Re: Anyone Here Used Sprint's Data Plan w/USB Modem?

Pegleg wrote:
> Reason for asking is recently we had a contractor at our house who was
> using a laptop with a USB connector and Sprint who was able to
> achieve a solid connection in the house despite our metal roof. We
> have Verizon and can't even make calls from in the house.
>
> I thought Verizon and Sprint actually shared towers in this area.
> Could it be that the USB device has a better antenna?
>
> TIA

Doesn't really matter, think about it, a metal roof is above you, and unless
you have a cell tower floating in the air over your house, it will usually
be horizontally (away), not vertically (above)... as a quick free test, sit
on the floor and try making a call instead of standing up (then the
roof/overhang usually blocks you).... laptops (ie laps and tabletops) are
lower and get a direct LOS under the metal roof above, unlike a person
standing with the antenna up high....

Pegleg wrote:
> On Tue, 22 Apr 2008 00:25:15 -0400, "Peter Pan"
> <PeterPanNOSPAM@MarcAlanNOSPAM.info> wrote:
>
>> Doesn't really matter, think about it, a metal roof is above you,
>> and unless you have a cell tower floating in the air over your
>> house, it will usually be horizontally (away), not vertically
>> (above)... as a quick free test, sit on the floor and try making a
>> call instead of standing up (then the roof/overhang usually blocks
>> you).... laptops (ie laps and tabletops) are lower and get a direct
>> LOS under the metal roof above, unlike a person standing with the
>> antenna up high....
>>
> Not sure where you dug that theory up from...sitting on the floor I
> get no bars in 1X, EVDO indicator doesn't even show-up. Standing
> with the phone next to a window I get one bar in EVDO and two bars in
> 1X.

At my place in Rathdrum Idaho with a metal snow roof... Phone worked when I
was sitting, but no signal when I was standing (cell tower was about 10
miles away, but a friend, that lived right next to/under the cell tower -
but blocked by his metal snow roof, couldn't get a signal at home, but could
at my place if he layed on the couch.....

Can you get a signal outside? Aside from metal snow roofs, have seen foil
backed insulation in the walls that also block signals (both cell and
wifi)... Seems if you can get a signal by the window, may be the foil backed
insulation in the walls problem......

At any rate, you may want to check into passive repeaters (ie non powered,
antenna outside repeats the signal on the inside antenna, they do have
active repeaters (expensive) for really stubborn cases
http://www.cellantenna.com/)

Passive repeaters rarely do any good.
The attenuation in the line almost always negates any gains...

The only case is when there is a very strong signal outside and
very heavy shielding blocking signals inside - essentially, the passive
device is a conduit for the signal.

If the signal is on the weak side outside, active is the only way.


"Peter Pan" <PeterPanNOSPAM@MarcAlanNOSPAM.info> wrote in message news:676p0aF2mv2t5U1@mid.individual.net...
> Pegleg wrote:
>> On Tue, 22 Apr 2008 00:25:15 -0400, "Peter Pan"
>> <PeterPanNOSPAM@MarcAlanNOSPAM.info> wrote:
>>
>>> Doesn't really matter, think about it, a metal roof is above you,
>>> and unless you have a cell tower floating in the air over your
>>> house, it will usually be horizontally (away), not vertically
>>> (above)... as a quick free test, sit on the floor and try making a
>>> call instead of standing up (then the roof/overhang usually blocks
>>> you).... laptops (ie laps and tabletops) are lower and get a direct
>>> LOS under the metal roof above, unlike a person standing with the
>>> antenna up high....
>>>
>> Not sure where you dug that theory up from...sitting on the floor I
>> get no bars in 1X, EVDO indicator doesn't even show-up. Standing
>> with the phone next to a window I get one bar in EVDO and two bars in
>> 1X.
>
> At my place in Rathdrum Idaho with a metal snow roof... Phone worked when I
> was sitting, but no signal when I was standing (cell tower was about 10
> miles away, but a friend, that lived right next to/under the cell tower -
> but blocked by his metal snow roof, couldn't get a signal at home, but could
> at my place if he layed on the couch.....
>
> Can you get a signal outside? Aside from metal snow roofs, have seen foil
> backed insulation in the walls that also block signals (both cell and
> wifi)... Seems if you can get a signal by the window, may be the foil backed
> insulation in the walls problem......
>
> At any rate, you may want to check into passive repeaters (ie non powered,
> antenna outside repeats the signal on the inside antenna, they do have
> active repeaters (expensive) for really stubborn cases
> http://www.cellantenna.com/)
>
>