Extending range of 4G Mobile Wifi Device

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Kieran Menon

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Oct 2, 2013
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Hey there.

Currently, my only form of broadband is via mobile broadband. That being said, I'm using Vodafone's R212 Wifi device:

r212.jpg


The range of it is quite subpar... just down the hall and it's already at minimal reception.

I was thinking of getting some Powerline Adapters to have my connection networked through the house.. working from the 4G device... but the majority of what I've seen they all seem to require a router with an Ethernet cable to be plugged into the first Powerline adapter?

Is there a powerline adapter that would accept the wireless connection directly from the 4G device?

Or if you can suggest an alternative solution it'd be greatly appreciated.
 
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These little hotspot devices are designed to save power so they don't have the wireless radios running at full power and I don't think you can change this.

You solution is a interesting twist on building your own repeater. What you need is what is called a client-bridge that you then plug into the powerline device. This is effect is a wireless nic card that converts the signals to ethernet.

In most cases people just use a wireless repeater which does a similar function to a client-bridge but resend the signal over wireless. This of course causes interference so you get more coverage but less throughput. It is one of the tradeoffs you have to decide if is worth it.

The solution you propose is similar if you would put a AP on the far end powerline devices. It does not have the issue with transmission over the top of the original signal. The trade off in this case is you are buying lots more equipment which for some people is a issue.

The huge "IF" in this equation is the vodafone device must support WDS to allow you to run ether a repeater or client-bridge in actual "bridge" mode. You can generally only attach a single device via each wireless connection because of the encryption methods, WDS is used to get around this restriction.

If the vodafone does not support WDS then you need even a more advanced device. It is a form of client-bridge that can act as a router. Most I have seen are used on outdoor bridge equipment. Outdoor bridges from Engenius or ubiquiti have the ability to run in a special bridge mode where they act as a router. This unfortunately means you have a second network in your house.
 
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Thanks for the response.

Could I use something like a 4G LTE Router, example LINK ?

I basically want to have a setup of the 4G through an Ethernet cable so I can expand the range from there, using the aforementioned Powerline adapters. Read up using Wi-Fi extenders (Repeaters) is really bad.

Using a hub, like THIS, would have been absolutely perfect... but for some reason it's only available for Internet suppliers and I cannot fathom the reasoning behind this...

Would a MicroUSB - Ethernet adapter (Link) work ?
 
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The issue with LTE routers or any device related to cellular broadband is it must work with your provider. Although LTE is standard the radio bands they operate on vary greatly so you must get one that says it works with your ISP. You can also hook USB dongles from broadband ISP so you can use some of the more common Asus and tplink routers that do not have sim slots but do have USB ports . Unfortunately these now must have the USB drivers for the dongles. Tends to be a challenge to find a router that works well, if you can find a customer support rep that has a brain at the ISP they generally know which routers work well with their system. Although they tend to be expensive cradlepoint tends to offer the largest selection of broadband routers, they have been doing this for many years before all the consumer brands of routers started.

I am sure there is a router that has ethernet ports that will work for you unfortunately it can even depend what part of a city you live in if they are running LTE on different radio bands so you would need a router that could cover both those bands. If the ISP can not outright tell you what routes work it is important they at least tell you the frequencies the router/dongle must support.

 
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Highly unlikely you could plug that into the hotspot even if it has USB ports.

mobile broadband is a fast changing technology, most people could not even get LTE a couple years ago. So it tends to be a huge headache for those of us who want new technology now.

I would call vodafone and ask them what they sell. Tell them unless they can provide a product that has ethernet ports you will go to another provider. I was going to try to check their site to see what they offer but they have their certificates messed up and I am not willing to bypass the warning so I can see their site......it is a very bad sign when a ISP can not keep their web site functional.
 
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Pretty basic shop they got, with Vodafone -- with regards to 4G, I got the R212 while they're currently got the R215.

Be nice if these damn devices had an Ethernet port, or they had an accessory attachment for it... 🙁


I'm also with THREE and they've got the Huawei B593s Black, and it's got Ethernet ports (Link)!

Guess I'll just have to suck it up and accept that Vodafone offers nothing, but I can go with this option with THREE's.
 
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Be very careful unlocked is very different than supported. LTE runs on different frequencies and the same exact device configured for one vendor may not work on another even if you unlock it. I wish there was a easy way to know if you can get this to work. I know for example some ATT dongles and Verizon dongles only operate on those carriers even though both are the same huawei device with different stickers on the outside. Even though the specs for the dongle says they operate in 700mhz one is on the 700c band and the other is 700b. Nobody it seems have figured out how to change the radio to operate on the other band. It likely is as simple as setting some value in the device but huawei isn't telling. Then again there are other devices that seem to just figure it out when you swap the sim.

 
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Hi Kieran,
This is a brilliant tread. I'm faced with the exact same issue as you. I'm with three , using a repeater and MIFI to get 3G coverage with an average speed of 1.5Mbs. Next to useless. After months of checking with many providers I have no option of fixed line broadband. I did a test recently with the mobile operators and found that with Vodafone I can get 5-6Mbs (Great!) if my attic space (Dooooh!).

Rang Vodafone and asked them:
for a mifi unit with an Ethernet port,
or one that I can extend the wifi signal,
or one that I can use a repeater with similar to the repeater system I'm currently using with 3.

They said they do no support any of these options.

I then had the same idea as you, buy an unlocked Huawei B593s router and use the Ethernet with a powerline.
This will future proof me for when 4G comes to my area also.

I was wondering how the system worked for you and would you recommend where to buy both the powerline and Huawei B593s?


 
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I highly recommend going with the Huawei B593s-22 router. Absolute beast of device and works perfectly with powerlines.

I made a post on an Irish forum a fair while ago but you can judge on the results for yourself all the same 😉

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=91911321
 
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Hi Kieran,
I ordered the Huawei B593s router.
I was hoping you could give me some advice.
Hope i dont come across as a complete novice.:??:

I will be placing the router in the attic as this is the area with the strongest signal.
My house is already wired for network with all points leading to the attic.
In the attic I plan to plug into one of the ports on the router and bring the signal to the kitchen.
If i plug the network cable in the kitchen into this wifi extender do you think it would work?
http://

Thanks,
 
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Hi Kieran,
I ordered the Huawei B593s router.
I was hoping you could give me some advice.
Hope i dont come across as a complete novice.:??:

I will be placing the router in the attic as this is the area with the strongest signal.
My house is already wired for network with all points leading to the attic.
In the attic I plan to plug into one of the ports on the router and bring the signal to the kitchen.
If i plug the network cable in the kitchen into this wifi extender do you think it would work?
https://www.aldi.ie/en/specialbuys/thursday-11-december/products-detail-page/ps/p/wireless-wi-fi-extender-1/
Thanks,
 
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I think that's purely a wireless extender... if it can't get a signal then it's useless, between the attic and the kitchen - plus the fact a wireless extender actually degrades the connection so I would use it as a LAST resort.

Instead I would highly recommend going with a Powerline Adapter --- these use the electrical mains of your house as a network. I personally use these two, and they work great along with the router:

http://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/1168680/Trail/searchtext%3EPOWERLINE+ADAPTER.htm

http://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/1090930/Trail/searchtext%3EPOWERLINE+ADAPTER.htm



Additionally, the Huawei B593s Router supports two external antennas which you can mount outside your house to vastly improve your reception:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAaAWdwUjJo
 
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Best would be the A-LPDA-0092, but if you want to go with an easier installation the XPOL-0002 would do nicely, and yes they should work with either providers no problem.
 
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I have Vodafone R212 and I simply plug it (via USB) into my TP-Link 3G / 4G Wireless N-Router. It charges the R212 and Gives me superb WiFi coverage - far better than any other Router I have used.

 
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I've ditched the R212 and placed the SIM card into a Huawei B593s-22 router. Far better reception [that's boosted my speeds from 8mb to 40+mb] and range, with the added bonus of being able to network using the 4 Ethernet ports on the back, of which I've done through powerline adapters.
 
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