” also to see which performs the quickest. The “open.internet” is an old O2 data APN which the router probably has in its database. I’ve often seen Huawei routers use the former “nbs.ie” also. The only one I’ve seen throttled in the past was the handset “3ireland.ie” APN, although it’s been a few years since I seen obvious speed differences between the APNs with my own testing.

  11. Hi. I’ve been having problems with data on my phone. Every so often (once a day) I notice that data isn’t working. I then toggle airplane mode on and off to get it to work. I’ve reset network settings as advised by eir after a phonecall to customer care but it made no difference. I have now changed the APN settings for mobile data from “ internet.ie.upcmobile.com” to “data.myeirmobile.ie” What I want to know will this make a difference to how data should work as it’s the APN settings that pop up on the eir website or should I revert to the original settings. Thanks.

    1. Thanks Paul. That actually makes perfect sense. Pity the “experts” at eir couldn’t point it out.

  12. Hi Sean,
    I’m trying to get my GOMO nano sim ( on the €9.99package)to work in a TP Link 4G LTE router and cant get it to work. When I put in my voda sim it works fine am I doing something wrong….

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