Internet...again!

REC

REC

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Hoping someone here can solve my problem?
Our barn in Portugal always has had an unstable internet connection. It would be instantly solved if we had fibre, but not here for long enough to pay over 30Euro a month. So....latest solution is a Huawei mifi e3577 with simple aerial, using a three SIM ( from our UK data only contract) backed up with using my mobile contract Vodafone 100gb mth which can be tethered to tablets and laptop . It seems to be that when it rains, the Vodafone signal goes from 4g 3mbps to 3g 500kbps, but the Three SIM holds a fairly weak 4g ( up to 1mbps) signal. It is now sunny and the Three SIM drops to very unstable 2g ( 300kbps max) whereas the Vodafone is now speeding away at 4g up to 6mbps! To get the Vodafone to work in either weather, it has to hang in a particular place on the curtain rail in the bedroom and not move! The mifi hangs in a window facing a different direction.
If the Vodafone is in our motorhome parked up a flight of steps near the road, I get a much more stable signal but cannot hear if the phone rings!
Any ideas how to either stabilise the signals, or boost it or somehow link it to the campervan? I spend a significant part of each day " fiddling" to get it working.I

Sorry, it is e5577c not as stated!
 
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Sorry can't help, Ruth, wouldn't have a clue :(

I'm sure Phil or another internet connection whiz kid from here will be along soon to advise ;) 👍
 
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I was going to suggest a little booster antenna but I'm not at all sure if the 3577 has the necessary sockets? I've looked online but can't find a definitive answer. If it does, the aerials are quite cheap and work well... I've got one that I use in the van with my Huawei mifi and it really helps when the signal is weak. Have a look on your mifi until and if it has a little rubber flap that pulls up, there should be 2 little jack plug sockets underneath. Fingers crossed. but apologies if not and this has just got your hopes up :(

Mine looks a bit like this one...
 
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Not sure of the topography or distances Ruth, but have you tried the mifi in the van to see how much closer to the barn you can pick it up? Is the 3 signal any better in the van?
Dave
 
Minisorella said:
I was going to suggest a little booster antenna but I'm not at all sure if the 3577 has the necessary sockets? I've looked online but can't find a definitive answer. If it does, the aerials are quite cheap and work well... I've got one that I use in the van with my Huawei mifi and it really helps when the signal is weak. Have a look on your mifi until and if it has a little rubber flap that pulls up, there should be 2 little jack plug sockets underneath. Fingers crossed. but apologies if not and this has just got your hopes up :(

Mine looks a bit like this one...
Click to expand...
I have a booster on the mifi ( I called it a simple aerial!) exactly like that...and my mifi is the E5577c ! Mistyped...sorry! Tech isn't my strong point, you may have noticed.
 
Val54 said:
Not sure of the topography or distances Ruth, but have you tried the mifi in the van to see how much closer to the barn you can pick it up? Is the 3 signal any better in the van?
Dave
Click to expand...
The (mifi) 3 signal is never strong in this area...I used to buy a Vodafone pt SIM when we were here and put it in the mifi which worked brilliantly until the fires, then instead of getting a clearer signal it just didn't work when pointed in that direction. By then I had got the Vodafone contract thinking signal was good so would tether the phone. I wandered round with both mifi and phone trying to work out the best signal and the places they are in now was the final choice. The phone internet stops working if I move it more than 3 m from the window!
Three is no better in the van, the Vodafone gets less stable as I move down the steps to the barn, but picks up again if in the bedroom window. We are in a valley, and the bedroom window points the same way as where the van is parked.
Van about 15 m uphill from the barn...in photo you can see the aerial...mifi attached to it indoors.
IMG_20200419_161952_hdr.jpg
 
Vodafone and 3 using whatever partners they use could well be coming from different cell sites, so different locations.

Rain will cause signal attenuation, so its a matter of experimenting to find what works the best.

Obviously during periods of high demand everything will get slowed down. :)
 
harrow said:
Vodafone and 3 using whatever partners they use could well be coming from different cell sites, so different locations.

Rain will cause signal attenuation, so its a matter of experimenting to find what works the best.

Obviously during periods of high demand everything will get slowed down. :)
Click to expand...

Definitely use different partners, Three use Meo and Vodafone Portugal have their own, I had worked that out, even tried resetting the APN addresses but that didn't work.

Is there a portable booster you can also put on the motorhome which I could fix to the barn when we are there?

or would a plug in signal booster work to stabilise the signal ( like this)?

The Vodafone really doesn't seem to be affected by periods of high demand, but the weather. Whereas the three SIM is just a really weak signal 4g or , in sunshine, only a 2g signal! I have been experimenting for several years and feel something must be out there to improve things. Well, I keep hoping!
 
It might work better if you go into the settings for your mifi and change it to 'external aerial.
 
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Sounds as though the fires knocked out your nearest Vodafone mast. 3 and Voda will be using different masts hence your different signal strengths. The best signals are always gained through optimum line of sight which you haven’t got. Given the speeds you quote you are probably relying on reflected signal or a mast that is too far away. One solution would be to upgrade your antenna and maybe mount it on tv aerial pole so that you can fiddle around with the height. Trouble is, better antennas get pricey, something like this link is a middle ground but no guarantees it will make a significant difference ......

www.3grouterstore.co.uk

Fullband MIMORAD Outdoor 4G/5G MIMO Antenna 6dBi Peak Gain with 2 x 5m cables with SMA Male Connectors

Fullband MIMORAD outdoor 4G / 5G Antenna is our best selling, high gain, MIMO antenna for use with 4G and 5G routers. 6dBi Peak Gain, 2 x 5m cables / SMA
www.3grouterstore.co.uk www.3grouterstore.co.uk

Dave
 
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Height is best,but you can buy directional antennas to point to mast,your one will just be a dipol omni dir joby.
 
Val54 said:
Sounds as though the fires knocked out your nearest Vodafone mast. 3 and Voda will be using different masts hence your different signal strengths. The best signals are always gained through optimum line of sight which you haven’t got. Given the speeds you quote you are probably relying on reflected signal or a mast that is too far away. One solution would be to upgrade your antenna and maybe mount it on tv aerial pole so that you can fiddle around with the height. Trouble is, better antennas get pricey, something like this link is a middle ground but no guarantees it will make a significant difference ......

www.3grouterstore.co.uk

Fullband MIMORAD Outdoor 4G/5G MIMO Antenna 6dBi Peak Gain with 2 x 5m cables with SMA Male Connectors

Fullband MIMORAD outdoor 4G / 5G Antenna is our best selling, high gain, MIMO antenna for use with 4G and 5G routers. 6dBi Peak Gain, 2 x 5m cables / SMA
www.3grouterstore.co.uk www.3grouterstore.co.uk

Dave
Click to expand...
Thanks that link also mentions indoor aerials for homeusers....would this be an easier option? Or if an external aerial, it seems to say it needs to be near the router....would it be best connected to the Vodafone phone ...can it be connected to that.....or would this be for the mifi?
 
Any benefits from a better aerial would be for your mifi. I doubt the Mimorad aerial would make any significant difference indoors. The main issue would be signal loss through a long cable run, so the closer the external aerial can be to the router, the better any improvement would be. You could also look at high quality low loss cable to make that link. It’s not an exact science and to be honest from what you’ve described it might be better to talk to neighbours to see if any other provider has a better signal strength in your area before spending on aerials or new boosters.
 
The great thing about a mifi is that you can strap it to the end of a long pole and try it stuck high up in the air. It can sometimes make a surprising difference!
Adding an external antenna on a pole might work, but you get significant signal loss in the cable.
Put the mifi on the pole and there's no antenna cable involved.
As long as the WiFi is still in range, it's fine.
If it works well, for longer term use, you will need a plastic bag and a very long usb cable extension, but for testing....
 
I have tried one of those aerials but sometimes I got a stronger signal without it, I use a multidirectional Poynting 4G aerial when I am at my MIL's but you need an adapter for your MIFI


or


#The best one for permanent mounting is a directional one

Poynting products work and sometimes you get what you pay for, I have really become tired of buying something that is cheap that might work.
pm sent
 
I have an external aerial similar to yours @REC but find it to be almost useless.

The Poynting omnidirectional antenna is well reviewed and would be my suggestion.
 
in h said:
The great thing about a mifi is that you can strap it to the end of a long pole and try it stuck high up in the air. It can sometimes make a surprising difference!
Adding an external antenna on a pole might work, but you get significant signal loss in the cable.
Put the mifi on the pole and there's no antenna cable involved.
As long as the WiFi is still in range, it's fine.
If it works well, for longer term use, you will need a plastic bag and a very long usb cable extension, but for testing....
Click to expand...
I did walk round the property last year ( or maybe year before) with the mifi stuck on a broom handle but did not really find a good place. I might try again with my phone SIM in the mifi to see if Vodafone would work better....I suppose I could swap my Sims around and use a different one in the phone. The Vodafone with 100gb can all be used in EU but 3 limit it. If a better aerial attached to the mifi is the answer, I will have to sort out the data but that is easy, compared with getting a signal! Will try tomorrow if not raining! The neighbours will know I am completely mad if they see me:ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:
 
Rereading your post Terry, could I use the poynting multidirectional on the van to for when travelling, that would be a bonus rather than siting it permanently on the barn.
 
REC said:
I did walk round the property last year ( or maybe year before) with the mifi stuck on a broom handle but did not really find a good place.
Click to expand...
I'd not expect great results with it on a broom handle, unless you were standing on the roof. The ideal place is at least a couple of metres higher than anything else around.
 
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