Portable Wi-Fi

[Drayke]

Hi all

 

Have just purchased a Huawei E5372s-32 4G Wi-Fi and need an external areal for it, can't seem to get one from any of the phone shops, they don't even know about areal port on the unit, does anyone know were to get one.

 

Thank Fred.

[eightpot]

http://www.mobile2wifi.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=264

[Ex- Member]

We also have a Huawei but 3g ours works fine in a porthole window. Ours doesn't seem to have any connection for any external aerial either.

[tillergirl]

We also have a Huawei but 3g ours works fine in a porthole window. Ours doesn't seem to have any connection for any external aerial either.

Same here............not very often we struggle to get a signal. Sometimes its in a phone sock hanging on a hook in the cratch

[Drayke]

Thanks for the quick replies.

 

Fred

[chrislyn]

Try amazon or Ebay...we got our aerial for Huwaei Mi Fi from one of them.....just make sure it's got the correct connection on it....ours is great, loads of wire, and a magnetic base that sits nicely on the roof......and I don't do technical..

[Phil Ambrose]

My vote is also for Amazon,

Phil

[zildjian]

I have the same Huawei as yourself, I did however have the equivalant 3G version and bought an external aerial and made hardly a jot of difference

 

also checked it against a speed checker with both aerial on/off but really, hardly worth the expense

IMHO,

 

(4G by comparison is at least a 1/3 faster than previous generation, and I daily use it in a building almost entirely made of steel)

[Ian B]

Being a real thicko, can some body please tell how this works, I have struggled in the past with dongles etc. apart from buying the unit what else would I need, cheers any info would be great

Ian

[OldGoat]

What do you need explaining - the whole concept, or any particular aspect?

I'm sure you're not a thicko - buzz words are a complete pain and invariably confuse until you analyse reach part.

So here goes (briefly):-

 

• A dongle connect your PC via a cable connection (usually USB) to the Internet using cellular phone technology
• A MiFi unit combines a dongle (above) with WiFi (usually "Bluetooth" ?) which communications with most ? laptops and certainly Ipads, Kindles and tablets - so you no longer need the USB element in (1) above
• Now a boat is often made of steel in which case receiving a cellular signal inside the boat can be a pain. So you put the MiFi unit in a window or in the cratch to make it work. If you're really clever you buy a MiFi unit with an aerial socket. Keep the unit inside the boat and stick the aerial on the roof finding an aperture (hole, window etc) to run the aerial cable through. That's solved the signal quality problem (possibly)
• The advantage of a MiFi unit is that several people can get t'internet at the same time / or connect a tablet.

Now there's your starter for ten, which may be a help - so could you come back and I or others can try to clear up where you're stuck?

(It tooke me ages to understand where MiFi had an advantage, so you're not alone.

 

Now Nurse is calling, must go.....

 

 

[Phil Ambrose]

Just to be clear,WiFi units are reckoned to be able to run upto 5 users at once, these users must have the unit "key" which is a code which comes with the unit. The fact you need a key makes the connection secure which means your neighbour can't use it.

Phil

[Ian B]

Thanks Old Goat,

The info I really need is if I were to buy one of these,do I just buy a SIM card with a data allowance and then I am up and running or is it not that simplistic. Told you I am a Thicko

Ian

[Phil Ambrose]

Ian, you can either buy a Dongle and connect to lappy via a USB cable, thse come either pre-loaded or empty which means buying airtime as you would with a phone.

Or if you have a wireless capable lappy you can buy a WiFi again either pr-loaded or requiring loading.

I personally have always had a rolling 1 month contract which is much, much cheaper, I got a free WiFi unit with 5 gigs a month for £12-00 from "3"

Phil

[Richard10002]

Thanks Old Goat,

The info I really need is if I were to buy one of these,do I just buy a SIM card with a data allowance and then I am up and running or is it not that simplistic. Told you I am a Thicko

Ian

Like Phil, when I wanted a Mifi wifi unit, I waltzed into a Three store, told them I wanted the Mifi with a 15Gb monthly allowance, and that's what I got. They don't offer 15Gb a month these days... I think the max is 10Gb a month. These were 24 month contracts.

 

Have a look on the Three site under mobile broadband, and see what might suit you, perhaps tell us, and you'll get some advice.

[Morat]

Just to be clear,WiFi units are reckoned to be able to run upto 5 users at once, these users must have the unit "key" which is a code which comes with the unit. The fact you need a key makes the connection secure which means your neighbour can't use it.

Phil

sorry, you just tripped my geekish pedant alarm.

 

The key makes the connection "Private" which means your neighbour can't use it easily.

It does not mean that your computer is any less likely to be compromised by malware, hackers or any other cyber threat on the internet.

[Guest]

F DRAYKE, on 03 Apr 2014 - 8:33 PM, said:F DRAYKE, on 03 Apr 2014 - 8:33 PM, said:

Hi all

 

Have just purchased a Huawei E5372s-32 4G Wi-Fi and need an external areal for it, can't seem to get one from any of the phone shops, they don't even know about areal port on the unit, does anyone know were to get one.

 

Thank Fred.

 

I got my TS-9 antenna from eBay, there are a few sellers on there who have them.

 

Mine is similar to this one.

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Huawei-E5756-E5776-E5332-E586E-E587-E589-Antenna-11dBi-TS9-Aerial-Signal-Booster-/131157051672?pt=UK_Computing_Boosters_Extenders_Antennas&hash=item1e8991c918

 

Despite what some have said above I do find it makes a difference in areas with marginal signal strength eg our mooring where more often than not I can't get on the internet with the dongle alone, even in the window but I can with the antenna pugged in. I put this down to the additional height (even though it's only a small amount) and the fact the antenna is completely outside the steel cabin and has the 'ground plane' of the cabin roof.

Edited April 8, 2014 by The Dog House

[OldGoat]

This subject can get quite involved and very confusing - until the penny drops.

All very much in my experience and after I've wasted some money, so here's my suggestion:-

1. Get an Huawei E5332 MiFi from eBay (auction on a good day - say £28 plus postage)
2. Buy an unlock code (£1) - eBay
3. Get a Data Sim fro Amazon / eBay FULL size SIM (mini micro don't fit)
4. Go for Pay A You Go for a start, until you find which supplier suits you

Explanation

1. E5332 has an aerial socket, so if you can't get a signal from inside the boat / window get an aerial and pop I on the roof

E5332 is MiFi so you can use it with a wireless enabled PC or tablet. No internal wires needed.

 

2. The E3332 is likely to be locked to a specific supplier - so the £1 give you freedom to choose another supplier their signal is poor / service too expensive.

 

3. Amazon do slight discounts on Sims from 3 from time to time

 

4. I prefer Three as they give ME the best coverage, also if you're only an occasional user you can top up online. It's more difficult on EE who use text messages to do the same (may have changed)

 

Other points

If you're on a tight budget then an E353 dongle can be purchased from eBay - about £10.

If you buy a package up front you'll most likely get a ZTE modem which can't be unlocked and doesn't have an aerial socket.

 

That's enough for now.

Let the nay sayers be unleashed

 

 

 

[Ian B]

Well would you know it,

my darling wife who has shown some mild interest in the subject , has just told me she has ordered a Huawei E5372 plus antenna for me to be delivered tomorrow, So it's now up to me to make it work! So question is , is all I need now a sim card. Can you get a day by day card as we are not live aboard

Sorry for all the questions

Cheers

Ian

[Ex- Member]

Well would you know it,

my darling wife who has shown some mild interest in the subject , has just told me she has ordered a Huawei E5372 plus antenna for me to be delivered tomorrow, So it's now up to me to make it work! So question is , is all I need now a sim card. Can you get a day by day card as we are not live aboard

Sorry for all the questions

Cheers

Ian

 

You can get a 3 sim, we've used this option for back up when we need high usage.

 

https://www.mobi-data.co.uk/?gclid=CJTojYvW0L0CFdShtAod1G0Asw You have to use the data within 3 months though I recall, so don't buy more than you'll need over that period.

[Phil Ambrose]

sorry, you just tripped my geekish pedant alarm.

 

The key makes the connection "Private" which means your neighbour can't use it easily.

It does not mean that your computer is any less likely to be compromised by malware, hackers or any other cyber threat on the internet.

Sorry but I only said a secure connection, ie only for use by anyone you choose to use it, I never implied it was a substitute for internet security. The WiFi unit only acts as a bridge between pooter and the net.

Phil

[smileypete]

A lot of antennas don't come with TS9 connectors, one way round that is a TS9 'pigtail' to match the different connectors:

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?&_nkw=ts9+pigtail&_sacat=0&_from=R40

 

cheers, Pete.

~smpt~

Edited April 8, 2014 by smileypete