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nakedgeek

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#205138 31-Oct-2016 13:44
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I'm just about to go with RBI over 4G and am confused about external antenna options.

 

I am 4.5km away from both a Spark and Vodafone 4G towers (They are both on the same hill). I have clear line of sight to the towers, I am at the top of one hill and they are at the top of another with a flat valley in between.

 

My neighbour (down hill) has RBI 4G through Vodafone and has one of these antenna: https://www.gowifi.co.nz/antennas-700-900-directional/ant-205.html and is happy with his 11Mbps speedtest, although I suspect this was over wi-fi and do not trust that it reflects the real speed of his connection. Saying that 11M is much better than the <1M I am getting through ADSL.

 

Antenna installation options seem to be: 

 

* Vodafone - One antenna by default $200 install,

 

* Spark - No antenna option through Spark, install and setup yourself. (Parts from go-wifi ~$300)

 

* Other providers offer installation options including dual antenna but so far seem to be expensive for what, to me, would be a straightforward install. I am confident that I can do the physical installation myself.

 

So, here is the confusion: Do I need dual antenna to get MIMO/better signal?

 

Unfortunately, the best place to install the antenna is on the roof at the front of the house and a dual antenna would have a very low Spouse Acceptance Factor.

 

I have seen this, http://www.powertec.co.nz/rfi-mimo-4g-lte-panel-antenna-700-2700mhz  that could be mounted high on a wall (the house is two storeys) and am wondering whether this would be a simpler (and prettier) solution.

 

The question is, would this integrated dual antenna work and give me good results? (or at least better than a single antenna)

 

Cheers, D.


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coffeebaron
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  #1661593 31-Oct-2016 17:33
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Most installs in good coverage will hit 30Mbps with single antenna and in excellent coverage even more (assuming good 4G capacity on tower). Results will vary for dual antenna, from maybe 1-5Mbps to 15Mbps+. Some will not increase downstream much, but will lift upstream. Each setup is different and mileage will vary for dual antenna. I guess it's like a master filter on ADSL - on bad internal wiring, a master filter will do wonders, on great internal wiring you might not get a huge improvement; but if you want to be sure to get the most out of your ADSL, then a master filter is essential. So same with dual antenna - results will vary, but still essential if you want to ensure you get the best possible speed over 4G.

 

The http://www.powertec.co.nz/rfi-mimo-4g-lte-panel-antenna-700-2700mhz should work fine, but obviously I cannot make any guarantees as I have not tested this exact antenna. The RBI firmware supports antenna locking now, so if the router has issues detecting the antenna, you can now lock to external antenna.

 

The standard RBI antenna does not need to be roof mounted, you can wall mount a single antenna on one of these: https://www.gowifi.co.nz/mounting-hardware-pole-wall/bkt-09.html or use two close together for dual antenna.

 

 

 

 





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Broadband troubleshooting and master filter installs.
Starlink installer - one month free: https://www.starlink.com/?referral=RC-32845-88860-71 
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Need help in Auckland, Waikato or BoP? Click my email button, or email me direct: [my user name] at geekzonemail dot com


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