I know that there is some tech person out there that can help me. I have inherited a farm in the middle of nowhere. There is no internet available at this site. The lovely wife and I visit the farm every couple of weeks for a few days at a time to get things together for an auction. My problem is that I like to be able to use a Fire stick to watch TV. Last time I was there I used the hot spot on my iPhone to provide wifi to the Fire stick. It is very difficult to get a good cell data signal and keep it. I was able to stream but with a lot of buffering. I tried to access my vpn so I could stream Plex from my Nas at my residence. I was successful for a time but the vpn would disconnect intermittently.
My question is, have any of you guys had experience with a cell phone booster? There are so many different types and prices from $100 to $1500. I really don’t want to spend too much for something that we will use a couple times a month. I have Verizon and some of these boosters use certain channels and it gets very confusing. Any suggestions or words of wisdom will be appreciated.
I think I would start by checking coverage maps from other providers like AT&T. Could be that they have better coverage. If so, a dedicated hotspot with a pay as you go would probably fit the bill.
One of the Verizon hotspots has ports for an external antenna.
I have 40 plus crypto miner running off grid. I do have several different devices that I use dependent upon location. If you want to dm me a location I can take a look and throw in my 2 cents. (3 with inflation)
no way to get cable/fios out to the farm?
Yes, there is a way, but with it comes a monthly charge that I want to avoid if at all possible. Only being there a few days a month, one charge vs monthly looks a little better. If it costs too much I will forget it.
See if this offers any help.
Chk if this coverage is any better than Verizon's. If it also works at your everyday location then just take it to the farm even tho you're not suppose to move it like that.
I tried to check if I am eligible but it requires that you have a TMobile phone number.
Actually, I have already viewed this but thanks anyway.
With these options, I would have to buy a hotspot and a monthly payment. The hotspot on my phone will do, if I can get a better signal.
Something like this then. They have a slide in the images for how to verify what band the tower covering your area is operating on.
Shouldn't, just put in a bogus phone number.
But you will have to put in an approximate address.
If that works that's a deal !
The antenna in your cell phone is omnidirectional. It is ideal for use when you phone is moving and is not pointed at a cell tower. A Yagi antenna is highly directional. It produces significant gain in the direction in which the beam is pointing, but there will be a loss of signal in all other directions. Think of it like a highly directional microphone that picks up sound from one direction, but ignores sounds from other directions.
For the Yagi to work you will need to find the specific cell tower to which your cell phone is mounted and then mount the antenna such that the beam is pointed directly at tower. If your aim is off just a few degrees, the signal will drop dramatically. If you are connected to a 5G tower, remember that it might be just a small box mounted at the top of a telephone or light pole. They do not use the tall towers used by previous 3G and 4G installations.
Use an app on your cell phone to identify which towers and bands give the best signal.
Thanks for the info. Very good detail.
We have used Wilson in house cell boosters and car boosters for years for very remote locations. They are very reliable
