Wireless Joint

swwifty wrote: ↑Sun Feb 09, 2020 2:33 pm is the weboost antenna a signal antenna?

If it's only one antenna, thats probably half your problem right there. It's also possible your antenna is pointed in the wrong direction for the tower its actually connected to. If you have a few in range, it can hop between them.

I'd recommend getting at least two antennas so you can get MIMO, but if you only have band 12, it's probably not going to be a good time since that band is often congested due to phones using it alot.

WhiskeyLifa wrote: ↑Sun Feb 09, 2020 6:05 pm Do you think switching to Yagi antennas would help at all? I turned off my booster and used OpenSignal to get the best idea on where to point it. I also mapped the tower it’s possibly connected to and get it pointed in that general area that match with the direction from the app and my google earth.

Also, the WeBoost is a single, external panel antenna.

My drive way is almost due north, so I have that as a good reference.

Edit: I also have band 5 and 2 available and the tower on cellmapper says 17, as well, but I’ve never been able to connect to it.
I’ve went into putty and made a setting on my nighthawk to lock band 2, but I stay anywhere from -105 to -120dB on it, so it’s a no go with my current setup. I’ve brought my nighthawk into town before and close to a few towers I can connect to from my house with the booster and band 2 always works excellently. 30-50mb down every time.

swwifty wrote: ↑Sun Feb 09, 2020 6:43 pm There's no way I can tell you if yagi type antennas will help you are not, for sure. I do know that having two antennas for 4G will double your download speed, and help over come multipathing issues, so I highly highly recommend having two at least.

I would aim your antennas based on signal strength. Make small adjustments in direction, and then check the signal stats on the nighthawk.

If you do get higher gain antennas, that will likely bring band 2 in a bit stronger, but its tough to say until you actually try it and see what happens.

WhiskeyLifa wrote: ↑Sun Feb 09, 2020 11:20 pm What are the highest gain antennas that I can buy, honestly? I’m at the point where dumping a few hundred dollars just for antennas is worth it.

Also, what about the WeBoost situation? can it even handle the dual antenna and still see results, or is wiring it straight into my Nighthawk the way to go?

Didneywhorl wrote: ↑Mon Feb 10, 2020 9:49 am https://www.signalboosters.com/bolton-t ... l-antenna/

About as good as it gets I think

Im unfamiliar with the boosters, I dont think its needed. Its kind of a niche product

terryjett wrote: ↑Mon Feb 10, 2020 5:01 pm Really hard to recommend anything when not sure of your terrain and environment (other than your description).

One thing for sure: DO NOT use a splitter to combine two antennas into one port! LTE is not designed to operate like that and you will end up with very poor results. If you must a use amplifiers, use two.

If you have a really weak signal, any amplifier will not help as it will also amplify the noise.

Yagi antennas can produce mixed results when they do not have a clear and open path to the tower. Kind of hit and miss.

Hotspots with TS-9 connectors are a poor choice for full-time internet use. I highly recommend you invest in a router with SMA type connectors. The Wireless Haven has a great selection of lower end (but still great performing) like the WE-826 series.

Also, you should try the The Wireless Haven store for your antennas For instance, these flat panels: https://thewirelesshaven.com/shop/antennas/4g-lte ... -n-female/

The store also has (had) very good yagi's if you decide to go that route. You may wish to inquire at store before ordering anything else where.

If you insist on staying with hotspot that uses TS-9 connectors, be sure to use top quality adapters and coax cable. No matter how good your antennas area, cheap high loss cable and TS-9 adapters will kill any gain made. LMR400 is a great choice for cable.

Bottom line: Your budget will dictate the performance. Yagi's are not always going to help in areas with no LOS since they have a tighter beamwidth. First thing I would try are flat panels, but just my opinion.

You also might consider getting a site survey (now in the store).