delta772er 75 Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 Ok, I wasn't really sure where to post this since there isn't a specific forum for data-only devices. I picked up a Netgear Zing hotspot today and am anxious to give it a try. Unfortunately LTE service in my home and out and about still isn't great (-107 or so signal) unless I go outside as the tower nearest my home hasn't been upgraded yet. But just in general I noticed there was a few external antenna ports on the device and was curious if anyone knew of a compatible antenna that I could use? I see Netgear sells a few but they don't list LTE as supported, but do have CDMA 1900. As for an antenna I can't imagine there's much difference as long as the frequency is correct. Am I incorrect in saying this? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kineticman 1,009 Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 Ok, I wasn't really sure where to post this since there isn't a specific forum for data-only devices. I picked up a Netgear Zing hotspot today and am anxious to give it a try. Unfortunately LTE service in my home and out and about still isn't great (-107 or so signal) unless I go outside as the tower nearest my home hasn't been upgraded yet. But just in general I noticed there was a few external antenna ports on the device and was curious if anyone knew of a compatible antenna that I could use? I see Netgear sells a few but they don't list LTE as supported, but do have CDMA 1900. As for an antenna I can't imagine there's much difference as long as the frequency is correct. Am I incorrect in saying this? Interesting. What sort of adapter does the external antenna port have? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
delta772er 75 Posted July 24, 2013 Author Share Posted July 24, 2013 Interesting. What sort of adapter does the external antenna port have? It's got two SMB plugs, according to Netgear it does multiple input/output. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kineticman 1,009 Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 It's got two SMB plugs, according to Netgear it does multiple input/output. I am into amateur radio and this setup is interesting. I wonder what sort of wideband antenna would exist to even be usable over the 800/1900/2500 bands. I would venture to say such an antenna with these wide ranges wouldn't be very effective at all and maintain SWR. I see it has two antenna ports - perhaps one is for the 800 band and the other one is for the 1900/2500 band? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
pokefan02 153 Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 It looks like the antenna ports plug into a dock that has a charger and antennas built in. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
delta772er 75 Posted July 24, 2013 Author Share Posted July 24, 2013 I am into amateur radio and this setup is interesting. I wonder what sort of wideband antenna would exist to even be usable over the 800/1900/2500 bands. I would venture to say such an antenna with these wide ranges wouldn't be very effective at all and maintain SWR. I see it has two antenna ports - perhaps one is for the 800 band and the other one is for the 1900/2500 band? I took it to my dad (he's a ham too) to see if he knew but didn't have much of an idea. Thankfully his curiosity has him going so he's looking too. I'm not sure if what the difference between the two ports is, I just have the information from Netgear's web site. I was going to see if I could find any FCC approval docs for it to see if there was more info. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Thomas L. 252 Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 Ok, I wasn't really sure where to post this since there isn't a specific forum for data-only devices. I picked up a Netgear Zing hotspot today and am anxious to give it a try. Unfortunately LTE service in my home and out and about still isn't great (-107 or so signal) unless I go outside as the tower nearest my home hasn't been upgraded yet. But just in general I noticed there was a few external antenna ports on the device and was curious if anyone knew of a compatible antenna that I could use? I see Netgear sells a few but they don't list LTE as supported, but do have CDMA 1900. As for an antenna I can't imagine there's much difference as long as the frequency is correct. Am I incorrect in saying this? Unfortunately Sprint's LTE is on the PCS G block - unless the antennas say they specifically support the G block, they probably won't help you with LTE. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MacinJosh 4,096 Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 I took it to my dad (he's a ham too) to see if he knew but didn't have much of an idea. Thankfully his curiosity has him going so he's looking too. I'm not sure if what the difference between the two ports is, I just have the information from Netgear's web site. I was going to see if I could find any FCC approval docs for it to see if there was more info. Here is the link to the FCC docs: Novatel MiFi 500 LTE Quote Link to post Share on other sites
delta772er 75 Posted July 24, 2013 Author Share Posted July 24, 2013 Unfortunately Sprint's LTE is on the PCS G block - unless the antennas say they specifically support the G block, they probably won't help you with LTE. So as long as I find an antenna that supports the G block I should be good? I've found several but they all specifically list 3G/CDMA service and not LTE. But I was under the impression (and correct me if I'm wrong) that the antenna just needs to support the specific frequency not necessarily a specific technology as the radio handles that? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kineticman 1,009 Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 So as long as I find an antenna that supports the G block I should be good? I've found several but they all specifically list 3G/CDMA service and not LTE. But I was under the impression (and correct me if I'm wrong) that the antenna just needs to support the specific frequency not necessarily a specific technology as the radio handles that? Absolutely. Shouldn't matter what comes out of the antenna as long as its the right frequency. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tommym65 1,774 Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 There seem to be 3 threads discussing tri-band hotspots (2500 LTE, Sprint Tri-Band Hotspots, and this one), so I am guessing which is best for this post. I bought a Netgear Zing at a big box store tonight, being too impatient to mess with "free" offers and shipping. A couple of observations: 1. No LTE 2500 in the northwest Chicago exurbs (yet?). I drove near multiple Clear Wimax towers, within 200 feet of 1, but only saw band 25 LTE (1900) and CDMA, no band 41. 2. The menus take a little getting used to, but the device will show you a lot of information. 3. The Zing has a very good antenna. I live on the very fringe of current Chicagoland LTE, and my GS3 connects only intermittantly, and has been virtually useless as a hotspot at my home. The Zing gets about a 4-8 dBm better RSRP reading than my GS3 in exactly the same spot (unfortunately, this spot has to be in an open, 2nd floor, south facing window -- told you I am on the fringe!), and is consistently connected and useful. I am browsing the forum and editing this entry from a tablet connected through the hotspot, and responses are quite good, especially considering how "fringy" my location is. With apologies to A J and digiblur, this is a speed test using LTE on my GS3 (2nd line) and using the hotspot (top line), for what it's worth. Note that the ping is better when using LTE directly from the phone, but the speeds are significantly worse. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dkoellerwx 8,722 Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 With apologies to A J and digiblur, this is a speed test using LTE on my GS3 (2nd line) and using the hotspot (top line), for what it's worth:Screenshot_2013-07-24-22-53-02.png In this case, a good use of a speedtest. To test the abilities of two different devices in the same location. Shows how much stronger the hotspot is compared to a regular mobile device. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rawvega 2,526 Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 One of the things that I like about the Netgear Zing is that you can prioritize which LTE band you want to use. Obviously that's not very useful right now, but once LTE is widely available on 800MHz, 1900MHz and 2.5GHz that could become a useful feature. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
S4GRU 57,705 Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 One of the things that I like about the Netgear Zing is that you can prioritize which LTE band you want to use. Obviously that's not very useful right now, but once LTE is widely available on 800MHz, 1900MHz and 2.5GHz that could become a useful feature. Hmm, I haven't discovered that ability yet. Where is that located? Robert from Note 2 using Tapatalk 4 Beta Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rawvega 2,526 Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 Hmm, I haven't discovered that ability yet. Where is that located? Robert from Note 2 using Tapatalk 4 Beta It's in the advanced settings of the Zing manager browser interface. I'll try and get a screenshot up ASAP. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
S4GRU 57,705 Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 It's in the advanced settings of the Zing manager browser interface. I'll try and get a screenshot up ASAP. Requires MSL code. Guess I'll have to call Sprint and get that. Robert from Note 2 using Tapatalk 4 Beta Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rawvega 2,526 Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 Voila! I wonder if the Novatel mifi has a similar feature. Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk 4 Beta 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
iansltx 1,019 Posted July 26, 2013 Share Posted July 26, 2013 Take this as anecdotal, but a friend who has the Franklin U770 (so PCS-only LTE) got a big LTE performance boost (also in a fringe area) by connecting the 3G antenna port (weird, I know) to his old WISP antenna, a 24 dbi grid at 2.4 GHz (1.9 and 2.4 are close enough that the loss in gain isn't too big...and of course 2.5/2.6 is right there...though we're talking about a single-pol antenna). It could just be that turning off the 3G antenna on-device helped throughput, and plugging in the single-pol antenna to one of the 4G antenna ports resulted in a device that wouldn't boot (temporary issue) but 2.4 GHz antennas are cheap and could provide a nice boost to folks who are in marginal areas right now. I think antennas of that caliber are already being used by some people with the Clear WiMAX desktop modems (with the appropriate adapter), so maybe this is a little more than anecdotal 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lordsutch 876 Posted July 27, 2013 Share Posted July 27, 2013 As far as antennas go, if it covers PCS A-F it almost certainly covers PCS G too unless they have some sort of filter in the cabling. It may not be optimal for G but pushing another 5 MHz on something designed to cover 100MHz isn't much of a difference. Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 4 Beta Quote Link to post Share on other sites
scubajwd 141 Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 So, delta, been a while since you posted..how is the Zing working out in your fringe LTE location? Did you get any help from an external antenna? I'm getting -114 dBm fringe signal myself at the house (won't connect) and wonder if the Zing would connect.. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Deval 2,888 Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 I modified my search for LTE on the Zing, so now the priority is 41, 25, 26, so I'm really curious to see what deployment exists on 41 here in the greater NYC area. I know for a fact that none of the CLWR sites by my house have LTE onair. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
scubajwd 141 Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 I modified my search for LTE on the Zing, so now the priority is 41, 25, 26, so I'm really curious to see what deployment exists on 41 here in the greater NYC area. I know for a fact that none of the CLWR sites by my house have LTE onair. Keep us all posted on your activities with band 41; I have two CLWR (wimax) towers near me that I get Wimax on and they make great candidates for an LTE makeover as they are collocated with Sprint ; the Sprint gear is in the process of upgrades (one is completed awaiting backhaul)..so I see a Zing in my future (I hope) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Deval 2,888 Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 Keep us all posted on your activities with band 41; I have two CLWR (wimax) towers near me that I get Wimax on and they make great candidates for an LTE makeover as they are collocated with Sprint ; the Sprint gear is in the process of upgrades (one is completed awaiting backhaul)..so I see a Zing in my future (I hope) Same here, almost every CLWR site in my town is colocated. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
scubajwd 141 Posted August 13, 2013 Share Posted August 13, 2013 Happy Zing owners, (including you, Robert) if I buy the device outright does Sprint force me into a 2 Yr contract in order to get it activated? Are there other activation alternatives? I notice Ting does not offer it nor others I've looked at..TIA Quote Link to post Share on other sites
S4GRU 57,705 Posted August 13, 2013 Share Posted August 13, 2013 Happy Zing owners, (including you, Robert) if I buy the device outright does Sprint force me into a 2 Yr contract in order to get it activated? Are there other activation alternatives? I notice Ting does not offer it nor others I've looked at..TIA They wouldn't let me buy it outright at all. Robert Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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