XT mobile broadband issues

Forums › Spark New Zealand (including Skinny and BigPipe) › XT mobile broadband issues

tristanp

30 posts

Geek

#57443 13-Feb-2010 19:45

i use XT mobile broadband as my main internet access.
since the last outage i have been having "issues"
downloads needing pause/ restart every 1/2 mb or so , heaps worse in the evenings (congestion?)
connection hanging at least 5-10 times a day usually just disconnect- recconect but more often modem requiring unplugging and replugging to get going.
but. i start work pretty early, i get on at about 5am and it works like a charm.
anyone else having simmilar issues?

1 | 2

78 posts

Master Geek

#298787 14-Feb-2010 09:31

Back in November (ish) we had a period of great stability and performance here in Golden Bay. These days we seem to be back to intermittent stalls, disconnects or complete outages. Speed has dropped back a bit too.

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m00sie

43 posts

Geek

#298789 14-Feb-2010 09:46

We've been having the same problems. Speeds are sloooow and for some reason our device disconnects but the internet still works?? go figure.

Paulthagerous

698 posts

Ultimate Geek

Trusted

#298791 14-Feb-2010 09:47

Been fine for me since then, have you tried logging a fault?

tristanp

30 posts

Geek

#298867 14-Feb-2010 15:24

as the network is still quite new i was hesitant to sign up ,but the 8gb for 79$ had me sold, i am way out of adsl range and dial-up was very poor with electric fences on all sides. i was just seeing if it was a local prob or something a bit wider.i will see how it goes with the upgrade predicted next month.

bbman

646 posts

Ultimate Geek

#299684 17-Feb-2010 09:12

Can I ask if you are using any external antenna set up.

Generally XT or 3G extended works very well when a decent external antenna is used such as a YAGI etc. When you improve your radio path to the site you can improve performance considerably.

Also are you using the stick directly off the PC or a 3G USB router?

www.ultimatebroadband.co.nz
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tristanp

30 posts

Geek

#299703 17-Feb-2010 10:16

. i am using the mf636 so no external aerial.. reception is usually pretty good though
path is line of sight but about 5km.
i have been researching these 3g wireless routers.. they look the business

bbman

646 posts

Ultimate Geek

#299860 17-Feb-2010 17:49

Hi, you can get a passive USB adaptor and a YAGI antenna kit or even a portable type antenna antenna all would improve signal and most likely limit your issues. There should certainly be an improvement in performance.

Note that like many cell phones, the ZTE cards show full signal often when they dont have a good signal at all, signal bars are certainly not a good measure.

Yes 3G USB routers are good, you should find on some that you can get better response times with no need to reconnect when connection is lost as the router does it for you. Netcomm and other models are pretty good big advantage for sharing and managing the connection. Again better access to quality signal would be even more crucial.

PM me if you want an Idea of what may help etc.

www.ultimatebroadband.co.nz
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JacksonL

10 posts

Wannabe Geek

#300007 18-Feb-2010 07:56

Living quite rurally means that ADSL is less than great and certainly no ADSL2. We also have no Vodafone reception at all so anything from them is currently out of the question. Decided to try Broadband XT and this has been quite successful now that it has settled down. Initially there were a lot of problems but the last few months have been great - the complaints seem to work. By the way we are equidistant from three towers ~ 4.5km and are using an aerial from a guy in Motueka - this works extremely well (signal up from -96dbm to 52dbm).

We still have both broadband and mobile broadband but will can the landline version as soon as I get around to it - it is quite handy having them both at the moment for when one of the family is away from home.

tristanp

30 posts

Geek

#300012 18-Feb-2010 08:09

is there a way i can easily check my actual signal strength with the MF636?
we only use a laptop at home so i am thinking about a wireless 3g mobile router and a passive aerial and mount the whole kaboodle in the celing and have the aerial above the roof.
concerns are, currently i need to unplug and replug the stick in a few times a day, might not be so good in the roof. and how can i tell how good the reception is..?

bbman

646 posts

Ultimate Geek

#300016 18-Feb-2010 08:18

Right click on the system tray icon when connected and select diagnostics, that has a signal meter.

First of all go on the roof and test how much signal your phone gets.

A YAGI would need to be pointed accurately at the nearest cellsite to work best. Preferably within 5-10 degrees.

The passive wrap is easily removed if you need it to be. I would add that best results are always found with a USB card with external antenna ports but the passive wrap works well with a YAGI and especially well when LMR400 cable is used.

www.ultimatebroadband.co.nz
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RickD

280 posts

Ultimate Geek

#300020 18-Feb-2010 08:27

Are there any 3G routers like this one that work on XT frequency? I've found lots that take a USB modem but only this one so far with an internal modem.

http://www.netgear.com/Products/RoutersandGateways/3GMobileBroadband/MBRN3300.aspx?detail=Specifications

I had to give up trying to use the mini card modem in my netbook, would only work for 5 minutes max and then no more data would transfer, connection would not drop though. That's in multiple spots in central Wellington with 4/5 signal bars, has been like that since I got it in October last year.

bbman

646 posts

Ultimate Geek

#300028 18-Feb-2010 08:49

Hi, there are several options available but very little in NZ, I have sold several Ericsson W35 and Maxon Maxiport which are HSPA capable, only problem is they retail once landed for around $899-949 NZ.

I have been testing some OEM routers that we are looking to import, mixed results but much lower price. The Netcomm looks good and a I hear a HSPA+ model could be on its way.

www.ultimatebroadband.co.nz
Delivering better broadband services

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RickD

280 posts

Ultimate Geek

#300053 18-Feb-2010 10:18

Is this the model you are referring to? Looks like it would be perfect...

http://www.netcommlimited.com/products/hspa-3g-routers/3g21wn

tristanp

30 posts

Geek

#300083 18-Feb-2010 11:30

http://www.pbtech.co.nz/index.php?item=NETNCM0005 says it works with the xt card, and the price is in my range. i will see if i can get on next week

bbman

646 posts

Ultimate Geek

#300226 18-Feb-2010 20:35

tristanp: http://www.pbtech.co.nz/index.php?item=NETNCM0005 says it works with the xt card, and the price is in my range. i will see if i can get on next week

I have been selling these for sometime, they go well but do have some quirks especially around some USB devices. But make sure you get an external antenna otherwise you will not see an improvement in performance.

www.ultimatebroadband.co.nz
Delivering better broadband services

UFB fibre, Rural fibre on EA networks, RBI wireless, Ruralnet & Ultra wireless, wireless networks

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