Wireless / Mobile > Millenicom > Best antenna/amp for Verizon LTE

reply to jferris33

Signal strength indicators - so confusing

reply to jpainter01

Re: Best antenna/amp for Verizon LTE

reply to Max Signal
OMG!!! What valuable information. I did not believe this could be true, so I ran some tests. I have the Verizon 4620L and both the Wilson3G and their 4G Sleek. For this test I used the 4G Sleek (becaue it's newer) attached to a brand new external "Super Trucker's" antenna situated above the roof of our RV.

I am in a 3G only area.

I opened two tabs in my browser. One tab with the 4620L diagnostics program and the other tab with Speedtest.net. I started the Speedtest and while it was running, went over to the diagnostics tab and hit F5 to refresh the diagnostics results. I recorded the RSSI and the noise level from the diagnostics and the download speed from Speedtest.

I performed these tests 12 times each, both with the 4620L being in the Sleek and with the 4620L not in the Sleek.

I can't tell you how shocked I was with the results.

In the Sleek: RSSI readings as low as -53, noise about -4.5ish , download speeds averaging 1.20ish

Without the Sleek (and no external antenna): RSSI -68 to -69, noise about 12, and download speeds averaging 240ish.

I can't wait to get an adapter to mate the external antenna with the 4620L and see what that does.

This test has made me lose all respect for any vendor that sells the Sleek as a signal booster for the hotspot.

This also poses another question. What about the 3G Sleek for boosting the 3G cell phone signal? I know that it will boost the dBi on my phone from -96 to -54. Is that misleading too? Is there something else I should be looking at to better evaluate voice call quality?

The Sleek should be fine for voice calls as noise and packet loss do not effect voice near as much as data . Also the sleek appears to be fine with 3G as it does not have near the speeds or require as large a pipe for the data .
Do not blame the vendors . They only know what the manufacturer tells them and they are just trying to make a buck . As far as getting an amplifier . The best advice is to be patient . There will lots of amplifiers coming out in the months ahead from multiple manufacturers. It just takes a while to properly engineer them and then get them passed by the FCC.
The Sleek for what it is , is an adequate device . It is very inexpensive and filled a void in the marketplace . It is the first on the market . That does not mean it is the ultimate solution. There will be better ones with time , I am sure Wilson will be offering more soon as well.
As far as your testing any signal under -75 will get you optimum speeds available from a tower and a network . Going from -69 signal to -53 signal really should have no effect . My advice is to not even put an amplifier in use for anything less than a-80 signal.
A direct connection with an amplifier and your 4620 will work best in 3G areas . If you got your cable from Verizon directly , you can be assured it is the exact cable and not a near fit.

Max Signal,

Again, what useful information you've provided. I am only looking to attach the 4620 to the external "Super Truckers Antenna" for now, not an amp when in a 4G area. We travel a lot in the RV and I want to have choices available to change solutions as the environment changes.

What is the name of your business?

Thanks again

I am the guy you bought the Super Trucker off , LOL

reply to Max Signal
All the testing I did was on 3G, as there is no 4G where we are presently camped. My tests showed that the Sleek reduced the data download speeds of the 4620 significantly.

I will repeat the tests again later in another location, but right now the hotspot is staying OUT of the Sleek!

reply to Max Signal
That's too funny! Hey, it works great . . .

Spread the word on the RV.net forums . I am not very well liked there . Lots of Wilson disciples . LOL . I think it is because Camping World is a big advertiser there and they are big Wilson dealers . I am glad the Super Trucker is meeting you expectations . Hope The 13 Inch mag mount is as well . That little Mag mount kicks butt for the price,

Check your IM message on this site.

Thank you for the post of confidence . If you do a search on the rv.net forums you will find many threads with people praising the virtues of the Sleek . Like I said it is not bad for what it is . But there are going to be a lot more options coming if one has patience

reply to jferris33
I'm unsure of getting an antenna for my Verizon Mifi setup. I just got it last week and I ordered the "universal antenna" from Millenicom. I'd found that my best setup was in the last place I expected in a bedroom upstairs for 3G. Today I came home and to my surprise we had 4G service. I've been running speed tests and trying out different things online. The speed has been pretty solid. I'm getting 17-25 MB download speed and 5-8 MB upload speeds. Pings are usually between 50-70 ms. I'm pretty happy with the speeds after not having more than 3G available since we moved here 2 years ago. My readings in my diagnostic page shows -100 dBm RSSI and between 8-19 SINR. I know the RSSI isn't optimal, but I don't get any change with or without the external antenna. The mifi is sitting in the bedroom window without the antenna. Should I look into one of the better external antenna setups to improve my signal numbers? I'm very happy with the speeds so far. It's comparable to my internet service at work.

reply to jferris33
I went all in with a Wilson 4G LTE bundle. I have no other high speed internet available and I was 5.1 mi from the nearest LTE tower. Without any booster I needed to drive about 1.5 mi towards the tower to get a 4G connection. When I was within .5 mi from the tower I was testing at 35 Mbps down / 19 Mbps up on my UML290 modem.
The Wilson 4G bundle includes external mounted YAGI, 4G LTE (Verizon band only) & internal panel premises antenna. In addition I needed two LMR400 cables, a chain link fence pole to mount the YAGI and a Cradlepoint MBR1200 (EBay steal) to share the UML290 modem 4G connection.
All told this cost me around $500. The signal strength and speeds are excellent, and the coverage area provided by the panel antenna providesa strong 4G connection in all 3 floors of my house and around the outside area near my house.
Now that I switched over to Millenicom 20GB hotspot plan I am happy with the speed and the price. The Verizon Cantenna deal is not attractive since the
Rate per GB is very high and the caps on the sharing are very low.
Leveraging the 20GB cap with my unlimited data on my 4G phone let's me use the LTE connection for occasionally streaming movies and serving the many internet connected devices in my home (wife & 2 teenagers