WE826-T2 inside DP727X8 Antenna Enclosure Questions

[hw1353]

I'm considering purchasing: DP727X8

https://thewirelesshaven.com/shop/antennas/4g-lte ... 1-45-rj45/

I want to put my WE826-T2/7455 inside, and run a POE Injetor&splitter for Power. Wanting a clean setup. I've also tried some inexpensive outdoor directional antennas with acceptable performance compared to omni, but I have a 45' run of low loss cable from the modem/router to the roof, looking to shorten the antenna wire run...completely.

My question is, I live in texas, it gets hot outside in the summer, would being in an enclosure like this, outside on the roof shorten the life of the router/cell modem? I'm sure it will run hotter, but would this cause performance issues? Is there any reason to not do it this way?

Thanks!

[BillA]

I'm considering purchasing: DP727X8

https://thewirelesshaven.com/shop/antennas/4g-lte ... 1-45-rj45/

I want to put my WE826-T2/7455 inside, and run a POE Injetor&splitter for Power. Wanting a clean setup. I've also tried some inexpensive outdoor directional antennas with acceptable performance compared to omni, but I have a 45' run of low loss cable from the modem/router to the roof, looking to shorten the antenna wire run...completely.

My question is, I live in texas, it gets hot outside in the summer, would being in an enclosure like this, outside on the roof shorten the life of the router/cell modem? I'm sure it will run hotter, but would this cause performance issues? Is there any reason to not do it this way?

Thanks!

There was actually a thread/post about this issue, where I have raised concerns about the excessive heat build-up inside the external enclosure, but I was assured that many people are running a similar setup with no problems so far. I'd probably hide it under the eve or some other crevice to protect it from the elements and direct sunlight, and maybe drill some small vent holes at the bottom of the enclosure just for good measure. But that's just me.
A note about long antenna cable runs... anything over 10meters (about 10 yards) depending on the cable's quality, it will likely incur a greater signal loss than the gains from the external antennas, so it's a good idea to keep it under that length.

[hw1353]

Just found the post I believe you're talking about.

Guess I wasn't searching the right things.

https://wirelessjoint.com/viewtopic.php?f=37 ... e&start=10

[hw1353]

I guess I'm just seeing the benefit of an extremely short antenna cable run.

[BillA]

I guess I'm just seeing the benefit of an extremely short antenna cable run.

Forgot to mention, whenever you have antennas sticking up high on the roof top or a pole, it's very important to also install a good lightning arrester rod a little higher than the antennas with a grounding cable, in order to avoid getting your gear fried both indoors and out. If you happen to be close to the cables indoors, it can actually kill you or at best make you look like an electrocuted cartoon character. he-he But seriously though, this is dead serious issue.
By the way, my tower is bigger than your. ;D
https://asopa.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83454 ... 200d-800wi

[hw1353]

Well I don't have anything going on to that magnitude.

I'm seeing about the same performance a verizon cell phone sees on my porch/under the roof of the house. I feel like it could be better with the right antenna setup.

I have a 40"~ pole mounted to the eve of my house, something you'd use to install a satellite dish. The verizon tower I'm trying to access is about 2.5 miles away, I get decent cell signal with some long range wilson yagis(10.5 dBi), but I feel like things could be better. I also have a PCTEL Omnidirectional MIMO antenna(2 dBi), both antennas perform about the same, even with the yagis pointed at the tower. Antennas are probably 25-30' off the ground. If this 2 dBi antenna will more or less do what I need it to do at 45' cable, I feel like I could see some better performance from 8 dBi at 0ft of cable. I'm new to all of this, but I'm doing my best to understand and learn about antennas. Seems like a 10 mile wide subject.


I also like the idea of pushing POE to an outside box. I've already been up to my pole a ridiculous number of times adjusting/testing things to see what kind of performance I can see and if small tweaks are worth it. Won't bother me to have to take it down if I need to work on the router/modem.

[BillA]

Well I don't have anything going on to that magnitude.

I'm seeing about the same performance a verizon cell phone sees on my porch/under the roof of the house. I feel like it could be better with the right antenna setup.

I have a 40"~ pole mounted to the eve of my house, something you'd use to install a satellite dish. The verizon tower I'm trying to access is about 2.5 miles away, I get decent cell signal with some long range wilson yagis(10.5 dBi), but I feel like things could be better. I also have a PCTEL Omnidirectional MIMO antenna(2 dBi), both antennas perform about the same, even with the yagis pointed at the tower. Antennas are probably 25-30' off the ground. If this 2 dBi antenna will more or less do what I need it to do at 45' cable, I feel like I could see some better performance from 8 dBi at 0ft of cable. I'm new to all of this, but I'm doing my best to understand and learn about antennas. Seems like a 10 mile wide subject.


I also like the idea of pushing POE to an outside box. I've already been up to my pole a ridiculous number of times adjusting/testing things to see what kind of performance I can see and if small tweaks are worth it. Won't bother me to have to take it down if I need to work on the router/modem.

In my experience, the distance from the tower is less of an issue than having no abstraction in between. For example, you could get a better signal (quality) in a line of sight from a tower 5 miles away, then from a tower 2 miles away with hills, trees, or buildings in between. Another variable is signal propagation/bouncing off of objects is actually a good thing to improve the MIMO of the modem (the greater the delay for the signal to reach the main and diversity antennas, the better), therefore aiming the antenna directly at the tower is not always the best option. It's worth testing the antenna aimed slightly off to the left/right, and up/down of the tower, while running several speed tests to get a better feel for the signal. Also signal strength by itself is not always the best for data speeds either, signal quality (RSRQ and RSRP) are more important. As you can see, it's not an exact science, it involves a bit of trial and error to get the best possible performance.

[hw1353]

In my experience, the distance from the tower is less of an issue than having no abstraction in between. For example, you could get a better signal (quality) in a line of sight from a tower 5 miles away, then from a tower 2 miles away with hills, trees, or buildings in between. Another variable is signal propagation/bouncing off of objects is actually a good thing to improve the MIMO of the modem (the greater the delay for the signal to reach the main and diversity antennas, the better), therefore aiming the antenna directly at the tower is not always the best option. It's worth testing the antenna aimed slightly off to the left/right, and up/down of the tower, while running several speed tests to get a better feel for the signal. Also signal strength by itself is not always the best for data speeds either, signal quality (RSRQ and RSRP) are more important. As you can see, it's not an exact science, it involves a bit of trial and error to get the best possible performance.

I've tried adjusting the yagis a good bit in all directions. I still seem to experience a more stable speed and signal with the omni-directional antenna so far. Certain times/days/conditions the yagis do get better speeds/signals but the omni-directional seems to be much more consistent day to day. There isn't a crazy difference in signal quality between the two, for some reason I'd expect the directional antenna performance to be better than it is, so I'm curious if shortening the antenna jumpers would net be the performance I'm expecting.

I live in a rural wooded area, however, the tower is toward the south, which from my house is clear for about .75-1 mile before a pretty dense area of woods. I've looked at the fresnel simulations, as long as the tower is 50m+ off the ground, the elevation profile shouldn't be much of an issue, as theres a valley between me and the tower, and we're roughly the same elevation on each end.

I like experimenting and messing with stuff I have a BS in Computer Science, worked in enterprise networking and data centers for about 10 years. Like to learn new things, Trial and error is life.

Before I found this LTE broadband option a few months ago, Only other option for internet was 3mb/.5 mb dsl for 120$ a month that was sketchy. What I have setup works pretty good, much better than the DSL but I want to optimize it/tweak it as much as possible.

[BillA]

I've tried adjusting the yagis a good bit in all directions. I still seem to experience a more stable speed and signal with the omni-directional antenna so far. Certain times/days/conditions the yagis do get better speeds/signals but the omni-directional seems to be much more consistent day to day. There isn't a crazy difference in signal quality between the two, for some reason I'd expect the directional antenna performance to be better than it is, so I'm curious if shortening the antenna jumpers would net be the performance I'm expecting.

I like experimenting and messing with stuff I have a BS in Computer Science, worked in enterprise networking and data centers for about 10 years. Like to learn new things, Trial and error is life.

If you're not getting a significant and consistent gains with the Yagis, then you might be having more signal loss in the coax than the gains from the antennas or about equal which pretty much cancels each other out. I would definitely try shortening the coax run from the antennas as a temporary setup for testing purposes. Without committing to a POE job right the way by cutting and splicing cables, just run a long 110V extension cord to power the router a few feet away from the antenna, and use a phone to run some speed tests. If you see significant and consistent gains in speed throughout the day, then you may want to finalize the setup with the router mounted on the antenna pole in a whether-proof enclosure. You can choose from two power options, either run a long extension cord to the router box, or use POE to power it. Use your imagination.
"Trial and error is life." - Absolutely!