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3G/4G mobile broadband with an antenna . . . ?

Brilliant information and genuinely appreciated, thank you.

No worries. Those of us who "live in the middle of nowhere" have to be inventive ;) That said we can get VDSL FTTC now, but 4G outperforms what that's likely to deliver, so we stick with it since we do little TV streaming and don't use a massive amount of data (circa 30GB per month).

Post again if you need more info.
 
Hi guys, also looking for some advice/help if possible.

I have just purchased a Huawei E8278 4G dongle and external 4G antenna which I think is directional. Got the lot for £30 from my cousin, it was locked to O2 but i have since unlocked it.

I stay on the very outskirts of Glasgow in a 15 year old housing estate, our adsl is about 1.5mb and BT have no plans to upgrade us as we are on a exchange only line, the estates surrounding us get 20+ Mbps. I have decided to try the mobile route hence why I purchased the kit from my cousin.

Our estate is in a slight valley and indoor 4G and 3G signal are non existent, all the mobile network coverage checkers show as outdoor only. If I place my phone against the front upstairs front window I get 2 bars 4g signal (3 network) if I move the move inside it disappears, I have tried the rear windows but get basic signal. Gong by the ofcom site finder the line to my nearest 3 network mast is blocked my other houses/trees etc, this line is not in same direction as the window where I get the 4g connection.

Can you offer advice on the placement of my antenna or any other suggestions, the wife doesn't want the antenna on the front of the house but it's only got a 5m cable and wouldn't reach to the room where dongle will be situated.

Any help will be very much appreciated.

Thanks, lee

I
 
Height can be a factor in signal strength and it sounds as though this will be important in your case (hilly area).

The OFCOM Sitefinder thing was well out of date when I last looked. To find the nearest cells I ended up driving around with a helper and a laptop ;)

If you can't bring the antenna to the modem then you'll have to bring the modem to the antenna. If it's a USB device then you can get a USB extension cable - put the modem in the loft, fix the antenna to the chimney or on the edge of the house where it works best and then bring the signal into the house with the USB cable NB I think that there are limits on how long USB cables can be.

As long as it's stable you shouldn't need to access the USB device and you can restart it by unplugging the USB cable at the PC end.

However if it's one of those dongles that creates a wireless signal and you were hoping to use that - then it's not going to work very well with it that high up in the loft, and so something like the B593 would give you Ethernet outputs to pipe the signal round the house and/or to a secondary router (e.g. downstairs) which can serve out a wireless signal for users in the house.
 
Hi mark, thanks for the reply. My hous e is new build so no chimney lol

I tried plugging the dongle into various sockets upstairs to see what sort of signal I was getting, found I get decent 3G when plugged into socket just under window without the antenna, getting about 10mbps down and about 5mbps up, not as good as 4G but perfectly usable, I will eventually get the antenna outside.
 
Hey DTMark and all,

Just been browsing this thread today and wanted to thank you for the great deal you've gone into. I just have a few questions if you have a moment. I live in semi-rural Lincolnshire in an area which is just out of range of most 4G masts though EE says that my home has 'weak outdoor coverage' for 4G. I've ordered a B593 in the hope that it's internal antennae will be able to do a better job than my phone can at picking up the 4G signal. Would you say it's a reasonable possibility?

If not then I may have to look into a directional antenna, along this route I wanted to ask you how you best determined whereabouts the mast was located? Are any of the websites that map them (such as cellmapper.net) any good?

Cheers!
 
Sitefinder is a good start, otherwise coverage map interpretation and location knowledge can work well. If you can PM me a postcode/nearby postcode, then I'll take a look.
 
The B593 arrived and it's getting 8Mbps down & 1.5Mbps up on 3G with RSCP of -76dBm. Using the antennae provided (the ones that attach to the back) I can just get a 4G signal (intermittently) providing 5.7Mbps down & 0.1Mbps up with RSRP of -121dBm which is far from ideal.

That is with it positioned in the best position in the house that I determined using my phone yesterday. Is there are anything else I should try before considering an antenna on the roof?
 
If it was me I would stay on 3G I find it much faster now most people are on 4G - and more reliable. Sorry I don't know about the Ariel bit but I wanted to say anyway
 
The key before fitting an antenna, especially a directional one, is to be certain which network you're going with.

As far as finding the cell locations goes - the Sitefinder map was so out of date I took to buying a power transformer and taking that, the B593 and the laptop out in the car driving around to confirm where the cells were.

We are quite fortunate here in that even though we're rural we get strong EE 4G, moderate Three and Vodafone 4G, and weak O2 4G and there are only a limited number of cell sites, one of which was surrounded by trees and only found by driving around noting the rising signal until the transmitter was right in front of us in a copse in the middle of nowhere.
 
Success so far - advice needed again

So bought the b593 and shoved it in various windows to find the best place. It doesn't seem to care which window and I get 3g at 2Mbps down and 0.4 up but always just with one bar.

Now, I live behind 1 metre thick walls in a hilly area but I know exactly where the Bouygues Telecom mast is (basically just over a hill about 2kms from me). 4g is promised from the same provider for next year or so, so I have that in mind also.

I am guessing that an antenna will probably boost the signal and hence the speed?
If so, do people (DTMark, I am afraid to single you out since you probably get sick of all the requests) have a recommendation?

if yes to these, my thoughts are as follows and I would be grateful for hints and tips on these:

1. I'd like an antenna that can do 3g now but will I need something for 4g so is there an antenna to do both?
2. I am with Bouygues Telecom. Does the antenna need to be specific to their signal?
3. Mobiles don't really work for calls or data inside the house due to thick walls; is it possible to buy something (so a booster rather than an antenna) that improves the cell/ 3g signal generally rather than an antenna for the Huawei only which will then be picked up by both the huawei and phones inside the house, helping me in two ways from one purchase? Probably a long shot but it would be a double win if there is.
4. And finally, can I assume that placing an external antenna high on the roof facing towards the mast is the best place for it?

Appreciate the help and if I have missed any information, please let me know.
 
4g
Sens montant (Upload)
Fréquence(Mhz) 1763.4-1785
Sens descendant (Download)
Fréquence(Mhz) 1858.4-1880

Also I believe they do the 800 and 2.6Ghz frequency range also
 
3G and 4G antenna are designed to receive the whole range covered by the 3 and 4G standards, so no, you dont need a network specific antenna.

Feed the antenna into a suitable router that works with a 3G/4G dongle and then connect to it via Wifi; if the walls are very thick, perhaps using plug-in transmission line relays to cover the whole house.

Ideally, you want the antenna high enough to "see" the transmitter, so how much of an improvement it will be really depends on how high the hill is, if you cannot get "line of sight" on the antenna, then a omni-directional one may be better than a directional one, as sometimes you can send and receive a reflected signal, rather than a direct to the transmitter connection.
(This is what caused "ghosting" on the old analogue TV signals).

The one issue is, you wont know if it works until you try it, so you dont want to spend too much money on equipment.

There are a number of cheap routers that work with 3/4G dongles, and it might be worth buying, but not roof fixing the antenna; just to see if the combo actually gives you better speed at ground level first.

I found this website, the prices look OK. http://www.3grouterstore.co.uk/3G/4G_Antennas.html


(reason for edit - 3 y/o on lap causing "issues")
 
Possible slight snag with that link, Cap'n. I don't know what sort of evidence (if any) they'd want, so it might be possible to just "overlook" it, but in their T&C it says:
"Please note that we only sell our products and service to business customers and do not sell to residential customers."
:(
 
Hi Captain Cretin

Thank you very much for reply.

I posted a few times so you may not have seen; I already bought the Huawei b593 and get one signal bar on 3g which gives me 2Mbps. For me, this is a success since it is better than satellite (horrible latency, more expensive and bandwidth is capped even on "unlimited") and ADSL (gives 0.75Mbps tops). There are hills between the house and the mast but only just.

However, based on what you are saying, I am thinking of purchasing something like this from your linked store, in an attempt to boost the reception:

Fullband® MIMORAD outdoor MiMo 4G Antenna with twin 5m cables (SMA/M) - 6dBi Peak Gain - Omni Directional Radome

Is that likely to help do you think?
 
1. I'd like an antenna that can do 3g now but will I need something for 4g so is there an antenna to do both?

4G should need two antennae. Actually we only have one and it works, apparently it shouldn't. I might be able to speed mine up with two antennae. But, rather than have your roof looking like some sort of transmitting station you can get dual antennae "in one".

These guys are quite helpful:
http://www.solwise.co.uk/3g-antenna-outdoor.htm

I wonder if they might let you return it if it doesn't work out, because you need one with a good db uplift so the cheaper ones (e.g. +5db or less) are likely to be little use.

You can get the information about your connection from the B593 - System > Diagnosis > Wireless Status Check which will give you something like:

PLMN: 23430
2 Service status: Valid service
3 RSSI (dBm): -57
4 RSRP (dBm): -84
5 RSRQ (dB): -8
6 Roaming: No

(This is our EE 4G service)

Solwise may find this information helpful to assist you.

The issue that you have is the hilly terrain which means a directional one may not help unless you can get it high enough.

Height is probably going to be everything here. If you feel adventurous you might be able to climb up a ladder with the modem on a power lead and see what stats you get there ;)

In other words, if it were possible to put the B593 at the top of your chimney then that alone might be more effective than the most powerful antenna at the same height as you have the modem now.

(Just to illustrate the point, not suggesting that you do fix the modem to the chimney outside!)

2. I am with Bouygues Telecom. Does the antenna need to be specific to their signal?

No, but it has to support the frequency range/set - look that up and compare with that stated for the antennae on the Solwise page.

3. Mobiles don't really work for calls or data inside the house due to thick walls; is it possible to buy something (so a booster rather than an antenna) that improves the cell/ 3g signal generally rather than an antenna for the Huawei only which will then be picked up by both the huawei and phones inside the house, helping me in two ways from one purchase? Probably a long shot but it would be a double win if there is.

No. I'd like something like this. We can get great MBB but we can't have a reliable mobile phone service in this house. But we can use VOIP through the B593 which is flawless.

You can sign up for a service some mobile providers offer which uses a landline to route the signal, but that's not quite what you were asking. Since we don't have a landline I haven't tried this.

4. And finally, can I assume that placing an external antenna high on the roof facing towards the mast is the best place for it?

Yes. As before I suspect that height is going to be everything here.

Let us know how you get on.
 
Possible slight snag with that link, Cap'n. I don't know what sort of evidence (if any) they'd want, so it might be possible to just "overlook" it, but in their T&C it says:
"Please note that we only sell our products and service to business customers and do not sell to residential customers."
:(


Sorry, I never got that far into the site; just noted they sell what was wanted, and that the prices werent too stupid. having a 3 y/o running amok is a big distraction, especially as she has now discovered the step ladder, and figured out she can reach ANY cupboard in the kitchen with it.
I went downstairs after posting that link to find her sat on the couch with a large bowl of fruit, 3 yoghurts, a packet of iced biscuits, a slice of frozen bread and an innocent look on her face.
 
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