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Question about masts

lukin

I have a question about mobile phone/broadband masts. My mobile phone is registered with Three and I use a Meteor USB modem for broadband.
I switched from Three to Meteor for my broadband about a year ago because when Three and O2 merged the coverage suddenly disappeared (others had this problem too;I posted about it on the thread "Three Network issues since O2 merger" on the Talk to Three forum).
However there was no effect on my mobile coverage (my mobile is registered with Three). If a broadband modem and a mobile phone are both using a SIM card registered with the same network (e.g. Three) and are located at the same address, do they both access the same mast? If so, one would imagine that if the coverage for the phone goes down it should affect the modem also?
Because after the problem with my modem with Three, I was able to use my mobile (registered with Three) as a wireless hotspot and get half-decent d'load and upload speed. Not good enough to use permanently but OK as a temporary solution until I got the meteor modem.

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frozenfrozen

Was the modem 4g or 3g and likewise what was the phone getting? Coverage for one could have disappeared. Your phone could also have a better quality radio than the modem and be able to connect to a further away mast if one near you was turned off.

ED E

They can avail of the same cells, but dont have to.

Factors:
Bands supported - If the phone supports 2100 and 1900 and the dongle only 1900 it has half as many cells it can see
Tech supported - If there is only a 4G site in range (for example) and the dongle is 3G only it drops off but the phone supporting 4G is fine.
Reception - USB dongles have *shíte* antennas. Its quite possible the phone was just able to use the remaining coverage much more

Speeds can also vary with account type (MBB vs Phones, Prepay vs Postpay) but this is applied after the limitations of coverage.

My guess would be your dongle could only see one of the bands, Three swapped rural sites onto 800Mhz(IIRC) a while into the merger so would "disappear" to lesser devices.

lukin

frozenfrozen wrote: »

Was the modem 4g or 3g and likewise what was the phone getting? Coverage for one could have disappeared. Your phone could also have a better quality radio than the modem and be able to connect to a further away mast if one near you was turned off.

The modem was a Huawei e586 (that's a fairly old modem, doesn't support 4G I think) but the phone was a Galaxy S6 (supports 4G).

ED E wrote:

My guess would be your dongle could only see one of the bands, Three swapped rural sites onto 800Mhz(IIRC) a while into the merger so would "disappear" to lesser devices.

At the time I didn't think it was a problem with the modem as I took it in the car with me and drove and after 5 or 6 miles it started to work again (accessing a different mast). So that made me think it was a problem with the mast I was accessing from home and that was why I switched to meteor. However it is possible that the mast near home may have been upgraded and the modem no longer worked with it as it was too old. I am thinking of getting a more up to date modem (unlocked) and putting a 3 broadband sim in it and then seeing if it works (at home). I can't use the meteor one as it is locked to their network.
Obviously if it makes no difference I will have bough the modem for nothing. I think the three store will give me one on trial though.

ED E

If your phone is rooted you can determine exactly what the cell details are with a variety of apps such as:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=cellmapper.net.cellmapper&hl=en

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.simplyadvanced.ltediscovery&hl=en

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.qtrun.QuickTest&hl=en

That'll let you know what you need to be compatible with before purchasing. A B593 will connect to pretty much anything though.

lukin

Is there any difference between the download/upload speeds on a 3G-enabled phone and a modem (both on the same network)? E.g I have a phone with a Three sim and I turn that into a wirelessly-enabled hotspot and test the d'load and upload on speedtest.
Is getting a Three broadband sim and putting it into a modem and testing the the d'load and upload on that going to give me the same result?

Alter-Ego

lukin wrote: »

Is there any difference between the download/upload speeds on a 3G-enabled phone and a modem (both on the same network)? E.g I have a phone with a Three sim and I turn that into a wirelessly-enabled hotspot and test the d'load and upload on speedtest.
Is getting a Three broadband sim and putting it into a modem and testing the the d'load and upload on that going to give me the same result?

I've read reports of Three throttling download speeds on phone sims, with people getting better speeds on a broadband sim than on a phone sim using in the same device. Basically, priority is given to broadband data.

lukin

I have compared the 3G coverage maps of Meteor and Three and Meteor still seem to have better coverage in my area. It's possible that Three may done a mast upgrade in my area (which is maybe why my old modem stopped working) but that doesn't necessarily mean that I will get better coverage than before the upgrade. I'd still like to know for sure though. It would be galling to be using Meteor for ages not knowing that Three have better coverage.
If I take the Three broadband package on trial with a newer modem to find out I know there is a 14-day returns policy but it's just a pain in the a###e signing up for it, setting up a direct debit etc. Then when I take it home and if it isn't any better than Meteor I have to take the modem back etc. I did that once with Vodafone and it really annoyed me. I'd nearly rather buy an unlocked modem and buy a Three sim and stick it into it and find out that way. However the modems are expensive.
If a rival network to the one you are signed up to improves coverage in your area there doesn't seem to be any way of finding out if it is better than the network you are with without signing up to their package. An unlocked modem is obviously the way around this (then buy the network sim and some credit) but unfortunately my modem is locked to Meteor.

Alter-Ego

lukin wrote: »

I have compared the 3G coverage maps of Meteor and Three and Meteor still seem to have better coverage in my area. It's possible that Three may done a mast upgrade in my area (which is maybe why my old modem stopped working) but that doesn't necessarily mean that I will get better coverage than before the upgrade. I'd still like to know for sure though. It would be galling to be using Meteor for ages not knowing that Three have better coverage.
If I take the Three broadband package on trial with a newer modem to find out I know there is a 14-day returns policy but it's just a pain in the a###e signing up for it, setting up a direct debit etc. Then when I take it home and if it isn't any better than Meteor I have to take the modem back etc. I did that once with Vodafone and it really annoyed me. I'd nearly rather buy an unlocked modem and buy a Three sim and stick it into it and find out that way. However the modems are expensive.
If a rival network to the one you are signed up to improves coverage in your area there doesn't seem to be any way of finding out if it is better than the network you are with without signing up to their package. An unlocked modem is obviously the way around this (then buy the network sim and some credit) but unfortunately my modem is locked to Meteor.

Unlocked Huawei B593 modems are available on ebay for around €50. You would probably be able to sell it on adverts for what you paid for it.

What modem are you using at the moment?

lukin

Alter-Ego wrote: »

Unlocked Huawei B593 modems are available on ebay for around €50. You would probably be able to sell it on adverts for what you paid for it.

What modem are you using at the moment?

I am using a Huawei E5377. I don't want to risk unlocking that as it is the one I use with my service provider (Meteor). However I have a Huawei E5330 that I don't use anymore but it is locked to Meteor. I might be able to get that unlocked and use that with a Three broadband sim.

ED E

lukin wrote: »

I am using a Huawei E5377. I don't want to risk unlocking that as it is the one I use with my service provider (Meteor). However I have a Huawei E5330 that I don't use anymore but it is locked to Meteor. I might be able to get that unlocked and use that with a Three broadband sim.

Unlocking dongles/mifi through the networks is difficult/impossible. They arent required to do it like handsets. If you can get a code on Ebay though you can.

The 5330 is a bit shíte though. Its not even HSDPA. It'll work, but not well.

You can unlock the E5377 and still use meteor, unlocking allows the use of any network you want.

lukin

ED E wrote: »

Unlocking dongles/mifi through the networks is difficult/impossible. They arent required to do it like handsets. If you can get a code on Ebay though you can.

The 5330 is a bit shíte though. Its not even HSDPA. It'll work, but not well.

You can unlock the E5377 and still use meteor, unlocking allows the use of any network you want.

Doesn't say much for Meteor so. I found it OK when I was using it but I got the E5377 because I was able to use an antenna with that and I couldn't with the 5330 . I'd be reluctant to unlock the E5377 unless Meteor do it for me. I have asked them but not got a reply yet.

Alter-Ego

lukin wrote: »

Doesn't say much for Meteor so. I found it OK when I was using it but I got the E5377 because I was able to use an antenna with that and I couldn't with the 5330 . I'd be reluctant to unlock the E5377 unless Meteor do it for me. I have asked them but not got a reply yet.

Honestly, it'll cost about €2 to get an unlocking code on eBay, and it's very hard to mess up the unlocking process. It's just entering a code.

Unlocking it shouldn't affect it's usage on the Meteor network. You may need to add an APN profile for Three, but it usually picks up the settings automatically.

lukin

I rang meteor for an unlock code, they said it could take up to ten working days. I'm sure I could do it myself but I wouldn't risk it. I would say I will gain nothing by putting a 3 sim in it anyway. Their coverage is probably crap in my area.

frozenfrozen

check threes 4g coverage in your area... they have put up a lot of new 4g coverage lately http://www.three.ie/explore/4g/

lukin

frozenfrozen wrote: »

check threes 4g coverage in your area... they have put up a lot of new 4g coverage lately http://www.three.ie/explore/4g/

Yeah my phone is registered with Three so I keep getting texts from them about all the fantastic upgrades they are doing. That's why I wanted to use their broadband sim to check if their coverage had improved in my area.
I definitely don't have 4G in my area, it's possible their 3G coverage has improved a little bit.

lukin

Just an update on this in case anyone else has the same issue. I got the E5377 modem unlocked anyway. Cost €10 in a phone shop on Grand Parade in Cork. I would have been waiting for weeks for meteor to unlock it.
I bought a Three sim and stuck it into the modem at home. The d'load/upload speeds I am getting with Three are not much better than with Meteor.
When I put in the Three sim though "O2-IRL" appears on the screen of the modem, not "3-IRL". That makes me think that I should input a new APN and see if it improves things.
The weird thing is as this: My phone is with Three also (it's a Samsung Galaxy S7). When I bring it upstairs and stick it out the window of the highest room in the house, turn off the wifi on this phone and do a speedtest (meaning it is testing the Three mobile 3G network) I get a download speed of 10 Mbps.
However when I do the same with the unlocked modem with the Three sim in it and then do a speedtest using the modem as a wireless network I get a much lower download (3-4 Mbps). I should mention that the modem (E5377) is not one that listed on the Three website as one that is used with their broadband sims.
I know someone said earlier just because a phone and modem are using a sim card on the same network provider (Three in my case), it doesn't mean that they should both have identical d'load/upload speeds. Something to do with the phone and modem accessing different cells he said. I will stick with Meteor anyway unless a different APN with Three makes a difference. Or maybe a different modem with the Three sim would make a difference?

ED E

Your modem is not connecting to the same site as the phone. 02IRL is an old network, "3" is a newer one. APNs are a separate issue.

Turn the modem off, hold it out the window then turn it on. See what you get. It may look for a stronger signal threshold than a handset in order to lock as home broadband is expected to be reliable.

lukin

ED E wrote: »

Your modem is not connecting to the same site as the phone. 02IRL is an old network, "3" is a newer one. APNs are a separate issue.

Turn the modem off, hold it out the window then turn it on. See what you get. It may look for a stronger signal threshold than a handset in order to lock as home broadband is expected to be reliable.

Did that, made no difference, still came up with "O2-IRL" on the screen. Thanks for the suggestion though. You are right in what you say;the modem is connecting to an older O2 mast, the S7 is connecting to the newer Three mast.
But if I can connect to the Three mast with my phone there is no reason why I should not be able to connect to it with a modem.
From looking at the broadband modem section of the Three site, they sell different modems to my unlocked Meteor modem (that will only connect to "O2-IRL"). I am going to have to sign up for a 14-day trial and get one of their modems out and see what I get on the screen. That will finally get to the bottom of it I hope. If I still get "O2-IRL" on that I will be mystified.
As I explained at the start of the thread I was with Three to start with but my problems started a while after the Three/O2 merger. I had a really old modem and it stopped working all of a sudden (no signal at all). I took it in the car with me and drove a bit and after 5 or 6 miles it started to work again (accessing a different mast and btw "3-IRL" came on screen). So I assumed the modem was fine but the mast was just taken offline or whatever. I sent pms to a rep on the Talk to Three forum but he wasn't much help (he didn't suggest the modem was the issue). If he had known what you just told me it would have made things much more clearer.
What happened was that the modem was now unable to connect to the mast it was accessing all along (the O2 mast).
I now needed to connect to the Three mast (which is clearly the one the S7 is connecting to). So I need a modem that can do this. The unlocked Meteor one cannot connect to it. I am disappointed at the lack of communication from Three as if there were changes to masts as a result of the merger they could surely have given customers a heads up about it. I said all that to the Three rep.

Edit: I got the Three modem today (the Huawei B315) and it is connecting to the correct mast (the same one as my smartphone is connecting to). The d'load and upload speeds are now the same from the B315 wireless network as they are from my phones 3G signal (with wireless turned off). That is the way it should be. The unlocked Meteor modem would not connect to the correct mast.
Even though the d'load and upload with Three are better than I had with Meteor I am in two minds about whether to move to Three. I am on an 18 month contract with Three and if my area gets wireless broadband from Imagine or some other provider I will have to pay a cancellation fee. I have had Meteor for 12 months so the cancellation fee would not be as large. I have the Three modem for 14 days so I have to decide before then.