Due to a history of difficulties and lack of patience with foreign idiots,
I'm looking into ditching my BT line (and 512 Kbps broadband) and using
mobile broadband for internet (and voip). The only useble signal where I
live is Vodafone and they seem a bit more expensive. There is a T-Mobile
signal in the vicinity, but not in the house. Would using an antenna and a
long cable to elevate it be worth trying?

If so what sort of antenna would I need?

Would I need a different sort of antenna to capture a "3" signal?

Would the cable be the same? (for T-Mobile and "3")

"inkle" wrote in message
...
Due to a history of difficulties and lack of patience with foreign idiots,
I'm looking into ditching my BT line (and 512 Kbps broadband) and using
mobile broadband for internet (and voip). The only useble signal where I
live is Vodafone and they seem a bit more expensive. There is a T-Mobile
signal in the vicinity, but not in the house. Would using an antenna and a
long cable to elevate it be worth trying?

If so what sort of antenna would I need?

Would I need a different sort of antenna to capture a "3" signal?

Would the cable be the same? (for T-Mobile and "3")


So no Three network in your area?
Are your tests with Voda and T Mobile on 2g or 3g?

For mobile broadband you need 3g on any network,
preferably 3.5g with a turbo modem.

So you would need a 2.1GHz carkit with aerial,
umm... I don't know any 3g phones with aerial sockets.
Are there any?

2g GPRS would give you at best 40kbp/s

Maybe you should resolve your problems with ADSL?

I'm using 3 mobile internet now to post this, i wish i could get a look
at a real ADSL connection.

Steve Terry

On Mon, 18 Aug 2008 01:32:49 +0100, Steve Terry wrote:

"inkle" wrote in message
...
Due to a history of difficulties and lack of patience with foreign idiots,
I'm looking into ditching my BT line (and 512 Kbps broadband) and using
mobile broadband for internet (and voip). The only useble signal where I
live is Vodafone and they seem a bit more expensive. There is a T-Mobile
signal in the vicinity, but not in the house. Would using an antenna and a
long cable to elevate it be worth trying?

If so what sort of antenna would I need?

Would I need a different sort of antenna to capture a "3" signal?

Would the cable be the same? (for T-Mobile and "3")


So no Three network in your area?

According to the map at
http://www.three.co.uk/personal/cove...rageChecker.do
it is not here but about a mile away which makes me wonder if it would be
worth trying with an antenna.

According to the map he
http://maps.vodafone.co.uk/coveragev...b/default.aspx
It is miles and miles away. (This presumably refers to Vodafone 3G as
opposed to 3 3G in the first map)



Are your tests with Voda and T Mobile on 2g or 3g?

2G


For mobile broadband you need 3g on any network,
preferably 3.5g with a turbo modem.

Well I'm glad to have discovered that before tying myself into a contract
with Vodafone who must surely be lying through their teeth he

http://tinyurl.com/67sb8q

Where they say:

"Superfast and reliable ¡V Our fantastic coverage in the UK means you can
enjoy warp speed mobile broadband wherever you get a Vodafone signal."

- I have a good Vodafone signal here and yet if you are correct (and I
assume you are), I can't get mobile broadband at at all.




So you would need a 2.1GHz carkit with aerial,
umm... I don't know any 3g phones with aerial sockets.
Are there any?

2g GPRS would give you at best 40kbp/s

- or roughly what I used to get with dialup - No I don't want to go back to
that.



Maybe you should resolve your problems with ADSL?

The problem with that is BT who seem to be getting worse and worse. I
suppose I will have to attempt to change my ADSL provider and attempt to
put up with BT for my line rental. I believe I could rent it from Toucan or
one or two others but I don't see much point as they have to go through BT
anyway.


I'm using 3 mobile internet now to post this, i wish i could get a look
at a real ADSL connection.

So is it not superfast reliable warp speed for you then??

"inkle" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 18 Aug 2008 01:32:49 +0100, Steve Terry wrote:
"inkle" wrote in message
...
snip
So no Three network in your area?

According to the map at
http://www.three.co.uk/personal/cove...rageChecker.do
it is not here but about a mile away which makes me wonder if it would be
worth trying with an antenna.

A mile should be OK if there isn't too much in-between

According to the map he
http://maps.vodafone.co.uk/coveragev...b/default.aspx
It is miles and miles away. (This presumably refers to Vodafone 3G as
opposed to 3 3G in the first map)

Are your tests with Voda and T Mobile on 2g or 3g?

2G

For mobile broadband you need 3g on any network,
preferably 3.5g with a turbo modem.

Well I'm glad to have discovered that before tying myself into a contract
with Vodafone who must surely be lying through their teeth he

http://tinyurl.com/67sb8q

Where they say:

"Superfast and reliable ¡V Our fantastic coverage in the UK means you can
enjoy warp speed mobile broadband wherever you get a Vodafone signal."

- I have a good Vodafone signal here and yet if you are correct (and I
assume you are), I can't get mobile broadband at at all.

That's on Voda 3G
You need to borrow a 3g phone and set it to manual network
to get an idea of the 3g networks available there

Can you keep your questions/answers shorter, and don't post in HTML

Steve Terry

If you do want to elevate the antenna for a 3G modem, consider using a
5m long USB extension cable and placing the modem itself high up. It
doesn't give you a directional antenna, but it saves a lot of hassle
with thick low-loss coax.

John

On Mon, 18 Aug 2008 04:54:21 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

If you do want to elevate the antenna for a 3G modem, consider using a
5m long USB extension cable and placing the modem itself high up. It
doesn't give you a directional antenna, but it saves a lot of hassle
with thick low-loss coax.

John

Thanks for your sound advice above, but in this case I'd be attaching it to
a computer which is only a meter below the roof space/slates anyway so
probably not practical to have the modem a few meters higher. I guess I'll
have to try and borrow a 3G phone, take it up to the chimney and see if it
picks up anything.

I wonder if some of the USB modems have a socket for an external antenna.

On Mon, 18 Aug 2008 21:49:02 +0100, Peter wrote:

inkle wrote

Due to a history of difficulties and lack of patience with foreign idiots,
I'm looking into ditching my BT line (and 512 Kbps broadband) and using
mobile broadband for internet (and voip).


Isn't 3G (or any GSM-based data) going to be hugely expensive compared
to ADSL - even if you are not roaming?

The Vodafone offering is £15 for 3GB or £25 for 5GB per month.

T-mobile is £15 for 3GB with a more civilised approach than Vodafone to
over use, or £30 for 10GB.

http://www.t-mobile.co.uk/shop/mobil...-laptop/plans/

I think I might get by on 3GB. I don't know what I use currently. BT say
they can't tell me which is strange as they contacted me last November to
say I was using too much and had to go up to their unlimited tarrif or be
penalised.

Even £30 pm would be less than I'm paying now if I include line rental.

inkle wrote:

Thanks for your sound advice above, but in this case I'd be attaching it to
a computer which is only a meter below the roof space/slates anyway so
probably not practical to have the modem a few meters higher.

From what you say about the coverage maps, not only would it be
practical, it would also be vital. You need a good clear signal for good
mobile broadband, and putting it up on a pole would help a LOT.

I guess I'll
have to try and borrow a 3G phone, take it up to the chimney and see if it
picks up anything.

Yes, well worth it.


I wonder if some of the USB modems have a socket for an external antenna.

All the ones I have seen do have. But the cable has to be a big, fat,
low-loss one. The suggestion of a usb cable with modem at the top of the
pole was a good one.

Having said that, from your previous posting, I strongly advise you to
persevere with ther ADSL. Switch to a good ADSL provider (this really
means switch to Zen) and they will hassle BT Wholesale and therefore BT
OpenReach to sort out line problemns and get your ADSL working properly.

BT Braodband are one of the worst providers when it comes to getting BT
Wholesale to sort out problems.

inkle wrote:

On Mon, 18 Aug 2008 01:32:49 +0100, Steve Terry wrote:


Maybe you should resolve your problems with ADSL?

The problem with that is BT who seem to be getting worse and worse. I
suppose I will have to attempt to change my ADSL provider and attempt to
put up with BT for my line rental. I believe I could rent it from Toucan or
one or two others but I don't see much point as they have to go through BT
anyway.

Doesn't mean you have to put up with the same crap support, even if you
are still renting BT lines. We use a smaller provider [1], cheaper than
BT, bloody excellent UK based sales/support, and never reason to say a
bad thing about them in all the years we've used them. ADSL theres then
one of many suppliers to choose from, but the one thing I would say is
avoid those that advertise heavily, it dents heavily into the support
budget. Currently using Be but you can buy similar packages off O2 for
less money. The best providers always been Zen though for many a year
but not cheap.

[1] The Phone Co-op
--
Jon B
Above email address IS valid.
http://www.bramley-computers.co.uk/ Apple Laptop Repairs.

Peter wrote:

Isn't 3G (or any GSM-based data) going to be hugely expensive compared
to ADSL - even if you are not roaming?

Nope!

For a fairly low user, you'd pay £11 per month line rental plus £17 per
month ADSL charges

Using something like 3 Mobile Broadband on PAYG £10 per month is all
you'd have to pay. OK, if you exceed 1GB you need to pay another tenner
or pay a VAST per-MB fee, but most low users don';t gat anywhere near that.