Community Forums

Indytraveler · 10-01-2020, 07:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Camper25

An 8800L has two antenna ports..... TS-9's.

And does it really need an additional antenna?

Camper25 · 10-01-2020, 07:11 PM

I have one of the window mount mimo antenna's. In town I don't see any difference, but if I'm a few miles from a tower it can help.

sibe · 10-01-2020, 07:25 PM

It is about time to research , decide what you need and your budget...

or have a budget . then see what u get.. LOL

You can get a dual sim 4g/lte modem router that load balances with a usb or wan connection or wifi.. etc.. OR a combo of less and them get an omni ant or find your antenna points and use narrow beam strong antenna to connect ..

I have been using a low budget approach.. I have a dual sim/wifi.LTE/usb router that is OK.. added a directional antenna tonight.. and got a nice signal..
I can flip from visible.veriz/Mint t mobile.. depending on location.. $65 a month
almost no hard limits if you investigate..
works fine for me.. testing a samsung A20 dual sim and usb tether also.. speeds 8-10 during peak and like now 9pm 23-40 DL.. Middle of gods country in PA.. no cable, old copper phone lines DSL stinks..

blah blah.. sorry went off topic.. please post what you end up with, good info and learnig for all..

Indytraveler · 10-02-2020, 06:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sibe

It is about time to research , decide what you need and your budget...

or have a budget . then see what u get.. LOL

You can get a dual sim 4g/lte modem router that load balances with a usb or wan connection or wifi.. etc.. OR a combo of less and them get an omni ant or find your antenna points and use narrow beam strong antenna to connect ..

I have been using a low budget approach.. I have a dual sim/wifi.LTE/usb router that is OK.. added a directional antenna tonight.. and got a nice signal..
I can flip from visible.veriz/Mint t mobile.. depending on location.. $65 a month
almost no hard limits if you investigate..
works fine for me.. testing a samsung A20 dual sim and usb tether also.. speeds 8-10 during peak and like now 9pm 23-40 DL.. Middle of gods country in PA.. no cable, old copper phone lines DSL stinks..

blah blah.. sorry went off topic.. please post what you end up with, good info and learnig for all..

Thanks sibe. I’m all but done with weeks of investigation.. I have an unlimited Verizon plan now. Adding a Jetpack will give me 30gb of 4g and possibly throttle after that. Looking at high gain antennas now to improve throughput.

docj · 10-02-2020, 08:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Indytraveler

And does it really need an additional antenna?

One thing to consider when adding external antennas is that the device probably has 4x4 MIMO antennas already. If you add a pair of MIMO antennas to the external jacks you will reduce its capability to 2x2 MIMO.

Indytraveler · 10-03-2020, 07:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by docj

One thing to consider when adding external antennas is that the device probably has 4x4 MIMO antennas already. If you add a pair of MIMO antennas to the external jacks you will reduce its capability to 2x2 MIMO.

Thanks doc...and there’s a whole industry selling antennas to degrade the performance of the 8800L.. this stuff is not easy to investigate for the novice. Requires a certain level of trust..

https://antennagear.net/verizon-mifi...SAAEgJ-7PD_BwE

Indytraveler · 10-03-2020, 07:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by docj

One thing to consider when adding external antennas is that the device probably has 4x4 MIMO antennas already. If you add a pair of MIMO antennas to the external jacks you will reduce its capability to 2x2 MIMO.

Doc, this is the spec sheet for the 8800L MiFi used by Verizon. What does the antenna spec mean to me?

**Spdracr39** · 10-03-2020, 07:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by docj

One thing to consider when adding external antennas is that the device probably has 4x4 MIMO antennas already. If you add a pair of MIMO antennas to the external jacks you will reduce its capability to 2x2 MIMO.

Agree, I have never noticed any improvement on my 8800L by plugging in the 2x2 mimo. Now I know why Thanks

docj · 10-03-2020, 08:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Indytraveler

Doc, this is the spec sheet for the 8800L MiFi used by Verizon. What does the antenna spec mean to me?

The spec sheet clearly states that the device has 4x4 MIMO but if you use the external jacks the capability drops to 2x2 MIMO. That this really means is if the hotspot has enough signal on its own, adding an external antenna won't improve things and might even make things worse.

One confusing aspect of MIMO is that when you add an external MIMO antenna you are unlikely to see any signal strength improvement. That's not how MIMO works; MIMO works by allowing the tower to set up "parallel connections" with your device, allowing it to send more data to it.

Another important aspect of MIMO is that if you use your WeBoost amplifier on your Jetpack you essentially will defeat its MIMO capabilities. Yes, WeBoost amps still have a role, but only when the signal is too weak not to use them.

Joel (AKA docj)

Indytraveler · 10-03-2020, 09:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by docj

The spec sheet clearly states that the device has 4x4 MIMO but if you use the external jacks the capability drops to 2x2 MIMO. That this really means is if the hotspot has enough signal on its own, adding an external antenna won't improve things and might even make things worse.

One confusing aspect of MIMO is that when you add an external MIMO antenna you are unlikely to see any signal strength improvement. That's not how MIMO works; MIMO works by allowing the tower to set up "parallel connections" with your device, allowing it to send more data to it.

Another important aspect of MIMO is that if you use your WeBoost amplifier on your Jetpack you essentially will defeat its MIMO capabilities. Yes, WeBoost amps still have a role, but only when the signal is too weak not to use them.

Joel (AKA docj)

What a great explanation! Thanks so much.

Class-C-Guy · 10-03-2020, 09:33 AM

I did a LOT of research. I needed a 100% uptime rock solid working solution. I went to various forums, I called pretty much everyone that had any hardware solution and compared spec sheet and spec sheet. I waded through all the conversation about 5G and what the hell Elon Musk is going to do . . . and on and on.

In the end I ordered 2 things from The 5G Store and tested the devices in my apartment and while driving around town in my Jeep. I connected to various WiFi spots and pulled data from 2 Lte SIM plans.

This isn't the cheapest solution out there, but the HW IS rock solid and so is The 5G Store support. I'm happy with this decision and it's working for me and allows me to successfully WFH while otr.

If you buy this particular antenna you'll need some foil back ground plane underneath, costs a few bucks and no-brainer.

1 x MobileMark White 5-in-1 LTM Thru Roof Antenna (LTM502-WHT) = $289.99
1 x Pepwave Max BR1 MK2 w/ Cat 6 LTE Advanced (MAX-BR1-MK2-LTEA-W-T) = $599.00

.

Indytraveler · 10-03-2020, 10:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Class-C-Guy

I did a LOT of research. I needed a 100% uptime rock solid working solution. I went to various forums, I called pretty much everyone that had any hardware solution and compared spec sheet and spec sheet. I waded through all the conversation about 5G and what the hell Elon Musk is going to do . . . and on and on.

In the end I ordered 2 things from The 5G Store and tested the devices in my apartment and while driving around town in my Jeep. I connected to various WiFi spots and pulled data from 2 Lte SIM plans.

This isn't the cheapest solution out there, but the HW IS rock solid and so is The 5G Store support. I'm happy with this decision and it's working for me and allows me to successfully WFH while otr.

If you buy this particular antenna you'll need some foil back ground plane underneath, costs a few bucks and no-brainer.

1 x MobileMark White 5-in-1 LTM Thru Roof Antenna (LTM502-WHT) = $289.99
1 x Pepwave Max BR1 MK2 w/ Cat 6 LTE Advanced (MAX-BR1-MK2-LTEA-W-T) = $599.00

.

Wow. $800 will make me turn in my devices.

lemodrop9344 · 10-03-2020, 11:01 AM

Class C Guy,
After a similar amount of research, I went with the Peplink CAT 18 device & have a Poynting 7-1 antenna on back order.
I'm a full timer that works from my RV & needed dependable connectivity. I'm into it, equipment wise, for a little more than you are ($200 -$300 more). If you want/need it, you are probably going to have to pay for it.

Yes, the upfront expenditure is a tad steep. However, I wanted/needed comparable service to what I had in my brick & mortar house. I eliminated my monthly ISP (internet service provider) bill & my monthly satellite bill. Of course I now have monthly cellular service to pay, but, my monthly service charges have been reduced by about $50.00/mos.

I went through Mobilemusthave for my equipment back in May. Their support prior to the sale, as well as after the sale, has been top notch.
Some of the best advice offered on this forum is to go read what the folks over at mobile internet resource center have to say about connectivity to the IOT while traveling in a RV.
I can appreciate that many may not want to make this type of expenditure for internet connectivity, but, there is a reason these type of devices are used by government & commercial entities that require reliable internet service over the air. They work!

Class-C-Guy · 10-03-2020, 11:19 AM

@ lemodrop9344 > I almost pulled the trigger in your choices too and may in the future if I want to upgrade to 5G etc. What provider SIM and plans are you going with currently?

My AT&T is very affordable and I cancelled the Verizon plan, looking for a second sim and plan now to load balance.

My PLAN A is to grep free wifi and when that's not available my PLAN B is to use the Lte bandwidth, and even that has a plan B to use a different carrier in the load balancing in case one network goes down.

.