Here's My Site Survey - Need Antenna? Verizon USB760

Sactokit · EVDO Newbie Joined: 11 Sep 2009 Posts: 7

Rural Mountain campsite at the end of a canyon

Using Verizon USB760 Modem

Survey

What is the best RSSI value you could find indoors, at the location you want to use EVDO?

Between -99 to -109

At the location of best signal indoors, what were your speedtest.net results?

DownSpd : 100-130 Kb Upspeed: 60 KB Ping 800-1300ms

I was able to D/L a 30MB file in about 20 minutes - like dial-up!

What is best signal immediately outside and around your house

Still around the same lowest was -96 to -104 on roof .

At the location where you found the best signal outdoors, what were your speedtest.net results?

Same speeds

How far do you have to drive to find stable/reliable -80 signal?

Havent tried going up the hill (mountain), but no good signal nearby.

What's between you and that -80 signal? Trees? Elevation

Lots of timber and some terrain blocking LineOfSight

Assuming you need to mount an antenna outside your home/office, how much antenna cable will you need to get from the antenna to the device? Remember, the shorter the better! Longer lengths may require the use of a dual-band direct-connect 3watt amp to benefit from the antenna.

20-25 feet for the roof mount.

Do you need to provide better signal to just one device or multiple devices?

One device - USB760 modem for my laptop

Does each device you want to provide gain to have a jack to accept an antenna adapter cable?

Yup.

Would an antenna do me any good?

Thanks,
Kit

Sactokit · EVDO Newbie Joined: 11 Sep 2009 Posts: 7

Oh yeah, the signal displayed in the Verizon access software shows
"Broadband Rev" a sometimes but usually "National Access".

Our Verizon cell phones show only one bar.

Sactokit · EVDO Newbie Joined: 11 Sep 2009 Posts: 7

So, not much improvement outside vs inside on site survey of cell signal.
Tech said antenna might help but try something first.

He said to get a 15' USB extension cable, connect that to the USB760 modem for the laptop and tape the modem to a broom stick or pole. Plug the other end into the USB port on the laptop, and there you go!

Holding this high will simulate an antenna, and give you an idea if the antenna might help.

Question: could I use an USB 2.0 Active Extension Cable ?

These are powered thru the USB port and boost signal (I think).

Could I use more than one such cable (each is 15' long). The ads imply you could go 60' total.

Wondering...

Kit

im_electronic · Posted: Wed Oct 07, 2009 1:24 am Post subject:

the active USB extension may help, better compared to a passive one as the more power that the USB modem has the better it can receive (early modems had a extra battery pack for when operating on the fringe areas)

an antenna would do you good, and possibly an amp. I'de say enter in this months contest, and try your luck.

if that doesn't work, is your roof metal? do you have a square piece available to you? if so get the highest dbi mag mount in your budget and go with that.

Sactokit · EVDO Newbie Joined: 11 Sep 2009 Posts: 7

Roof is standard asphalt shingles, but I do have a mast at the peak for TV antennas, etc.

If I knew where the signal was for sure, I might try a directional antenna.

Right now,I'm thinking of the omni building antenna since it comes with a 25' cable.

Will experiment with the 15' USB extension first.

So the active USB cable has a built in amp-thing that keeps power flowing in a longer cable, but doesn't interfere with transmission?

-Kit

im_electronic · Posted: Wed Oct 07, 2009 11:27 am Post subject:

if it's like this one then I wouldn't use all but one to avoid power interference, all they seem to be is a 1 port usb hub with some power circuitry to keep it going a lil more, a good powered USB hub between the active extender and your computer or router would help as well, giving it a dedicated power source.
so no signal interference with transmission, but the possibility of the modem not getting enough power exists

also shorter cables, and minimal connectors/extensions off an antenna to your modem will reduce any signal loss, so a combination of the USB extender and a mast mounted antenna would yield good results.

I've seen some long distance wifi competitors use similar solutions.

hope that helps let us know how it goes.

Sactokit · EVDO Newbie Joined: 11 Sep 2009 Posts: 7

See first post re survey RSSIs.

I bought a Building Mount OMNI Antenna for Novatel USB760 from the 3g store since it came with a 25' cable.

Mounted it on a mast on the roof of my rural campsite. The cable ended up being 10' too short to reach desired computer location. So, I used an 16' active USB cable to connect the USB 760 modem and the computer. This permitted me to take the modem to the antenna cable end and complete the connection. (25' for LMR-240 low loss cable + the 16' powered USB cord) , thus giving me enough reach to get to the cable end from the antenna.

Since the RSSIs I got on the roof before weren't much better than inside, I wasn't expecting any great improvement with the antenna over my slow speeds using the Verizon 760 modem on my laptop.

The speed tests were highly variable but the averages with the antenna were much better overall:

Here's what I found: Down / Up / Ping

Modem only : 140 kbps / 30 kbps ping 1300
Antenna connected : 1400 kbps /200 kbps ping 230

Modem only : 30Mb file d/l in 40 mins.
Antenna connected: 30Mb file d/l in 10 mins.

The new Verizon VZAccess Manager version shows RSSIs for both
EVDO and 1XRTT

Modem only: EVDO -101 / 1XRTT -105

Antenna connected: EVDO -93 / 1XRTT -97

So even with only slightly better readings on the roof, the antenna boosts speeds two to three-fold in my experience.

My Verizon W755 phone shows EV three bars, and 1X is zero to one bar, but connects fine.

Hope this helps others to decide.

im_electronic · Posted: Sun Oct 25, 2009 1:45 pm Post subject:

good to hear it worked out.
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