Need faster internet

[BillK]

check into Tmobile home internet. If you have a cell tower, you may be able to get it. I have it as a 2nd connection for work and i get 30Mbit / 10Mbit connection.

What are you using for a Hotspot ? I have T-mobile at the shop and it is nowhere near that fast. I just did a test and it was 3M download

It actually is fine for what I use it for but cant stand much in the way of videos etc.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Lmao man you are on a tear today.
I believe they are in beta now. If the guy didn’t own a few spaceships I’d agree with you.

He actually has "competition" now ! At least on paper.

I don't remember the name of the company, but they are claiming significantly faster speeds. One detail. They have no spaceships or money to buy/build them !

Details, details, details !

 

[theoldwizard1]

Not sure if you are old enough when 1G were being deployed.. then the PCS. They all have the same issue (obstacles) that have been ironed out through out the years. You do remember the days when you get a page inside a tunnel right without special repeaters?

I started doing "networking" using 300 baud acoustical couplers. We thought we died and went to heaven when the Bell 212A came out !

Was it V.32 or V.34 that allowed 9600bps over a 2 wire dial up ? (I was the local "king" of Kermit !)

5G FR2 is mmWave range (24–100GHz). That is where police radar used to run (before they switched to laser). Those frequencies are much, much higher than was ever used previously for "low power" two communication !

 

[theoldwizard1]

Just google 4G LTE modem. You'll probably get that in your first hit.

I did not !

doesn't matter it's still 4G will be Yesteryear soon. All these dependents on the provider, towers and links, terrains just like any other radio communication.

I believe I did mention all of that. Got a solution that will work TODAY without spending a ton of money ?

https://www.outdoorrouter.com/product/4g-lte-router-cellular-modem-mimo-wifi/

Thanks of the link.

Funny that the site is "outdoor router" and I'm not sure if that unit is acutally weather proof !

As we were saying, tower distance and "line of sight" are critical to good performance ! Radio based communications have not changed. A good antenna (directional, like a yagi) and line of sight make a huge difference !

 

[Innovate1]

I started doing "networking" using 300 baud acoustical couplers. We thought we died and went to heaven when the Bell 212A came out !

Was it V.32 or V.34 that allowed 9600bps over a 2 wire dial up ? (I was the local "king" of Kermit !)

5G FR2 is mmWave range (24–100GHz). That is where police radar used to run (before they switched to laser). Those frequencies are much, much higher than was ever used previously for "low power" two communication !

You were lucky! I had to build my own modem for 300 baud (actually did - it was a kit from a local computer club). Cue Monty Python's "you were lucky..."

 

[dogdog]

I started doing "networking" using 300 baud acoustical couplers. We thought we died and went to heaven when the Bell 212A came out !

Was it V.32 or V.34 that allowed 9600bps over a 2 wire dial up ? (I was the local "king" of Kermit !)

5G FR2 is mmWave range (24–100GHz). That is where police radar used to run (before they switched to laser). Those frequencies are much, much higher than was ever used previously for "low power" two communication !

Ku/Ka band radars and satellite as well.... imagine that your Direct TV is at that frequency also. They have exist for hmmm yearsss ? Not a new discovery, but new use. Besides that, pretty sure their modulation is different from others on the same Frequency.

https://www.radartutorial.eu/07.waves/Waves and Frequency Ranges.en.html

https://www.getconnected.aero/2017/09/lkuka-band-satellites-mean/


*****
ok maybe only KA band... doesn't matter the point is. these are not new.

https://image.slidesharecdn.com/satellite-bands-1230061291013716-2/95/satellite-bands-2-728.jpg

 

[dogdog]

I did not !


I believe I did mention all of that. Got a solution that will work TODAY without spending a ton of money ?


Thanks of the link.

Funny that the site is "outdoor router" and I'm not sure if that unit is acutally weather proof !

As we were saying, tower distance and "line of sight" are critical to good performance ! Radio based communications have not changed. A good antenna (directional, like a yagi) and line of sight make a huge difference !

It might not be water proof, but it is made for outdoor Environment as in "Temperature" and it is capable of pretty cold temp and will probably survive in a water IP67 rated weather enclosure... it also is capable of POE so.. yea will probably make it a good outdoor thinggy.

Temperature: Working: -40°C ~ +80°C

 

[Petvan]

IMHO, 5G is a SCAM invented to sell for telephones !

5G uses two different frequencies.

• Frequency Range 1 (FR1)is in the same "band" as current 4G. It has about the same coverage and is only marginally faster.
• FR2 is much higher. It is capable a much faster through put, but the range is very limited and any physical obstructions will kill the signal.

5G isn't a scam ;-).. That said, it won't make a lot of difference for residential. Outside of really dense areas where mmWave will be used and in perfect conditions where your speeds will be much better than "4G", most 5G will deliver relatively similar experiences for res users though maybe with a slight improvement in latency.

5G is much more about large business (enterprise) private networks and spectral efficiency gains allowing carriers to serve more users at better data rates with a better user experience far more efficiently.

I think actual user experience chances will be subtle for the next couple years while the economics will improve for the carriers.

All that said, getting a wired connection to the home ideally, and within the home is always the first and best way to improve connectivity.

 

[wyliesdiesels]

The first statement is half correct. The second is 100% correct.

Let me expand on my comment

All the MiFi devices ive seen consumers using or for sale at the cell stores have internal antennas and no sma connectors for external antennas, so the signal they receive is not great.

Now one could go with a cradlepoint or similar wireless SD-WAN router (peplink is what i just switched to) with external antennas but in some buildings signal will still not be great or non-existent at all. Im currently working on an NGA911 system upgrade for all the PSAPs out here, and the management ports on the equipment are ran over AT&T and verizon wireless routers. Some PSAPs have really good shielding around their data/com rooms or theyre underground, so the wireless routers do not get any signal. Hell, my cell phone didnt get signal either in one of the com rooms.

My peplink routers have external antennas but the signal in my house (50s with chicken wire lath walls and ext stucco) is not the greatest. In my metal shop its even worse (GPS antenna gets no signal). However, I could run some dual conductor coax and put up exterior antennas and get really good signal.

Cant do that with mifi devices. This is why i steer away from those. no option to improve signal.

 

[wyliesdiesels]

IMHO, 5G is a SCAM invented to sell for telephones !

5G uses two different frequencies.

• Frequency Range 1 (FR1)is in the same "band" as current 4G. It has about the same coverage and is only marginally faster.
• FR2 is much higher. It is capable a much faster throughput, but the range is very limited and any physical obstructions will kill the signal.

how is it a scam? It has far more spectrum available, which is needed because the current spectrum in use is overcrowded/overutilized in many larger markets.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Let me expand on my comment

All the MiFi devices ive seen consumers using or for sale at the cell stores have internal antennas and no sma connectors for external antennas, so the signal they receive is not great.

100% correct ! They might work if you are close to a cell tower, but they are going to **** in the country !!

Cant do that with mifi devices. This is why i steer away from those. no option to improve signal.

Again, 100% correct. If you are not "close" to the tower, decent antenna(s) are a MUST !

 

[theoldwizard1]

IMHO, 5G is a SCAM invented to sell for telephones !

5G isn't a scam ;-)

how is it a scam? It has far more spectrum available, which is needed because the current spectrum in use is overcrowded/overutilized in many larger markets.

In my book, a "scam" is selling you something for more money that really does NOT perform up to expectations or advertisements.

Most 5G towers today are using FR1 band, and will likely do so for a long time because the existing transmitters/receiver don't care if they send or receiving 4G or 5G. That is done by the next stage. There IS NOT "far more spectrum available" in this band. It is the same band/spectrum that is being used by 4G today so channel spacing is the same. The 5G encoding is slightly more efficient, but nothing like what the the carrier and handset companies want you to believe.

I have a cell tower within a few blocks of my house (on top of a high school football stadium light tower). Are they likely to install FR2 transmitters there ? NO ! A) No demand (the homes nearby all have 2 strands of active broadband hanging next to each house) and B) too much interference (older suburb, mature/large trees).

There is a major freeway 2 miles away, but there are towers closer to it.

EDIT : Just stumbled on this in Wikipedia. This will slow down your 5G though put !

In order to make better use of existing assets, carriers may opt to dynamically share it between 4G LTE and 5G NR. The spectrum is multiplexed over time between both generations of mobile networks, while still using the 4G LTE network for control functions, depending on user demand. Dynamic spectrum sharing (DSS) may be deployed on existing 4G LTE equipment as long as it is compatible with 5G NR.

 

[86turbodsl]

Thats not as good as a regular dedicated WISP since the number of customers utilizing a cell tower can vary wildly as cell users move into and out of the towers coverage area. Also, AT&T site says its 10Mbps.

A true WISP fixed wireless service only serves buildings and no mobile customers so the bandwidth demand is more predictable and manageable.

I think it depends on your WISP. There's no wisps around here that deliver anything even remotely as fast as Tmo home internet. And most of them are oversubscribed too.

FWIW.

 

[86turbodsl]

What are you using for a Hotspot ? I have T-mobile at the shop and it is nowhere near that fast. I just did a test and it was 3M download

It actually is fine for what I use it for but cant stand much in the way of videos etc.

I have the normal white brick router. It's upstairs in a window. It's been pretty consistent at ~ 30Mbit down. I live way out in the country, but about 3 miles north of the freeway, and line of sight to the cell tower, at about ~ 4-5Miles.

There's already hacks for the router to add antennas and a few people have spoofed IMEI's and gone for 4/5G routers with ext antennas. Check on the facebook group for Tmo and LTEhacks.

 

[Bigbandguy]

I know someone who lives in a lake community with a similar problem/distance to the antenna. He mounted the MiFi device at the focal point of a surplus small sat dish. He gets all kinds of signal. No idea how well or in what way he waterproofed it but he sure solved the problem. Nice hack.

 

[theoldwizard1]

I know someone who lives in a lake community with a similar problem/distance to the antenna. He mounted the MiFi device at the focal point of a surplus small sat dish. He gets all kinds of signal. No idea how well or in what way he waterproofed it but he sure solved the problem. Nice hack.

What did he replace the "horn" with ?

Yagi style antennas are cheap and easy to make, if you know the formula for the length of the elements.

 

[gungatim]

Let me expand on my comment

All the MiFi devices ive seen consumers using or for sale at the cell stores have internal antennas and no sma connectors for external antennas, so the signal they receive is not great.

Cant do that with mifi devices. This is why i steer away from those. no option to improve signal.

actually for $6 you can add sma connectors and external antennas to anything. I bought a 2pk. they will clip on for wifi cards or you can solder to the board at the antenna connection. pretty common mod we've been doing for years.

 

[wyliesdiesels]

actually for $6 you can add sma connectors and external antennas to anything. I bought a 2pk. they will clip on for wifi cards or you can solder to the board at the antenna connection. pretty common mod we've been doing for years.

most people do not have the know-how or want to to do such a thing. also, the power output will not be great since the radio is designed for smaller antennas...

 

[gungatim]

I don't think people realize how individual the situation is for rural internet.

LTE carriers use more than one frequency. 800mhz, 950mhz, 1750mhz, etc...what tower you have near you, it's height, who leases that tower and gets the good spot on the right side of the water tower, the frequency it is using, the obstacles, terrain, etc. all impact what you are going to get.

if you look up your area for towers on cellmapper, you can see who is where, how far they are, the elevation it is, lookup the license on FCC, see who is using what.

doing your research, tuning and aiming the antenna at the proper tower will go a long way toward improving service. not every device is going to equally receive all the same frequencys, you gotta find a provider that uses a tower you can hit at a frequency your device can use, and learn radio theory and antenna design if you want to improve on what the masses are given.

 

[HenryAZ]

Was it V.32 or V.34 that allowed 9600bps over a 2 wire dial up ?

v.32 was 9600. v.34 was 28800, and the US Robotics Courier modem was the one to have. US Robotics sold them discounted to BBS sysops, and it came with a brass plate riveted to it saying something like "not for resale". Mine is up in the attic somewhere.

 

[volleyball]

People seem to ignore upload speeds. While surfers and entertainment watchers don't have a problem, anyone broadcasting their image and voice, or backing up to the cloud are going to be hampered. These things are much more common now with classrooms.

having a low resolution camera, a plain background and not moving are things anyone can do to improve their experience. Less you transmit, less the lag.
And what tech MAY be available in the future is useless for todays problem. Did the kid ask the schools IT support if they know of what is available today assuming the school is local

 

[dogdog]

He actually has "competition" now ! At least on paper.

I don't remember the name of the company, but they are claiming significantly faster speeds. One detail. They have no spaceships or money to buy/build them !

Details, details, details !

you mean these guys ? Good concept, bad sour stocks since 1995... way before Starlink, all gobernment, governemnt related contracts for them only I think, probably not consumer friendly pricing.

https://www.iridium.com/services/broadband/

 

[My Old Tools]

Thats not as good as a regular dedicated WISP since the number of customers utilizing a cell tower can vary wildly as cell users move into and out of the towers coverage area. Also, AT&T site says its 10Mbps.

A true WISP fixed wireless service only serves buildings and no mobile customers so the bandwidth demand is more predictable and manageable.

Every WISP I've ever seen has oversold their service capability after a few months and had terrible bandwidth and reliabilty. Both the 4G providers have the infrastructure to keep up. ATT guaratees 10Mb. My actual was 30-40 Mb/s. My T-Mobile actual is 45+. Today with the wife streaming YouTube TV...
https://www.speedtest.net/result/10679171274

 

[wyliesdiesels]

Every WISP I've ever seen has oversold their service capability after a few months and had terrible bandwidth and reliability. Both the 4G providers have the infrastructure to keep up. ATT guarantees 10Mb. My actual was 30-40 Mb/s. My T-Mobile actual is 45+. Today with the wife streaming YouTube TV...
https://www.speedtest.net/result/10679171274

I guess it depends on the WISP. We have 3 out here and only 1 oversold their system. The other 2 are great and guarantee speeds...

 

[PelicanPines]

Well... I just pulled the trigger on a Starlink Dish after doing some research and watching a dozen or so Youtube unpacking vids... I have no cable on my pole and 5G is a dream here in the boonies... A perfect spot for the dish is over my septic tank but I may mount it on top of the big shed... it comes with 100' of cable so... I have options.

 

[dogdog]

What did he replace the "horn" with ?

Yagi style antennas are cheap and easy to make, if you know the formula for the length of the elements.

Yea I know its older, usually people that converts satellite dish to Wifi uses the BiQuad antennas... i have build one before. easy to do but the measurements and bents are critical. material of choice is also critical.

 

[dogdog]

Well... I just pulled the trigger on a Starlink Dish after doing some research and watching a dozen or so Youtube unpacking vids... I have no cable on my pole and 5G is a dream here in the boonies... A perfect spot for the dish is over my septic tank but I may mount it on top of the big shed... it comes with 100' of cable so... I have options.

whats the monthly package like for starlink ?

 

[PelicanPines]

Unlimited, not throttled, $99/mo

They are still launching more sats all the time. The more they launch the faster the speed is. They launch a TON in one rocket too.

 

[My Old Tools]

Thats not as good as a regular dedicated WISP since the number of customers utilizing a cell tower can vary wildly as cell users move into and out of the towers coverage area. Also, AT&T site says its 10Mbps.

A true WISP fixed wireless service only serves buildings and no mobile customers so the bandwidth demand is more predictable and manageable.

It's far better than any WISP I have ever used. Around here they promise 6-10 and you get 3 on a good day. Reliability *****, and they overload the equipment and don't have the money to upgrade. TMobile is dead solid and running at 85Mb 24/7. Call center is in Albuquerque and they speak English. No data caps, no slow downs, $60 a month including taxes. ATT was good when we had it but was more expensive and had a data cap.

 

[My Old Tools]

When Starlink starts signing up volume customers they will overload and slow down. Upgrading will require a launch. We'll see how all that works outl

 

[wyliesdiesels]

It's far better than any WISP I have ever used. Around here they promise 6-10 and you get 3 on a good day. Reliability *****, and they overload the equipment and don't have the money to upgrade. TMobile is dead solid and running at 85Mb 24/7. Call center is in Albuquerque and they speak English. No data caps, no slow downs, $60 a month including taxes. ATT was good when we had it but was more expensive and had a data cap.

Well its the opposite here

I have WISP service at my shop. I pay for 20Mbps and I get 60Mbps symmetrical. oh and theyre local literally. Customer service and tech support is based in downtown modesto.... cell service is horrible on the other hand...

 

[theoldwizard1]

All the MiFi devices ive seen consumers using or for sale at the cell stores have internal antennas and no sma connectors for external antennas, so the signal they receive is not great.

Basically true !

There are some devices available that DO have external connectors. Watch this video. FINALLY...A RURAL Internet Service that WORKS!

They are referring to Nomad Internet. The devices you see on their web pages are you typical home/portable cell phone to wireless internet adapter (a.k.a. "hot spot" or "MiFi") BUT the do also have units with dual external antennas for both the cell signal and the wireless internet (802.11xx) signals. Watch the above video.



The wires on the bottom go to a pair of Wilson Electronics Wideband Directional Yagi Antennas 700-2700 MHz. The other two are for the local 802.11xx

Best of all 7 Day, No Risk, Money-Back Guarantee


EDIT : The cell phone to wireless internet adaptor in the picture above is an EZR23. Basically, it is a cell phone with some different software and external connections.

 

[gungatim]

when i posted a long time ago this was easy. but now^^these are becoming harder to find. they are de-listing the IMEI's and cancelling service when you use certain sim cards in certain products...I got in early, now see what you have to pay for this stuff used. even Netgear is making it difficult...I no longer recommend doing it since you risk a lot more than in the old days...

 

[HamAndEggs]

Starlink is your best option if its available