LTE... Can we make it better from the client side?

AngryDog said:
Right before we start FULL DISCLAIMER.

I am a LTE user. I use it for work mainly but my children use it for home schooling and entertainment.

I have a Vodacom Contract
I have a CELL C prepaid, Telkom prepaid and MTN prepaid.

I live in an area that has at least 5 towers around me within viewing distance. I know 2 of them are Vodacom I suspect the other to be Telkom and No clue where the hell Cell C tower is or if they bounce of other towers. I also know for a fact where the MTN towers are as my previous Boss had a contract with MTN. We did the installations...

Between them I need to do my day to day stuff. Now As all of you know 720p is data heavy and more importantly it is critical for online classes and studies. However again some do record their classes better then others and I was able to get away with 360p with some of them.

Currently others and I run a tech support "thing" I can't call it a business because it really isn't one. We use to help everyone with every problem. This can be DSTV, Wifi network, cable network CCTV installs and whatever else that needed to be done. However due to low demand we split up and so we are no longer doing the above.

So what now? Well several days ago i started noticing that all networks fluctuate during power outs. This is strange as many towers do have backup and ironically the one fibre provider does not have backup so even if we do have power they may not have and there is no service. However it is worth noting that they are currently installing backup power. What that is i wouldn't know.

So MTN is a no show on power outs as well as Cell C. Telkom and Vodacom seems to be running at reasonable speeds.

So what of this?

Well i figured it is time to up my LTE game and get myself a 5G router and soon realized that it is to expensive ranging anything from R6k to R13k and then I realized I am in trouble. See The larger more powerful routers are very expensive and those that still can give reasonable 4G speeds are locked to telkom?

See i want to be able to boost my LTE service but not be hard-locked to a network because obviously they are not stable enough to allow for it.

Now I am looking at an active LTE signal booster but was surprised to learn that not only are they very expensive but also they don't really have any real info on them. Yes you get the technical stuff, and 4 star reviews but i hardly see this tech deployed at offices. So i never had a first hand experience with them.

My thinking is If i can point this device to a known 5G tower "Rain tower" and can boost the signal I may get a stable 5G connection on a uncap bases and that would really bring my overall cost down.

I saw second hand 5G Rain routers for sale: But I am not sure because i know Rain "borrow the router to the client". So i am not sure if the client get to keep the router after some time or what the deal is.

View attachment 1238718

So do i get the signal booster ? Will it help with internet speeds? Do i get a second hand Rain router because I don't like to borrow stuff and be on the hook if a power spike or lightning claims it.

So here it is an LTE client wondering if this is worth it or not.

Any insight would be welcome.
Click to expand...
Have you tried an antenna? A signal booster takes the signal and rebroadcasts it for other devices, which isn't what you're trying to do. I'd suggest you look for a Poynting or Otto wireless LTE antenna.

Where about are you located? I have an Ottena 11db antenna for sale which you can take for a trial.
 
You're looking for an LTE antenna, not a signal booster. Try Poynting:

poynting.tech

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I have a old antenna laying in my garage that may or may not work. You can take it for free if you collect.

It's just the antenna only, no power supply or anything extra. I have no idea what is needed to make it work but you may have the equipment and skills to test it and make it work
 
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