BEST COMPLETE SYSTEM TO DATE

morpheus · EVDO User Joined: 16 Jan 2006 Posts: 42

Its time to upgrade the system. My wife and I team drive and connectivity is important to us. We have a system that works ok but we know that we can do better.

I know there is a lot of talent here in this forum and I would like to take advantage of it. If cost was not an issue, how would you build your new system from the ground up? cellular router, modem, LAN/WLAN router/switch, booster, external antenna - don't leave anything out.

We have a PDA, laptop, tablet, desktop (MCE), network attached storage, network camera, in-motion satellite TV. Our service is with Verizon. We travel all 48 states and our service vaires from very good to non-existant.

What equipment would you buy? and we will support 3GStore. Thanks ...
_________________
-morpheus-

Alex · Site Admin Joined: 19 Sep 2006 Posts: 1893

morpheus · EVDO User Joined: 16 Jan 2006 Posts: 42

Hey Alex,

Thanks for the post. Some questions/statements ...

-- The Franklin will work with Verizon?
-- Hard to beat the Trucker antenna from Wilson
-- Which will work best in the fringe areas? (direct?)
-- When we are away we are generaly in a motel with WiFi so we seldom take this stuff out of the truck.

The LAN/WLAN is very important and needs to work well with the Internet gateway. I have 3-4 devices that connect directly to the switch. What switch are people buying for the LAN/WLAN side of things? I am not familiar with the converter that you mention.

Is there a reason to pick the PHS300 over the CRT350? I am looking for the best modem/router combination that works best in a weak signal environment since we will be in motion most of the time. Also, will the new units switch from 1x to EVDO automatically when we enter a EVDO area?

Thanks for the information ... and I would really like to hear from the others in this form. If you have an opinion on any of the pieces we are talking about please comment.
_________________
-morpheus-

Alex · Site Admin Joined: 19 Sep 2006 Posts: 1893

-- no, the CDU680 is only certified for use on sprint.
-- direct-connect always gives the best possible signal.

the CTR350 and PHS300 both work very well. the features that separate the two are the fact that CTR350 has an ethernet port but no battery, and the PHS300 has a battery, but no ethernet.

it sounds to me like you are more concerned about how to hard wire several things using ethernet, so the CTR350 makes more sense for you. since the CTR350 onlny has one ethernet port, what you do is buy a cheap 5 port ethernet switch and connect it to the CTR350, and all your computers/etc connect via ethernet to the 5port switch.

if you desire the rechargeable battery feature of PHS300, i'll explain more about ethernet convertor. as i said before, its hard to visualize.

morpheus · EVDO User Joined: 16 Jan 2006 Posts: 42

Since the CDU680 does not work with Verizon do you have a reccomendation? keep in mind the direct connected antenna and booster. I have noticed the term "diversity" on those products that plan on the external antenna port being used. Although I don't understand its meaning, it does appear that it might be important to my situation.

All of the permanent equipment in our vehicle has been cabled to the network. Wi-Fi does not work as well on the road as one might think. It seems like most of the places where we stop (rest areas, travel centers, fuel stops) have established their "hot spot" and channel conflicts are inevitable. We have networked applications that share files so we can't afford to lose the connection.

How does the CRT350 handle the switch from 1x to EVDO? is it automatic?

What happens when the CRT350 loses the cellular connection? does it reset after a certain time period? does the radio reset seperatly from the router like the TopGlobal?

Thanks for your help!
_________________
-morpheus-

Alex · Site Admin Joined: 19 Sep 2006 Posts: 1893

sorry. your original post didnt tell me to focus on verizon.
i built the system i would pay money for.

for verizon, i would start with the USB727. the rest of it remains the same.

the EVDO device will fallback to 1xrtt if EVDO is not present or signal is too weak. the router does not "handle" switch from EVDO to 1xrtt, the EVDO device does. the router just routes whatever connectivity it receives.

if the EVDO signal to device attached to router is so weak that it cannot maintain a decent connection, the router will reset the connection.

morpheus · EVDO User Joined: 16 Jan 2006 Posts: 42

Sorry Alex, thought I mentioned Verizon ...

You are recommending the Novatel U720 over the Sierra U595. In a nutshell can you tell me why? I am not questioning you, I would just like to know your reasoning.

You are correct, it is the radio that handles the EVDO service not the router - I was generalizing. You state that it will fall back to 1x from EVDO but you did not mention what would happen if the opposite occured - 1x to EVDO.

If the radio loses it signal, it should retry a certain number of times before a reset happens. Also, the radio reset should be seperate from the router resetting?

Thanks again for your help
_________________
-morpheus-

Alex · Site Admin Joined: 19 Sep 2006 Posts: 1893

in a nutshell: http://www.evdoforums.com/thread6289.html

EVDO devices always looking for best signal of best service.
if its on 1xrtt and it finds good enough EVDO signal, it goes to EVDO.

An EVDO device would not "reset". it just drops connection or fails to connect. a user/router would have to cause a reconnection attempt.

morpheus · EVDO User Joined: 16 Jan 2006 Posts: 42

morpheus · EVDO User Joined: 16 Jan 2006 Posts: 42

I contacted Cradlepoint Tech support on these last questions and here is what they said.

The CRT350 will supply enough power to keep the battery charged (like a hub would).

The CRT350 will recognise the EVDO service and adjust upward from 1x (most if not all other routers do not do this).

The CRT350 will not reset anything, Instead it simply retries at different intervals related to the last time it had a good connection.

They reccomend the UM150 over the U720 and U595 ...
_________________
-morpheus-