Rural 3G connection woes

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hio77

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Lizard Networks

#2160446 13-Jan-2019 18:59

mkeeley:

Spyware:

Check https://gis.geek.nz/celltowers

Click on the Filters button.

Awesome link, thank you! This answers the question: the Vodafone tower there only has 700, 900 and 1800. So my 2100 device will never connect on 3G to Vodafone. Spark has 700+850, and 2degrees has 900+2100.

Perhaps I'll try a 2degrees sim and see how it goes.

Vodafone:

LTE 700, 1800

UTMS/GSM 900

Spark

LTE 700

UTMS 850

LTE/UTMS 900

UTMS 2100

Quite possible if your device doesn't do 900mhz, it may do 850mhz..

#include <std_disclaimer>

Any comments made are personal opinion and do not reflect directly on the position my current or past employers may have.

mkeeley

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#2160457 13-Jan-2019 19:26

According to https://www.manualslib.com/manual/77006/Novatel-Merlin-U630.html?page=36#manual it looks like 2100MHz is the only option for 3G on this device.

quickymart

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#2160550 13-Jan-2019 20:33

Time to upgrade then?

mkeeley

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#2160556 13-Jan-2019 20:37

quickymart:

Time to upgrade then?

2degrees supports 2100MHz, so I will try a sim from them first (currently with Vodafone). If that doesn't work, then it's upgrade time.

quickymart

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#2160577 13-Jan-2019 21:01

As I said (and @hio77 says too) I don't think 2100 will reach you if the cellsite is over 20 kms away (like you say it is). I will be very surprised if it does.

mkeeley

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#2160666 13-Jan-2019 22:03

quickymart:

As I said (and @hio77 says too) I don't think 2100 will reach you if the cellsite is over 20 kms away (like you say it is). I will be very surprised if it does.

Not disagreeing, but I am somewhat encouraged by the fact that I can get a "HSDPA/3G/UMTS" carrier, with "Good" signal strength when switching the router to 3G only (I could read this as being the 2degrees carrier signal, with no connection due to Vodafone sim). It could also be that we can receive a good signal, but the unit doesn't have enough signal strength to get back to the tower.

The new sim from 2degrees is a cheap and easy test, I will follow up here on the results.

mkeeley

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#2163695 19-Jan-2019 13:15

OK, so we tried the 2degrees sim - no dice. Couldn't get a carrier. Possibly the card is locked to Vodafone, and wont' accept a 2degrees sim, or more likely (as others predicted), the signal just doesn't reach.

So we either put up with low connect speeds, or upgrade modems. Seems like best bet would be one that supported 4G 700MHz.

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