Comments on: How Can I Boost My 3G Mobile Broadband Signal?

By: Tony Thomas

Tony Thomas — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 11:59:53 +0000

I wrote these notes up on getting a good signal for mt wireless broadband.

http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B_UrbFjOi5uWMzExMDFjMWItODE1ZS00ZWRlLTk0MTMtODY2MTExYzAxNTYy&hl=en_GB

By: The Craziest Way To Boost Your Mobile Broadband Signal | The Mobile Broadband Blog

Wed, 30 Dec 2009 08:23:08 +0000

[...] just found this video by accident and I had to post it. As a follow up to our popular post on How To Boost Your 3G Mobile Broadband Signal this has got to be the cheapest (probably free for most people!) mobile broadband signal booster [...]

By: admin

admin — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 19:49:05 +0000

Thanks for the comment Josh, I’ve just added a new article on Femtocells here – http://mobilebroadbandblog.co.uk/2009/10/what-is-a-femtocell/

By: Josh

Josh — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 13:43:53 +0000

What about femtocells? These are now commercially available from Vodafone. See for example
http://www.femtohub.com/search/results/?q=vodafone+access+gateway

By: Jodie Harris

Jodie Harris — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 15:13:36 +0000

I have got an eeepc with a data card from orange. Will any of the options suggested at the top work for me. I have tried moving to a different room and found out that, that does not work. I’m not sure if i have an ariel port on this notebook. Please advise the best option for me.

By: kyle

kyle — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 18:44:58 +0000

Well i think its stupid that i have to buy extra just to connect today it disconnected at 1 pm and i got back on at 8 !!!!!!

By: Pako

Pako — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 22:10:31 +0000

I bought a 3g external antenna for an E160G and it worked very well. The reception in the rural location I’m in is very poor, and the external aerial made a big difference. I think the important thing to remember where there is no signal at all an aerial may not do anything for you and also the antenna if a directional type needs to be aimed towards the 3g transmitter site, so a reasonable line of site is required (no major obstructions close to where you intend to site the antenna).

Before deciding to purchase the antenna I tested various outside locations for (any) 3G reception and also to gauge the best direction of the signal in my location, this is a help with planning for the best possible locations for an external antenna. If you can’t get any 3G signal outside it might be a waste of time buy an antenna. I got mine from Panorama antennas http://www.panorama-antennas.com/shop/ they supply all relevant connections for my card which made it fairly straight forward.

I intend using my 3G modem with a wireless router that can take the 3G USB modem, so that my laptop won’t be tied to one location in the house due to the external antenna connection. Yeah it starts to stack up on cost but when you live in a place with limited broadband options for me long term it’s worth it.

By: dean

dean — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 16:06:58 +0000

I’ve ordered one of the antennas from mobilefun for my E160G on three and it does make a difference. It adds 2 bars of signal when I’m at work, and one when i’m at home. downloads seem to come through quicker and i’m not finding that there’s a long delay before the page loads like there is with out it.

cost me £25 + postage.

http://www.mobilefun.co.uk/clip-antenna-for-huawei-usb-modems-crc9-connection-p18115.htm

By: Chris

Chris — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 20:53:54 +0000

Great article! I didn’t realise there were so many signal booster options. I may get one myself.

For anyone considering buying mobile broadband it’s also worth thinking about coverage in places away from your home and checking this before buying. For instance, if you are regularly going to use the dongle at a second location such as at work or at your parent’s/grandparent’s house. Or perhaps you are a student moving into new digs next term?

The other ways to cover poor coverage away from home include using a service that also gives you hotspot access, such as T-Mobile or O2. And don’t forget you can cancel your subscription if the coverage is poor within the first few days.

By: Chris

Chris — Sun, 31 May 2009 19:47:55 +0000

Great article! I didn’t know there were so many options for boosting your mobile broadband coverage. I may invest in a clip on booster myself as I seem to have problems half the time I try to use my dongle.

I have a couple of additional suggestions related to the advice above. I think it’s really important to think about where you are going to use your dongle. If you plan on using it at work and home, in a certain coffee shop, perhaps at Grandma’s house or in a student house that you haven’t yet moved in to then always check the coverage for that postcode in advance of ordering your dongle.

If you have bought mobile broadband and you get it home to find that your home coverage is really poor don’t be afraid to send it back and cancel your contract – as long as you do it within the first few days.

Perhaps start off with pay as you go mobile broadband to test the coverage in your home. Worst case you can sell it on ebay if the coverage isn’t up to scratch and minimise your losses.