Antenna for 4GLTE

[Epaphroditus]

We are transitioning away from HughesNet satellite service to MiFi JetPack mobile hotspot ( unlimited plan - even throttled it is faster and cheaper than HughesNet).

Problem is weak signal. After surise and during the day we are fine but after sundown the signal is spotty.

Nearest tower is ~30 miles rolling forested hills.

I have a booster but it doesn't seem to do anything even through the status lights show AGC is working in several relevant frequencies.

I'm thinking I need a better antenna. Not finding many options. Any suggestions would be awesome.

Wondering if a satellite dish will work in conjunction with my yagi?

[traveler1952]

Check out the 3G store online they have several.
Give them a call for help.

[jdfthetech]

have you taken a look at these yet?

https://antennagear.net/hd-7dbi-verizon-novatel-jetpack-mifi-7730l-external-antenna/

[Epaphroditus]

I have a Wilson 11dB but it's not cutting the mustard. Looking for something in the 20-40 dB or better regime.

[Epaphroditus]

Curious about the jetpack antenna as there is no way to attach an antenna to the mobile hotspot jetpack device.

That's why I got a booster.

There is a external option for the MiFi router but that device is not on my plan and does not have an unlimited data option either.

[Mrfixit262]

I have a Wilson 11dB but it's not cutting the mustard. Looking for something in the 20-40 dB or better regime.

Even most dish type antennas are 20db at best. But remember every 3db is double the signal strength so a 6db gain is 4x signal.

The coax is also critical. LMR 400 minimum for lengths over 25 ft.

Also, you might want to make sure there is nothing nearby that might cause interference, like a computer or solar inverter.

Depending on the frequency and your skills with antennas, you might be able to convert an old c-band satellite dish.

What is the frequency range you are looking for?

[caarcher]

Here's what I do in my rural property with no other options but Hughes.

Yagi antenna, the one that looks like a white flag. There were no other options that supported multi band. https://www.wilsonamplifiers.com/wil...-50ohm-314411/

LMR 400 cable, 35 foot. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Cable connects to a Wilson Weboost cradle. https://www.wilsonamplifiers.com/web...er-kit-470107/

Moto G4 Play phone is inserted in the cradle and tethered to an Asus AC86U router.

Unlimited business class (priority 1) Verizon sim card sourced from a seller on fleabay. It's not cheap ($125 per month) but it does the job.

Without the above setup (phone only as a mobile hotspot) I was getting 1-2 Mbps down/.5 Mbps up, latency around 100ms.

With the above setup I am getting 10-15Mbps down/2-3Mbps up, latency around 30ms. It is fast enough to stream HD, watch Netflix, Kodi, etc. I have no TV service and rely on this connection for work and entertainment.

The above cradle has adapters for different phone sizes, you could easily adjust it to accommodate your jetpack. It has an SMA connector that will allow connection to your antenna cable.

I also tried a very expensive Wilson booster https://www.wilsonamplifiers.com/web...er-kit-471104/
It did not work as well as the cradle booster. In theory I thought that it would be a good option for boosting the signal to multiple devices but in practice it was a poor choice.

Good luck!

-Michael

[Epaphroditus]

With my setup even throttled I'm getting .4mb/1mb up/down with 60ms latency.

Streaming works fine at 720p.

I made the mistake of having the antennas too close but now that they are well spaced all amplifier channels are operating in the normal range.

The 4G signal is still -115dB and +/- booster shows no change so I'm missing something.

Still leaps and bounds better than HughesNet. Cheaper, too.

Next week I'll fiddle with using an old dish in conjuction with yagi to capture a bit more signal.

[caarcher]

With my setup even throttled I'm getting .4mb/1mb up/down with 60ms latency.

Streaming works fine at 720p.

I made the mistake of having the antennas too close but now that they are well spaced all amplifier channels are operating in the normal range.

The 4G signal is still -115dB and +/- booster shows no change so I'm missing something.

Still leaps and bounds better than HughesNet. Cheaper, too.

Next week I'll fiddle with using an old dish in conjuction with yagi to capture a bit more signal.

Without the booster is your signal still -115dB? Which booster do you have?

[Epaphroditus]

Surecall fusion4

[caarcher]

I see that you did mention that there is no change with or without the booster, I missed that the firt time I read your post.

The large booster that I had is similar to the Surecall. I fought with that Wilson booster and finally decided to try the cradle and it worked great.

[Epaphroditus]

Finally found my local cell tower.

All the most recommended apps & websites for locating cell towers don't really work.

Network Cell Info Lite does work and points unambiguously to the tower. It's not south but easy of here.

Got the antenna 10' over the roof pointed in the right direction.

Now I get 35msec ping and 3.6 M/2Mbps up/down speeds.

Right next to the interior antenna signal is -75 dB.

Still gonna play with the dish - that sucker is heavy and my roof is slippery.

[Jongage]

Checkout the cradlepoint routers. They have FULL antenna access, and take verizon sim cards

[furyous68]

Kind of weird that your download speeds are slower than your uploads. Usually, the upload speed is significantly slower than download.

[hcbr]

Curious about the jetpack antenna as there is no way to attach an antenna to the mobile hotspot jetpack device.

That's why I got a booster.

There is a external option for the MiFi router but that device is not on my plan and does not have an unlimited data option either.

Im not sure if you just got the device, but FYI, there are some models (i believe they have a netgear mifi) that has antenna ports on them to connect external antennas. I know this because we tested quite a few mifi for Verizon the last couple of years.