Improve atenna signal.

[Feejerhanis]

thewirelesshaveners,

As a kind of "lab" experiment, I recently setup a YAGI 75 Ohm Dual/Wide Band antenna with a Wilson AG Pro 70 booster, and a Wilson flat-panel wide-band indoor antenna.

I went from 2 bars 4G LTE to 4 bars 5G per my 5G iphone. Currently getting 65 Mps download and 30 mbps upload in a tiny town of 4,000 people and lots of trees everywhere. But if I get further than 10 feet from the panel antenna, I start dropping bars and performance degrades. At 20 feet, it's down to 2 bars 5G.

Anyway, my cell tower is 1.5 miles away. I can't see it from the top floor in my house, but if I drive to within 100 feet of it, I can get 105 Mbps download and 65 mbps upload on my iphone. I kind of look at this as my "par"

Interestingly, my Comcast "basic" cable connection clocks in at 97 mbps download and 6 mbps upload.

So I'm thinking that if I can boost the signal even more, and work in the use of a modem/router, I can ditch comcast altogether, and buy cell services from a company I like a ton better instead.

My questions to this group are as follows.

- I've read that using two Yagi directional antennas "cross polarized" (whatever that means) can really help.
- I've also read that using a parabolic dish type antenna might work wonders too.
- Should I ditch my lab experiment altogether and start from scratch with totally different mix of antennas/components?

I'm also very much a "pictures" person. so if anyone can point me to diagrams that depict the components and how they connect up, it would really help.

Many thanks for taking the time to read/reply.

Cheers,

Feejer

[Didneywhorl]

Are you just using your phones for internet or are you planning on installing a router/modem for the cellular internet?

Unless you test with a cellular modem/router it's not an apples to apples comparison to your cable internet.

[Feejerhanis]

Longer term, I'm hoping to install a router/modem. I thought it would help me to crawl before I'd try walking/running.

Do the cellular modems not perform as well as a phone does generally speaking? Just wondering.

- Feejer

[MattB29]

You can spend a lot of money and likely do no better and perhaps not as good then your Comcast setup. I got into cellular internet because there was only Dialup and sat internet available to me where I live. If cable Internet was available I would never have gone through all the other hoops.

If you are in a location that you can get 5G or good LTE you might look into either Verizon or T-Mobiles Home internet offerings.

[Adm1jtg]

You can spend a lot of money and likely do no better and perhaps not as good then your Comcast setup. I got into cellular internet because there was only Dialup and sat internet available to me where I live. If cable Internet was available I would never have gone through all the other hoops.

If you are in a location that you can get 5G or good LTE you might look into either Verizon or T-Mobiles Home internet offerings.

Completely agree, If I had a comcast option or any option other the satellite I never would have messed with cellular either.

Cellular has all kinds of DIFFERENT issues then comcast or other providers. Not better or worse per say but very different and harder to troubleshoot.

Cellular internet makes sense mostly for 2 kinds of uses:
1) You cant get internet in other ways or only through satellite
2) You travel a lot in something like an RV and need internet everywhere you go

Lastly you need to remember with cellular the cellular companies actively are trying to keep you from using their cell plans in this way so there is always a cat and mouse scenerio going on and thus reliability and stability will liikely not be equal to a dedicated service that is made specifically for the purpose of serving internet to an entire house.

[Dr-BroadBand]

Longer term, I'm hoping to install a router/modem. I thought it would help me to crawl before I'd try walking/running.

Do the cellular modems not perform as well as a phone does generally speaking? Just wondering.

- Feejer

It depends .... It's all about Location...Location

https://www.t-mobile.com/isp

See below what I got out of a T-Mobile Home Internet "Trash Can"
With NO Ext Antenna

For $50 a month, with no need to buy hardware, it's worth a try

[Feejerhanis]

that looks pretty impressive for a "trash can". Do you live in a remote area, suburb, city etc?

[Dr-BroadBand]

that looks pretty impressive for a "trash can". Do you live in a remote area, suburb, city etc?

To be fair this was in the suburb near a TM tower that just got updated

I have a buddy that I have been helping get internet for two years (C-19 Bug).
He lives off grid in a wooded swap, near a state park. The tower is on cow creek road.
You get the picture ... Not easy, the tower is sending the signal north he lives south of the tower. Ouch!

His house has a metal roof and foil wrap insulation ie.. a metal box!

I call it "Project Shrek"

I got 45Mbs/6Mbs in my car in his driveway NO Ext Antenna !!
He has a Trash Can on order will keep the group updated on the project.

[Adm1jtg]

rofl "project shrek" is getting better results then I am with dual mimo external antennas and over a year of tweaking.

[Feejerhanis]

@ Dr-BroadBand: If you connect an antenna to the can, do you also need/use a signal amplifier before the can?

[gscheb]

Would not recommend using amplifier for LTE Internet usage. Hook antennas right to the modem device.

[Dr-BroadBand]

See WHY CELL BOOSTERS DON'T WORK - THEY ARE SO 3G

https://youtu.be/5kHu6iE3ar0