If 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 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.
Note that Lyca mobile actively blocks tethering on its network, so its SIMs will unlikely work in a router either, at least not without involving other tweaks such as tweaking the computer’s TTL value.
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
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
- data.eir.ie (Eir phone SIM)
- data.mymeteor.ie (phone SIM with Meteor branding)
- 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.
Update: 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:
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’.
iD Mobile
- internet (phone and data SIMs)
Note: iD Mobile needs to connect to the network in 3G mode first, so if the device is not showing a signal, make sure it is not set to 4G only mode. Once it connects in 3G mode, it can take roughly 10 minutes before it switches over to 4G mode. If the connection drops, it will need to reconnect back in 3G mode.
Data Roaming must be enabled to connect.
Update 6th March 2018: iD Mobile has gone into provisional liquidation. The network will cease operation on the 4th April 2018.
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.
Other
If you have come across any other data APN names, feel free to mention them below.
Thank so makes a lot of sense have you any idea how to change the apn setting of a three sim, I am using in a mobile router?
Hi Sharon.
The APN settings are in the router not the SIM.
If its a Huawei router, get the Hi Link app on your phone.
This is the easy way to adjust Huawei routers.
If not, you should be able to access the router settings via the router’s web interface.
Connect your laptop or other device to your router.
Enter the router’s IP address into the URL line of your web browser.
(Do not enter in the search line!)
You may find the address on a label on the back, or inside the battery cover/compartment of the router.
The address is usually 192.168.1.1
Sometimes 192.168.1.254
If neither of these work, use an app, tool or some other way of discovering what the router’s IP address is.
Good luck
Dave
Great info on this and all the other 3G/4G topics, many thanks for the effort making the site!
Which one should I use for 3 sim in 4g tp link mr200? In a ruarl area
For a data Three SIM use: 3internet
If the SIM was a former O2 data SIM use: open.internet
For a Three prepay phone SIM, it normally uses: 3ireland.ie
I have been using the APN “3internet” with prepay three phone SIMs. €20 per month. Port forwarding and DynDns work well with this APN on huawei mains powered modem/routers.
Hi Dave, I also got the three prepay phone sim.
but I’m unable to get a public IP on my Huawei B525 with the APN 3internet.
I have a WAN IP that starts with 10.207… and that is different from what I get on whatismyip.com
Any specific configuration you did? I would also like to have remote access to my pc.
thanks in advance,
Cory
Hi Cory.
Editor Sean provides a great resource for all this stuff.
The two different public IPs issue, is probably the trouble.
When I came across the problem I was unable to find a way around it.
It might be due to Three piggybacking on the O2 network!?
A legacy that still hasn’t been resolved in some areas.
I use http://www.canyouseeme.org/ to test for open ports.
Just tested a DVR to make sure Three haven’t started blocking WAN access.
Give your LAN device (server, camera, DVR etc.) a static Local IP address. (Disable DHCP).
Find out which ports it uses for web access.
I use the “Fing” app for android.
There is no special set up on my B525
On the router’s web interface…
Login as admin
Go to Settings>Dial Up>profile management>new profile
Add a new profile for Three
Set the APN: 3internet. No user or password required.
Go to Settings>Security>Virtual Server
Add one or more forwarding rules for the LAN device using the ports and IP address you assigned it.
Go to Settings>Security>DDNS
Add your dynamic DNS service.
This allows you to use a URL that will track the public IP address of your modem/router, which changes after every reboot.
Firewall settings don’t have to be altered.
Curiously… At Settings>Dial Up>Connect
I have to leave Mobile Data Off!!!
I can also leave Data Roaming, Disabled in my area too.
(Manorhamilton, Co. Leitrim). If Three is using the O2 network in your area, you might have to switch roaming on.
Dave
Dear Dave,
Thank you for the detailed explanations!
Indeed the problem was that I was having two IPs. I kept having them until I completely switched off and on the router.
This might have come from the fact that I tested a sim from eir and that I never switched my router off after changing the sim.
Now I have a public IP. And, following your instructions, I got the port forwarded and the ddns setup in no time!
By the way, on the router interface, the data ‘off’, is a button so when you see ‘off’, it means it’s ‘on’, and you can click to turn it ‘off’. (When I do this, my connection is reset and I get a new IP.)
Thanks again,
Cory
Cheers Cory.
No matter how many times we tell other people “just switch it off and on again”, we do forget to do it ourselves.
So that’s a toggle button… Ha!
Duh! Now I deserve a Homer award!
Good luck.
Dave
Yeah, I was using the reboot option from the system menu.
I thought it was cleaner than the hard power off and on…
Thanks!
I recently bought a second hand huawei b315 router to use with a tesco 7.5gb broadband pay as you go sim i had to reboot router as previous owner has lost original password now after entering admin for both user & password i can log in but all the settings have been erased could someone kindly help me with settings to be added to get internet to.work thanks.
These steps are based on the Hauwei B525, but should be similar with the B315:
Profile name: Tesco
User name: admin
Password: admin
APN: tmidata
After a minute or two, it should pick up the signal and automatically connect.
Hi Sean,
Great post. Thanks for taking the time to do it.
I am with virgin mobile. Using a 4G mobile sim on a Huawei B593s-22 router. The default router settings are Auto and password is private.
I can only find an apn for virgin mobile sim and not data sim.
https://www.virginmedia.ie/customer-support/mobile/device-support/?page=device/oneplus/3/topic/mobile-internet-apn/setup-internet-apn-on-your-phone/12
My 4g drops in an out from 10mbs down to 1mbs and none. During the day its constant at 12.
My question is. Are they recognising I am using a mobile sim package on a router and suppressing the signal? Or is this common?
Is there data apn settings for virgin media? I think they use the three network.
I really dont know how they manage to call 10Mbs a 4G service!!! How are they getting away with it.
Virgin media only do a mobile handset SIM from what I can tell, which means they unlikely have any data SIM APN settings. I also don’t recommend trying any other APN entry with a bill pay SIM even if you come across other APN settings. With some networks such as Vodafone and certain Three bill pay SIMs, using the incorrect APN can cause all data to be treated as out-of-bundle, which could run up a massive bill.
As the maximum speed you get is 12Mbps, have a check at the router’s signal information. First check its home screen to make sure it is in 4G mode. Then, go into the top System menu, then into Diagnosis on the left and click Wireless status check. If the RSRP figure is more negative than -102dBm and the RSRQ figure is frequently more negative than -12dB, try moving the router around to improve these figures, i.e. try getting the RSRP within -100dBm and the RSRQ figure within -12dB. The more negative the RSRQ figure, the more interference the router is picking up. In 3G mode, you will see an ECIO reading instead of RSRQ.
Unfortunately, the contention on the Three network is quite severe in some areas, so the speed drops to 1Mbps is most likely due to too many people on the mast or even congestion on its uplink, if the mast is microwave fed. Another option you can try is see how a Three prepay phone SIM performs in the router. This will rule out the Virgin media end completely as although Virgin Media operates on Three’s cellular network, the data splits off separate ways with the core network, similar to with DSL providers.
Hi, Niall
What settings appart from the APN did you configure. Do you virgin Media as an network operator of just the 3 Network?
Thanks Sean, I have an eir data only sim plan sold for use in a dongle but it works fine in a dual SIM phone too when in Ireland.
When ‘free’ data roaming was introduced in 2017 I was not able to get it to work in the phone while roaming. I tried many APNs, visited eir stores and contacted eir support several times. I made a couple of trips to NI to test suggestions. – eir’s bottom line was “that is an old data plan, no longer marketed, very cheap and it does not support roaming”.
Well today, I used one of the APNs you list broadband.myeirmobile.ie (data SIM with Eir branding) and it works on my dual SIM phone while roaming. Thanks
Hi Sean
I wonder if you can help me configure a new 4G lte router I recently purchased on the internet.
I cannot get it configured to my 3 sim – I have tried 3ireland.ie as the APN and also selected the connect while roaming option – and still nothing. I have played about with some of the other settings with no joy.
The thing is my sim connects no probs using an older Mifi device I have – but this is an attempt to upgrade to get a better signal. Sending the router back is not really an option as it came direct from China.
I appreciate any assistance you can give.
Thanks
Have a check what bands the router supports. Unfortunately, many Chinese phones and data devices lack support for 900MHz (3G band 8) and 800MHz (4G band 20), which the Irish networks use extensively in rural areas. 2100MHz (3G band 1) and 1800MHz (4G band 3) are used more in built-up areas.
Unlike DSL routers, generally the APN name, username and password are the only settings required on a cellular router. Pretty much every Three SIM (broadband and phone) will connect with 3ireland.ie or 3internet as the APN and the username/password fields left blank. If it’s an old O2 broadband SIM, you can try open.internet as the APN.
Sean, you are a life saver. I was trying unsuccessfully to use a TESCO phone SIM in my HUAWEI B525 router. The APN was automatically set to tmidata but it was not working. I changed it to tescomobile.liffeytelecom.com and hey presto it works perfectly.
Thanks, Tom