Netgear Zing 771S tri band LTE mobile hotspot discussion

[tommym65]

If you are Sprint Zing Owner - Can you give me Advice?

 

Just want to know ins and outs of using this device?

 

PM me for my phone number or give me your number to call?

 

Thanks in advance.

Not really very much to tell you. You turn it on, it works. It has excellent antennas.

 

Give it a simple password and connect your devices.

 

To manage it, connect from a pc, tablet, or phone, and link to address 192.168.1.1 from any browser. Consider changing the admin password to keep the rifraff out.

 

That's about all there is.

[COZisBack]

I just got my Sprint Zing delivered in the last few minutes and want to begin the process of hooking it up. I just wanted to talk to someone that went through the experience to see if they had any pointers.

 

I wanted to MSG you directly, but I see you block people like me. I assume that is because you would be bothered by too many people.

 

I am in Canal Winchester and saw you were in Columbus.

 

One question I have of you as an ADMINISTRATOR is why all threads about the Sprint Zing are being merged into one thread. When you begin reading the thread from beginning to end, the actual discussion is all over the place. Yes, the discussion is about the ZING but what people are wanting to discuss can differ tremendously.

 

Lastly, I gave option of privately giving me phone number. If someone didnt want to be identified, I assumed they would block their number when they called me...

Anyone is free to contact me, I haven't blocked anyone. Except for maybe this one guy ????.

 

The reason why topics are merged is to reduce redundancy and clutter. Since you own this particular product your question can quickly be answered by asking another member that owns this product as most people in this particular thread do.

 

It's like if you buy a Corvette and have a question about, you don't ask the world that has no clue about Corvette's you go to the Corvette club and ask fellow owners.

 

[emoji6]

[twospirits]

Not really very much to tell you. You turn it on, it works. It has excellent antennas.

 

Give it a simple password and connect your devices.

 

To manage it, connect from a pc, tablet, or phone, and link to address 192.168.1.1 from any browser. Consider changing the admin password to keep the rifraff out.

 

That's about all there is.

You can read the manual or download it, but basically what tommy posted and what is in this thread are the main points. There is a desktop dock that is suppose to increase the range but I don't believe it gives much of  difference. There is also a section dedicated to the device over at the Sprint Community forums too that you may want to browse through.

 

TS

[KnarfOH]

I was inpatient. Plugged it in and it worked fine. I had downloaded the manual and read it before hand. Nothing ever seems to work as written in the book - this did!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[MacinJosh]

I was inpatient. Plugged it in and it worked fine. I had downloaded the manual and read it before hand. Nothing ever seems to work as written in the book - this did!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

Hotspots are supposed to work just fine. I haven't run across too many that don't.

[scubajwd]

It's like your toaster..an appliance..it's just there when you are ready..you just have to have

a modicum of networking savvy to get working with it..

[KnarfOH]

Just got my Sprint Zing HOTSPOT so some questions from a Newbie

 

-- QUESTION 1 --

 

I see information about different channels, i.e. B25, B41 used to connect to LTE.  I know during my initial connecting of my hotspot is saw the channel I was connecting through displayed, but for the life of me I cannot remember where I saw the channel display.  I was looking around and checking things out so fast, I didn't pay attention. Now I can't seem to remember where I saw the channel information displayed?

 

--- Was it on the Hotspot screen?

--- Was it on the Netgear APP for my IPAD?

--- Was it on my browswer when connected to http://192.168.1.1/ which lets you view the HOTSPOT SETUP

 

Where do I go to check which LTE channel I am connecting through?  For the life of me, I can't seem to find the channel indicator, but I am certain I saw it once!

 

 

-- QUESTION 2 --

 

On my old Clearwire Express Hub, they gave you hints on how to orient the Hub to get the best signal.  Can you orient the ZING HOTSPOT to optimize your signal when you know the location of your tower to get the BEST signal?  Or does it make any difference?  This is mostly for home use where I will probably use my HOTSPOT the most.

 

 

-- QUESTION 3 --

 

Same question as QUESTION 2, but this involves the  ZING HOTSPOT CRADLE.  Is there a way to position the crade (if you know the tower location) that improves signal reception?

 

-- QUESTION 4 --

 

I am in a fringe area (both for CLEARWIRE and SPRINT LTE), i.e. semi-rural.  I had an outdoor omni-directional antenna that improved my CLEARWIRE signal greatly.  My area was so marginal with CLEARWIRE that a bump of the EXPRESS HUB might send me up or down a SIGNAL BAR.  LOL.  Once I got the outdoor antenna, everything was fixed.

 

I see I can purchase a pigtail that allows me to hookup my external antenna to my ZING HOTSPOT to my external antenna.  Does this type of antenna work regardless of which channel you are receiving your signal on?  Say B25 or B41?

 

Any thoughts at all on a good antenna in case my current antenna is not suitable?

 

-- QUESTION 5 --

 

Back to the NETGEAR CRADLE for the ZING HOTSPOT.  In my opinion, I am not sure if the cradle is adding any value to my setup.  Connected or disconnected, it doesn't seem to add a lot of improvement.  But, I have only had it a few days so not sure if I know what I should be looking for?  I do know the number of bars of signal remains the same.  Any general thoughts about the crade?

Edited August 24, 2014 by KnarfOH

[scubajwd]

 

Just got my Sprint Zing HOTSPOT so some questions from a Newbie

 

-- QUESTION 1 --

 

I see information about different channels, i.e. B25, B41 used to connect to LTE.  I know during my initial connecting of my hotspot is saw the channel I was connecting through displayed, but for the life of me I cannot remember where I saw the channel display.  I was looking around and checking things out so fast, I didn't pay attention. Now I can't seem to remember where I saw the channel information displayed?

 

--- Was it on the Hotspot screen?

--- Was it on the Netgear APP for my IPAD?

--- Was it on my browswer when connected to http://192.168.1.1/ which lets you view the HOTSPOT SETUP

 

Where do I go to check which LTE channel I am connecting through?  For the life of me, I can't seem to find the channel indicator, but I am certain I saw it once!

 

 

-- QUESTION 2 --

 

On my old Clearwire Express Hub, they gave you hints on how to orient the Hub to get the best signal.  Can you orient the ZING HOTSPOT to optimize your signal when you know the location of your tower to get the BEST signal?  Or does it make any difference?  This is mostly for home use where I will probably use my HOTSPOT the most.

 

 

-- QUESTION 3 --

 

Same question as QUESTION 2, but this involves the  ZING HOTSPOT CRADLE.  Is there a way to position the crade (if you know the tower location) that improves signal reception?

 

-- QUESTION 4 --

 

I am in a fringe area (both for CLEARWIRE and SPRINT LTE), i.e. semi-rural.  I had an outdoor omni-directional antenna that improved my CLEARWIRE signal greatly.  My area was so marginal with CLEARWIRE that a bump of the EXPRESS HUB might send me up or down a SIGNAL BAR.  LOL.  Once I got the outdoor antenna, everything was fixed.

 

I see I can purchase a pigtail that allows me to hookup my external antenna to my ZING HOTSPOT to my external antenna.  Does this type of antenna work regardless of which channel you are receiving your signal on?  Say B25 or B41?

 

Any thoughts at all on a good antenna in case my current antenna is not suitable?

 

-- QUESTION 5 --

 

Back to the NETGEAR CRADLE for the ZING HOTSPOT.  In my opinion, I am not sure if the cradle is adding any value to my setup.  Connected or disconnected, it doesn't seem to add a lot of improvement.  But, I have only had it a few days so not sure if I know what I should be looking for?  I do know the number of bars of signal remains the same.  Any general thoughts about the crade?

 

#5: I tried the cradle and sent it back; too hard to connect; little to no signal

improvement; cheaply made and not worth the expense

 

#2: Trial & error for me locating my "hot spot" in my house; I've located a

spot about 8 ft off the ground level pointing the wide direction of the Zing

directly at a known location of a radio head on a tower 2 miles from me;

I get B25 at an RSRP level of between -87 and -92; not LOS to the tower;

I typicvally get 15 to 19 mbps down; I send the Zing RF to a Pepwave SOHO

Surf router which is across the house and make ethernet & wireless connections

off of the pepwave; I DO NOT use the Zing,however, to stream videos as I'm

on a budget and it's caps are small; (the one exception is about once a month

I use it to Skype with my granddaughter (which can eat 1/4 of my cap in 30-35

minutes) otherwise its web browsing; right now my pings are in the 50 ms range

and I'm a happy camper with this setup; yet to see B26 or 41 in the LV MSA so

don't have any experience with how this device hands off to the other bands;

I will say that it is very fast to lock to LTE from 3G and has exceptional RF

permormance relative to a smartphone

[KnarfOH]

Okay.. with a lot of good information from this FORUM and some private messaging back and forth - I think I have my home setup working the way that I want it too... at least this week!
 
Here are some pointers from a NEWBIE (not a techie so sorry - I notice some threads tend to gyrate towards the technical - which leaves me scratching my head).
 
I purchased the Netgear Cradle for my Zing hotspot.  Sorry, but for me the device was either defective or did not perform to my satisfaction.  I actually got better throughput without the cradle.  Looks nice - but did not do the job for me.  It is on its way back to Sprint.
 
Purchased a pigtail connector to convert my old Clearwire outdoor antenna and use it with my Zing.  I have a 21db parabolic antenna connected, using both connectors built-in to my Zing.

 

This reflects the changes I saw in signal, etc.

 

LOL - I don't even know what these numbers mean!  Any comment on what anyone is seeing here?  Am I missing something that a technical person might catch?  I know that sometimes the lower the number, the better.  And other times, the higher the number the better.

 

Here is a Speedtest taht I just ran --  http://speedtest.connectedoh.org/

 

 

This more then doubles my Clearwire speeds, probably closer to 2.5x the speed of Clearwire.

 

Lastly, all of this is in an upstairs closet.  I took a router I have and turned it into a repeater since the Wi-Fi capabilities of the Zing are so weak.  Router I used: Tenda W1800R Wireless AC1750.

Edited August 28, 2014 by KnarfOH

[scubajwd]

Hot stuff with the antenna; I'd like to get some specs for your outdoor setup if it's not

too much of a problem; your RS-SINR value went from -5 to 16...remarkable improvement in

signal quality;  your RSRP value improvement really amazes going from -110 to -77; AJ might

weigh in here but I've never seen such a signal improvement with just an antenna; does the Clearwire

gear amplify the signal somehow?

[dedub]

the cell id is different, so that would seem to be either a different tower or carrier

[mozamcrew]

Hot stuff with the antenna; I'd like to get some specs for your outdoor setup if it's not

too much of a problem; your RS-SINR value went from -5 to 16...remarkable improvement in

signal quality;  your RSRP value improvement really amazes going from -110 to -77; AJ might

weigh in here but I've never seen such a signal improvement with just an antenna; does the Clearwire

gear amplify the signal somehow?

 

First thing that helps is that the antenna is outside, so it's going to be getting a better signal than in the house. Secondly, external antenna arrays are going to usually be better than the ones they have to cram into small devices.

[KnarfOH]

First thing that helps is that the antenna is outside, so it's going to be getting a better signal than in the house. Secondly, external antenna arrays are going to usually be better than the ones they have to cram into small devices.

 

I assumed that was a given - outdoor antenna, void of any drywall, electrical wiring, copper plumbing, insulation, etc. would always get a better signal

 

the cell id is different, so that would seem to be either a different tower or carrier

 

I do not know how cell identification works - but this is the same carrier and tower.  I am in a semi-rural area.  Yes, there are other towers, but none in the general direction I pointed my antenna.  Look at my earlier posts and you will see I included a copy of the tower map for this area using Sprint's tower location service.

 

Hot stuff with the antenna; I'd like to get some specs for your outdoor setup if it's not

too much of a problem; your RS-SINR value went from -5 to 16...remarkable improvement in

signal quality;  your RSRP value improvement really amazes going from -110 to -77; AJ might

weigh in here but I've never seen such a signal improvement with just an antenna; does the Clearwire

gear amplify the signal somehow?

 

I am not a technical person but it appears you are being complimentary of my setup.  So thanks!  No original ideas here, just stuff and ideas I stole off this FORUM.

 

This is a 21db parabolic antenna that I had purchased for my Clearwire service.  No amplifiers - just a 20 feet run of high quality RG-6 cable.  I had to buy a special pigtail connector to connect the single feed to both antenna feeds on the back of the Zing hotspot.

 

CLICK HERE TO SEE PICTURES AND A BETTER EXPLANATION AS TO WHAT I DID

Edited August 28, 2014 by KnarfOH

[dedub]

 

I do not know how cell identification works - but this is the same carrier and tower.  I am in a semi-rural area.  Yes, there are other towers, but none in the general direction I pointed my antenna.  Look at my earlier posts and you will see I included a copy of the tower map for this area using Sprint's tower location service.

 

 

I am no expert either, however it is clearly a different cell id, be that a different tower, a different carrier on the same tower, or a different sector on the same tower.

 

Perhaps the built-in antenna is connecting to a further away tower with a cleaner signal (less interference?) than the one you have your external antenna pointed at.

 

In any case, kudo's to your setup and pictures.

Edited August 28, 2014 by dedub

[KnarfOH]

I am no expert either, however it is clearly a different cell id, be that a different tower, a different carrier on the same tower, or a different sector on the same tower.

 

Perhaps the built-in antenna is connecting to a further away tower with a cleaner signal (less interference?) than the one you have your external antenna pointed at.

 

In any case, kudo's to your setup and pictures.

 

LOL - in this picture, my house is where you see the marker.  I have drawn a circle around my house and the tower I am pointed at which is 1.2 miles away.  I have to believe the signal is coming from this tower.  There are other towers, but glancing at the map you can see they would be considerably greater in distance from my home.  This is an omni-directional antenna.  

 

I will leave the science to others.  If each tower has a unique tower I.D., I cannot explain the vast improvement of my signal since the next tower (in the general direction I am pointed) is a considerably great distance.

 

[dedub]

That map only shows upgrades not all towers, but in any case not trying to argue cause it doesn't matter. Glad the antenna is working for you

 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

[scubajwd]

Just curious..how does the Clearwire antenna (presumably 2.5 Ghz) handle B25

which is at 1900Mhz?  Does this antenna handle multiple bands of RF?

[KnarfOH]

Just curious..how does the Clearwire antenna (presumably 2.5 Ghz) handle B25

which is at 1900Mhz? Does this antenna handle multiple bands of RF?

When I purchased the antenna, it was for the 2.5 GHz bandwidth. Since it was sold by a company that was specifically catering to WiMAX users, they only emphasized the 2.5 GHz reception capability of the antenna. Clearly it is working on B25 since that's what I'm receiving.

 

I have no idea what it's real capabilities are -- I only know it is working for me! i identified the websites in my link which included the pictures. Click on the last thumbnail (TV tray with Zing). You may want to contact them directly and ask your questions.

Edited August 29, 2014 by KnarfOH

[KD8JBF]

When I purchased the antenna, it was for the 2.5 GHz bandwidth. Since it was sold by a company that was specifically catering to WiMAX users, they only emphasized the 2.5 GHz reception capability of the antenna. Clearly it is working on B25 since that's what I'm receiving.

 

I have no idea what it's real capabilities are -- I only know it is working for me! i identified the websites in my link which included the pictures. Click on the last thumbnail (TV tray with Zing). You may want to contact them directly and ask your questions.

I'll have to take some pics of my mobile setup for the zing. I found a tri band antenna and works wonders.

[KD8JBF]

When I purchased the antenna, it was for the 2.5 GHz bandwidth. Since it was sold by a company that was specifically catering to WiMAX users, they only emphasized the 2.5 GHz reception capability of the antenna. Clearly it is working on B25 since that's what I'm receiving.

 

I have no idea what it's real capabilities are -- I only know it is working for me! i identified the websites in my link which included the pictures. Click on the last thumbnail (TV tray with Zing). You may want to contact them directly and ask your questions.

P.s...one thing you can also do is use a pc or something to bridge the usb connection to Ethernet and use a standard router like always. U can use the usb port on the zing as a tether.

[iansltx]

LOL - in this picture, my house is where you see the marker.  I have drawn a circle around my house and the tower I am pointed at which is 1.2 miles away.  I have to believe the signal is coming from this tower.  There are other towers, but glancing at the map you can see they would be considerably greater in distance from my home.  This is an omni-directional antenna.  

 

I will leave the science to others.  If each tower has a unique tower I.D., I cannot explain the vast improvement of my signal since the next tower (in the general direction I am pointed) is a considerably great distance.

 

21db parabolic would be a highly directional antenna, not an omni. The cool thing about directional antennas is that in addition to amplifying the signal coming from a particular direction, they won't pick up the noise from other directions nearly as strongly. So it's a bit of a double-whammy connection quality wise that you wouldn't be able to get by having to assume that a cell site was equally probably in any direction.

[KnarfOH]

21db parabolic would be a highly directional antenna, not an omni. 

Yes --  SORRY!  I used the term omni-directional in describing my parabolic antenna and clearly that is not the case.  BRAIN FART! It is highly directional as pointed out by iansitx

[KnarfOH]

Question about my Zing Hotspot.  

 

I have now tethered my Hotspot up to my 

Pepwave Surf SOHO

 

Whether its tethered or you are just using the USB cable to recharge it, at the end of the charging cycle, you get a message that tells you to unplug it when the battery is fully charged.

 

Obviously, since I am using this router, it both serves as a charger but also as the signal for my router so I do not have the option of unplugging it when this message appears.

 

Here is my question:  Leaving the Zing Hotspot plugged in after you receive the message to disconnect from the charger- Is this bad for (1) the Hotspot  (2) is it bad for the battery or (3) both?

I removed the battery from the Hotspot, leaving it tethered to my 

Pepwave Surf SOHO

 

and it still works so I thought I would just pull the battery.  I know over-charging a battery shortens the battery life for many products.

 

Wasn't sure what the recommendations were for this Hotspot and Battery.

 

Please advise!

[scubajwd]

Good questions, Knarf...it's a lithium battery but I'm sure the Zing does not have the

battery /power related circuitry that say a modern Macbook Air does...I leave power on one

of my Macbook's 24/7 and once or twice a month I drain it down to

"calibrate" the battery; after 25 months I still have 6100 out of 6700 mAh on the older

Macbook by following this maintenance;  lithium batts don't like going to "zero" either;

I guess if I had your dilemma I'd pull the battery for your daily use but then ever so often

put it back and let it

drain down to 10 or 15 % and then fully recharge; this way when you need your battery on a trip or

something you'll have it..

[David Mackler]

Question about my Zing Hotspot.  

 

I have now tethered my Hotspot up to my 

Pepwave Surf SOHO

 

Whether its tethered or you are just using the USB cable to recharge it, at the end of the charging cycle, you get a message that tells you to unplug it when the battery is fully charged.

 

Obviously, since I am using this router, it both serves as a charger but also as the signal for my router so I do not have the option of unplugging it when this message appears.

 

Here is my question:  Leaving the Zing Hotspot plugged in after you receive the message to disconnect from the charger- Is this bad for (1) the Hotspot  (2) is it bad for the battery or (3) both?

 

I removed the battery from the Hotspot, leaving it tethered to my 

Pepwave Surf SOHO

 

and it still works so I thought I would just pull the battery.  I know over-charging a battery shortens the battery life for many products.

 

Wasn't sure what the recommendations were for this Hotspot and Battery.

 

Please advise!

I wouldn't worry about leaving it plugged in. California passed a law that requires either (a) smart chargers that stop drawing power when the battery is fully charged or (-b-) a message to the owner asking to unplug the charger. In either case, the point is to stop the "vampire" power draw from the wall outlet. As usual, it is easier for a manufacturer to simply adopt that across the product line rather than producing a special version just for sale in the one state.

 

The message you are seeing is specifically related to that. Given that you have it connected to the router, it is plugged in to keep it operating, not simply to top off the charge.

 

All that said, batteries do need to be used periodically to stay healthy. Call it exercise, if you like.