Skinny launches 4G home Broadband

Forums › Spark New Zealand (including Skinny and BigPipe) › Skinny launches 4G home Broadband

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#1476582 22-Jan-2016 09:44

harrylin: Will these antenna improve signal strength?

http://www.4gltemall.com/huawei-b593-4g-antenna.html

http://www.4gltemall.com/4g-antenna-two-sma-connector.html

@harrylin I looked all over for the original Huawei antennas but couldnt find any. I did find some "clones" on Ebay for about $5 each. Ive no idea if they will improve reception or not but for $10 its worth a try. I did read a few forum threads (not from here) that the small indoor antenna's did not improve reception for those users. Our new house where I want to us it has double glazed windows so Im not sure how the reception will be at this stage.

The ones coffeebaron listed are high grade outdoor ones. I guess if the indoor ones don't improve reception then its probably a good investment to get the outdoor ones.

kaihoka

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#1476680 22-Jan-2016 11:33

coffeebaron:

kaihoka: Our spark 4G tower lost its 4G one afternoon when I went to see how my friend was getting on with his new spark RBI.
Since my lte phone was only getting 3G I expected his RBI to not be working but it was.
On the 3G network at 3G speeds
The 4G came back on later.
So I suppose the same would be for skinny if the 4G crashed

Interesting. I have looked at a Spark B315 and can not see anyway to disable 4G. Would be interesting to know if it does in fact drop to 3G if it is only able to drop to 2100, or if these do actually have 3G 850 band.

this happened on the 700mhz on a rural tower.

as far as i know the tower, called the mnt burnet tower, collingwood, only has 850 and 700 mhz .

this is a new service here and i have not had a chance to log into anyones router to see if it is greyed out to 4G. but i think the owner of the modem said it was.

but come to think of it i never saw it was on 3G. just that the modem was working, the speed was down from 30 odd to 7mps, the latency was up and my lte phone was not getting the 4G signal. and had not been getting 4G all day in my area.

so i assumed that spark was sending the data out on the 3G network til it was fixed the 4G

but if so how would the modem have been able to receive it if it was locked to 4G

mail2mm

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#1476855 22-Jan-2016 14:26

In the hope I can add the discussion about the Skinny Broadband service I want to throw in my thoughts about radio frequency (RF) propagation and antennas. I spent most of my professional career working with RF in broadcasting, cable television, terrestrial and satellite communications. My interest in amateur radio, since I was 12 years old, has kept me tinkering with antennas most of my life.

The Skinny Broadband offering is basically a fixed point to point service despite using the Spark infrastructure we normally associate with mobile phone service. As such we know, or can find out, the location and direction of the Spark cellular site with respect to our home where we will use the Skinny provided modem. Knowing where the signal comes from can be used to our advantage. At these frequencies, 700 MHz and up, the radio signal propagation is almost always limited to line of sight meaning if you can see the cell tower site you will most certainly have a strong signal and a good location. Following on from this windows, even double glazed, will have little affect on the signal strength but walls, aluminium siding, vegetation and even books between the modem and the cellular site will all attenuate the signal. Getting higher within your house is better. You can see more from the roof than you can from the basement!

If you have tried moving the modem about the house and the best location still gives a weak signal it is time to try an antenna. Here is what the Skinny Broadband FAQs section of their website has to say about antennas:

Should I/Can I add antennas to the modem?

The Skinny Broadband modem does not come with external antennas. If you are experiencing slow speeds then try placing the modem in another location i.e. near a window or on the windowsill and one metre away from other electrical devices. We certainly can't stop you from adding antennas to your modem, however we cannot guarantee that they will improve the quality of signal that you are receiving.

If you need an antenna get a directional antenna, like the one suggested by CoffeeBaron, and not the smaller Huawei omni-directional antenna. As a rule of thumb an antenna increases its effectiveness (gain measured in decibels (dB) compared to a reference antenna) by becoming larger and/or more directional (increasing gain in one direction while decreasing effectiveness in other directions). Since we know the direction of the cell tower it makes sense that we point our directional antenna (whether it is inside or outdoors) at it and benefit, in this case, by 10-11 dB more signal than using the smaller omni-directional antenna(s). In a radio link 10 dB signal is significant.

While you can use an external antenna indoors moving it outdoors is almost certainly going to provide an additional significant boost in signal strength. Since this is a fixed point to point radio link, rather than a fixed point to mobile link, the use of one antenna pointed at the cellular site should suffice. Two antennas can, under certain conditions, provide signal improvement but the cost and complexity in this application could rarely be justified.

To summarise:

Move the modem around the house to find the best cellular signal (more bars). Higher and near a window is usually better.
If the signal is still weak add one external directional antenna. It must be aligned to point at the Spark cellular tower site.
Mount the antenna outdoors, high on the house on the side facing the cellular site, for best results. Place the modem inside but as near as possible to the antenna. The longer the cable used to connect the two the more signal that is lost through attenuation.

kaihoka

164 posts

Master Geek

#1476969 22-Jan-2016 17:22

on the subject of antennas.

when i was upgraded from 3G to 4G 700mhz vodafone RBI the tech guy said for me to keep my old yagi 3G antenna because it was a better stronger antenna than the 4G ones supplied. i have mostly 4 bars signal and 30mps down speed and a ping of 35 with the old yagi on 4G

would the same yagi work for the spark 700mhz signal as well

harrylin

342 posts

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#1477034 22-Jan-2016 19:03

Regarding that directional antenna, can I install that indoor? Or do I have to install it outdoor? Do I have to do some drilling to my house? Its not my house you know. So too bad I can't do any drilling to the house. Any other way to install that ?

mail2mm

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#1477080 22-Jan-2016 21:07

kaihoka:

on the subject of antennas.

when i was upgraded from 3G to 4G 700mhz vodafone RBI the tech guy said for me to keep my old yagi 3G antenna because it was a better stronger antenna than the 4G ones supplied. i have mostly 4 bars signal and 30mps down speed and a ping of 35 with the old yagi on 4G

would the same yagi work for the spark 700mhz signal as well

Yes, the yagi antenna will work just as well for the Skinny/Spark 700 Mhz signal as it does for the Vodafone 700 Mhz RBI service assuming:

It is aligned/pointed toward the Spark cell tower site. If the Vodafone and Spark sites are at the same location re-alignment will probably not be necessary.
The Spark and Vodafone 4G signals are of equal strength at your home location. This is possible but not likely. None the less, as a passive device, as most antennas are, it will work the same for either signal.

mail2mm

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#1477098 22-Jan-2016 21:45

harrylin: Regarding that directional antenna, can I install that indoor? Or do I have to install it outdoor? Do I have to do some drilling to my house? Its not my house you know. So too bad I can't do any drilling to the house. Any other way to install that ?

The directional antenna and other antennas designed for outdoor use can be used indoors but as you have indicated the trick is how to mount them. The antenna in question has a bracket designed to attach to a 40-50mm diameter pipe similar to mount often used for small Sky or Freeview satellite dishes. There is a sketch of this in the specification sheet.

If you live in a house many people use an antenna (usually for UHF TV) mounted in the attic if they can not mount it outdoors. You still have the problem of routing, with attendant drilled holes, the connecting coax cable from the antenna to the modem unless you place the modem in the attic with the antenna. That requires a power outlet there for the modem.

If you have no attic, so few apartments do, you could try making the antenna part of the decor. Not so easy since the antenna is 44cm long and weighs 1kg but I could imagine propping it up somewhere, hang from the ceiling with nylon fishing line or mount on a table leg or floor lamp. Make sure it is pointed at the cell site for maximum signal and try to place no metal objects between the antenna and the direction of the cellular site. Just imagining these possibilities brings new meaning to the words geek or nerd.

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1eStar

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#1477133 22-Jan-2016 23:26

I purchased a 4G aerial from aliexpress for my pocket wifi which I use on Skinny. I'm not sure what connectors you need for the Huawei modem, but these guys give you some options. Otherwise there are adapters available from jaycar.

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/35dBi-Square-4G-Antenna-Dual-Two-TS9-TS-9-connector-2m-Cable-for-4G-Modem-Router/1644354016.html

coffeebaron

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#1477171 23-Jan-2016 07:29

1eStar: I purchased a 4G aerial from aliexpress for my pocket wifi which I use on Skinny. I'm not sure what connectors you need for the Huawei modem, but these guys give you some options. Otherwise there are adapters available from jaycar.

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/35dBi-Square-4G-Antenna-Dual-Two-TS9-TS-9-connector-2m-Cable-for-4G-Modem-Router/1644354016.html

Frequency Range:791-821mhz/832-862mhz/1710-1785mhz/1805-1880mhz/2500-2570mhz/2620-2690mhz = no good for LTE700

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harrylin

342 posts

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#1477568 23-Jan-2016 21:29

I have found out that I can make outbound VoIP calls through skinny modem. But I can't receive any inbound voip calls, for 2 days. I have tried very hard for it work. But nothing works here. Don't know if the skinny modem blocks out inbound VoIP connection.
I only tested outbound calls when I first received the modem. I never thought that inbound calls wouldn't go through.
I use iTalk and 2talk. None works here.

But I can receive inbound VoIP calls through my Slingshot modem, no problems here.

coffeebaron

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#1477570 23-Jan-2016 21:33

harrylin: I have found out that I can make outbound VoIP calls through skinny modem. But I can't receive any inbound voip calls, for 2 days. I have tried very hard for it work. But nothing works here. Don't know if the skinny modem blocks out inbound VoIP connection.
I only tested outbound calls when I first received the modem. I never thought that inbound calls wouldn't go through.
I use iTalk and 2talk. None works here.

But I can receive inbound VoIP calls through my Slingshot modem, no problems here.

I've got 2talk line that's been up and running over Skinny for well over a week now. Incoming and out going is working just fine. How have you set yours up?

Rural IT and Broadband support.

Need help in Auckland, Waikato or BoP? Click my email button, or email me direct: [my user name] at geekzonemail dot com

harrylin

342 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1477571 23-Jan-2016 21:34

I reset the skinny modem already , but still not work. Maybe I need to change some setting in the skinny modem for the inbound VoIP to work?? Please someone help me her. I'm desperate now. I have some technical knowledge. But this problem is far beyond my knowledge.

harrylin

342 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1477572 23-Jan-2016 21:36

I just use normal 2talk and italk setup. Works on my slingshot modem, but not on skinny modem. Don't know why. Is there anything extra that I need to add to the normal setting?

harrylin

342 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1477574 23-Jan-2016 21:53

coffeebaron:

harrylin: I have found out that I can make outbound VoIP calls through skinny modem. But I can't receive any inbound voip calls, for 2 days. I have tried very hard for it work. But nothing works here. Don't know if the skinny modem blocks out inbound VoIP connection.
I only tested outbound calls when I first received the modem. I never thought that inbound calls wouldn't go through.
I use iTalk and 2talk. None works here.

But I can receive inbound VoIP calls through my Slingshot modem, no problems here.

I've got 2talk line that's been up and running over Skinny for well over a week now. Incoming and out going is working just fine. How have you set yours up?

https://cdn.geekzone.co.nz/imagessubs/b1cf152d9e1a52c1c29bd8887d7972fc.jpg

https://cdn.geekzone.co.nz/imagessubs/1437a24aa4b2439a5798c6470d17f5fa.jpg

sorry i don't know how to upload image directly

harrylin

342 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1477575 23-Jan-2016 21:56

coffeebaron:

harrylin: I have found out that I can make outbound VoIP calls through skinny modem. But I can't receive any inbound voip calls, for 2 days. I have tried very hard for it work. But nothing works here. Don't know if the skinny modem blocks out inbound VoIP connection.
I only tested outbound calls when I first received the modem. I never thought that inbound calls wouldn't go through.
I use iTalk and 2talk. None works here.

But I can receive inbound VoIP calls through my Slingshot modem, no problems here.

I've got 2talk line that's been up and running over Skinny for well over a week now. Incoming and out going is working just fine. How have you set yours up?

i plug the voip phone into the Slingshot modem, it works straight away.

plug it into the skinny modem, sometimes it works once, then it doesn't work anymore. 99% of the time it doesn't work on skinny for inbound calls. outbound calls works perfectly. very strange to me

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