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nerys
join:2013-06-16

nerys

Member

Latency issues with clear ?? what can I do?

We have clear (comcast screwed me for the last time I can't afford $80 a month. Period)

anyway got clear. I know its not going to be anywhere near as fast as comcast (and that is ok) I was holding a steady 600-800k download speed and that is more than sufficient.

my problem is it keeps becoming UNUSABLE for "small" connections (loading websites playing games etc..) ie connection that don't use much bandwidth but "form" a lot of "connections"

I goto dx.com and it loads the pictures "one at a time" sometimes pages just fail to load and I have to hit try again.

but downloading (torrents) or netflix work fine. no problem.

what gives? what can I do to improve this. I don't need fast just USABLE. playing flash games like war commander or vega conflict are impossible. the connection is too unstable.

I am getting a CINR of 13-16 (going to order an external antennae anyway even though apparently this is pretty good)

my "ispot" behaved like this too but I thought it was an issue with the ispot not the service ??
Bdubs
join:2013-04-25
Ubiquiti EdgeRouter Lite
Zoom 5341J

Bdubs

Member

Sounds like you are getting packet loss because of poor signal.

A CINR under 16 is not good. You want a signal of at least -78 (lower is better) and CINR of at least 16, preferably 18 or more. Otherwise it will be slow, with frequent timeouts and reconnects.

If you have at least those minimums and your service is still bad I would then look at perhaps the tower being overloaded or some other issue.

Try to get a better signal.
nerys
join:2013-06-16

nerys

Member

my cinr is 14-18 usually 14-16 my signal is -83 usually

so. I need an external antennae - which one is best for this?
Bdubs
join:2013-04-25
Ubiquiti EdgeRouter Lite
Zoom 5341J

Bdubs

Member

Yes, your signal is at the very edge of even being able to connect, -85 is the cut-off. I would try moving it around, or even placing it in your attic if you have one.

In your situation I suggest an outdoor mounted antenna. I doubt any indoor booster antenna will do much good. Finding a good antenna can be tricky and your device must have an external connector. Try an eBay search for "WiMAX Hi Gain Antenna".

Best of luck.
criggs
join:2000-07-14
New York, NY

criggs to Bdubs

Member

to Bdubs
said by Bdubs:

You want a signal of at least -78 (lower is better) and CINR of at least 16, preferably 18 or more.

Just to be clear, I use Sprint, not Verizon Wireless. Are those CINR standards valid with Sprint as well?

Right now I'm enjoying excellent 4G WiMax speeds, with a signal strength of -50 dBm and a CINR of 16. If I understand you correctly, this is why my WiMax is working so well at the moment.

My LTE is giving me sub-spec speeds, normally around the 2 to 3 meg range, well below Sprint's minimum LTE spec of 6 megs download speed per second. And the LTE signal strength is -80 dBm with a CINR of -9. So, with those dBm and CINR figures, am I condemned to never getting good LTE?

Just to complete the picture, my 3G is -51 with an Ec/Io of -1, whatever that means.
Bdubs
join:2013-04-25
Ubiquiti EdgeRouter Lite
Zoom 5341J

Bdubs

Member

Yes, I was referring to WiMAX, Clear/Sprint and valid for both.

At -50 you must be very close to the tower or have line of site. Once you go below -50 your signal actually becomes too strong and can degrade performance (in some cases).

I don't personally have much experience with any LTE gear, but I know the cut-offs are similar. For LTE the cut-off is around -82 and you want a SINR of at least 12 at minimum. Only having a SINR of 9 means your signal is not much higher than the RF noise. When you have a poor SINR it also means you connect using a low data rate. As would be expected with a low signal, this will cause slow speeds and an overall bad experience.
criggs
join:2000-07-14
New York, NY

criggs

Member

I have a Tri-Fi, which does have two external antenna ports. Do you believe that filling those ports with an external antenna or antennae might help?
criggs

criggs

Member

After a lot of research, I established to my satisfaction that those two so-called antenna ports are NOT antenna ports. Rather they're connectors for the only "antenna" compatible with the Tri-Fi, and that is the Tri-Network Hotspot Desktop Cradle, only available online, and not at Sprint stores, at shop.sprint.com/mysprint/shop/accessory/ao_details.jsp?accSKU=63700655 .

The two other possibilities are some antennae that Wireless 'n' WiFi sells with adapter cables for the appropriate device and also wireless WiFi extenders, available from Best Buy in my area, among others.

Sierra Wireless/Netgear itself recommends the Cradle, so I figured I'd start with that to see how much that helps. Apparently it's not that dramatic, but I figured it couldn't hurt. If I'm still getting weak LTE signal after that I figure I can move on, at that point, to some of the antennae from Wireless 'n' WiFi. If those don't do the trick, as a last resort, I might try one of the wireless extenders from the local Best Buy. (By the way, Netgear has taken over the entire modem/hotspot line from Sierra Wireless. Some of you may have known that, but gotta say I didn't.)