Best MiMo antenna for 4GLTE?

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Hi fellas,

We live in a very rural area of Florida and do not have any options for internet other than Satellite (Junk) so I've recently got wind of a company called Blazing Hog wireless out of Texas who supplies you with a Netgear 4G LTE modem and AT&T SIM card for unlimited internet. Problem is, I can barely get 2 bars of service at my house so they are telling me to install an antenna because my closest cell tower is only 4.5 miles away. Local TV/Cell shop has sold me a Wilson 314775 wide band YAGI antenna with rooftop mount. Anyone ever use one of these successfully and get decent cell signal? Is it worth the money/trouble? Unfortunately I don't have the cash to get into a $500-600 signal booster kit just yet. I just need somewhat decent internet so my teenage daughter can complete her homework assignments and maybe stream a netflix movie or two...
 
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Note, my modem has two TS-9 connectors on the back and I will use a "Y" adapter from it to connect to the 50ohm Coax that comes from the Wilson YAGI.
 
Cell service is line of sight and if the tower is 4.5 miles away you should get decent cell service given that FL is pretty flat. But are you sure that tower is the cell service provider you are looking to use? They often share towers but that is not a given.

I would try and figure out what cell service gives you the best service and it might not be the one you currently have. Invite friends over for a beer and do cell phone testing.

I have Google FI and Verizon (two phones) so I normally get cell service from one.

Push your town mayor about rural broadband.

Lastly getting internet via cell usually has data caps or different plans. Visiting websites for homework will not chew up your data usage but streaming TV sure will.
 
My day job now is networking for a large retail company and we install routers with 4G LTE backup which is not unlike what you are trying to do. MiFi type devices definitely have weak internal antennas if you are in a fringe area so you're doing good by getting the antenna outside.

Couple issues I see:

1. Yagi antennas are very directional. So you'll need to point it very close to exactly to the cell tower or you won't get good results. We run either a panel antenna like this: Wilson Panel Antenna or an omni like this Wilson Omni . Make sure you get the correct ohms for your Netgear. Get it outside as high as possible - make sure its grounded correctly!!!

2. LTE (and Mimo) needs 2 antennas. You can run with one plugged into the main port but ideally you want 2, one in the main and one in the diversity. They can be placed close to each other or far apart. Sometimes we'll use an internal paddle in conjunction with the outside antenna. Don't use the Y adapter.

We typically go from very low/no signal inside the building to great signal using a building mounted antenna properly aimed.
 
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Do not use a Y adapter. If you only have one antenna connect it to one port and it will still do something. Don't use a long coaxial cable. Mount the router close to the antenna and either access it by wifi or run Ethernet cable to another wifi router near the point of use.

Move the router up as high as you can first. Two bars of LTE is usually a quite usable signal.
 
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Originally Posted by Donald
Cell service is line of sight and if the tower is 4.5 miles away you should get decent cell service given that FL is pretty flat. But are you sure that tower is the cell service provider you are looking to use? They often share towers but that is not a given.

I would try and figure out what cell service gives you the best service and it might not be the one you currently have. Invite friends over for a beer and do cell phone testing.

I have Google FI and Verizon (two phones) so I normally get cell service from one.

Push your town mayor about rural broadband.

Lastly getting internet via cell usually has data caps or different plans. Visiting websites for homework will not chew up your data usage but streaming TV sure will.


Yes, I agree and I have used the cell mapper app to verify the closest location of my ATT tower. We are in a pretty rural and dense area of central Florida though so I guess that is my issue. According to cellMapper I have an ATT, Verizon and Tmobile tower all about the same distance from our house. We use Verizon cell phones and usually have no issues in the house, average 2-3 bars of LTE. I have tested all cell phones at my house and Verizon is definitely the better of all. Sadly, Verizon does not offer the unlimited LTE Mifi service in our area so we're stuck with AT&T.

The company I'm using promises absolutely no data caps or throttling, that is why I went with them and pay a premium!
 
Originally Posted by itguy08
My day job now is networking for a large retail company and we install routers with 4G LTE backup which is not unlike what you are trying to do. MiFi type devices definitely have weak internal antennas if you are in a fringe area so you're doing good by getting the antenna outside.

Couple issues I see:

1. Yagi antennas are very directional. So you'll need to point it very close to exactly to the cell tower or you won't get good results. We run either a panel antenna like this: Wilson Panel Antenna or an omni like this Wilson Omni . Make sure you get the correct ohms for your Netgear. Get it outside as high as possible - make sure its grounded correctly!!!

2. LTE (and Mimo) needs 2 antennas. You can run with one plugged into the main port but ideally you want 2, one in the main and one in the diversity. They can be placed close to each other or far apart. Sometimes we'll use an internal paddle in conjunction with the outside antenna. Don't use the Y adapter.

We typically go from very low/no signal inside the building to great signal using a building mounted antenna properly aimed.


Thanks for your insight itguy! I'm pretty new to the LTE stuff, pretty well versed in regular broadband, fiber and DSL. Is that Wilson 314775 antenna directional? I'm told it is not?

I have it mounted to a pole that is on the eve of my roof, approximately 14-15ft off the ground. Do I need to go higher?

I understand the LTE needs 2 antennas, but all of these Wilson units they are suggesting only have 1 input? So the Y adapter is not a good idea?
 
Originally Posted by racin4ds


Thanks for your insight itguy! I'm pretty new to the LTE stuff, pretty well versed in regular broadband, fiber and DSL. Is that Wilson 314775 antenna directional? I'm told it is not?

I have it mounted to a pole that is on the eve of my roof, approximately 14-15ft off the ground. Do I need to go higher?

I understand the LTE needs 2 antennas, but all of these Wilson units they are suggesting only have 1 input? So the Y adapter is not a good idea?


All Yagi antennas are pretty directional. They are great for pulling in weak signals but have to be aimed properly. Here's the specs on it. If it were me I'd not use it unless you are in a real rural area and needing to pull in a far away signal. I'd go for the omnidirectional that looks like the can.

I think your mounting spot is good - we mount 'em on the roof on a small pole. Think strip mall. I'd guess the elevation would be about the same.

LTE doesn't need 2 antennas but can benefit from them. You have to make sure it's in the "Main" antenna spot and not the Diversity. 2 antennas helps to combine weaker signals and can help if you're inbetween cells but is a "good idea" but not necessary. We have many installs running well with just 1 antenna as long as the signal is high. If you have access to the raw signal strength you can use This as a guide to tune your antenna and a good idea what values to shoot for.
 
Originally Posted by itguy08
Originally Posted by racin4ds


Thanks for your insight itguy! I'm pretty new to the LTE stuff, pretty well versed in regular broadband, fiber and DSL. Is that Wilson 314775 antenna directional? I'm told it is not?

I have it mounted to a pole that is on the eve of my roof, approximately 14-15ft off the ground. Do I need to go higher?

I understand the LTE needs 2 antennas, but all of these Wilson units they are suggesting only have 1 input? So the Y adapter is not a good idea?


All Yagi antennas are pretty directional. They are great for pulling in weak signals but have to be aimed properly. Here's the specs on it. If it were me I'd not use it unless you are in a real rural area and needing to pull in a far away signal. I'd go for the omnidirectional that looks like the can.

I think your mounting spot is good - we mount 'em on the roof on a small pole. Think strip mall. I'd guess the elevation would be about the same.

LTE doesn't need 2 antennas but can benefit from them. You have to make sure it's in the "Main" antenna spot and not the Diversity. 2 antennas helps to combine weaker signals and can help if you're inbetween cells but is a "good idea" but not necessary. We have many installs running well with just 1 antenna as long as the signal is high. If you have access to the raw signal strength you can use This as a guide to tune your antenna and a good idea what values to shoot for.


Thank you! I played with the antenna a bit last night and couldn't seem to get any noticeable gain from it, what am I doing wrong? I tried it both ways, with the "Y" adapter and just with the YAGI connected to the main on the modem/router. I spun the antenna 360* and watched my router signal strength vary from -114 to -107. This is the same signal strength i have without the antenna hooked up at all...

Funny part is when I first power up the router I have 4 full bars which I never had previously. Then it drops back to 2 bars after a few minutes. Speeds are still pathetic at .3mbps to .6mbps. It is almost useless. I also mapped out the location of the cell tower last night and it is only 3.5-4 miles from my house. This should work great, even without any fancy antennas shouldn't it??? I'm really starting to lean towards a cell tower issue...
 
UPDATE: For those that helped out!

I got the company to send me a T-Mobile card and I installed that yesterday, wow what a difference! Must have been a faulty AT&T cell tower in our area because with the antenna I can now pull in T-Mobile and getting 15-20Mbps DL and 4-6mbps UP.!!! Best internet I've ever had at my place lol!
 
Good to hear. I was out of ideas other than your cell tower issue theory or possibly an impedance mismatch at the antenna side. But the impedance issue is out the window since T-Mobile works great.

Enjoy!
 
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