Recommendation for laptop modem in fringe 3g network

I have recommenced a 12 month contract at a minesite in remote MW QLD and the phone coverage at the accom village where I am located - furtherest from the tower has a bouncing signal strength between 1-2 bars at best on my phone, mostly 0 - 1 bar strength. I tried using the phone as a hotspot however simply cannot connect and when I do, it drops out. What would be a recommended solution(s) to explore for better internet coverage in this fringe zone? We have strong 3G in the central village area, however I am a further 500m away and its basically dead. Telstra recommended using the phone, however I have going to re-activate a 4G USB modem however they claimed my model would not work well with a windows 10 platform.

The floods in Northern QLD have closed all the supply roads and about 100 people are being flown out early from site to go home until maybe mid to late Feb, so I have some time to resolve this.

I have a Telstra 4g/3g wifi modem if you want you can have it. Should do what U need it to

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Originally Posted by rusty_nail

I have a Telstra 4g/3g wifi modem if you want you can have it. Should do what U need it to

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

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Thanks, but I also have one, and am wondering if there is a really super duper solution thats portable or if I need to rig up a big antenna to the side of the donger, As the days get hotter out here the signal drops off even further - its totally crap. Last time I was here i used the dongal I have but with Windows 7 from memory. i might head back to Telstra and grill them a bit more. Thanks Nick, i will be back to you if they crap out on me. I could be up here from 12 months upwards, so need a solid solution. I will let you know as i have a spare PATG sim to try as well with the existing modem.

You should be able to get a dongle with an external antenna plug, then just get en antenna with long lead and sit it somewhere with a bit of reception. That’s what I used to do in my caravan in remote areas


Edit: from memory you could get a little directional antenna where you point it at the closest tower, I never gone down that path

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I've read a few travellers have reported finding these pretty good lately. Means getting another sim though.

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/3G-4G-Wi...frcectupt=true

Thanks guys, currently sitting at the minesite waiting to find out if I am flying out or not. Townsville airport currently closed, Mt Isa flights miss the egg beater connection from the mine, so would have to overnite in a town thats already under stress from isolation and flooding. Few people I work with have lost their homes, including a couple that have places on the market, so in the scheme of things, finding a signal extender is pretty low priority compared to what others are going thru. I have to evac from the camp because they are running out of food! Its saturated out here and roads are cut off for at least a further 10 days - been closed for 7 now.

@Cuppa, i have sent off an enquiry about the unit you suggest and see what its capability is for signal strength in the 0/5 to 1/5 band.

Update guys, just got hold of the IT hamster on site and he says I am wasting my time. Signal is so weak this won't work. They have wifi in the main village but thats a klm away and i am not able to easily get down there. This area of camp, known as Kosovo, has limited everything because its only used fro contractors, and contractors are the lowest life form in existence, and I am a contractor! Seems like its back to postage stamps!

Blow hard & send some of that rain west. Bloody Qld is hogging the lot.

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Originally Posted by Cuppa

Blow hard & send some of that rain west. Bloody Qld is hogging the lot.

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The forecast is for another week of rain and maybe a cyclone to top it off! I have just arrived home after being removed , along with another 100 people because the food levels were at critical levels and the roads are shut for another 10 days. I guess they will have to start flying in supplies. Return date is up in the air, might be 13Th could be 20th - might head bush!

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Originally Posted by Cuppa

I've read a few travellers have reported finding these pretty good lately. Means getting another sim though.

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/3G-4G-Wi...frcectupt=true

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I contacted the seller of this unit and true to form, they sell them and know nothing about them, so he can't give comment on performance on really poor 3G service, so will speak with telstra tomorrow and see what they can off. I have to wait 3 months before being eligible to move into an area where there is good coverage - absolute crap.

The Cel-Fi units are very good but expensive. I guess you get what you pay for.

http://cel-fi.com.au

One option might be to try one of these, might extend the range -

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/USB-WiFi...frcectupt=true

If that does not work you may need a directional antenna with more gain. One way to do it is with the adapter above connected to a directional antenna (known as a Yagi) similar to this (could not find an aussie supplier on ebay though) -

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Outdoor-...KTAencw%2FotGD

Connect the adapter to the laptop via a CAT 5 cable using CAT to USB adapters -

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/USB-UTP-...YE~S:rk:6:pf:0

Should look like this
Attachment 77868

Might not need the antenna, the WiFi adapter up on a pole might be enough.

I have used the same setup to connect to free wifi from our local library which is around 500 meters from home. Stick the antenna up as high as you can.

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Originally Posted by VK2FMIA

One option might be to try one of these, might extend the range -

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/USB-WiFi...frcectupt=true

If that does not work you may need a directional antenna with more gain. One way to do it is with the adapter above connected to a directional antenna (known as a Yagi) similar to this (could not find an aussie supplier on ebay though) -

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Outdoor-...KTAencw%2FotGD

Connect the adapter to the laptop via a CAT 5 cable using CAT to USB adapters -

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/USB-UTP-...YE~S:rk:6:pf:0

Should look like this
Attachment 77868

Might not need the antenna, the WiFi adapter up on a pole might be enough.

I have used the same setup to connect to free wifi from our local library which is around 500 meters from home. Stick the antenna up as high as you can.

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Thanks for this. Unfortunately i am on a remote minesite and getting the antenna to site then fixed to a 'company donga' is going to be difficult. i am looking at the cel-fi units to be honest as i can purchase one as a legit business aid, and get the unit that can be vehicle mounted as well.

OK, bit the bullet and purchased the Cel-Fi system, bought the mobile 4wd pack with both long range/flat country antenna and the shorter antenna for hilly country, plus add the 'Donga' magnetic base external antenna and 240v ac powerpack. What I like about this system is that it amplifies the signal to provide a 900m2 coverage so if you are outside the vehicle within range you still get the benefit. Additionally the mobile phone cane be used without a cradle, which is the current system I have and the charger connection to the cradle is problematic to say the least. Finally it goes without saying that the phone cant be used whilst mobile unless hands free. I will let you all know how it pans out for both installations, but it will be the stationary installation first, then maybe 12 months for the mobile, if i am lucky enough to escape the mine!

Thanks guys for the input, good to get the feedback so an informed decision can be made.

Update on antennas, was lucky that the antenna manufacturer had just upgraded the bases of both the long and compact antennas so I can run a single base and coax and just swap the tips instead of running into a manual switch box and then into the amplifier. It remains to be seen if the gains will translate in the same way we see at 477mhz for these antennas operating in the 900 - 1800mhz band, effective gain difference may be negligible. Total package ran out at $1235 delivered

New Cel-Fi system arrived today. 2 antennas for the truck external - receive, plus the internal transmit antenna to the phAttachment 77913one. Surprised at how small the actual static antenna is for use in the Donga at site. Its a similar setup, sharktooth magnetic antenna mounted on external roof and small internal transmit antenna for the phone.

OK, got to site today, and the biggest challenge for the system was finding a way to get the cable for the external antenna thru the wall - yes, poke a hole thru the flyscreen and magnifico!

Hooked up the cables, checked the signal strength on my iPhone - hovering between 0 and 1 bar out of 5. The external antenna is mounted on the corner of the donga about 8ft off the ground and its the furtherest from the tower. Its a 3G signal. Internal antenna is hanging off the curtain rail. Turned the unit on, let it go thru its registration process and updates, then rechecked the iPhone, signal strength 5/5. Set up the mobile hotspot off the phne and away its going. Could not be happier, highly recommend it at this point. It will be used on the truck once I finish here with the mobile antennas, so might buy some additional hardware like another internal antenna and set it up so all I need to swap out is the Cel-fi unit itself. Thanks @TPC.

Sell Access.....

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Originally Posted by MudRunnerTD

Sell Access.....

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Nah, if someone gets the benefit thats fine.

Bit of an update, been using the system over the last couple of nights. Whilst the signal strength is amplified its still a 3G service and download of high graphic sites is painfully slow to initiate - once the link is made the data is 'ok' for web browsing. NP site for example takes around 5 minutes to open the front page, which can be deceiving that nothing is happening. Voice use however is great, clear as a bell. I have also found that using the iphone as a hotspot requires it being connected by a cable to the laptop to get the secure connection. Trying to connect via wifi is difficult - unsure why, but the cable works perfectly. I have ordered the additional repeater/internal antenna so will be able to set up a system in the truck with only the actual CEL-FI amplifier needing to be swapped over when moving from stationary use to mobile. I will be very interested to see just what coverage is enhanced with the stick antennas and how far out into the bush I can still get service.

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Originally Posted by Madoder

I use a 3G signal booster for Telstra, actually helps to make the signal more stable in the car. The installation wasn't that hard. They also have 4G and other options: www.myamplifiers.com/en-au/

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Can you tell exactly which model you are using and under what circumstances? My Cel-Fi, which is the only ACMA approved system for use in Aust is brilliant, however the camp is still suffering from really poor cellphone coverage and most people dont have the cash or want to pay what I did, so a cheaper and effective unit would be great to know about so I can pass it along.We are under a 3/5 3G signal and a 0-1/5 4G umbrella. When 200 people get back to camp between 6-7pm, communication to home is a pain. Look forward to hearing what you have.

We have a passive receiver on the Island I do a bit of work on but until I go back in a week or so, I can't get brand and model no.
It works most of the time for SMS and voice but data can be a problem depending on weather conditions and time of day and which way the wind is blowing. The closest tower is just over 70klm away so I suppose that is not to bad.
The phone has to be on the unit so it is hands free or headphones but bluetooth works well.
A Telstra dongle also works if run up a pole so will get details as well next time I go back.

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Originally Posted by Wizard52

We have a passive receiver on the Island I do a bit of work on but until I go back in a week or so, I can't get brand and model no.
It works most of the time for SMS and voice but data can be a problem depending on weather conditions and time of day and which way the wind is blowing. The closest tower is just over 70klm away so I suppose that is not to bad.
The phone has to be on the unit so it is hands free or headphones but bluetooth works well.
A Telstra dongle also works if run up a pole so will get details as well next time I go back.

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OK, thanks. The site has now clamped down on range extender devices except the model I have as its Telstra approved - quite a few pissed off people however their devices were causing havoc about the site, so I guess they deserve to be shut down. If the devices are not removed some sort of disciplinary action is pending.