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Mobile internet signal ?


CompairHolman

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Tired of trying to position mobile internet device to get a signal, hanging by the window, and out of the door ect, I'm thinking of fitting some kind of small dome on the roof it can sit in, just an inverted cup really , what material is the best to pass the signal though but waterproof ?

 

There is no extra antenna port on my EE device. 

 

 

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Were you thinking of cutting a hole in the roof so that you can put the device (phone?) under the dome as required without going at into the cold?  IMHO that would be a bit drastic.  In the time that we lived aboard I have used BluTack or a bit of string with a hook on it tied to the waterproof plastic case that keeps my phone sfloat and dry when I throw it into the cut or when I  fall in with the phone in my pocket.  I have found that the ability easily to move my phone from window to window or trap it between the cloths and the top plank is convenient.  Even within the 60' length of Theodora the variation in signal can be quite a lot.

 

Nick

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Actually we all have it easy now. 20 years ago when we first started using the net we had to have the phone pointing at the infrared port on the lappy and use dial up.

Chris used to work for IBM and would make a virtual modem. We then were able to get a blue tooth phone but the all singing lappy didn't have this facility so we had to buy a Bluetooth transceiver that plugged in a USB port, still on dial up.

Then one day I discovered Datacards which were  basically a stripped down phone which plugged into a port on the lappy we were now able to access the net via Vodafone...  yay!

Not long after this breakthrough the Dongle hit the scene followed a few years later by the WiFi.

So reality is that getting on the net is easy peasy today.

Phil 

Edited by Phil Ambrose
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52 minutes ago, Phil Ambrose said:

Actually we all have it easy now. 20 years ago when we first started using the net we had to have the phone pointing at the infrared port on the lappy and use dial up.

Chris used to work for IBM and would make a virtual modem. We then were able to get a blue tooth phone but the all singing lappy didn't have this facility so we had to buy a Bluetooth transceiver that plugged in a USB port, still on dial up.

Then one day I discovered Datacards which were  basically a stripped down phone which plugged into a port on the lappy we were now able to access the net via Vodafone...  yay!

Not long after this breakthrough the Dongle hit the scene followed a few years later by the WiFi.

So reality is that getting on the net is easy peasy today.

Phil 

Very true. I used to stuff my old nokia 6230i in a mushroom, connected to a cable to receive 50 mins of internet access a day. Also tried the infrared and Bluetooth options before upgrading to an orange pcmcia data card. The data card was installed  into a linksys wrtr54g3g router in turn connected to a directional antenna. 

 

Its easy these days with mifi devices, dongles and smartphone hotpots. 

Edited by rusty69
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Plenty of MiFi devices with aerial sockets on eBay that go for sensible prices. Folks have discovered the Netgear  Aircard kit - so it tends to sell for more (there's one on at the moment for £11 auction ends at 18:54 on 30/9/18. Probably go for £25-£30. Get a whip antenna with the right plug, pop it in the roof and feed, the cable through a window / ventilator with the device inside the boat.

 

 

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7 minutes ago, OldGoat said:

Plenty of MiFi devices with aerial sockets on eBay that go for sensible prices. Folks have discovered the Netgear  Aircard kit - so it tends to sell for more (there's one on at the moment for £11 auction ends at 18:54 on 30/9/18. Probably go for £25-£30. Get a whip antenna with the right plug, pop it in the roof and feed, the cable through a window / ventilator with the device inside the boat.

 

 

The trouble with a lot of these mifi devices is the delicate aerial connectors/pigtails. For that reason alone i opted for a router with slightly more robust aerial connections although probably more expensive. 

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12 minutes ago, rusty69 said:

The trouble with a lot of these mifi devices is the delicate aerial connectors/pigtails. For that reason alone i opted for a router with slightly more robust aerial connections although probably more expensive. 

Agree - you do have to be a bit ham handed to break the connectors - but it does happen. If the boat doesn't move - then it only happens once.....

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1 hour ago, OldGoat said:

Plenty of MiFi devices with aerial sockets on eBay that go for sensible prices. Folks have discovered the Netgear  Aircard kit - so it tends to sell for more (there's one on at the moment for £11 auction ends at 18:54 on 30/9/18. Probably go for £25-£30. Get a whip antenna with the right plug, pop it in the roof and feed, the cable through a window / ventilator with the device inside the boat.

 

 

Might be locked to EE . Some say they are locked, some say unlocked, and this one says used on EE.

 

Bought mine new, so unlocked.

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1 hour ago, Richard10002 said:

Might be locked to EE . Some say they are locked, some say unlocked, and this one says used on EE.

 

Bought mine new, so unlocked.

As unlocked usually sell for more it would be a dim seller that did not make it very clear if unlocked.  So if not stated I would assume locked to a network.

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1 hour ago, Richard10002 said:

Might be locked to EE . Some say they are locked, some say unlocked, and this one says used on EE.

 

Bought mine new, so unlocked.

'3' and EE don't lock their dongles.

Vodafone do, but will if you ask them nicely

You can buy unlock codes for Huawei kit for a small sum (Voda kit has their own software - that why they have to unlock it)

Been there, done it.  

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We have a Huawee Mifi thingybob I got from 3 on Pay as you go. On the G&S, the Severn & a month up & down the Avon to Stratford over the last few months we've never had a problem with connecting with the thingybob balanced on the inside window ledge. Whether that is because it is the Huawee  or because the 3 signal is good in these here parts I have no idea, it just works.

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7 hours ago, rusty69 said:

The trouble with a lot of these mifi devices is the delicate aerial connectors/pigtails. For that reason alone i opted for a router with slightly more robust aerial connections although probably more expensive. 

Agreed.

 

8 hours ago, Richard10002 said:

Worth investing in a better device. I have a Netgear MiFi and an aerial from Solwise.

Also agreed . Solwise have good stuff. Our MiFi unit and dual antenna has been brilliant for the 18 months we have had it and NEVER let us down anywhere including all the 'black holes' we have been through. Expensive but bloody good. Life's too short to compromise on data signals. Don't faff around if you want a good signal all the time.

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Solvise are a good company because they 'know their stuff' / are not just box shifters - but their prices reflect their care.

FWIW I bough one of this type-

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SODIAL-R-25dBi-2-4GHz-Wireless-WLAN-WiFi-Antenna-RP-SMA-for-Modem-PCI-Card-C8N5/223043715636?epid=1369132490&hash=item33ee710234:g:gFsAAOSwo8pbO7M2 as I found the flat antenna in a window was not very effective in weak signal aeria.

The disadvantage is that they're very directional

their advantage IS that they are very directional.......

So no use if you can't be arsed to scan around for the best signal (all the MiFi kit has some sort of signal strength indicator built in).

Only about a tenner to buy so no great loss if you can't get it to work. You will need and adaptor or lead to convert the SMA plug.

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1 hour ago, Richard10002 said:

I think that's a WiFi antenna, not a mobile broadband antenna. So would not work with a Mifi gizmo....

Some 4G is on the 2.6GHz band so whilst a 2.4GHz antenna is not going to be very efficient it might work in a strong signal area, but then so would some cheap omnidirectional MiFi antenna.  Thinking about it, you could shorten the dipole a bit to tune it to 2.6GHz, but then in rural areas 4G often uses lower frequencies as it propagates better, which will not work with this.

 

added - so Best buy an UK spec MiFi antenna, not some US spec one from eBay.

Edited by Chewbacka
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37 minutes ago, Johny London said:

Thinking of a router with external connections for aerials and these look rather good...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ZTE-MF910-UNLOCKED-4G-Mobile-Broadband-WI-Fi-Router-MI-Fi/223148090430?hash=item33f4a9a43e:g:5oUAAOSwaZFa6V8e

If the frequencies and spec are right.

This one works....everywhere we have been. Check the specs of your ebay one match these.

https://www.solwise.co.uk/4g-routers-rut950.html

Bit more expensive that what you have found but this is an area where quality counts.

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3 minutes ago, Dr Bob said:

This one works....everywhere we have been. Check the specs of your ebay one match these.

https://www.solwise.co.uk/4g-routers-rut950.html

Bit more expensive that what you have found but this is an area where quality counts.

Picked up my rut 955 and solwise aerial for less than 130 quid off fleabay. 

  • Greenie 1
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2 hours ago, CompairHolman said:

I should add that we only have ( android ) tablets on the boat. 

 

And the boat is not fitted out yet so welding in an base for a " dongle dome " would be easy.

 

I have just invented the " dongle dome " ?????? 

 

 

We've got one on our boat. Its called the cratch.

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