Trying to Improve 4G internet at remote property

Forums › Spark New Zealand (including Skinny and BigPipe) › Trying to Improve 4G internet at remote property

logsta2

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#317518 23-Oct-2024 11:22

Hi All,

I have a bach in the Marlborough Sounds and the 4G signal is very weak.

I have a Huawei B315 set up with 2x Yagi antennas ( https://www.gowifi.co.nz/antennas/ant-205.html ) with a Spark SIM and the connection is OK - when I first installed it I was getting download/upload speeds around 13-14Mbps (with a single Yagi mounted on the back of the satellite dish pole), but for the past couple years I have not been able to get it above 2-4Mbps - (I have since added the second antenna but there wasn't a noticeable difference, potentially a slightly more stable connection).

It still serves the primary purpose of a landline which is achieved with a Grandstream HT801, this works very well. YouTube streams well, but I would like to be able to stream Sky GO with fewer interruptions. Time of day seems to make a big difference, but a general increase in connection stability for general browsing would be great.

Is upgrading the router likely to improve the connection (if so, I would appreciate any recommendations), or am I likely already getting the best I am going to get?

I am aimed for this cell tower, although there is no line of sight, it is behind a hill - https://gis.geek.nz/map/celltowers/location/ywylnzqv/spark/rahotia

Distance -

Original Antenna Location -

New Antenna Location -

Signal Stats -

Any ideas or tweaks, would be greatly appreciated.

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#3300445 23-Oct-2024 11:32

Does your equipment not show you the CELL_ID and PCI -- or did you scrub that out? Both would be useful to identify the actual serving cell you are connected to. It may not be what you expect. The other details you can keep scrubbed out as not relevant to your query.

logsta2

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#3300450 23-Oct-2024 11:37

I had scrubbed out - please see below

logsta2

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#3300453 23-Oct-2024 11:39

Sorry, should have mentioned - that screenshot is from Jan 2022 - hopefully it is still the same. I will be back up next month and can reconfirm

Talkiet

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#3300457 23-Oct-2024 11:47

The B315 is a very old device. New devices are MUCH better and you are very likely to achieve better speeds. Tha Smartmodem 2 I have here has a pair of SMA connectors on the back.

Cheers - N

Please note all comments are from my own brain and don't necessarily represent the position or opinions of my employer, previous employers, colleagues, friends or pets.

robjg63

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#3300458 23-Oct-2024 11:59

Is switching to Starlink an option?

You would get close to fibre speeds. I understand they have casual plans now (if you are there intermittently) and the cost of the hardware has dropped a lot in the last couple of years.

https://www.starlink.com/nz/residential

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DjShadow

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#3300459 23-Oct-2024 12:02

You might be in the coverage area for a WISP called "Soundsnet" (going by google), also have you considered Starlink?

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#3300482 23-Oct-2024 13:14

Talkiet:

The B315 is a very old device. New devices are MUCH better and you are very likely to achieve better speeds. Tha Smartmodem 2 I have here has a pair of SMA connectors on the back.

Cheers - N

Yep, I had customer with an old B315 and no external antenna. Went from 3-10Mbps to 100-150Mbps after upgrading modem and installing antennas. Higly liklely a new modem will help.

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logsta2

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#3300512 23-Oct-2024 14:49

Thanks for the responses guys.

For the cost of the 4G setup (circa $30/mo) and the fact that it does work OK I can't justify the extra cost for starlink or Soundsnet as it is only used for a couple of days each month. If I was there permanently it would be a no-brainer.

Hopefully I can tweak this setup to get a bit more out of it. I think a new router sounds like the best option. Any thoughts on the Huawei B618 (with sma to ts9 adapters), or am I better to get my hands on a Smartmodem 2?

Linux

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#3300519 23-Oct-2024 15:03

Move away from the B315

Talkiet

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#3300523 23-Oct-2024 15:11

logsta2:

Thanks for the responses guys.

For the cost of the 4G setup (circa $30/mo) and the fact that it does work OK I can't justify the extra cost for starlink or Soundsnet as it is only used for a couple of days each month. If I was there permanently it would be a no-brainer.

Hopefully I can tweak this setup to get a bit more out of it. I think a new router sounds like the best option. Any thoughts on the Huawei B618 (with sma to ts9 adapters), or am I better to get my hands on a Smartmodem 2?

The SM2 is much better than the B618... The B618 is a little better than the 315, but I don't think it would be worth it.

Cheers - N

Please note all comments are from my own brain and don't necessarily represent the position or opinions of my employer, previous employers, colleagues, friends or pets.

logsta2

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#3300781 24-Oct-2024 07:38

Thanks.

I picked up a couple of Smartmodem 2's secondhand last night - I'll give them a go and report back.

As a side note - the UI on the SM2 seems very locked down, it was originally used on Skinny - am I likely to have any issues? I assume the APN's are the same, etc. I also saw on another forum something about them being locked down to the first cell-site they connect to?

I would love to be able to change the SIP settings to 2talk so I can do away with the HT801 - is there a way to flash the router with another firmware? Or is there another login with elevated privileges? Being I have 2 I'm happy to experiment with one.

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nztim

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#3300793 24-Oct-2024 08:35

logsta2:

I would love to be able to change the SIP settings to 2talk so I can do away with the HT801 - is there a way to flash the router with another firmware? Or is there another login with elevated privileges? Being I have 2 I'm happy to experiment with one.

Is your plan a portable broadband plan or a FWA plan? if it is portable then you can put the sim in any router, otherwise its IMEI locked and the ex Sknny router may not work with a Spark Sim

as for accessing the SIP settings, no such luck, that is done from automated provisioning

Any views expressed on these forums are my own and don't necessarily reflect those of my employer.

logsta2

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#3300798 24-Oct-2024 08:48

nztim:

logsta2:

I would love to be able to change the SIP settings to 2talk so I can do away with the HT801 - is there a way to flash the router with another firmware? Or is there another login with elevated privileges? Being I have 2 I'm happy to experiment with one.

Is your plan a portable broadband plan or a FWA plan? if it is portable then you can put the sim in any router, otherwise its IMEI locked and the ex Sknny router may not work with a Spark Sim

as for accessing the SIP settings, no such luck, that is done from automated provisioning

It's on a portable broadband plan, so sounds like I may be in luck. Fingers crossed

tim0001

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#3300815 24-Oct-2024 09:12

Aside from potential signal issues, cell congestion could also limit your connection, especially in the Sounds, where the number of users during the Christmas holidays can increase by up to 30x, along with a shift in demographics. I'm not certain how providers manage network capacity there, but I believe the RBI2 KPI is based on a 12-month rolling average.

Though technically not allowed, I know some bach owners in the Sounds who share a Starlink connection.

nztim

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#3300817 24-Oct-2024 09:19

tim0001:

Though technically not allowed, I know some bach owners in the Sounds who share a Starlink connection.

No different than Neighbours who share fiber connections in the city with P2P wireless bridges, not technically allowed but doesn't stop them doing it

Any views expressed on these forums are my own and don't necessarily reflect those of my employer.

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