Phone Signal Repeaters. Advice needed.

NanLaew · December 2, 2021

On 11/27/2021 at 1:54 AM, ChaiyaTH said:

Buy a SIM router, fits the purpose.

Good suggestion. I bought one of these and took it to Myanmar to enable remote work site internet access.

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/i169178742-s210013537.html

johng · December 2, 2021

7 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

Good suggestion. I bought one of these and took it to Myanmar to enable remote work site internet access.

But the problem is a weak signal and that router seems not to have a socket to easily connect an outside antenna/aerial...maybe it could be stuck up on a pole high up in a waterproof box ? or are the included antennas detachable ?

Bruno123 · December 2, 2021

1 hour ago, Adumbration said:

Hmm. @Bruno123 ragged on me for not doing tests.

I provide extensive test results and he doesn't comment?

Huh? What? Whom? Me? ????

Erm...as I suspected; AIS has the better signal in your case and I still await the Combined speed test result via https://testmy.net

????

You can run test at the point where you found the strongest signal outside. That will give you an idea of the potential speeds inside once you have rigged up an aerial etc Hopefully with the right equipment, you can improve on those figures and direct the stronger signal into the house.

13 hours ago, Adumbration said:

Just finished testing dtac SIM

Outside:

Best direction also toward larger town but not in exact same direction as TRUE and AIS.

LTE B1 2100mhz @ -112dBm

Inside:

No signal

NOTE: Intermittently signal would display as B40?? What is this 5G?? or just error due to weak signal?

B40: DTAC has three 20MHz blocks on that Band in use for LTE(4G)

Bruno123 · December 2, 2021

I would suggest to be a bit more discerning with your choice of LTE antenna; since you want to begin with the best possible signal in the first instance.

Feeding that into a 4G router that provides WiFi to all of your devices is one option.

Even if you use a signal booster to improve reception for your phone indoors; you still need the best antenna your budget allows; in order to obtain the best signal to feed into the other equipment.

If you amplify the sound from a cassette tape you will hear all of the hiss and other defects in the sound. Not so easy to fault the sound of CD audio.

So as strong and clean a signal as possible from the aerial is needed. -92 dBm still isn't great. -80 dBm and lower is better.

Bruno123 · December 2, 2021

Some pointers: https://www.signalboosters.com/blog/cellular-antenna-buying-guide/

NanLaew · December 2, 2021

5 hours ago, johng said:

But the problem is a weak signal and that router seems not to have a socket to easily connect an outside antenna/aerial...maybe it could be stuck up on a pole high up in a waterproof box ? or are the included antennas detachable ?

Yes they are detachable but we didn't need any range extension over a 800 sq m site. We were about 5 km from the nearest cell tower with thick forest and no line of sight in between so quite surprised with the results and the Chinese client was pleased. We did spend about half-a-day finding the optimum location within the camp and some users had drop outs but we weren't sure if it was cell network related or just too many users on WeChat!

Since it's a consumer unit and not commercial-grade, probably the best one could do is add something like this?

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/rp-sma-4g-lte-6dbi-wifi-24g5ghz-asn-i2513509206-s8916050444.html

The Fugitive · December 2, 2021

5 hours ago, NanLaew said:

Good suggestion. I bought one of these and took it to Myanmar to enable remote work site internet access.

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/i169178742-s210013537.html

Thanks for the valuable tip!

Bruno123 · December 2, 2021

1 hour ago, NanLaew said:

Yes they are detachable but we didn't need any range extension over a 800 sq m site. We were about 5 km from the nearest cell tower with thick forest and no line of sight in between so quite surprised with the results and the Chinese client was pleased. We did spend about half-a-day finding the optimum location within the camp and some users had drop outs but we weren't sure if it was cell network related or just too many users on WeChat!

Since it's a consumer unit and not commercial-grade, probably the best one could do is add something like this?

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/rp-sma-4g-lte-6dbi-wifi-24g5ghz-asn-i2513509206-s8916050444.html

I hope you are joking with your antenna suggestion. Those are WiFi antenna.

Next time; try remove the tracking from the actual link, as opposed to just the descriptor. ???? You presented the link as if the tracking info was not still attached.

NanLaew · December 2, 2021

never mind

Bruno123 · December 4, 2021

On 12/2/2021 at 4:27 AM, NanLaew said:

Good suggestion. I bought one of these and took it to Myanmar to enable remote work site internet access.

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/i169178742-s210013537.html

https://community.tp-link.com/en/home/forum/topic/241534

Might be of use to you at some point. Perhaps upload somewhere and also keep the link.

driver52 · December 6, 2021

@Adumbration as an FYI not all routers and aerials are the same.....not trying to point out the obvious BUT some of these manufacturers are disengenuous; no surprise in this day and age ????

I've been doing some research myself (I'm in mainland europe at mo) and '4G LTE' comes mainly in cat4 and cat6 flavour, cat4 does up to 150mb, cat6 up to 300mb methinks (often called 4g+ or aggregation)

dunno if cat6 is widely available in Thailand?

Also see this router pic? Methinks it is only lte cat4 and the 300mb on the front is referring to the wifi speed! sneaky......

I was looking at some tp-link routers recently...one was 4g compatible BUT you needed a usb dongle to use a 4g sim, it had a single round aerial for wifi

Another one had a sim slot built in......it had 2 LTE aerials! (no wifi aerials from the sounds of it) and both aerials were flat....

here's a 'dodgy router' pretending to support lte cat6....

Adumbration · December 6, 2021

44 minutes ago, driver52 said:

@Adumbration as an FYI not all routers and aerials are the same.....not trying to point out the obvious BUT some of these manufacturers are disengenuous; no surprise in this day and age ????

I've been doing some research myself (I'm in mainland europe at mo) and '4G LTE' comes mainly in cat4 and cat6 flavour, cat4 does up to 150mb, cat6 up to 300mb methinks (often called 4g+ or aggregation)

dunno if cat6 is widely available in Thailand?

Also see this router pic? Methinks it is only lte cat4 and the 300mb on the front is referring to the wifi speed! sneaky......

I was looking at some tp-link routers recently...one was 4g compatible BUT you needed a usb dongle to use a 4g sim, it had a single round aerial for wifi

Another one had a sim slot built in......it had 2 LTE aerials! (no wifi aerials from the sounds of it) and both aerials were flat....

here's a 'dodgy router' pretending to support lte cat6....

Thanks for your input. At this stage I have no intention to go for a sim router. At my old house I had a better phone signal than where I am at present and my TRUE unlimited data sim 10mbps ran just fine. I could have multiple movie and other windows open and the speed was sufficient for my needs. I was using the same phone I currently still have.

If I bought a sim router I would still have to buy a roof top aerial (that was 4g compatible) and a run of at least 10m of coax cable and would have to ensure that the coaxial was fitted with the correct sma or N male or female ends to fit the router and the aerial. It is very difficult to see from the pictures on Shopee or Lazada what type of aerials a router has, if they can screw off, and what thread size/type is. Then you also have to know which aerial(2) is for the incoming phone signal...how can you tell that?

I have identified that my True data SIM is running on Band 8 @ 900mhz. I can buy a phone repeater kit that includes a unidirectional yagi aerial, 10 meters of coax, repeater unit and a inside ceiling mounted phone signal aerial for under 1000 baht including delivery. I can mount the outdoor aerial up on the roof pointing directly towards the closest tower. Then I can mount the repeater unit inside near an available power outlet and directly above my computer. I connect to the internet using the usb tethering on my phone.

This is the best deal I can find on the kit I want to buy. If anyone wants to provide me with reasons why I should not buy this kit have at it. I am all ears:

https://shopee.co.th/เครื่องขยายสัญญาณโทรศัพท์มือถือ-Lcd-Gsm-900-Mhz-พร้อมเสาอากาศ-Yagi-i.276016986.6346477834

Bruno123 · December 6, 2021

1 hour ago, driver52 said:

@Adumbration as an FYI not all routers and aerials are the same.....not trying to point out the obvious BUT some of these manufacturers are disengenuous; no surprise in this day and age ????

I've been doing some research myself (I'm in mainland europe at mo) and '4G LTE' comes mainly in cat4 and cat6 flavour, cat4 does up to 150mb, cat6 up to 300mb methinks (often called 4g+ or aggregation)

dunno if cat6 is widely available in Thailand?

Also see this router pic? Methinks it is only lte cat4 and the 300mb on the front is referring to the wifi speed! sneaky......

I was looking at some tp-link routers recently...one was 4g compatible BUT you needed a usb dongle to use a 4g sim, it had a single round aerial for wifi

Another one had a sim slot built in......it had 2 LTE aerials! (no wifi aerials from the sounds of it) and both aerials were flat....

here's a 'dodgy router' pretending to support lte cat6....

CAT. 4 has two antenna in the specification.

CAT.6 routers are available, from 3,000 baht.

Newer smartphones will be 2CA and 3CA capable.

soi3eddie · December 6, 2021

I think you all "tink too mut". Don't be a cheap charlie and simply buy another SIM at 200b/mth for unlimited 10mbps data. It's 2021 for <deleted> and who here uses a phone for phone calls in the age of Line/What'sApp,Skype and Messenger, Facetime etc.? A good internet signal over WiFi is all that is needed (worked for me in deepest, darkest Buriram). Buy a 4G Router, plug in a SIM from your carrier of choice with best signal and off you go. You can even add an external antenna on the roof if needed. The below worked for me very well with streaming, YouTube, TuneIn and Skype/Line/What's App calls etc. Great range around the property too and any number of devices can connect. I simply place the router high up to get the best signal.

Adumbration · December 6, 2021

22 minutes ago, soi3eddie said:

I think you all "tink too mut". Don't be a cheap charlie and simply buy another SIM at 200b/mth for unlimited 10mbps data. It's 2021 for <deleted> and who here uses a phone for phone calls in the age of Line/What'sApp,Skype and Messenger, Facetime etc.? A good internet signal over WiFi is all that is needed (worked for me in deepest, darkest Buriram). Buy a 4G Router, plug in a SIM from your carrier of choice with best signal and off you go. You can even add an external antenna on the roof if needed. The below worked for me very well with streaming, YouTube, TuneIn and Skype/Line/What's App calls etc. Great range around the property too and any number of devices can connect. I simply place the router high up to get the best signal.

Thanks for your input. First, I see no need whatsover to buy another SIM. Secondly, I use my phone frequently to receive SMS messages for 2FA. If you read my other posts you will see this is crucial.

If I was to use an outdoor router and mount it up high I would not choose an indoor model like yours, nor would I hold it in place with an octopus strap. At least mounted up high your kids won't electrocute themselves on that plug arrangement you have set up.

Here is what a waterproof, outdoor, SIM router looks like. You should get one to replace your jimmy rigged death trap:

https://www.lazada.co.th//products/i2127054019-s7136338702.html?spm=a2o4m.cart.0.0.56b56108lpmtDm&urlFlag=true

Bruno123 · December 6, 2021

4 hours ago, Adumbration said:

Thanks for your input. At this stage I have no intention to go for a sim router. At my old house I had a better phone signal than where I am at present and my TRUE unlimited data sim 10mbps ran just fine. I could have multiple movie and other windows open and the speed was sufficient for my needs. I was using the same phone I currently still have.

If I bought a sim router I would still have to buy a roof top aerial (that was 4g compatible) and a run of at least 10m of coax cable and would have to ensure that the coaxial was fitted with the correct sma or N male or female ends to fit the router and the aerial. It is very difficult to see from the pictures on Shopee or Lazada what type of aerials a router has, if they can screw off, and what thread size/type is. Then you also have to know which aerial(2) is for the incoming phone signal...how can you tell that?

I have identified that my True data SIM is running on Band 8 @ 900mhz. I can buy a phone repeater kit that includes a unidirectional yagi aerial, 10 meters of coax, repeater unit and a inside ceiling mounted phone signal aerial for under 1000 baht including delivery. I can mount the outdoor aerial up on the roof pointing directly towards the closest tower. Then I can mount the repeater unit inside near an available power outlet and directly above my computer. I connect to the internet using the usb tethering on my phone.

This is the best deal I can find on the kit I want to buy. If anyone wants to provide me with reasons why I should not buy this kit have at it. I am all ears:

https://shopee.co.th/เครื่องขยายสัญญาณโทรศัพท์มือถือ-Lcd-Gsm-900-Mhz-พร้อมเสาอากาศ-Yagi-i.276016986.6346477834

I suspected that you would try to build your project around the Truemove H SIM ????

What speeds are you getting on the SIM outside the property? That will give you an indication of the speeds you'll be getting inside the property if you can transfer that signal inside.

I can understand your want to spend as little as possible on the project. Wanting to get the job done by spending the least possible. It might work out for you.....or it might not.

Buying the cheapest possible product with the lowest gain might improve the signal marginally, but not enough for it to run as it did in your other home or maybe it will.

If it doesn't then perhaps purchasing a higher gain antenna will.

You pays yer money and you takes your choices.

Building your whole indoor communication system on a single obscure band and a single network appears mildly risky.

Nothwithstanding; let's look at the facts and figures:

True SIM is receiving LTE B8 900mhz @ -102 dBm: Spotty and slow?

AIS SIM is receiving LTE B3 1800mhz @ -92 dBm: Seems to me to have the best chance of a reliable connection.

But if you want to give the Truemove H SIM a chance at life in the new house and are happy to pay 1,000 baht to see if you can; it's not bank breaking.

Though from the figures and despite your so obvious refusal to publish the AIS speedtest result; I'll say go with AIS for a more reliable connection.

96 kbps upload on the Truemove H SIM is worse than pitiful. You are no longer at your old home. Things change; be flexible.

Adumbration · December 7, 2021

8 hours ago, Bruno123 said:

I suspected that you would try to build your project around the Truemove H SIM ????

What speeds are you getting on the SIM outside the property? That will give you an indication of the speeds you'll be getting inside the property if you can transfer that signal inside.

I can understand your want to spend as little as possible on the project. Wanting to get the job done by spending the least possible. It might work out for you.....or it might not.

Buying the cheapest possible product with the lowest gain might improve the signal marginally, but not enough for it to run as it did in your other home or maybe it will.

If it doesn't then perhaps purchasing a higher gain antenna will.

You pays yer money and you takes your choices.

Building your whole indoor communication system on a single obscure band and a single network appears mildly risky.

Nothwithstanding; let's look at the facts and figures:

True SIM is receiving LTE B8 900mhz @ -102 dBm: Spotty and slow?

AIS SIM is receiving LTE B3 1800mhz @ -92 dBm: Seems to me to have the best chance of a reliable connection.

But if you want to give the Truemove H SIM a chance at life in the new house and are happy to pay 1,000 baht to see if you can; it's not bank breaking.

Though from the figures and despite your so obvious refusal to publish the AIS speedtest result; I'll say go with AIS for a more reliable connection.

96 kbps upload on the Truemove H SIM is worse than pitiful. You are no longer at your old home. Things change; be flexible.

@Bruno123 Upon further reflection the first thing that I want to do is go to my old house location and test the dBm on the True SIM. I never did that. I want to see how much better the reading is than here at the current location. I also want to check if it is the same band. It is about 15 minutes from here but in the direction of the bigger town where the phone tower is located.

There is a triband repeater available that uses a higher gain unidirectional antenna for circa 2K thb. It has good reviews. To alleviate your fears I am going to put all my eggs in the TRUE basket I might get that one if the budget allows:

https://shopee.co.th/เครื่องขยายสัญญาณ-110-220-V-Tri-Band-900-1800-2100-Gsm-Dcs-Wcdma-2G-3G-4G-Lte-อุปกรณ์เสริมสำหรับคอมพิวเตอร์-i.276016986.7239102205

There is a sale on 12.12 on lazada and they are already adumbrating their sales prices for some of the listed repeaters. I will buy on that day.

Bruno123 · December 7, 2021

3 hours ago, Adumbration said:

@Bruno123 Upon further reflection the first thing that I want to do is go to my old house location and test the dBm on the True SIM. I never did that. I want to see how much better the reading is than here at the current location. I also want to check if it is the same band. It is about 15 minutes from here but in the direction of the bigger town where the phone tower is located.

There is a triband repeater available that uses a higher gain unidirectional antenna for circa 2K thb. It has good reviews. To alleviate your fears I am going to put all my eggs in the TRUE basket I might get that one if the budget allows:

https://shopee.co.th/เครื่องขยายสัญญาณ-110-220-V-Tri-Band-900-1800-2100-Gsm-Dcs-Wcdma-2G-3G-4G-Lte-อุปกรณ์เสริมสำหรับคอมพิวเตอร์-i.276016986.7239102205

There is a sale on 12.12 on lazada and they are already adumbrating their sales prices for some of the listed repeaters. I will buy on that day.

I don't have fears about it. It is exactly what you are doing.

You rudely refuse to publish any speed tests from the SIMs and only publish what suits you. Yet you expect people to continue to give freely to you.

Speed test from the AIS SIM if you please. If you cannot be bothered, then perhaps I should rethink ever trying to help you again.

driver52 · December 10, 2021

On 12/6/2021 at 3:33 PM, soi3eddie said:

Buy a 4G Router

fyi that router is pants ???? it's only 4g which means only up to 150meg...the 300 on the spec refers to the wifi speed

soooo if it was me I'd spend a bit more and get a 4g+ router which then supports up to 300meg LTE speeds

but HI 5 on the router attached to the concrete post! Can't beat a good 'lash up' lol

soi3eddie · December 10, 2021

2 hours ago, driver52 said:

fyi that router is pants ???? it's only 4g which means only up to 150meg...the 300 on the spec refers to the wifi speed

soooo if it was me I'd spend a bit more and get a 4g+ router which then supports up to 300meg LTE speeds

but HI 5 on the router attached to the concrete post! Can't beat a good 'lash up' lol

Not really. When the SIM card is restricted to 10mbps (unlimited data at 200B/Mth) then having a faster router makes no difference. The "lash up" was just a temporary 2 week setup while at the cottage where there's no fixed phone or fibre lines. Worked a charm and solved my connectivity issues. The GF had not installed lamps on the circuit so just added a socket to the cable to connect the router. With it being high up, the WiFi signal was strong all around the property too.

Adumbration · December 17, 2021

The link below is to the Tri Band Amplifier that I purchased on Lazada during their 12/12 sale:

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/i338454620-s655746340.html?urlFlag=true&mp=1

There was a good discount I bought it for 2100 baht including delivery.

It has passed customs in China and is currently on its way to Thailand.

I should have it in the next few days as the delivery at this end is by Kerry and I have had good experience with that company.

I will initially try the antenna mounted the top of my roof on the aluminium shaft from and old lawn trimmer (hopefully wont act like a lighting rod)

If I need to go higher I will source another mast solution (maybe a nice piece of bamboo).

I will report back on the results.

The tri band will support all of the bands of the big 3....Dtac, True and AIS.

Bruno123 · December 18, 2021

17 hours ago, Adumbration said:

The link below is to the Tri Band Amplifier that I purchased on Lazada during their 12/12 sale:

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/i338454620-s655746340.html?urlFlag=true&mp=1

There was a good discount I bought it for 2100 baht including delivery.

It has passed customs in China and is currently on its way to Thailand.

I should have it in the next few days as the delivery at this end is by Kerry and I have had good experience with that company.

I will initially try the antenna mounted the top of my roof on the aluminium shaft from and old lawn trimmer (hopefully wont act like a lighting rod)

If I need to go higher I will source another mast solution (maybe a nice piece of bamboo).

I will report back on the results.

The tri band will support all of the bands of the big 3....Dtac, True and AIS.

Hopefully you can grab a strong enough signal. If not, then off to the workshop to build yourself a high gain directional antenna.

Bruno123 · January 5, 2022

On 12/17/2021 at 2:32 PM, Adumbration said:

The link below is to the Tri Band Amplifier that I purchased on Lazada during their 12/12 sale:

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/i338454620-s655746340.html?urlFlag=true&mp=1

There was a good discount I bought it for 2100 baht including delivery.

It has passed customs in China and is currently on its way to Thailand.

I should have it in the next few days as the delivery at this end is by Kerry and I have had good experience with that company.

I will initially try the antenna mounted the top of my roof on the aluminium shaft from and old lawn trimmer (hopefully wont act like a lighting rod)

If I need to go higher I will source another mast solution (maybe a nice piece of bamboo).

I will report back on the results.

The tri band will support all of the bands of the big 3....Dtac, True and AIS.

Seems you went with AIS in the end, according to your post on another thread. Is this yet another abandoned thread or will you update it?

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