In search of the best signal of the mobile Internet in the spring of 2015

Spring has come to our lands. The weather on the street is + 5 degrees, the summer works are resumed, and with them the search for a reliable provider of mobile Internet. It is in spring, when nature begins to wake up, the trees create additional electromagnetic radiation, the foliage closes direct visibility to the base station, the task of amplifying the cellular signal arises. And in 2015, the solutions with the lowest costs are most popular, and this is discussed in this review.

So, there is a summer cottage in a picturesque area, surrounded by pine forest, because of which the villagers are not able to receive high-frequency signals from the Yota operator, although the distance to the working base station is only 1500 meters.



To begin with, we drove around the area, using a spectrum analyzer and a laptop, we chose a base station with better bandwidth and better signal for amplification. However, at the very site of the device did not accept the 4G signal. The analyzer showed the level of the signal -105-110 dB.
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And that only here was not tried ...

We started with the most budget option - 4G antennas like a wave channel (1,490 rubles) with a declared gain of 17 dBi, an effect of zero, the modem does not see the 4G signal. Then we tried the URSA 4G panel antenna (18 dB), it did not give us anything (2000 rubles). The next AU-2520P MIMO 2x2 4G / LTE antenna (20dBi) for CU and price (4000 p), but with it the modem was not connected to the base station, and then heavy artillery, a system based on an offset parabolic antenna, was used. More on this.

Of course, using the mast would simplify our life, but we rested on the price, then the customer chose the barbaric method of installing the plate on the nearest pine. We have made every effort so that the tree does not suffer, but the result justified itself.



So, the survival kit Internet user in the forest includes:

1. Installing the bracket (500 rubles) at a height of 10 meters.
2. Offset antenna, aluminum (plate 65 cm), KU 36 dB (3000 rubles). It is possible, of course, and more, but we have a short distance, we just needed to collect the scattered signal, so this was enough. The main thing is the good quality of the plate. We decided for ourselves that we work only with Italian plates. The difference is significant, and dancing with her is always less.
3. Irradiator for satellite offset reflector AX-2400 OFFSET MIMO 2x2 4G LTE (1100 rubles). The description says that with a plate of 65 cm will give 21 dB gain, but we got more. A good plate works wonders. Our modem showed a signal level of 80 dB, the other options did not cope.
4. Cable assemblies. We used the blue cable 5D-FB Aileron 25 meters * 2 pieces, 4 N-type connectors, two pigtails (from N to CRC-9), total: 4450 rubles.
5. Huawei E3272 modem (1800 rubles)
6. ZyXEL Keenetic 4G II wifi router (2900 rubles) for distributing the signal throughout the house.

Thus, the equipment pulled a little, a lot of 13,750 rubles (dancing with a tambourine is priceless). But it also turns out cheaper than putting a 4G repeater, and taking into account the signal level - the coverage area from our solution turns out to be more.



As a result, 35-36 Mbit / s per download, transfer - 6 Mbit / s - and this is quite enough, and the subscription fee is only 1,400 rubles for unlimited, which can be reduced to any convenient price, speed or volume of traffic. Of course, you can put "real satellite Internet" and for 4 Mbit / s pay 6000-7000 rubles a month, the transfer will be up to 0.5 Mbit / s, and the traffic limit is 20-25 GB.

You decide, but we know for sure that “expensive” is a relative concept. As she said, the old woman from the "Ural dumplings" - "Expensive Land Cruiser to fill!".