What is this device?

Forums › Off topic › What is this device?

ronw

1222 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 85

#272707 10-Jul-2020 12:59

Anyone have an idea on what these devices on top of poles are. I am guessing it may be a wifi connection for Broandband but maybe it is something else

Nokia 7 Plus
Nexus 6P 32Gb
Nexus 6 Phone
Nexus 5 Phone
Nexus 7 2013 Tablet
Samsung TAB A 8"
Samsung TAB A 10"

& many Windows laptops, Desktops etc

MikeB4

MikeB4
18775 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 12765

ID Verified

Trusted

Subscriber

#2520764 10-Jul-2020 13:50

It is a secret Illuminati communication device.

Here is a crazy notion, lets give peace a chance.

Oblivian

7345 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 2117

ID Verified

#2520777 10-Jul-2020 13:58

Yagi antenna.

Directional P2P. Depending on the rest of the stuff up there, traffic camera or comms for local network device back to phone home

huckster

886 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 460

ID Verified

Lifetime subscriber

#2520778 10-Jul-2020 13:58

Obviously nothing to do with 5G or it would be melted and charred.

ShinyChrome

1603 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 686

ID Verified

Trusted

#2520779 10-Jul-2020 13:59

MikeB4:

It is a secret Illuminati communication device.

It does look phallic, and we all know secret organizations love their phallic symbolism.

I'm gonna put money on some sort of wide-area RF transmitter? Public WiFy perhaps?

Journeyman

1205 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1236

#2520914 10-Jul-2020 19:05

Covid Exciter, Mk5.

Rickles

3107 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 445

Trusted

#2520937 10-Jul-2020 20:02

As my grandad would say, it is a wigwam for a gooses' bridle 😄

Apple TV

Stream your favourite shows now on Apple TV (affiliate link).

larknz

1976 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 382

ID Verified

Lifetime subscriber

#2520943 10-Jul-2020 20:24

Depends what else is on the pole, could be comms for a circuit breaker

gzt

18672 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 7809

Lifetime subscriber

#2520947 10-Jul-2020 21:05

Oblivian: Yagi antenna.

Adding to this - like this inside a weather box:

neb

11294 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 10018

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2520962 10-Jul-2020 22:11

Journeyman: Covid Exciter, Mk5.

Almost, it's a fifth-generation Covid exciter.

PolicyGuy

1820 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1769

ID Verified

Lifetime subscriber

#2520968 10-Jul-2020 22:41

As others have observed, it's a weather-protected Yagi antenna.

From what little we can see, it looks like there's quite a bit of 'stuff' on that pole, so it's almost certainly the lines company's SCADA system radio link. If it's in an urban area, probably UHF; if it's rural it might be VHF

ronw

1222 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 85

#2520976 11-Jul-2020 00:10

It's on a pole near Campbells Bay North Shore. I know that Spark have been pushing wifi to replace using Chorus fibre. Thought that may have been pat of it
Cannot see wire lives company would need it as they can send stuff down the lines itself

Nokia 7 Plus
Nexus 6P 32Gb
Nexus 6 Phone
Nexus 5 Phone
Nexus 7 2013 Tablet
Samsung TAB A 8"
Samsung TAB A 10"

& many Windows laptops, Desktops etc

Mighty Ape

Shop now at Mighty Ape (affiliate link).

Oblivian

7345 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 2117

ID Verified

#2520977 11-Jul-2020 00:25

The spark 'wireless' push is for routers with 3G/4G Cell units that use the cellular network and deliver you internet/VoIP - not wifi.

That, is a directional antenna made to send as much signal as possible in 1 direction to a device in the direction its pointing. Focusing it if you will.

Be it, wifi (not likely at that length) to give another device (like a camera or monitoring equipment) on the pole a connection to something further away. Or make a stable link to something like an out of line of site cell tower

I've seen them used for water/flood monitoring. With a sensor nearby and the pole just giving it the height advantage it needs.

https://www.gowifi.co.nz/directional/ant-252.html Can't tell from proportion if it is in this range or longer/UHF.

It isn't made to provide a connection to lots of other things. Just a good one to 1 thing.

Stand under it, face the direction its pointing. And use google earth or similar to draw a line for ~30Ks and you'll find what its pointing at. Likely a cell tower on the top of a hill quite a distance away, or just peaking over something blocking a direct path

ronw

1222 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 85

#2520983 11-Jul-2020 07:14

Bit more information the photo doesn't show it but they're are two of these devices one pointing away from the first one at approx 100 degrees apart. I will do some sleuthing around the area. Don't think it's water or flood as it's a suburban Street of very expensive houses. But then all the housing over this way is expensive

Nokia 7 Plus
Nexus 6P 32Gb
Nexus 6 Phone
Nexus 5 Phone
Nexus 7 2013 Tablet
Samsung TAB A 8"
Samsung TAB A 10"

& many Windows laptops, Desktops etc

larknz

1976 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 382

ID Verified

Lifetime subscriber

#2520986 11-Jul-2020 07:45

I still think that you will find that it is power company comms, they don't send comms signals down the wires.

RunningMan

9184 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 4833

#2520992 11-Jul-2020 08:02

ronw: [snip] I know that Spark have been pushing wifi to replace using Chorus fibre.

No they haven't. WiFi would be used to create a network within a building. The fixed wireless product uses a cellular connection as through it were a cellphone. It just talks to a normal cell tower.