3 Mobile broadband

moons657

hey i just got the newer 3 mobile broadband modem and i wanna get as good a signal as i can.any ideas?:rolleyes:
im in the country so i cant use normal broadband as eircom keeps saying next year and the other companies dont really give a ****:eek:

softdancomputer

You can get whatever the coverage is in your area. Nothing more, i'm afraid

moons657

softdancomputer wrote: »

You can get whatever the coverage is in your area. Nothing more, i'm afraid

its all over the place really.i suppose ill have to wait for eircom:p

ressem

Have you checked with the Comreg website to see whether any of the other mobile carriers have a 3G enabled mast nearby?
http://www.askcomreg.ie/mobile/siteviewer.273.LE.asp

Failing that, if you want to risk it, you can get a router from the likes of commsoft.ie which might allow you to fix the usb stick at a height in the house (attic or room facing the mast ) to get a marginally better reception.

macnerdy

ok...dont laugh.
If you find that you have a great signal one day and feck all the next then you are probibly just in a dodgy region and you have hap hazzard connection.
Or...
Get a wok lid. I swear to god. Get the lid from a wok frying pan and use it as an antenna.If you know where the nearest mobile station is place it beside you dongle and aim it at that like a sky-dish aiming at a satalite.the idea is that the wok focus's the signal onto the dongle.

dermothickey

Are you serious Mc Nerdy?

macnerdy

try it first and then feel free to take the mick.people have no problem sticking a parabolic sky dish onto the side of their house......the princciple is the same.Parabolic dishes are just harder to aim rather than radial dishes.
Its all a question of reception. You can arse around with software solutions all you want but if your dongle is getting a weak signal it doesnt matter.The trick is is to maximize your reception first.
http://www.usbwifi.orconhosting.net.nz/
http://www.techtastic.ca/articles/homemade-antenna.html
http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-WIFI-Antenna-Reception-Booster/
or
shop around with various mobile broadband providers

but to be honest at 35 I pretty sick of advertizing promoting one product over the next.If you have a weak signal just boost it under the 28 day trial period and if that dont work move on.

Oh yeah...to work out the distance between your dish and antanna
http://www.downeastmicrowave.com/PDF/dishfp.PDF
http://www.satsig.net/focal-length-parabolic-dish.htm

and for those of you who prefer the zero wireless config utility
sometimes when you click on a wireless link you get a
"wireless connection not in range" error even though it can show 3 out of 4 barrs connection .......in xp you need to go to the prefered wireless connection setting and manually enter the wep/wap code

but sure what would I know

dermothickey

I wasn't taking the mick at all Mc Nerdy I was just surprised by this as I have 3 and it can be rough sometimes

babelfish

no wories dermo,
this is macnerdy here. I have been barred for some reason.At the end of the day it allways comes down to the technology you work with which allways is a step ahead of the software.
No matter how it is dressed up as ....reception is allways the key.I might sound mad for sugessting a wok......but what would you rather....paying over the odds for crap reception ....or increasing your your potential bandwith by understanding the tech you work with?

dermothickey

you need to keep a low profile so dude

Helium

the old dish trick does work. i had spare sky dish doing nothing, so ran a 5 metre usb extension up to attic and placed dongle on arm of dish and bit of fine tuning found a substantial difference.
only thing is with 3 your never going to have anything consistant, mine was fine for months and at the moment is pure sh*te.

babelfish

Helium wrote: »

the old dish trick does work. i had spare sky dish doing nothing, so ran a 5 metre usb extension up to attic and placed dongle on arm of dish and bit of fine tuning found a substantial difference.
only thing is with 3 your never going to have anything consistant, mine was fine for months and at the moment is pure sh*te.

sky dishes are parabolic which is french for really fine tuning.a movement of a couple of cm will screw things up.they are great but you need to think in terms of periphelal vision.you can sense then but to tune them in is adifferent story.They are VERY sensitive.

babelfish

dermothickey wrote: »

you need to keep a low profile so dude

cheers dermo but been here before boards.ie and wil be here long after.

Helium

agree with you 100%,i spent hours going up and down to attic adjusting it but thought result was worth it. now if i only had a wok lid :-)