Rural broadband, no initiative in my area

Forums › LAN (ethernet/Wifi/routers/Bluetooth) › Rural broadband, no initiative in my area - self help possible?

PhantomNVD

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#113511 19-Jan-2013 02:28

Hi all!

As a long time lurker, but first poster, i have read as much as i can about maximizing my connection speed, and utilized 8 different ADSL modems of different brands, but at 5.4Km's from the exchange I realise I'm a borderline distance from feasible ADSL anyway.

RBI on chorus map totally ignores my small coastal village,

and the exchange [Glenbrook] is listed as BUBA, which only lets me synch on g.dmt @ 1024/480 on a 6/13SNR synch, though the snr climbs to 7.5-8 over very little time [cant synch better with 5SNR or at all with lower].

ItemDescriptionProduct NameSmartAX MT882Physical Address00:1b:9e:f1:2e:0eSoftware ReleaseV100R002B021 VODAFONEFirmware Release3.7.9.98Batch NumberRTC20P0.021.37998Release Date2009/09/24ADSLDescriptionADSL StateShow TimeData PathInterleavedOperation ModeG.dmtMax. Bandwidth Down/Up(kbps)1152 / 664Bandwidth Down/Up(kbps)1024 / 480SNR Margin Down/Up(dB)7.0 / 13.0Attenuation Down/Up(dB)63.5 / 31.5Power Down/Up(dBm)13.0 / 12.0CRC Down/Up0/ 0FEC Down/Up45/ 0HEC Down/Up0/ 0System Up Time0:33:33DSL Up Time0:24:16
I'm currently using my old MT882 as it doesn't require a telnet session to resynch at top speed when occasionally the power fails (or my 4 year old gets into the wires again!) or i decide to reconfigure something ;)

Most routers, including the Netgear DG632, VF Echolife "home complete", Dynalink 1320, DLink 502T and Thompson 582 v6 et al. all synch on a more conservative 12Db @ 740/400kbps :(

so I'm SOL for RBI or even cabinetisation... does anyone know if it's possible to get a DSL repeater installed (at my expense) which would at lest give me a chance at 2Mbs [by my understanding] as there IS a cabinet only 1Km away, which could both house the repeater and also be within the normal range of ADSL?

TL:DR can a repeater be user-initiated, or is there anything else I could do to improve my link to the world (save moving)

Cheers,
Neil

P.S. house is newly Cat5e Ethernet wired from telecom box, one cordless phone is only wired though a double-filtered (though standard) phone jack, and ADSL2 was "disallowed as the line won't support this" though the 6Db SNR is plenty stable for my needs. I'm on Vodafone's 'mega' pack which is fs/fs and regularly use 75Gb+/month - just want not to have to buffer for 10 minutes before actually watching a clip :(

P.P.S. I _think_ I'v covered all the relevant details, but feel free to chip in any comments or questions if more needed?

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Biddle Corp

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#747233 19-Jan-2013 07:07

Your first step would be to install a master filter. How many phone jacks do you have? The effects of this on your situation are unknown, but could easilly result in a gain in speed.

chevrolux

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#747292 19-Jan-2013 10:51

Yea as above install a splitter would be the first thing.

You mention a 'repeater'. Not really such a thing, but maybe you know someone who lives close to the exchange and has line of sight to your house? You move your adsl connection to their place and put up a radio bridge with some nanostation m5's (or similar). They will easily do full line speed of adsl over a distance of 5-10km. Line of sight is important though.

cyril7

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#747322 19-Jan-2013 12:05

chevrolux: Yea as above install a splitter would be the first thing.

You mention a 'repeater'. Not really such a thing, but maybe you know someone who lives close to the exchange and has line of sight to your house? You move your adsl connection to their place and put up a radio bridge with some nanostation m5's (or similar). They will easily do full line speed of adsl over a distance of 5-10km. Line of sight is important though.

+1

Cyril

myopinion

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#747329 19-Jan-2013 12:30

Does compass wireless cover your location? We use it in Puke East and its pretty good.

coffeebaron

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#747331 19-Jan-2013 12:34

Hi Neil,
I can sort you out with a solution. Either help you squeeze a little more out of your ADSL connection, or a fixed mobile data connection.
Flick me an email / PM with some contact details, including your address, and I'll get some more info to you.

Cheers
Fraser

Rural IT and Broadband support.

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

Zeon

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#747333 19-Jan-2013 12:37

Are there any wireless ISPs covering the area? What is your mobile strength there like (from the top of your house). The map isn't always 100% accurate.

Speedtest 2019-10-14

PhantomNVD

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#747349 19-Jan-2013 13:25

sbiddle: Your first step would be to install a master filter. How many phone jacks do you have? The effects of this on your situation are unknown, but could easilly result in a gain in speed.

In my initial post I mentioned I have only 1 phone, double filtered from the ONLY jack - I ripped all the others out when recladding the whole house 4 years ago, and replaced it with a single point on CAT5e from the telecom pole entry to my roadside property. Would a master filter really do anything different for me? AFAIK it only filters the loop effect of other lines in your building (I have none) and I am actually double-filtered already.. If it really COULD make a difference I'm good for a try, but all I read seems to say this wouldn't actually apply to me?

Please carefully retread my detailed post above? I really did read LOTS on here and whirlpool.au before posting this, and seem to have just gotten knee-jerk responses (mostly) here :(

chevrolux: Yea as above install a splitter would be the first thing.

You mention a 'repeater'. Not really such a thing, but maybe you know someone who lives close to the exchange and has line of sight to your house? You move your adsl connection to their place and put up a radio bridge with some nanostation m5's (or similar). They will easily do full line speed of adsl over a distance of 5-10km. Line of sight is important though.

Unfortunately I can't post weblinks yet, but google "adsl repeater loop extender" and read the top hit... There IS such a thing, but maybe not possible in NZ monopoly rules?
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ADSL_loop_extender

The nano-m5 looks interesting, but what sort of latency would this likely add? Something like a wifi repeater in performance - though of course over a much greater distance?

myopinion: Does compass wireless cover your location? We use it in Puke East and its pretty good.

Thanks for this suggestion, unfortunately, I'm also in the shadow of a hill from the awhitu tower, thou people 50m up to the right are on. Could you also tell me what your ping time reads to somewhere local, and again to LA please? I am a gamer and use skype often too, and have heard wireless produces huge latency's with both of these?

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PhantomNVD

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#747350 19-Jan-2013 13:30

Zeon: Are there any wireless ISPs covering the area? What is your mobile strength there like (from the top of your house). The map isn't always 100% accurate.

Nope, iPad and iPhone and mrs Nokia all get only VF 2g connections anywhere on my property - and also have massive blackspots too :(

Telecom guests have to go up the road ( funnily right next to the local, non-dsl, cabinet is the only telecom phone link in our village) to make or receive calls.

See above for wireless details, I CAN get a neighbor to have it and share via wifi with him, but at what latency? Would it be a useable connection for Skype and gaming (SC2 and tf2 mainly)?

Thanks again for all the replies!

myopinion

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#747351 19-Jan-2013 13:39

Compass Wireless using WiFi max average (I've tested this on and off for the past year) tests locally from Puke East to Auckland using speed test:

Ping 45 ms
Download 4.7 Mbit/s
Upload 0.9 Mbit/s

Just did a test to LA and got this:

Ping 197 ms
Download 4.7 Mbit/s
Upload 0.9 Mbit/s

cyril7

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#747353 19-Jan-2013 13:49

PhantomNVD:
Zeon: Are there any wireless ISPs covering the area? What is your mobile strength there like (from the top of your house). The map isn't always 100% accurate.

Nope, iPad and iPhone and mrs Nokia all get only VF 2g connections anywhere on my property - and also have massive blackspots too :(

Telecom guests have to go up the road ( funnily right next to the local, non-dsl, cabinet is the only telecom phone link in our village) to make or receive calls.

See above for wireless details, I CAN get a neighbor to have it and share via wifi with him, but at what latency? Would it be a useable connection for Skype and gaming (SC2 and tf2 mainly)?

Thanks again for all the replies!

Hi, the latency of a pair of UBNT M5 with airmax on is well less than 5msec, typically only 1-2msec, so you would not notice it.

have installed quite a number of these with multiple links running VOIP across them, no probs

Cyril

PhantomNVD

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#747354 19-Jan-2013 13:54

cyril7:
PhantomNVD:
Zeon: Are there any wireless ISPs covering the area? What is your mobile strength there like (from the top of your house). The map isn't always 100% accurate.

Nope, iPad and iPhone and mrs Nokia all get only VF 2g connections anywhere on my property - and also have massive blackspots too :(

Telecom guests have to go up the road ( funnily right next to the local, non-dsl, cabinet is the only telecom phone link in our village) to make or receive calls.

See above for wireless details, I CAN get a neighbor to have it and share via wifi with him, but at what latency? Would it be a useable connection for Skype and gaming (SC2 and tf2 mainly)?

Thanks again for all the replies!

Hi, the latency of a pair of UBNT M5 with airmax on is well less than 5msec, typically only 1-2msec, so you would not notice it.

have installed quite a number of these with multiple links running VOIP across them, no probs

Cyril

Wow, quick replies, thanks! How much would such an installation entail (approximately)?

Might be able to combine this with a wireless supplier in combo with a neighbor up the hill... From the other response, the latency on his wifi is about the same as my long distance adsl anyway :)

cyril7

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#747355 19-Jan-2013 13:58

Hi, a pair of Nano M5's will set you back aournd $300+gst, plus you need some mounting hardware and time.

http://www.gowifi.co.nz/wisp-client-radios/ubiquiti-nanostation5-ns5-802.11a-250mw-outdoor-ap/bridge.html

Cyril

PhantomNVD

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#747357 19-Jan-2013 14:03

cyril7: Hi, a pair of Nano M5's will set you back aournd $300+gst, plus you need some mounting hardware and time.

http://www.gowifi.co.nz/wisp-client-radios/ubiquiti-nanostation5-ns5-802.11a-250mw-outdoor-ap/bridge.html

Cyril

Looks feasible, any ideas on getting chorus to 'swap' my line to the designated neighbor so I don't drop back into the queue for the limited connections they have out here?

PhantomNVD

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#747358 19-Jan-2013 14:04

myopinion: Compass Wireless using WiFi max average (I've tested this on and off for the past year) tests locally from Puke East to Auckland using speed test:

Ping 45 ms
Download 4.7 Mbit/s
Upload 0.9 Mbit/s

Just did a test to LA and got this:

Ping 197 ms
Download 4.7 Mbit/s
Upload 0.9 Mbit/s

Thanks, that about the same as my own 'long distance adsl' connection affords me!

Any ideas if this is affected by your distance from the signal source? Do you have a different response in foul weather?
Wireless and water don't like each other much :)

cyril7

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#747360 19-Jan-2013 14:10

The Nano M5's we are talking about operate in the 5GHz band, while this is affected by rain if we are talking about a 1-2km ish link then there is enough margin that you are unlikely to notice.

By the way an M5 link at 1-2km will be easily running 50Mb/s plus up/down, so if it dropped modulation density by say 50% in bad weather you would not notice on a 15Mb/s ADSL tail.

Cyril

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