My RTR internet, booster and directional antenna test.

[jimindenver]

I have been testing the various phones and hotspot devices I have been posting about for a year now. Some free, some extremely cheap and some not so much so. Today I set up the booster and directional antenna to see what kind of difference it made over the naked devices.

My Verizon 3G hotspot has had a decent, usable signal from the start. I use it for streaming you tube, Netflix and pandora with the only issue of the tower getting over loaded in the early evening. Putting it in the booster cradle increases it's signal to full and it does improve the streaming until the tower overloads.

Cricket has worked great for calls and data here booster or not.

The Freedompop AT&T sims on 4G do well. 

T-mobile gets a signal that goes to full signal with the booster BUT that doesn't mean it's always usable. It struggles with overloading a lot. Oddly that is only for LTE, it showed no signal at all on 4G.

Sprint which I had heard was none existent is here. I first noticed it with my Ring Plus phone that would make calls and showed data on 3G. The Freedompop hotspot however showed nothing on 3G or LTE until I put it into the cradle. Then it bacame as usable as Sprint 3G can be.

The 4Gcommunity LTE hotspot has LTE only, no 3G and it shows no connection in or out of the cradle.

None of these devices roam in any way, they are using their native service only. I am not with surprised with Verizon or AT&T, kind of disappointed in the 4gas T-Mobile and pleasantly pleased that Sprint shows up at all. The booster obviously make a big difference in signal strength with all devices showing full signal up from 50%. I really like that the three free services do function here.

Should you like to see how your device benefits from the booster, let me know. I would be happy to put it in and show you.

 

[frater secessus]

Nice writeup!

 

[blars]

I've got two freedompop/sprint devices, the kyocera phone gets usable 3g and the lg tablet gets nothing at the RTR. Same happened in Ehrenburg, so I think the LG needs a stronger signal. LTE is one type of 4g, I thought AT&T was the only one still supporting non-LTE 4g.

 

[jimindenver]

I use a refurbished Wilson 460107 that I found om ebay for around $100. The directional antenna is a Wilson 314411/304411. It covers all of the bands my devices use even if the booster cradle doesn't. Band 41 on Sprint only receives a passive boost from the cradle so have a wide band antenna is good.

The newer versions are all called weboost. The antenna is a 70 ohm instead of a 50 but the cradles do the same having just been renamed. Those parts are 314475 for the antenna. The weboost cradle booster is 470107 and you can get those refurbished for $149 on ebay.

T-mobile has none LTE 4G that can provide a nice strong signal if the LTE is over loaded. I had to set it to 4G in San Antonio, NM to get a signal.

One thing to add is I often stack more than one device on or near the cradle while testing and they all are affected.

 

[MrNoodly]

I'm getting 3 bars of 4G on Verizon with just my booster, but the band is so crowded with traffic that response is s-l-o-o-o-o-w. Hey, all you RTR-ers and snowbirds, get off the phone and Internet so I can hog it all!

 

[jimindenver]

Drop down to lowly 3G, it's running pretty spiffy.

 

[29chico]

Drop down to lowly 3G, it's running pretty spiffy.

I suspected that might happen.   While I will have a Verizon Panatech MHS291L with me when I arrive Sun-Mon it will not be in service, just a backup.  Given your input I don't think that I will have to activate it.

I will be depending on my lowly 3g hotspot.  I have had it just over 8 months and it has been a trooper.  I am using it at the moment, surprisingly decent speed almost all of the time.

I keep at least three $5 recharge pin numbers handy at all times.

I think that I will take you up on the booster/cradle test out.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

I have a WeBoost 4G-M booster with omnidirectional antenna ~ 11 ft in the air, iPhone 5S.  This is one example near Grosvenor Arch, Cottonwood Canyon Road, Utah:
 - Without boost = -114 dB at 3G; -122 dB at 4G LTE -- failed calls, good for text only (at 3G).
 - With boost = -86 dB at 3G, -98 dB at 4G LTE -- call, text, surf the 'net (3G or 4G).

 -- Spiff