boosting evdo - amplifier? antenna?

cytexone · EVDO Fledgling Joined: 02 Jun 2005 Posts: 15

Hi all,

first time poster here. This is a very informative forum for sure, and thanks for hosting this forum, Michael. I'm looking to boost my customer's EVDO signal strength for his pc5220.

i've been reading through these great forums and I've gotten these tidbits of information:

- O ther 800/1900 amplifiers?) helps boost EVDO strength on the pc5220, et al.
- the EVDO optimized booster antenna helps speed up connections and enhance EVDO signals on the pc5220, et al.

A few questions:

- Do the two of these in conjunction work together?
- If they do work together, is the effect of signal strength enhancement amplified or multiplied at all, or is it overkill?
- Does it matter if I use one or the other, or is it best-practice to use both in conjuction?
- If I decide to only use an amplifier, can I effectively use any 800/1900 antenna to be able to mount it on a car?

Thanks very much for any light shed on these issues.

Andy Slezak
CYTEXONE

Michael · Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2005 8:32 pm Post subject:

A few questions first:

- is client in 1xRTT or EVDO coverage area?
- is the signal issues a specific location?
- are they bouncing between 1xrtt & evdo?
- what is the signal strength they are getting?
- if a single location (home/office), what is the signal strength they are getting outside the location?
- are they using MCM or VZAccess?

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cytexone · EVDO Fledgling Joined: 02 Jun 2005 Posts: 15

Michael · Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2005 11:28 pm Post subject:

Here is our first independent test results of the booster antenna

RSSI = Received Signal Strength Indication

This is the strength of the signal. The lower the number the stronger the signal. You would get a -50, if you were sitting under the transmitting EVDO tower. If you are somewhere above -120, you would not get any signal

So, for our first test, we used a PC 5220 card and tested in an EVDO coverage area. We used the same Booster Antenna for all tests and the antenna was in the same location.

PC 5220 built-in antenna down
RSSI 87

PC 5220 built-in antenna up
RSSI 83

with booster antenna
RSSI 71

with SignalReach SA210 and booster antenna
RSSI 66

with Inteligain DBA8-19 and booster antenna
RSSI 60

with our EVDO Amplifier (by Wilson Amp) and booster antenna
RSSI 58

I have not been able to find out the exact conversion that Verizon uses, but if you look at this chart for a BlackBerry, you will get an idea on how the RSSI numbers relate to signal bars.

Signal Bar Strength Indicators RSSI Indicators

5 bars -77 or higher
4 bars -78 to 86
3 bars -87 to -92
2 bars -93 to -101
1 bar -102 or lower

A number below -120dBm: No reception

This first tests shows us:

- use your flip up antenna, it helps.
- a booster antenna probably gives the most improvement for dollars spent (est $69)
- a SignalReach improves over the booster, slightly (est $400)
- an Inteligain DBA8-19 gives a good jump (est. $200)
- the Wilson amp gives us the best performance ($289)

Signal amplifiers require an external antenna (they do not work with out one).
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cytexone · EVDO Fledgling Joined: 02 Jun 2005 Posts: 15

Thanks, Michael. This is extremely helpful.

I would love to hear other's feedback if they have any of these setups running. I've read other reviews, and overall it seems pretty positive.

Additionally, anyone in the NYC area with this setup would be greatly appreciated as well.

Looking forward to all feedback.

Andy Slezak
CYTEXONE

Michael · Posted: Fri Jun 03, 2005 12:17 pm Post subject:

There will be more testing in different situations (outside of EVDO coverage, low signal, different cards, etc.)

If you are 'signal challenged', there are options out there for you. The Booster Antenna is a good first try. Almost 400 people have been happy with it (5 returned, because it didn't help them). Keep in mind, if you are in a zero signal area, there is nothing to boost (anything times zero is always zero).

The next item for those 'signal challenged' is a signal amplifier.

Now keep in mind, all these products - may also benefit those that are NOT signal challenged. How? By increasing the signal, you have less noise and that can in return mean faster download speeds. We will be doing more tests to see how these different items affect download speeds (because that is what is most important).
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al · EVDO Newbie Joined: 15 Jun 2005 Posts: 3

6-15-05
The following report is from testing I have been doing at my home. My goal was to get 4 bars of service with the lowest signal loss from the sending EVDO tower.

RSSI = Received Signal Strength Indication
The lower the number the stronger the signal

RSSI of 95 to 104 = 1 Bar of signal strength
RSSI of 85 to 94 = 2 Bars of signal strength
RSSI of 75 to 84 = 3 Bars of signal strength
RSSI of 32 to 74 = 4 Bars of signal strength

I used the Verizon 5220 card with the latest version of Mobile Connection Manager. I also locked the card into HDR mode so that it only received the EVDO signal. I used the Inteligain DBA8-19 amp with several different antennas. These tests were performed on the roof of my house about 10 miles outside of Madison, Wisconsin.

5220 and Inteligain DBA8-19 with no antenna
RSSI = 99

5220 with built in antenna flipped down
RSSI = 90

5220 and Inteligain DBA8-19 with window antenna
RSSI = 84

5220 and Inteligain DBA8-19 with Trucker antenna
RSSI = 82

5220 with built in antenna flipped up
RSSI = 80

5220 and Inteligain DBA8-19 with Yagi antenna
RSSI = 76

5220 with Arc booster antenna
RSSI = 70

5220 and Inteligain DBA8-19 with Arc booster antenna
RSSI = 65

A signal strength of 74 or lower gives you 4 bars and my average internet connection speeds from my roof top were 452 down and 136 up. The best speeds I was able to obtain were 582 down and 144 up.

Next I drove to the EVDO tower in Madison and was able to get the lowest RSSI measurement of 32. The most interesting part of this experiment is that my internet connection speeds did not increase above 582 down and 144 up. I believe Verizon has limited the back end internet speeds on the EVDO tower I tested to 600 down and 144 up. This is consistent with the text printed on the side of the box for the 5220 card.

Conclusion:
The lower the RSSI the greater the signal strength. Getting below the 74 RSSI measurement gives you 4 bars of signal strength and the maximum internet speed available in your area. I believe Verizon is limiting the back end internet feed to their EVDO towers to speeds of 600 down and 144 up. Even though the technology is rated to 2.1 meg down they are not feeding the towers with enough bandwidth on the back end. We can only hope they open up the throttle a bit more when EVDO Rev. A gets turned on.

If you are not getting 4 bars of signal strength then I recommend trying the Arc booster antenna first. This is the most cost effective solution and gives you the biggest signal increase for the lowest price. However, since it is rather difficult working on the roof of my house with the wind and the rain, the Inteligian DBA8-19 with the Arc booster antenna made it possible for me to get 4 bars of signal strength inside my home. The DBA8-19 amplifier compensates for the signal losses due to the extra cable lengths that are needed to mount the antenna outside of the house.

Going from 2 bars to 4 bars is like the old days when we went from 28K to 56K modems. The difference now is 250K down vs. 500K down. For me the cost of the Inteligian DBA8-19 and the Arc booster antenna is a small price to pay for the added bandwidth!

integraevdo · EVDO Newbie Joined: 15 Jun 2005 Posts: 1

Just connected up my new antenna to my 5220 and WOW! I went from a 0-2 bar RTT signal to a solid 2 bar EVDO!

Im not even listed to be under that coverage on Verizons map.

About $85 shipped from booster-antenna.com

EVERYONE TRY THIS IF YOU ARE HAVING SIGNAL PROBLEMS.

Jimmy.

Michael · Posted: Mon Jul 11, 2005 8:19 pm Post subject:

I just got one here.

I will be doing some benchmarks to see how it compares and post the results.
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JLNIKE · EVDO Newbie Joined: 14 Jul 2005 Posts: 5

mximum....i was wondering what connections i need in order to use the DBA819 in my car on a kyocera evdo card.....there are many adapters and your website is confusing and has no tellephone # on it......Otherwise i would have called and ordered it yesterday...I also purchased the antenna booster from here so ...do i need another adapter in order for them all to work together in my car?....thanx

If anyone else knows the answers to my questions and can help me out that would be great.....I just want to get thge product before my 15 day return policy is up

Michael · Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2005 7:32 pm Post subject:

Starting July 1st, all booster antennas have the detachable cable, that makes it easier to use an amplifier or move your antenna to a new data card.

Michael
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Michael · Posted: Wed Jul 20, 2005 8:28 am Post subject:

For those looking for a performance tip, check out this thread:

SuperCharged EVDO

(sorry for the cheesy name SuperCharged EVDO, we are just finally waking up and doing out best to get different phrases indexed by the search engines - others (e.g. Robert Kim) are charging $200+ for this free information - and we are doing our best to get this information to many people).
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Zorog · EVDO Heavy User Joined: 08 Jul 2005 Posts: 135

Great questions!

First, receive diversity (read: 2 antennas) pays off best in a moving environment, second best in cluttered RF, and rarely helps in a stationary mode. That being said, however, there is almost always a benefit in using external antennas, if for no other reason than getting it away from the interference of your laptop. Just make sure the loss of the cable does not exceed the gain of the antenna.

So far, my testing has revolved around 3 to 5 db gain vehicle-mounted antennas. Ironically, I am not scheduled to test directional (yagi) antennas until next month. I will be traveling to a remote area to conduct these tests, and they will take a week or two. I will definitely post the results as soon as I get them.

I'm sorry I don't have a definitive answer.

Anyone else?

Jim1348 · EVDO User Joined: 28 Aug 2005 Posts: 29

I have a Sierra Wireless Aircard 550 that I want to connect to an antenna that terminates in a TNC connector. I need an adapter that goes from SSMB (mini SMA to TNC). Can anyone advise where I can get one that wont cost an are and a leg. The least expensive I have seen to far is

http://sharperconcepts.zoovy.com/c=6fVZVefqf7GnxgssW6WgbmGTC/product/YSC-CA-SNPTFCN19

$14.99 plus FedEx 8.82 = $ 23.81

Is that a good price or can I do better?

It is still better than direct from Sierra Wireless

https://www.sierrawireless.com/estore/product.asp?SKU=6000197

$39.00 plus shipping

boater805 · Posted: Sun Aug 28, 2005 10:21 pm Post subject: Re: SSMB to TNC pigtail