I have no idea what I'm doing but I want to do it right

[RuralinternetSucks]

So first off, I'm basically looking for suggestions on what I should do. I know computers "ok" but I'm absolutely not a networking/cell phone guy.

We are moving in about two more weeks or so out into the country. Initially I was just going to get satellite and deal until Starlink comes out our way. It sucked but whatever. Then Covid happened and schools opened. My daughter is high risk, so now she's doing virtual. This has sent me into panic mode because if I can't get her connected and able to sustain a live connection she would have to go to school which is not an option. Originally I bought a weboost home ($400) after some very minimal research and figured I found what I needed. Nope. It worked okay. But it killed my data by over half and I needed to have my phone right next to the indoor antenna to get any gain. I sent it back and started looking into it more.

Now I'm finding out all kinds of crazy crap. Like buying specific routers, modems, antennas like mimo, parabolic, yagi, cell phone plans, changing APN settings so your cell provider thinks you are using cell data and not hotspot data?

My head is smoking and I've become kind of just bleh on it. Like it's too much lol. I've been trying to talk to the guys at wavefarm but they take forever to respond.

So here's the basics.

Surrounded by 50-80ft pines. Tower is 4.25 miles away. My best signal outside is -107 with an Rssnr of 2.0. That was the absolute best I've ever gotten it there. I have Verizon. They are the only provider that works out here. It's also on band 13. I've rarely gotten 5 but it usually doesn't last before it switches back to 13.

So what do I need? My budget is around 400ish. I can go a bit higher if it's absolutely necessary. I'm not looking for anything insane. If I could get a stable 25 down I'd be ecstatic.

[Dr-BroadBand]

WoW

The key is the SIM/Data plan The word "unlimited" has many meanings in the Cell Data Hot spot world.
Like unlimited until you use 25Meg of data (Qty-5 netflix movies) then you will hit the wall. Zoom school is going to burn data!

Verizon is the hardest to work with, could try visible they use Verizon network.

I would go to the Verizon store and ask for mercy. You may only need 5~10 DL for School.
Would also talk with the school maybe the have a clue. A iPad with a sim may work.

There are many modem options that can work but getting the cell company to let that hardware onto their network is the trick. There are ways of tricking your way onto the network but Verizon is the hardest to trick. Not sure about visible.

https://www.visible.com

https://enterprise.verizon.com/solution ... -education

[Dr-BroadBand]

Plan-B

See https://unlimitedville.com/plans

I have not used this company before but I have used some like them. They are all a little sketchy .... use caution that no contract cuts both ways.

[RuralinternetSucks]

Plan-B

See https://unlimitedville.com/plans

I have not used this company before but I have used some like them. They are all a little sketchy .... use caution that no contract cuts both ways.

Their red plan is showing up as unavailable. Also there's no way I can afford 249$ a month.

[RuralinternetSucks]

WoW

The key is the SIM/Data plan The word "unlimited" has many meanings in the Cell Data Hot spot world.
Like unlimited until you use 25Meg of data (Qty-5 netflix movies) then you will hit the wall. Zoom school is going to burn data!

Verizon is the hardest to work with, could try visible they use Verizon network.

I would go to the Verizon store and ask for mercy. You may only need 5~10 DL for School.
Would also talk with the school maybe the have a clue. A iPad with a sim may work.

There are many modem options that can work but getting the cell company to let that hardware onto their network is the trick. There are ways of tricking your way onto the network but Verizon is the hardest to trick. Not sure about visible.

https://www.visible.com

https://enterprise.verizon.com/solution ... -education

It's google meet if that makes a difference. At the very least I don't care if I can just use my phone as a hotspot for that alone until I figure something else out. The main priority is being able to get stable signal at a high enough mbps so that she can use google meet. So I'm mainly looking for hardware suggestions since I know the data plan thing is a nightmare.

[Dr-BroadBand]

Looks like google meet is a video-communication service so both download and upload will be important.

There are limits on what a phone can do as a hotspot.
With no external on a phone upload could be a challenge in a rural area.

Can use cell mapper to scout out other towers, maybe you could find AT&T that would make things easier.
With the correct hardware you can get data off a tower ~12miles away

Best of luck!!

I know the feeling, my son is doing his first year of college from his bedroom at home doing video-communication

https://www.cellmapper.net

See this for clues https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC95x5N ... IHfuVo6W4Q

[gscheb]

Check that cell mapper and see if there are other towers around. Other than Verizon. Don't have to have cell phone reception always to use these data plans if you have outside antennas.

[RuralinternetSucks]

Check that cell mapper and see if there are other towers around. Other than Verizon. Don't have to have cell phone reception always to use these data plans if you have outside antennas.

Yea I tried At&T. It's all garbage HSPA where I'm at. I don't get a single LTE signal until about 15 miles two towns over. I'm not sure why it's only HSPA around where I'm at, must be IDGAF territory for at&t so Verizon is my only option.

[gscheb]

T-mobile?

[Adm1jtg]

I just went through a very simular situtation. It took me a year and a half of reaearch and testing but I finally have a solution. I now have alot of answers so I should be able to help you both with your rural internet plan as well as equipment, and no it wont take over a year, most of that was me learning.

I am also really a verizon only option. There is absolutely no sprint or tmobile in the area at all. Not for miles, so that was not an option. I have used visable and its fine. One of the best choices if you need a verizon service. Used it for a month or so no issues other then you may have an issue activating the sim if you dont have an approived phone, or so I have read. I did have an approved phone so I never had those issues. The only negatives of visable are tech support is only through text messaging and speeds are a little slower bboth on ping and dl/ul then a true verizon plan. I have since found a way to move to a true verizon plan but that is a whole other setup and gets complicated.

But your real issue is getting the best signal possible into your home, That has nothing to do with the plan but with the equipment you use, aka hardware, First a few basics, Your situtation is alot like mine. I have trees that go at least 30 feet above my roofline, so it is not possible to get what is called LOS (line of sight). My tower is 2.5 miles away or so thick trees the entire way.

Sounds like you have located your closest tower, since you said 4.5 miles away. Based on that distance and the fact that you dont have LOS (line of sight) you will likely have to have external antennas and a router. The basic idea being you get a set of antennas on the roof as high up as possible. Since your trying to get a specific tower you will want to use a directional antenna, meaning you point it where you want it to go. I use antennas called yagi. You mount the antennas (yes plural) on the roof, run a very high quality low loss cable into the house and hook it to a router, sometimes called a CPE or LTE router. The router then takes the LTE (phone) signal and sends it out to your house as a wifi signal,

Dont get overwhelmed I may be giving you to much information to fast. If I am just write back and we can slow it down or answer more questions or whatever you need, It is EXTREMELY difficult in the sticks to find anyone who knows about this stuff, but you need to find someone who can install and setup the antennas on the roof and run the cable for you. Once you have the outside setup then we can move onto the router, which is much easier.

ok so here are a few specifics:

Antennas:
(2) wilson 50 ohm wideband yagi antennas. The The Wireless Haven 15db antennas that are square would also be a good choice but they are currently out of stock.

Cabling:
LMR400 or Wilson ultra low loss (Its expensive) to run from the antenna into. the house. You will need a seperate cable for each antenna. You will also need a cable or "pigtail" the converts your above lmr 400 cable to an sma connection. The sma connection will fit directly into the router. Make your cable runs as short as possible.

Please dont get overwhelmed. This can be done and REALLY isnt as horribly complicated as it sounds. Just take it one step at a time. Find an installer unless you want to be waliking around on the roof (personally i hired someone). usually you can pay a satellite dish installer or a home automation person to do the work, possibly even a handyman though they will be less liskely to be able to accurately aim the antennas.

Drop me a line back and I can clarify or answer things that are confusing.

[gscheb]

Hello,
Have follow up question about visible. Have set one of these up for someone. Was wondering if you found a way around the Video throttling at 480 p with visible?

[Adm1jtg]

Hello,
Have follow up question about visible. Have set one of these up for someone. Was wondering if you found a way around the Video throttling at 480 p with visible?

It's a double edged sword.... Short answer is no I don't use hd anyway... Longer answer if you could work around it your data usage would probably quadruple and flag your account for high usage. On sd I use about 400gb a month, I can't imagine what it would be if I steamed with hd for most of my movies. Also remember most using this setup are rural and don't have a huge amount of bandwidth, thus streaming hd wouldn't work well anyway.

[RuralinternetSucks]

I just went through a very simular situtation. It took me a year and a half of reaearch and testing but I finally have a solution. I now have alot of answers so I should be able to help you both with your rural internet plan as well as equipment, and no it wont take over a year, most of that was me learning.

I am also really a verizon only option. There is absolutely no sprint or tmobile in the area at all. Not for miles, so that was not an option. I have used visable and its fine. One of the best choices if you need a verizon service. Used it for a month or so no issues other then you may have an issue activating the sim if you dont have an approived phone, or so I have read. I did have an approved phone so I never had those issues. The only negatives of visable are tech support is only through text messaging and speeds are a little slower bboth on ping and dl/ul then a true verizon plan. I have since found a way to move to a true verizon plan but that is a whole other setup and gets complicated.

But your real issue is getting the best signal possible into your home, That has nothing to do with the plan but with the equipment you use, aka hardware, First a few basics, Your situtation is alot like mine. I have trees that go at least 30 feet above my roofline, so it is not possible to get what is called LOS (line of sight). My tower is 2.5 miles away or so thick trees the entire way.

Sounds like you have located your closest tower, since you said 4.5 miles away. Based on that distance and the fact that you dont have LOS (line of sight) you will likely have to have external antennas and a router. The basic idea being you get a set of antennas on the roof as high up as possible. Since your trying to get a specific tower you will want to use a directional antenna, meaning you point it where you want it to go. I use antennas called yagi. You mount the antennas (yes plural) on the roof, run a very high quality low loss cable into the house and hook it to a router, sometimes called a CPE or LTE router. The router then takes the LTE (phone) signal and sends it out to your house as a wifi signal,

Dont get overwhelmed I may be giving you to much information to fast. If I am just write back and we can slow it down or answer more questions or whatever you need, It is EXTREMELY difficult in the sticks to find anyone who knows about this stuff, but you need to find someone who can install and setup the antennas on the roof and run the cable for you. Once you have the outside setup then we can move onto the router, which is much easier.

ok so here are a few specifics:

Antennas:
(2) wilson 50 ohm wideband yagi antennas. The The Wireless Haven 15db antennas that are square would also be a good choice but they are currently out of stock.

Cabling:
LMR400 or Wilson ultra low loss (Its expensive) to run from the antenna into. the house. You will need a seperate cable for each antenna. You will also need a cable or "pigtail" the converts your above lmr 400 cable to an sma connection. The sma connection will fit directly into the router. Make your cable runs as short as possible.

Please dont get overwhelmed. This can be done and REALLY isnt as horribly complicated as it sounds. Just take it one step at a time. Find an installer unless you want to be waliking around on the roof (personally i hired someone). usually you can pay a satellite dish installer or a home automation person to do the work, possibly even a handyman though they will be less liskely to be able to accurately aim the antennas.

Drop me a line back and I can clarify or answer things that are confusing.

Thanks for all the info. I had a basic idea of antennas, but didn't know what type I needed since some people told me (on reddit) that I should get a parabolic.

wavefarm is a dud, all he did was try to sell me the cel-fi go-x even though I already told him the weboost home didn't work, that my budget was 400-500, and that I needed data signal.

I'll be doing all the setting up myself. I'm handy enough that way so I'm not concerned. What type of router am I looking at? I know that's a big cost.

[gscheb]

Parabolic is a higher gain antenna. Look around at them will see the gain on them. That is where the cost different comes in. If you go parabolic please don't buy two of them! Just get a mimo one. thewirelesshaven.com has one.
In my experience they have been the best. Next one after it is the flat panel 15 dbi ones.
Both of these in my experience did better than the wedge looking ones that people call "yagi"

[Dr-BroadBand]

I would agree 100% with the 1710-2690MHz 3300-3800MHz 21dBi MIMO Grid Antenna on thewirelesshaven.com
How they did the MiMO is killer!

There are Pro's and Con's to every thing the con with this antenna is you give up the lower bands
for example T-Mobile B71 600MHz also B12

The lower frequency are a big help with cutting through tress in a rural setting.

[Dr-BroadBand]

Before you get too crazy with Antennas would try just the antennas on your router.

If you have B71 in your area would go with the MoFi 4500 Sim-7
If you want Carrier Aggregation then go with the MoFi 4500 Sim-4

For all the MoFi haters, sure you can build a cheaper/better router. But for a novice hard to
go wrong with starting with a MoFi and then moving up the food chain of routers.

Can always sell the MoFi on eBay.

https://www.amazon.com/MOFI4500-4GXeLTE ... B089NYWJYK

https://www.amazon.com/MOFI4500-4GXeLTE ... 172&sr=1-3

[gscheb]

This will whip Mofi all day

Screenshot_20200613-234605.png

Mofi bad company. Cheat people. All is good when good. If you have issue they will mess you over.

[Dr-BroadBand]

Yes it will, but is there a user interface for this modem setup??
Or will a novice have to type in AT-Commands and hope the he doesn’t brick the modem.

What is the resale for this Frankenstein modem?

[gscheb]

This is pretty easy to setup. Human nature to try to protect people from something that happened to you

[Adm1jtg]

Well I just wrote a long explanation but it didnt save and I am to lazy to write it all again.

Basically I tested the 4 main types of antennas and for my tree filled signal path found the yagi (wedge) worked best. You have to remember the higher the db the narower the focal path. If your shooting through trees like i am that signal gets scattered and bounced off those trees and the yagi's I use with the wide focal pount catch more signal then the higher gain antennas with the narrower focal points. Bigger and stronger is NOT always better,

As far as router once again I went a different way then the other posts are recommending. I tried the MOFI, most of us have at one time or another. I returned it in less then 30 days and built my own for half the price with more flexibility.

Mofi is missing a few key things for me:

No gigabit ethernet ports
No 5ghz wifi
tech suport says their bandscan is in beta and I agree its not ready for prime time as it never saw band 13 at all
But most importantly I wanted band 66 support as well as carrier aggregation

Mofi does not have a configuration that has BOTH band 66 AND carrier aggregation

[gscheb]

Basically I tested the 4 main types of antennas and for my tree filled signal path found the yagi (wedge) worked best.

Thanks for writing that. Goes to show every situation is different. Had the exact opposite situation with trees here. So hard to recommend antennas. Only for sure recommendation is to have them!

[Adm1jtg]

This will whip Mofi all day
Screenshot_20200613-234605.png
Mofi bad company. Cheat people. All is good when good. If you have issue they will mess you over.

I use that exact modem BUT I use a more upgraded router.
I use the WG3526
It has gigabit ports, 5ghz wifi and is a metal case so no overheating issues.
And of course rooter compatable

[RuralinternetSucks]

I would agree 100% with the 1710-2690MHz 3300-3800MHz 21dBi MIMO Grid Antenna on thewirelesshaven.com
How they did the MiMO is killer!

There are Pro's and Con's to every thing the con with this antenna is you give up the lower bands
for example T-Mobile B71 600MHz also B12

The lower frequency are a big help with cutting through tress in a rural setting.

I'm on band 13 out here which is in the upper 700Mhz range. It looks to me like any of the MiMo or parabolics wouldn't receive that band? If that's the case then I'm only stuck with Yagis correct?

[gscheb]

I use that exact modem BUT I use a more upgraded router.
I use the WG3526
It has gigabit ports, 5ghz wifi and is a metal case so no overheating issues.
And of course rooter compatable

Yup that is what I am using right now! Just recommend we826 since it is more economical.

[gscheb]

I'm on band 13 out here which is in the upper 700Mhz range. It looks to me like any of the MiMo or parabolics wouldn't receive that band? If that's the case then I'm only stuck with Yagis correct?

Yes I hear what you are saying there and was afraid if that too. But able to get lower bands on those parabolic antennas. Tried it when someone else told me they could on here. Could ask the The Wireless Haven store about it.

[Dr-BroadBand]

The only 600MHz antenna that I have found is the
Ultra Wide-Band Cellular Antenna (Long Range) High Gain Parabolic Grid (Weatherproof)(26 dBi Gain)

It's not easy to dial it in. It's like a laser pointer. I only have one at the moment.
I am looking for other options for MIMO.


https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07PQ978P9/?c ... Z50R&psc=1

[RuralinternetSucks]

The only 600MHz antenna that I have found is the
Ultra Wide-Band Cellular Antenna (Long Range) High Gain Parabolic Grid (Weatherproof)(26 dBi Gain)

It's not easy to dial it in. It's like a laser pointer. I only have one at the moment.
I am looking for other options for MIMO.


https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07PQ978P9/?c ... Z50R&psc=1

So since I'm surrounded by trees I should be looking at something more like a directional wide band Yagi? I would need parabolic to be about 80ft up to have a good chance of a straight shot to the tower. I'm looking at putting a 40-50ft pole up. Which will be about 20-30ft higher than my roof.

[gscheb]

So since I'm surrounded by trees I should be looking at something more like a directional wide band Yagi? I would need parabolic to be about 80ft up to have a good chance of a straight shot to the tower. I'm looking at putting a 40-50ft pole up. Which will be about 20-30ft higher than my roof.

Wow that is a tall tower. Most the ones I have done has been between 24 to 32 feet. Have a parabolic tower at my uncles house in the attic. Goes thru his roof shingles and then thru trees to get to the tower. They can go thru stuff. These are big antennas why I like the mimo only need one of them instead of two. Way cheaper too.

[RuralinternetSucks]

Okay so here's what I'm looking at

Two of these (why two? Do they work together to increase signal strength or quality?)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00J14YEHQ/re ... EFbK8S2RX6

Now I keep seeing MOFI, or get an LTE modem and wireless router. But I see some with a mini PCI modem card? Is this insertable into certain routers? I'm not sure how that works at all.

[gscheb]

Two for Mimo. Like combines signals. Really important to get good signal quality.
Can be confusing at first.
These modems are just different form factors.
Like different puzzle pieces in a way. So certain ones take different wires and might require an adapter.

[RuralinternetSucks]

Two for Mimo. Like combines signals. Really important to get good signal quality.
Can be confusing at first.
These modems are just different form factors.
Like different puzzle pieces in a way. So certain ones take different wires and might require an adapter.

So what should I do, two Yagis or a mimo parabolic? Obviously the two Yagis are cheaper. But I can swing the parabolic if I can keep the modem/router to about 200.

[Adm1jtg]

So what should I do, two Yagis or a mimo parabolic? Obviously the two Yagis are cheaper. But I can swing the parabolic if I can keep the modem/router to about 200.

A mofi will run you about 300 plus tax and shipping. Make one yourself and you can come closer to that 200 figure.

Question, you say you need band 13. Have you tested the other available bands? Not just for strength but also for quality and speed? Again using my own example, band 13 is fairly strong and the quality is decent but the throughput is never not then 2 meg. The same tower also supports 2,4,5 and 66 by me. If I let my device choose it will always pick 4, if I restrict it from using 4 it will pick 66. If I restrict it further it will pick 2. 2 is a weaker signal but the quality is far superior. So even though 2 is a 10mhz channel and the signal is weaker then 4 or 66 I actually get much better results using it. So the question is when you say you need band 13 is that just what your phone is using our did you test each band and determine 13 was the best.

I was really surprised that with all the trees 13 here sucked as everyone says the lower bands work better with trees, well babe 2 is 1900 not lower.

Just fired to show there is no one right solution. Each situation is different. Mine worked much better with a yagi then a parabolic. Others definitely have better results with a parabolic.

Btw I am not sure anyone has asked... What's the best signal strength you can get walking around your house with your phone on the ground outdoors. That's usually a good reference to start

[RuralinternetSucks]

A mofi will run you about 300 plus tax and shipping. Make one yourself and you can come closer to that 200 figure.

Question, you say you need band 13. Have you tested the other available bands? Not just for strength but also for quality and speed? Again using my own example, band 13 is fairly strong and the quality is decent but the throughput is never not then 2 meg. The same tower also supports 2,4,5 and 66 by me. If I let my device choose it will always pick 4, if I restrict it from using 4 it will pick 66. If I restrict it further it will pick 2. 2 is a weaker signal but the quality is far superior. So even though 2 is a 10mhz channel and the signal is weaker then 4 or 66 I actually get much better results using it. So the question is when you say you need band 13 is that just what your phone is using our did you test each band and determine 13 was the best.

I was really surprised that with all the trees 13 here sucked as everyone says the lower bands work better with trees, well babe 2 is 1900 not lower.

Just fired to show there is no one right solution. Each situation is different. Mine worked much better with a yagi then a parabolic. Others definitely have better results with a parabolic.

Btw I am not sure anyone has asked... What's the best signal strength you can get walking around your house with your phone on the ground outdoors. That's usually a good reference to start

I had no idea I could test different bands. How do I do that? I just assumed my phone chose the best signal and I couldn't do anything about it.

Out here the very best I've got outside around my house was -107dbm and Rssnr 2.0. At that I have a decent enough signal to stream youtube on my phone.

[RockyinNM]

I know I will get some flack for this-so take it for what it's worth.

If you do not have the time, or skill to build your router, THIS, may be an alterative to get you up and running-I DO NOT have ANY affiliation with this seller, not have I ever dealt with (them).

Do not buy one from China, as there software is terrible.

It comes with a cat6 modem, but if it were me, I would contact seller, to see how much to up grade to cat12 modem--for the Cat12 Modem (EM12-G and EM7511 - 2x2 Mimo)--or more?--he has 16 and 18 cat also---down side, is it only has 2.4g and he may build you one with 2.4 and 5. g?? Like a WE826GO--never hurts' to ask.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/ZBT-WE826-T2-W ... SwJPhfBQKt

your mileage may very, but I hate to see folks going, and pushing, the mifi route.
just my .02 cents, Rocky

[gscheb]

My antenna story=
I have T-mobile service in rural area with trees and such just under 5 miles away.
Started off with mimo proxicast antenna wasn't bad really. https://www.amazon.com/Proxicast-Cross- ... B01NBSLNJ6
Then got the log periodic antennas and that was an improvement. (plastic wedge looking ones)
Then third antennas was the 15dbi flat panel type and they where definite improvement again.
Fourth antenna was a parabolic antenna and see an big improvement there.

With antennas seems everyone has different experience this was mine.

[Adm1jtg]

I think there is WAY to much good infirmation in here for one person to process so let me try and break it down a little to make it more "digestible"

When you going to get al your internet needs from cellular you ALWAYS need a few things:
1) A cell plan
2) A router
3) Some kind of antennas to receive signal (these can be simply whip antennas on the router or external ones on the roof

1) Since you need verizon start with visable. You only commit to a month at a time and if you dont like it find another service like page plus and just change.

2) If you boild down all the solutions offered in this thread it comes down to 2 types, The Mofi (there are 2 models we can into later) or the build your own type. Both have the same functions and work the same. The difference is the Mofi has a more polished interface and is easier for a new user. However, you pay a lot extra for that ease of use. The build your own style gets you a better and cheaper unit but you will need to research and find text style commands to do alot of the speciality things on the router where as the mofi has it all setup in menu selections. If your not afraid to get your hands dirty and ask lots of questions and do tons of google searches at least initially I would recommend the build your own. If you just dont wanna mess with all that and you just want it to work with minimal effort get a mofi. I had a mofi and decided the ease of use at least to me was not worth paying double the price for less of a unit. I listed some of the details of that decision in another post.

3) This is probably the trickiest one. If your doing a whole house internet I dont believe the internal antennas will be good enough. That means external. We have already gone into the choices. I started with the yagi as quite simply they were the cheapest, easiest to aim and available on amazon, so easy returns. Cabling to me is one of the most important parts of this. You may replace your antenna, you may upgrade your router but very few ever replace the cable, so what you pick initially wiill likely be your choice for a very long time. LMR400 cable is the choice here. Its not cheap but again you likely wont be replaceing this... ever. With cheaper cable you lose a lot more signal, and the longer the run the worse it gets,

Hopefully now all recommendations and choices will make a little more sense

[Adm1jtg]

I had no idea I could test different bands. How do I do that? I just assumed my phone chose the best signal and I couldn't do anything about it.

Out here the very best I've got outside around my house was -107dbm and Rssnr 2.0. At that I have a decent enough signal to stream youtube on my phone.

Its an advanced function of the router, any of the routers mentioned in here. Basically you have the ability to restrict what bands are available for use and can evaluate which bands work best, not just which are the strongest

[gscheb]

Sorry know you are getting overloaded with this. Just remembered this post. Should have sent earlier. Might help.
https://wirelessjoint.com/viewtopic.php?f=37 ... 8621&hilit

[Dr-BroadBand]

See for antenna clues

https://youtu.be/xzqkoPL9t9A

https://youtu.be/kFsYem_7eZg

https://youtu.be/73jEQgihpso

[Dr-BroadBand]

Sorry know you are getting overloaded with this. Just remembered this post. Should have sent earlier. Might help.
https://wirelessjoint.com/viewtopic.php?f=37 ... 8621&hilit

WoW Thanks very well DONE!!

[Adm1jtg]

See for antenna clues

https://youtu.be/xzqkoPL9t9A

https://youtu.be/kFsYem_7eZg

https://youtu.be/73jEQgihpso

That last one you need to be careful of. He is very detailed and makes specific recommendations but some of his information is REALLY flawed. If you watch the whole series he recommends using carrier aggregation but on seperate towers. This is not how its meant to work at all. His mimo setup also uses unlike antennas and this is also generally agreed to not be optimal. You usually want 2 like antennas pointed at the same tower. Both mimo and CA are really meant to be used on the same tower with like equipment, which is not what he is recommendoing at all

Obviously it works for him but its completly contrary to what most would consider best practices or PROPER setup

[Dr-BroadBand]

For the roof guy, I was thinking the same thing about CA

Love his passion but you are correct there are a few errors with his logic.
He corrects him self as he goes. He work on his setup for over two years.

You can also lean form others mistakes

As with any thing you find on YouTube / The internet, take with a gain of salt and verify!

[RuralinternetSucks]

Okay after spending time researching I think I'm going to try this setup. Please tell me if it's okay? I'm pretty computer literate and have a small amount of coding experience in C, so I'm not worried about manually configuring the modem as along as I have basically an instruction manual lol.

Router

https://thewirelesshaven.com/shop/routers/lte-rou ... te-router/

Modem

https://thewirelesshaven.com/shop/modems/quectel- ... m-2-modem/

Antenna

2x https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00J14YEHQ/re ... FFb76WHVN1

Cable

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0018PVVBS/re ... FFbVYS7M2X

I may try with just a pole mount first from Wilson or some such.

Tbh the router and modem is where I'm more guessing than anything.

I think I will try a visible plan first and see how that works. However, I've heard they have a higher ping and lower down speeds than a regular Verizon plan so I will have to see. Any comments/suggestions?

I really need to get this stuff in soon because I move in, in about 2 weeks and I need it ready to go by then.

[Dr-BroadBand]

For the cable it would be nice if it had a SMA connector.
Make sure you have the correct gender

I would work on the Router and modem first. Baby steps

Could bring the modem to the tower to test what Bands and speeds you have to work with.
Then add distance and antennas.

P.S. looks like a sweet setup

[gscheb]

Agree would focus on modem first get it going before you move. Assuming more than likely have good coverage now if have good internet now.
How it works people that have "real" internet have the best cell towers too.

[RuralinternetSucks]

Could bring the modem to the tower to test what Bands and speeds you have to work with.
Then add distance and antennas

Unfortunately I don't have much time. Kinda gotta get it all at once or nearly. If it works enough for what I need it I can look at improving it later. How on earth do I test the modem at a tower? Do I put it in a laptop or something?

[Adm1jtg]

good choices but one issue:
The router you picked has no outputs for external antennas. You would need to drill holes in the case and add in some sma connector pigtails.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DW ... UTF8&psc=1

There is a pic of that mod on this forum somewhere.

The better choice would be the wg3526, same basic hardware 2 sma jacs to hook external antennas to and a metal enclosure so no overheating issues. Unfortunately the availability of these units seems to be out of stock almost everywhere. I had to order mine directly from china and then go through an extra step to load rooter/The Wireless Haven firmware on it. I doubt you could get it from china in 2 weeks..

No matter what router you get you will need adaptors to convert your lmr400 cable which has an N male connectors on the end to an sma male end that will screw onto the router jacks/inputs. As stated above you can find them prebuilt with sma on one end and N male on the other but those are much harder to find in my opinion and the connectors really have pretty negligble signal loss.

Either (2) of these if your cable run is the right length
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CO ... UTF8&psc=1
or
(2) of these if you would benefit from a little extra cable length
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07Q3 ... UTF8&psc=1

I used the latter as I had a premade 30 foot cable but really needed 35 feet to put the router where I wanted it

Also for me personally I would go with the EP06-A modem instead of the one you choose. Two reasons for that:
In my setup I KNOW i wont ever get superb speeds, just not going to happen, so the modem you choose in my instance would be like buying a Ferrari to drive on my windy dirt backroads. In other words massive overkill at least in my instance.

Also and probably more important to you... the EP06-A is pcie format. This is the format that fits in MOST of the routers you will be shopping for. In other words the EP06-A just basically snaps in. The one you choose would require you to purchase an adaptor and to swap out the pigtails that hook to the card. The connectors on the card side are smaller then the pcie ones.

Again these are only my personal opinions based on my own personal situtation. It's a great card but its extra work to setup, alot more money )more then double what I paid) and more then my little tower in the middle of cow country will ever be able to take advantage of.

[gscheb]

Want to look at this post about that router. Will need to modify it to add LTE antenna ports.
https://wirelessjoint.com/viewtopic.php?f=12 ... 326#p12831

Will also need adapter for that too.
https://thewirelesshaven.com/shop/pcie-m-2/mini-p ... card-slot/

Also need pigtail wires to go to that modem.
https://thewirelesshaven.com/shop/cables/pigtail- ... ail-cable/

For cable bought from here a couple times. Been good and cheaper than amazon.
www.coaxrf com
Code : 15OFF to get 15% off if still valid

With that being said be careful about long cable runs more loss in them.
Look at antenna gains minus cable loss.
Here is link for loss calculator.
https://www.timesmicrowave.com/calculator

Love these things. Make it easier to connect wires. LMR 400 stuff and brittle don't bend much.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B074M38L ... asin_title

[Adm1jtg]

Want to look at this post about that router. Will need to modify it to add LTE antenna ports.
https://wirelessjoint.com/viewtopic.php?f=12 ... 326#p12831

Will also need adapter for that too.
https://thewirelesshaven.com/shop/pcie-m-2/mini-p ... card-slot/

Also need pigtail wires to go to that modem.
https://thewirelesshaven.com/shop/cables/pigtail- ... ail-cable/

For cable bought from here a couple times. Been good and cheaper than amazon.
www.coaxrf com
Code : 15OFF to get 15% off if still valid

With that being said be careful about long cable runs more loss in them.
Look at antenna gains minus cable loss.
Here is link for loss calculator.
https://www.timesmicrowave.com/calculator

Love these things. Make it easier to connect wires. LMR 400 stuff and brittle don't bend much.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B074M38L ... asin_title

lol I beat ya to it

[gscheb]

Yes you did. Was going as fast as I could! I have an extra wg3526 with a EM12 in it. Got it to see about faster speeds. But since only have limited bands in my area not much difference. Currently using my EP06.

[Adm1jtg]

I love my setup. Wouldnt change a thing. Does just what I need at a good cost and nothing extra.

The CA combinations work pretty well for my available bands, the Wg3526 doesnt need me to drill holes and with the EP06 I dont need to swap out pigtails or use an adaptor.

And of course its a quectel so "refreshing" IMEI is easy

BTW for OP this wont mean much right now but for verizon the best CA combos seem to be
4+5
66+66
and the one I use 2+5

[RuralinternetSucks]

good choices but one issue:
The router you picked has no outputs for external antennas. You would need to drill holes in the case and add in some sma connector pigtails.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DW ... UTF8&psc=1

There is a pic of that mod on this forum somewhere.

The better choice would be the wg3526, same basic hardware 2 sma jacs to hook external antennas to and a metal enclosure so no overheating issues. Unfortunately the availability of these units seems to be out of stock almost everywhere. I had to order mine directly from china and then go through an extra step to load rooter/The Wireless Haven firmware on it. I doubt you could get it from china in 2 weeks..

No matter what router you get you will need adaptors to convert your lmr400 cable which has an N male connectors on the end to an sma male end that will screw onto the router jacks/inputs. As stated above you can find them prebuilt with sma on one end and N male on the other but those are much harder to find in my opinion and the connectors really have pretty negligble signal loss.

Either (2) of these if your cable run is the right length
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CO ... UTF8&psc=1
or
(2) of these if you would benefit from a little extra cable length
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07Q3 ... UTF8&psc=1

I used the latter as I had a premade 30 foot cable but really needed 35 feet to put the router where I wanted it

Also for me personally I would go with the EP06-A modem instead of the one you choose. Two reasons for that:
In my setup I KNOW i wont ever get superb speeds, just not going to happen, so the modem you choose in my instance would be like buying a Ferrari to drive on my windy dirt backroads. In other words massive overkill at least in my instance.

Also and probably more important to you... the EP06-A is pcie format. This is the format that fits in MOST of the routers you will be shopping for. In other words the EP06-A just basically snaps in. The one you choose would require you to purchase an adaptor and to swap out the pigtails that hook to the card. The connectors on the card side are smaller then the pcie ones.

Again these are only my personal opinions based on my own personal situtation. It's a great card but its extra work to setup, alot more money )more then double what I paid) and more then my little tower in the middle of cow country will ever be able to take advantage of.

Thank you that was very helpful. this is the type of information I was looking for since I don't know the specifics of this stuff I definitely don't want to have to do any hardware wiring or drilling into the modem that just freaks me out too much so I'll definitely look into what you suggested. if that modem is out of stock everywhere is there another one that would be similar compatibility even if it's a little more expensive that is in stock somewhere?

[Adm1jtg]

Unfortunately there really isnt. I have a guy on ebay I bought my ep06 from, i have messaged him to see if he has either a wg3526 or ep06 for sale presently as I believe both items are out of stock here on The Wireless Haven.

update: Ep06-a is listing in stock again on The Wireless Haven now we just need to find you a router to stick it https://thewirelesshaven.com/shop/modems/quectel- ... el-ep06-a/

I think you should probably stick with The Wireless Haven as they are extremely well supported and knowledgeable. Unfortunately the ONLY router thats in stock is 2.4ghz only with 10/100 ethernet, no gigabit, no 5ghz, but it has step by step build instructions its cheap and its basically the same hardware mofi uses.

https://thewirelesshaven.com/shop/routers/lte-rou ... fi-router/

[RuralinternetSucks]

Unfortunately there really isnt. I have a guy on ebay I bought my ep06 from, i have messaged him to see if he has either a wg3526 or ep06 for sale presently as I believe both items are out of stock here on The Wireless Haven.

update: Ep06-a is listing in stock again on The Wireless Haven now we just need to find you a router to stick it https://thewirelesshaven.com/shop/modems/quectel- ... el-ep06-a/

I think you should probably stick with The Wireless Haven as they are extremely well supported and knowledgeable. Unfortunately the ONLY router thats in stock is 2.4ghz only with 10/100 ethernet, no gigabit, no 5ghz, but it has step by step build instructions its cheap and its basically the same hardware mofi uses.

https://thewirelesshaven.com/shop/routers/lte-rou ... fi-router/

You're the man. So what's the downside to the router? I know the others are 10/100/100 right? Tbh I'd be ecstatic if I got a stable 25mbps down. I could stream Netflix with that. I doubt I'll ever get much more than that unless I went for broke on my setup.

[Adm1jtg]

As far as what you lose with that box over the wg3526:
You get only 10/100 ethernet ports (not gigabit)
No 5ghz wifi

Basically this unit is considered an entry level unit. The wg3526 is a higher end unit, but if you can live with the 2 things above, Its fully functional and since it runs wifix/rooter, software its got exactly the same features as any other unit running wifix/rooter. Also like I said way back at the start of this thread almost everything can be easily upgraded if needed.... EXCEPT the wiring which would be a huge pain.

Ok so shopping list:
(1) router, linked above
(1) modem ,linked above
(2) lmr400 cables 25-30' if you can get away with that short, long cable runs are the biggest loss of signal (the wilson .........ones you linked are the same ones I use but in 25'). One end hooks directly into. the antenna the other end attaches .........to the pigtail.
(2) pigtails type N female to SMA Male
(2) antennas (the ones you found on amazon are the ones I use)
You will also need a pole to mount the antennas on and possibly a roof mount if your going on the roof. Remember higher is better but shorter cable is better. catch 22 huh.

Also once you get your equipment and antennas in place we can go over how to determine the best band and best combinations of bands. Time of day can also drastically affect usability.Typically early morning is best for me and about 8-11 at night is 1/3 the speed of morning. That said I can do what I need mostly which is stream 2 streams and surf the internet without clocking. Anywhere between 30-40 in morning but down to like 8-10 at night. I wasnt really setup for long in warm weather but betting will be worse when humid and hot out.

Ok given you enough to chew on for a while I bet

Almost forgot you need to read up on mimo and how to mount your 2 antennas in a mimo config

[RuralinternetSucks]

Thank you. I'm putting in my order now. I have another catch 22 and that is that the best signal comes in on the opposite side of the house from where the router would need to go. So I think I'm stuck with a 50ft run. Otherwise I'd have to put it up higher on the side the router needs to be on and it's no gauruntee I'll get as good a signal so either way I'm looking at 50ft of cable.

[gscheb]

So far for me the WiFi in these things don't seen to work right. Always disable WiFi and stick in another router to lan port.
And if you get similar speeds under 100 those lan ports will be fine in a we826 router.

[Adm1jtg]

Its all about compromises.
If you need 50' you need 50' Your starting with a lot more signal then I did. I coudnt make a phone call and my best signal on the ground was 116 when I started. 120 means basically no signal. I also had to setup a booster just to make phone calls.

Your in for a long fun ride with lots of testing and tweaking

[Adm1jtg]

So far for me the WiFi in these things don't seen to work right. Always disable WiFi and stick in another router to lan port.
And if you get similar speeds under 100 those lan ports will be fine in a we826 router.

I see lots of people saying that. What kind of issues specifically? throughput or range or both and on both 2.4 nd 5 or what? As I really havent seen to many issues with my wg3526. Course it sources mostly to roku devices.

[gscheb]

All the above just terrible.

[RuralinternetSucks]

All the above just terrible.

Does it do at least one room? 90% of the internet usage in my house takes place in the living room. If I can get that much out of it I can live with it for the time being.

[Adm1jtg]

Hmmm.... Seems ok to me... Will have to order a night hawk 1750 off Amazon and compare

[Adm1jtg]

Does it do at least one room? 90% of the internet usage in my house takes place in the living room. If I can get that much out of it I can live with it for the time being.

Mine seems just fine but like I said it's used primarily for video streaming to roku units

[Adm1jtg]

All the above just terrible.

Can you give me some details? I just hooked up an old netgear wifi n extender/portable ap and tested. I didnt see any difference in performance or on speed tests. Now granted I have only a 1500 sq ft home and the router is smack dab in the middle so the range is not being tested at all but even so, trying to duplicate the issues and so far have been unable to, unless you want to convince me that my old netgear is exactly equally bad in all the same ways then I would suspect my testing is not correct, as I just dont see an issue

Are you running rooter or wifix?
I am running a new unreleased version of rooter myself

[gscheb]

Should probably go to this other post with this. IF you don't mind he has enough to decipher.
https://wirelessjoint.com/viewtopic.php?f=8& ... lit#p12008

[Adm1jtg]

Thank you. I'm putting in my order now. I have another catch 22 and that is that the best signal comes in on the opposite side of the house from where the router would need to go. So I think I'm stuck with a 50ft run. Otherwise I'd have to put it up higher on the side the router needs to be on and it's no gauruntee I'll get as good a signal so either way I'm looking at 50ft of cable.

Almost forgot probably best to order one of these as well:

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B08 ... UTF8&psc=1
Doesnt need to be this specific one just an adaptor like this.

This adaptor hopefully will NEVER need to be used. It what I call the oh **** I fubared things, backup. I have had it where after a configuration change to the modem, (one I probably shouldnt have been messing with) the router is no longer able to access the modem. In that case you would take the modem out of the router, mount it in this adaptor and plug it into a laptop/desktop and then recover the modem that way.

Also if you ever need to update the firmware of the modem its STRONGLY recommended you do it though an adaptor like this and NOT through the router.

So not specifically NEEDED per say but if you **** things up when learning like I have its a godsend

[Adm1jtg]

Thank you. I'm putting in my order now. I have another catch 22 and that is that the best signal comes in on the opposite side of the house from where the router would need to go. So I think I'm stuck with a 50ft run. Otherwise I'd have to put it up higher on the side the router needs to be on and it's no gauruntee I'll get as good a signal so either way I'm looking at 50ft of cable.

Good luck, let us know how it turns out and of course if you need anymore help

[RuralinternetSucks]

Good luck, let us know how it turns out and of course if you need anymore help

Thanks. I just got my router and modem in this morning. My antennas and other stuff came in yesterday. Activated my visible service this morning too. They also just finished getting power to the new house so I'll be going there first thing in the morning after work to get it set up and test it out(working graveyard shift atm). I assume I follow the directions in the tutorial section here to get it set up?

[Adm1jtg]

Thanks. I just got my router and modem in this morning. My antennas and other stuff came in yesterday. Activated my visible service this morning too. They also just finished getting power to the new house so I'll be going there first thing in the morning after work to get it set up and test it out(working graveyard shift atm). I assume I follow the directions in the tutorial section here to get it set up?

Yeah that's how I would do it. Follow the tutorial and if you have issues or something doesn't make sense just post here.

[gscheb]

Did you end up getting a Quectel modem?

[RuralinternetSucks]

Yeah that's how I would do it. Follow the tutorial and if you have issues or something doesn't make sense just post here.

Okay already having an issue.

First the tutorial shows a sierra card being installed in the modem. The two 4g antennas with pigtails I plugged into M1 and D1 on the modem, was that correct? The other looked like d2/G.

I don't have my outside antennas hooked up yet so I'm just using the ones that came with the router.

Basically the router isn't connecting to the modem. It just keeps trying over and over again.

I am using a Visible sim card which has been activated. The router is reading the sim card as it shows the sim number and my phone number associated with the SIM.

Any help?

[RuralinternetSucks]

Did you end up getting a Quectel modem?

Yes I got the EP06-A

[Adm1jtg]

Okay already having an issue.

First the tutorial shows a sierra card being installed in the modem. The two 4g antennas with pigtails I plugged into M1 and D1 on the modem, was that correct? The other looked like d2/G.

I don't have my outside antennas hooked up yet so I'm just using the ones that came with the router.

Basically the router isn't connecting to the modem. It just keeps trying over and over again.

I am using a Visible sim card which has been activated. The router is reading the sim card as it shows the sim number and my phone number associated with the SIM.

Any help?

Did you put in the correct apn. Under modern > connection > apn? .. It will default to Verizon but for visible it's like vsbinternet.. check that though I am going from memory on all this

[RuralinternetSucks]

Did you put in the correct apn. Under modern > connection > apn? .. It will default to Verizon but for visible it's like vsbinternet.. check that though I am going from memory on all this

Yes I did..however when I look at the debug log it shows VSBLINTERNET along with all the verizon APNS like vzwwireless, vzwinternet etc.. maybe because visible uses verizon?

[Adm1jtg]

Yes I did..however when I look at the debug log it shows VSBLINTERNET along with all the verizon APNS like vzwwireless, vzwinternet etc.. maybe because visible uses verizon?

Possible. I am not on visible anymore as I was able to switch to a true Verizon service. I can give you details on that as well. If you get the imei and phone number info on the modern page then it's usually something to do with the sim being denied. If the sim works properly in another device you may need "refresh" the imei of the ep06 to match that if the device it works in and then retire that device