Joeflash
join:2009-04-13
Wasaga Beach, ON
1 edit | Rogers Rocket Stick Shared with a 3G Wireless Router
I've had my eye on the MBR624GU Netgear 3G Wireless Broadband Router (»ca.netgear.com/Products/Routersa···4GU.aspx) for a few months now, ever since I've decided to move to the country just outside of Wasaga Beach Ontario and realized that the Rogers Wireless Rocket Stick is really my only decent choice for broadband in this area.
Right now I've got two USB modem sticks, one for my computer and one for my wife's. My modem gets a decent reception of HSPA 3 (max) bars and an average speed of 2Mbps (or 1.5 on a cloudy day), with a fairly consistent connection. This is cause I've got it rigged onto the end of a curtain rod attached to the house so that the modem is actually at the height of the rooftop, with a few 16' active USB cables to tether it to my machine. But my wife's stick in her main floor office, is lucky to get an HSPA signal at all, most times she gets EDGE 3 bars, which is like dial-up speeds.
So short of getting a signal booster and forking over a grand for a decent setup (based on other threads in this forum, »www.maximumsignal.ca seem to have some great products), the alternative is to either:
a) rig the same setup with the USB modem on the end of a pole to the roof tethered by active USB cables for my wife's modem, which is such a nasty, nasty hack...
b) Or get a 3G Wireless Broadband Router and share one modem, and have only one nasty hacked together modem-on-end-of-a-pole setup. Which would actually be my preference, since I'll probably max out my bandwidth to the $100 limit anyways, and with two modems, we're more likely to pay around $135 a month or more with two flex plans. Sharing one modem would bring that cost down to $100 per month.
But until recently nothing seemed available without some serious firmware tweaking. The Netgear MBR624GU was not listed on their Canadian site until just recently, and I notice that according to their site (click on "Find Online & Retail Stores" on the product page), it is now on sale at Tiger Direct (»www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/···&CatId=0), which means it is now available in Canada. Yipee!
The only thing that makes me a little unsure about buying one is, if you go on the Netgear website under Supported 3G Devices (»ca.netgear.com/3G), no Canadian ISPs are listed. Which makes me wonder whether the router will work with the Rogers Rocket Stick.
Can anyone shed some light on this? Will I be wasting my money if I buy this, will it work with the Rogers USB modem, or is there some tweak I can use to get it to work? |
|
Joeflash
join:2009-04-13
Wasaga Beach, ON
1 edit | Heh, I think I just found another solution, and in the process answered my own question.
I was searching google for "ZTE wireless router", and came across a company Beyond Wireless (»www.beyondwireless.ca), who have a Cradlepoint wireless 3G router listed on their site (»www.beyondwireless.ca/phone_acce···ID=11658) Never having heard of Cradlepoint, I looked them up.
And BAM! What do I find but a press release stating,
"March 17, 2009 – CradlePoint Technology released a new version of its firmware for use with the MBR1000 Mobile Broadband Router. Release 1.5 adds a number of new modems and handsets to the growing list of supported devices including: ... Rogers MF636 ... CradlePoint provides broader support of 3G modems and handsets than any other routers available on the market today."
»www.cradlepointsolutions.com/con···-mbr1000
Well that caught my eye, since I've been looking for a 3G router which supports the Rocket Stick for a few months now. The new firmware version definitely supports the ZTE MF636 "Rogers Rocket Stick" USB Modem. Not only that, but it supports the Rogers Novatel MC950D USB and Novatel X950D ExpressCard modems as well.
And this is no crappy wireless router. This sucker is packed with stuff.
Product Page: »www.cradlepointsolutions.com/support/mbr1000
Data Sheet: »www.cradlepointsolutions.com/fil···2008.pdf
Where to get it:
»www.beyondwireless.ca/phone_acce···ID=11658
Goes for $329.95.
The only online store I've been able to find that has it is here:
»www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.as···75997433
And the best part is... Beyond Wireless have stores in Collingwood and Barrie, right around the corner (so to speak) from where I live! Coolness! I'm getting me one!
Hope this helps a few folks who have been waiting, like me, for something just like this. |
|
Joeflash
join:2009-04-13
Wasaga Beach, ON | FYI, there's also an awesome review of the Cradlepoint MBR1000 here as well:
»www.evdoinfo.com/content/view/2259/63/ |
|
TonyC
| reply to Joeflash
Joeflash: Can you let us know how your Cradlepoint router worked with the Rogers Rocket stick.
Alos have you had any experience with a booster. I borrowed one from our local store, (Call Capture signal amplifier - cost ~$200) and could not get any appreciable difference in speed.
The speed I get (tested with speedtesy.net) without the amplifier varies from 430KB to 1.4MB download, and 500KB to 30KB upload. Quite a variation with the stick in the same spot!
Tony |
|
Joeflash
join:2009-04-13
Wasaga Beach, ON
1 edit | I'll be getting it in the next month, so I'll let you know how it works. I'm hoping that the router will also solve the disconnection issue as well, (see »Rocket Stick dropped connnections - alt.connection software?), since it has its own connection firmware compatible with the Rocket Stick.
After a certain point, I don't think speed will be affected much by signal strength. I was getting the same connection speeds as you until I improved the signal. Using a few active USB cables, I put the rocket stick on the end of a light curtain rod and lashed it to the side of my house. Now the stick is above the roof, and the surrounding treeline, and I get a steady 3 bars (max) signal all the time, even in pouring rain and cloudy weather. And although my speed has gone up from 0.5-1.0 Mbps dn/0.1-0.5 Mbps up, to 1.0-2.5 Mbps dn/0.5-1.2 Mbps up -- I can't get any higher than that, even on a clear day. So it's probably got a lot to do with tower proximity, and network load. A lot of cottagers around in the Wasaga Beach area, so maybe a lot of people are on the network.
I've been keeping copious notes, and I also discovered that when I'm only getting 1 or 2 bars signal, weather affects the speed a lot, with partly cloudy days being the worst, cloudy not so bad, clear skies the best. Now that I get a decent signal strength, the speeds correspond more closely to network load times than weather patterns, hence my earlier supposition.
1.5 Mpbs down is a typical speed for me. It's not great, but it's better than no internet at all, or dial-up, or hyper-inflated satellite charges.
If you're already getting 3 bars, then by my estimation you'll need a really good signal booster from some place like »www.maximumsignal.ca/store/produ···0&page=1, which is not cheap. I'd love to be able to justify that kind of expense, but the Rocket-Stick-on-a-stick will have to do for now.  |
|
gexgeko
join:2003-08-03
Canada | Thanks for this information Joe. Myself and a friend are anciously awaiting you're report on the Cradlepoint MBR 1000 and the Rocket Stick. |
|
dgc3154
join:2003-09-25
Port Carling, ON
| Just as a matter of interest, I have assembled my own "home spun" 3G router using an Alix board and Mikrotik for a router OS. It is complete with a wired LAN and WLAN interface. It works very well allowing me to place the router/3G stick in an optimal signal area along with providing a shared connection to the stick. This is a great solution for those who are "hi-speed disenfranchised" and where 3G is the only viable alternative. Although the Cradlepoint 3G router may be slightly cheaper than a Mikrotik home spun, I like the functionality and flexibly of Mikrotik and the fact that it also
lends itself to being fashioned into and exterior mount type setup. Anyway, just thought I'd share my experiences with those who may be interested. |
|
sysreq
join:2009-06-20
| Very interesting, dgc3154! Would you mind giving a little more details about that setup?
What are the specific pieces of equipment you've had success with so far? Was the board from Routerboard.com (affiliated with Mikrotik) or an Alix board you've gotten somewhere else that ended up working with RouterOS?
Thanks for sharing! |
|
dgc3154
join:2003-09-25
Port Carling, ON
| I have assembled this on both an Alix 2D3 and 3D2 board with whatever appropriate mini-pci radio I've had around. Usually Ubiquiti or Mikrotik R52H. Routerboard has a USB version of the 433ah board available although I have not tried it as yet as they do not have an appropriate enclosure to allow use of the usb....that is, without modification. I have used both Mikrotik OS ver. 3.23 and Zeroshell..the latest version escapes me. I built one unit for exterior mounting in an outdoor enclosure with an external omni antenna which worked well to provide internet access to a large family cottage/compound....I don't think their usage bill will be too pretty mind you. Anyway, all in all I think that the "stick" is a pretty good bet, perhaps better than portable , as lately I have seen a lot of congestion on portable, at least in the Muskoka area. |
|
asdfgasdfg
join:2009-08-06
Beverly Hills, CA
| reply to Joeflash
I put a USB2 card into an old Pentium computer with a nic installed debian and use it with a wireless router to share out the internet with my rogers stick. It was a challenge to setup (setting up the dialup for the stick was complicated) but it works great! Way cheaper than the wireless G routers out there. |
|
kosmik
| reply to Joeflash
got mt mbr624gu and no It does not support my rogers internet stick mf636 by zte drag |
|
JCheevs
@telus.net
| reply to Joeflash
I have had similar issues sharing my internet connection across my home network and found a simple solution. I use an old refurb dell I bought for $100 as a print/file server (always on) connected to my home network. I installed the mobile stick on it and used standard Windows XP Internet Connection sharing (right click on the 3G Network Connection - Advanced - Allow other users to share this connection). All you need to do is disable DHCP on your router (pretty standard feature) and the computer now acts as a router. It works great, I run several computers both wired and wireless and a VOIP phone (for work) with only 1 green bar signal I have had download speeds of over 400KB/s (appr. 4Mb connection). Hope this helps, I know I looked for solutions too. |
|
potsocalma
join:2009-10-05
Arnprior, ON
| reply to Joeflash
I'm in the country in the Arnprior area, and the rocket stick may be my best bet.
I believe I need a 100ft+ tower to get a good signal, so I am looking for any experiences with such a problem.
The rocket stick can come with a short (~3 foot?) cable to get the best position of the stick. Can the cable be in the order of 100 feet?
What about positioning an access point (switch) up the tower? then linking with cable or going directly to home wireless from there?
Anybody with experience here?
Any assistance much appreciated.
Potsocalma |
|
sbrook
Premium,Mod
join:2001-12-14
H0H 0H0 | If you put up a tower that tall, you need to contact your council and transport canada. I know where I am, towers over 75' are restricted due to Carp Airport and a local floatplane base. |
|
kamloopstina
| reply to potsocalma
We are only able to get edge -one bar in only certain areas of our house. So we bought a cell booster (240.00) (wilson) and an antenna to mount to the roof of our house and run a cable into the cell booster. The antenna was about 147.00 from a radio shop (walco). We now get 3g and all the bars all of the time with the rogers rocket stick. Now we are in the process of trying to figure out how to pick up the signal on a computer in our garage which is a separate building. Any suggestions. |
|
FLeigh
@oracle.com
| reply to potsocalma
I am in the Arnprior area also (Panmure and 417). I use Rogers Portable which is wimax. I have an external modem ($250) which I attached to my old TV antenna. I get quite reasonable speed. Usually 1.5-2.0mb down and 256 - 500k up.
The monthly fee is a flat one with no data volumes. I think the fee ranges from 24.99 - $45 per month.
I would love to have cable or dsl coverage for the speed, but alas, not to happen. |
|
TuxisMan
@rogers.com
| reply to Joeflash
I've have great success with the Cradlepoint routers for a number of years now. They're compatible with all the main 3g sticks available today from the major carriers (except I'm still waiting for confirmation on support for the HSPA+ one from Rogers). Personally I use the CTR-350 which is no bigger than a deck of playing cards. |
|
what he said
| reply to Joeflash
I can vouch for the ctr350, it is a reliable box. I sure wish Rogers would pick them up, instead of going with sony all the time. (even their pda tech/sales dept. people are saying to go with cradlepoint technologies as they know it's better)Just like most big businesses I guess it's not about innovation over $$$$ When will they wake up? |
|
Ge
@teksavvy.com
| reply to Joeflash
I also get great speed through the Rocket stick and have the following setup. I connected the Stick to my Desktop usb port and my network card to a cheep wireless router. Then set up network internet connection sharing on my Desktop and voila, we have 1 desktop top and 3 laptops over one rocket stick with great speed in the country ! just outside of alliston !!! Cheep and functional ! |
|
DJ Paolo
Mr. Wireless
join:2004-05-29
Canada
| reply to Joeflash
thats great but the only problem i see is you gotta keep your desktop on all the time for this to work, plus all the extra electricity it consumes, where as the rocket stick router, uses less electricty, you dont need to keep ur pc always on either. and you dont need drivers, the usb drivers are in the access point. |
|
