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Old 02-20-2014, 08:00 AM   #21
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Pro, and others, regarding being able to connect an external antenna to a jetpack, if that is your goal, be aware that not all jetpack devices that Verizon is using currently can take an external antenna. The one I have is the 5510L, and the way I am looking at this thing, what I see here is what I got. No external port except where the power charger plugs in.
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Old 02-20-2014, 09:19 AM   #22
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Pro, and others, regarding being able to connect an external antenna to a jetpack, if that is your goal, be aware that not all jetpack devices that Verizon is using currently can take an external antenna. The one I have is the 5510L, and the way I am looking at this thing, what I see here is what I got. No external port except where the power charger plugs in.
Thanks for the info. Guess I'll hang onto my old one (MiFi4510L) as long as it keeps working, so I can keep using my external antenna.

However, if you use the booster cradle, the antenna plugs into the cradle, not the jetpack. The jetpack just sits in the cradle. So the setup can still work.
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Old 02-20-2014, 09:37 AM   #23
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Here's the setup on mine. Antenna is the big Wilson trucker's antenna. I get 4 bars.
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Old 02-20-2014, 09:56 AM   #24
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Here's the setup on mine. Antenna is the big Wilson trucker's antenna. I get 4 bars.
That looks a lot like mine. MiFi, cradle booster, antenna. I've only been camping one place— Lake Bruin State Park, St. Joseph, LA— where I got no reception at all even with this setup. The closest cell tower was still below the horizon, and in that case there's nothing you can do.
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Old 02-20-2014, 10:44 AM   #25
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Elevate!
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Old 02-20-2014, 10:55 AM   #26
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The closest cell tower was still below the horizon, and in that case there's nothing you can do.
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Elevate!
Of course. But I had nothing to elevate it on to get it that high. And to be perfectly honest, I'm not so addicted to my Internet that I'd go to THAT much effort to get a signal! If Internet ever becomes such a necessity that I can't go three days without it, that's an addiction, not a vice, and it will be time to seek professional counseling.
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Old 02-20-2014, 06:00 PM   #27
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If you don't have an antenna port, you may want to check out the Wilson SLEEK line. It's a cradle type thing you can set your device in. The nice thing about the sleek is that it is a cost effective option for boosting LTE in addition to 3G.

Other all-in-one amplifier solutions were somewhat prohibitively expensive last time I checked.
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Old 02-20-2014, 08:24 PM   #28
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Hello again.

I have an external antenna as well. I purchased the Wilson larger antenna for the Wilson U sleek (universal) which works with Verizon, ATT, Sprint, etc. It is about 4X the size of the antenna that comes with the sleek and has quite a bit of dB increase. So far I have not been cell deprived but I also have not been on too many camp outings. I teach as well and Internet is important.

3G vs. 4G. I agree that speed is better CA_Tallguy but so far I have not seen much in the way of improvements between the two. Oddly my straight talk cellular account runs on LTE most of the time and I am not throttled as I lower data amts. I do not see too much in speed difference. I used to be big on the latest and greatest but often it can be fluff with little meat- at least in the beginning. I remember buying one of those Mac 8100/80 AV computers for $5400 touted as the fastest PC on the planet with the most capabilities. Two updates later they disabled the AV features and did not get the OS powerPC native until years later. I sold it for $400 about four years later! I am ok with the 3G at least for now. The midi unit is older but so far, it works.

It is difficult to cover all the bases with cell signal unless you have one of each- Verizon, ATT, Sprint. Each has their strengths and weaknesses. In my area, ATT is king followed closely by Verizon.
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Old 02-20-2014, 10:41 PM   #29
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One thing that affects the speed of any connection is what the mobile providers call "backhaul" - basically the network connection from the towers back to the central office. A 4G LTE connection is often limited by how fast this connection is, along with how many people are using it at once... Kind of like in campgrounds where they clearly don't have enough bandwidth to share between everyone.

Backhaul and the number of concurrent users are becoming even bigger factors as mobile providers continue rolling out better and better LTE with "theoretical" speeds that boggle the mind for someone like me who remembers being online with a 2400 baud dialup modem.

The fast and furious upgrades to carriers backhauls is also great for 3G connections. The increased capacity in the backhaul basically means that 3G connections are now able to work closer to the limits of the wireless signal. So, I think that's why I'm pretty satisfied using sprints 3G these days as I think I'm getting 2 to 3mbps.

To be precise, the theoretical max for evdo rev a - a 3G standard used by sprint - is 3.1 on the download side and 1.8 on the upload. I think they have even gone beyond evdo-a now too. I usually have no trouble watching YouTube or even Netflix on 3G. It's really more than sufficient for my internet needs. I was thrilled 15 months ago when I started my airstream adventures and realized that the state if mobile internet was equivalent to a basic home DSL connection - at worst - in so many places.
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Old 02-21-2014, 08:06 AM   #30
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I have been thinking of installing a wilson RV/Trucker antenna on my Safari, but i was hoping to somehow attach it to the batwing antenna so that I can crank the antenna up and raise the Trucker antenna as to improve it's reception.

Has anyone done this or can anyone see any issues with doing this?

Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

-J
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Old 02-21-2014, 10:04 AM   #31
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I have been thinking of installing a wilson RV/Trucker antenna on my Safari, but i was hoping to somehow attach it to the batwing antenna so that I can crank the antenna up and raise the Trucker antenna as to improve it's reception.

Has anyone done this or can anyone see any issues with doing this?

Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

-J
As long as the antenna doesn't need a ground plane (i.e. isn't intended for roof mounting) there should be no particular problem.
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Old 02-21-2014, 01:14 PM   #32
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Originally Posted by jpons View Post
I have been thinking of installing a wilson RV/Trucker antenna on my Safari, but i was hoping to somehow attach it to the batwing antenna so that I can crank the antenna up and raise the Trucker antenna as to improve it's reception.

Has anyone done this or can anyone see any issues with doing this?

Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

-J
This is commonly done here on the lower Colorado River.
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Old 02-21-2014, 01:50 PM   #33
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The Wilson Trucker and Super Trucker both have horizontal radiating spokes which act as a ground plane and are located below the plastic encased tuning coil. So, no additional ground plane is needed and the antenna can be mounted anywhere.

This message is going out through a Super Trucker, via a Verizon MiFi. The antenna is mounted on a post on the rear corner of my (winter residence) Mobile Home located in a difficult reception area in AZ.
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Old 02-22-2014, 04:50 AM   #34
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Thanks folks, looks like a batwing mounted trucker antenna is in my future.

-J
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Old 02-26-2014, 10:26 AM   #35
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It's true Verizon requires a contract for MiFi, but you can always switch your line to a cell phone line - you just need an old Verizon phone. It's only $10/month for a cell phone line as opposed to $50+ for the internet.

During the months we don't travel, we make the switch and pay $10 instead of $50. It works great.
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Old 02-26-2014, 10:33 AM   #36
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It's true Verizon requires a contract for MiFi, but you can always switch your line to a cell phone line - you just need an old Verizon phone. It's only $10/month for a cell phone line as opposed to $50+ for the internet.

During the months we don't travel, we make the switch and pay $10 instead of $50. It works great.
Verizon now has the option of month to month pay as you go for mifi. The one I have costs $60 for 3 gig of data bandwidth, and $90/month for 10 gig.
The kicker is I had to buy the device, which was on sale for $99 or $129....I can't remember which.
Had I been willing to go into a two year contract, the device would have been free. For my occasional use on the road, I decided to buy the little box and go month to month.
I have cable internet at home.
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Old 02-26-2014, 11:58 AM   #37
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We have taken several long trips with our Virgin Mobile hotspot, it uses 3G from Sprint. We hook it up to a 120 Volt inverter plugged into one the many 12V ports in my Excursion. The cost is $25.00 per month with no contract. The reception has been excellent with no external antennas.
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Old 03-22-2014, 02:40 PM   #38
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GMW - keep in mind that you can move your mifi to millinecom for about the same price as you are paying to Verizon direct, and you will get 20GB for essentially the same price on exactly the same network. It is also month to month in the sense that you can cancel anytime, however there are extra fees on startup. You can also suspend your service for periods if I recall correctly bit there may be a fee and limits on how many times you can start and stop per year.
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Old 03-22-2014, 03:42 PM   #39
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GMW - keep in mind that you can move your mifi to millinecom for about the same price as you are paying to Verizon direct, and you will get 20GB for essentially the same price on exactly the same network. It is also month to month in the sense that you can cancel anytime, however there are extra fees on startup. You can also suspend your service for periods if I recall correctly bit there may be a fee and limits on how many times you can start and stop per year.
Thanks for the followup comments CA Tallguy.
I am now back home from being on the road, and just looked on the Verizon website and see they have lowered their plan prices now. 10 gig used to cost $90 for the month, and now is $60.
I found that the last month I was out, for me, 3 gig was not enough, 10 was way more than I needed, so if I were doing it now, I'd probably do the 6 gig for $40.
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Old 03-22-2014, 04:06 PM   #40
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The only thing you have to watch with ATT, Verizon, and Sprint is that they themselves are offering a hybrid approach, to my knowledge, of pay as you go. The satellite companies that use their towers offer the real savings. You can find these companies and what parent towers/network they use and save some money. Pay as you go should not have vacation or startup fees.

I know that straight talk data plan uses Verizon or ATT (depending on the equipment you buy) network and charges mthly on their accounts for up to 2GB. The 4 and 5 GB are 60 day accounts then you refill as needed. The straight talk is 5gb for 60 days@ $50. There are no fees.

Internet on the Go is a full pay as you go data plan so there is no expiration on your prepaid minutes. They use Sprint. It is $45 for 3GB with no expiration.

So, it all depends on how regular you are in use and quantity of data. I get a monthly emailing on prepaid. It is constantly changing. Here is a link to some interesting info.:

http://www.prepaidphonenews.com/2011...and-plans.html

Here is one on the data plans (a table mind you!)

http://www.prepaidphonenews.com/2011...-compared.html

One I just noticed that offers faster speeds but at a min of $48/year fee is Freedom Pop
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