tate886
join:2009-09-10
Elkview, WV
| [ Troubleshooting] stabilizing my signal at the lowest cost
Hi everyone,
Here is my situation. I've had my Verizon EVDO service for about six or seven months now. I'm running an UM175 modem plugged directly in to a desktop, wit no router, and a little cheap suction-cupped glass mounted antenna sitting in the window beside the desktop. I also use the included y-cable, with the modem plugged in to two USB ports on my computer.
I usually have around 3 bars of EVDO service,and 4 bars of national access service. Surprisingly, or perhaps not, the 3 EVDO bars are much better then the 4 National Access. The nearest tower to me is less than a third of a mile away, and can be seen from the house, quite clearly in the fal and the winter. There are other towers nearby as well, I think.
Also, we are in an area that was, I believe, primarily Alltel until the Verizon buy out, and there may be some issues with converting towers and so forth from Alltel to Verizon.
Anyhow, my RSSI used to hover between -75 and -80, but in the last month or so, it has gone up to between -84 and -87,and it occasionally just bottoms out at around -108. This usually only happens about once a month, but it can last for hours and/or days.
My download and uploads speeds usually range between 1 and 1.5 megabits down, and 300 to 600+ kilobits up. With the exception of the times when my RSSI just goes crazy, and considering i'm in a rural area, I think this isn't a bad signal at all,with not too bad down and up speeds.
But, is there a way, as cheap as possible as I'm on a fixed income and cannot afford a lot of expensive equipment, to stabilize my signal even further, and get my RSSI back down to around -75+ to -80? Or, should I just learn to liv with the annoyance of sudden disconnects and occasional speeds that are barely better then dial up?
Of course, while they have been unfailingly polite, Verizon tech support is totally useless. When they lern you're in a rural area, you almost automatically get the scripted excuse of "it's trees or folliage" though I have told them repeatedly that there is now much much less folliage then a month ago, and far fewer trees as we all need firewood around here, and the local tree population has suffered accordingly. LOL!
Thanks for any advice.
~Ann |
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Max Signal
Premium
join:2008-03-07
Buffalo, NY | Try WWW.evdo-tips.com for useful information. |
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Jim_in_VA
join:2004-07-11
Cobbs Creek, VA
 ·Verizon Wireless B..
·Sprint Mobile Broa..
·Millenicom
| reply to tate886
Thanks Max.
Ann,
With VZAccess open but NOT connected, on your keyboard press the CTRL key and then the D key (CTRL-D) and enter password DIAGVZW. Select the "Settings" button ... then select "HDR only". Save, back out, and reconnect.
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... need help? »evdo-tips.com/ |
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tate886
join:2009-09-10
Elkview, WV
| said by Jim_in_VA  :Thanks Max. With VZAccess open but NOT connected, on your keyboard press the CTRL key and then the D key (CTRL-D) and enter password DIAGVZW. Select the "Settings" button ... then select "HDR only". Save, back out, and reconnect. Hi Jim and all,
First, I'm very familiar with evdotips.com as well as most of Jim's sites. They are excellent,and Jim, you should get some kind of good samaritan medal or something for taking all the time to help us out.
However, setting my UM175 modem to HDR only turns my occasional disconnect problem in to a far mor frequent one, with very little increase in speeds. Though, to be honest, I don't really expect to get much more speed out of this thing then I already do. 1 to 1.5 megabits down isn't bad, especially compared to my 26.6 dial up days. I'd just like a tiny bit more stable signal. Unfortunatley, I only have a tiny bit of money that can be put in to the effort.
I know of a place that, according to a lot of folks, sells a good indoor booster antenna for around $60. I'm wondering if this antenna might be a better one then the cheap $25 glass mounted thing I got from Verizon? Would a booster antenna help at all, or do you all think I'd just be wasting my money? Are there out door antennas for around $60 to, perhaps, $85 that might help, and are easy to mount say on the outside edge of a window?
~Ann |
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Jim_in_VA
join:2004-07-11
Cobbs Creek, VA
·Verizon Wireless B..
·Sprint Mobile Broa..
·Millenicom
| A directional antenna is the best way to go Ann. But you need to know where the cell tower is. With a very minimum of fuss a panel will work well. A lot depends on distance to the tower. They are under $70.
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... need help? »evdo-tips.com/ |
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tate886
join:2009-09-10
Elkview, WV
| Thanks Jim,
I don't know the exact direction, but the nearest tower is less than a third of a mile away,and there are a few further out from that one, too.
The under $70 antenna sounds good. Are there any specific brands you recommend? And, how difficult are they to set up?
After doing a bit of playing around with my current setup, I'm starting to think my cheap bought through Verizon antenna may have given up the ghost. Unplugging it and re-attaching it from my data card made almost no difference in signal strength,no matter where I placed it. So, this may be a large part of my problem, my indoor antenna not working as it used to do..
~Ann |
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Max Signal
Premium
join:2008-03-07
Buffalo, NY
 ·Verizon FIOS
| reply to Jim_in_VA
Our 13 inch magnetic mount rocks,
»https://www.maximumsignal.net/store/prod···5&page=2
Easy to install just need an adapter from www.eur-am. com
»www.eur-am.com/adapter/fmef-tncf.htm
, To connect your current adapter to it.. That should stabilize your signal without putting you in the poor house
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www.MaximumSignal.Net |
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Jim_in_VA
join:2004-07-11
Cobbs Creek, VA | reply to tate886
A third of a mile away? Heck Ann, just use a USB extension cable and stick it in a window facing the tower. Should be all you need.
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... need help? »evdo-tips.com/ |
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tate886
join:2009-09-10
Elkview, WV
| said by Jim_in_VA :A third of a mile away? Heck Ann, just use a USB extension cable and stick it in a window facing the tower. Should be all you need. LOL! I know it sounds so simple, doesn't it, Jim. And, I'm already using a USB extension cable, and at least until a few weeks ago, the modem and antenna were sitting in the window that gave me the best signal.
Another one of our issues, not that I can get Verizon to confess to this of course, is the conbversion from Alltell to Verizon. The closest tower was an Alltell tower which is now supposedly Verizon. I suspect this is at least part of the problem because when I can get Verizon to push me what they call a hybrid PRL, it sometimes fixes the issue for a very short period of time. The last PRL is useless, per my own experiences, but the one I had before it was great. Naturally, Verizon won't give me back my old PRL, though.
So, is it normal for seasonal changes to have such a dramatic effect onsignal/RSSI numbers? If so, I may be fussing over nothing.
~Ann |
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tate886
join:2009-09-10
Elkview, WV | reply to Max Signal
Thanks, Max, for those options. I might just give that a try, as it's the lowest costs I've seen so far, and looks fairly simple to use. I'm not too sure what I'll magnetically nount it too, but I can find something.
~Ann |
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Max Signal
Premium
join:2008-03-07
Buffalo, NY | Anything will do . ie. pie plate , pizza pan , cookie tin, Filing cabinet , refrigerator , Just can't be aluminum or stainless steel. Even better if you can get it outside.
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www.MaximumSignal.Net |
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Jim_in_VA
join:2004-07-11
Cobbs Creek, VA | a '57 Chevy roof top works good too (if you have one laying around)
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... need help? »evdo-tips.com/ |
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tate886
join:2009-09-10
Elkview, WV
| reply to Max Signal
said by Max Signal :Anything will do . ie. pie plate , pizza pan , cookie tin, Filing cabinet , refrigerator , Just can't be aluminum or stainless steel. Okay, I just have to ask, a pie plate, pizza pan, etc? Do these things really work? I read somewhere, maybe on Jim's site or somewhere else about a coffee can antenna, but that kind of harkens me back to the days of the rabbit ears and aluminum foil on the back of my tv. LOL!
~Ann |
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Max Signal
Premium
join:2008-03-07
Buffalo, NY | They work fine just have to be at least 8 inches by 8 inches to work great . The bigger the better . Ask Jim that antenna is great. Best antenna we sell $$$$ to performance
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www.MaximumSignal.Net |
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Jim_in_VA
join:2004-07-11
Cobbs Creek, VA | reply to tate886
Think "McGyvver" or "Mister Wizard" ..strange stuff works
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... need help? »evdo-tips.com/ |
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tate886
join:2009-09-10
Elkview, WV
| reply to Jim_in_VA
said by Jim_in_VA :a '57 Chevy roof top works good too (if you have one laying around) Rats, and my x-brother-in-law just halled away all of his junked cars the other day. It would figure! LOL!
~Ann |
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Jim_in_VA
join:2004-07-11
Cobbs Creek, VA | reply to Max Signal
yup, best price to performance antenna I've seen
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... need help? »evdo-tips.com/ |
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tate886
join:2009-09-10
Elkview, WV
| reply to Jim_in_VA
said by Jim_in_VA :Think "McGyvver" or "Mister Wizard" ..strange stuff works LOL! What we have in abundance around here is old pie pans, aluminum foil and duct tape. The latter I can see may be semi-useful, but probably can't do much with the foil. I'll have to see about the pie pans.
~Ann |
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