Tower Locations and Improving Signal Strength

[ajax]

I just noticed Cell C has updated/fixed the coverage map - You can now zoom in much closer to the area you want to check for coverage - Great, Thanks!

For Stellenbosch it looks like the coverage has shrunk! I am no longer covered according to the map, but my corner reflector in the roof with MR3420 router is working just fine

 

[lotus123]

I'm being dragged into a Vodacom black hole

I sent an email to onlinesupport and they replied with a map (of sorts) showing the location of some towers in my area. What they don't do is tell me whose towers they are, or where they are in relation to my position.

However, it transpires that the tower I'm currently connecting to is a Vodacom tower, which doesn't really help the performance at all.

I got up on the roof this morning to re-orient the external antenna (Poynting LPDA high-gain), but regardless of the direction I point it the signal stays locked onto this damn Vodacom tower - the only thing that changes is the signal strength, which varies from -51 to -58. I'm guessing the signal is much stronger than other towers in the area, and preventing the modem from seeing anything else.

Is there any way you can suggest that I can break out of it's grip, so that I can find another tower? I suspect that even a weaker signal from a CellC tower may be better that a strong signal from this Vodacom tower.

@ CellC - I've sent you another PM for the co-ordinates of these towers. The guys at Support aren't helping.

 

[ginggs]

Is there any way you can suggest that I can break out of it's grip, so that I can find another tower?

Try setting your modem to 'manual operator selection' and then picking Cell-C, that should stop it from roaming on the Vodacom tower.

 

[lotus123]

Try setting your modem to 'manual operator selection' and then picking Cell-C, that should stop it from roaming on the Vodacom tower.

That sounds good. I expect one can do that with dashboard software on a PC, but can it be done when direct connected to a router (K4505Z and Billion 7402NX router)?

Thanks
Graham

PS. Thanks for the MDMA - it's been invaluable so far!

 

[ginggs]

That sounds good. I expect one can do that with dashboard software on a PC, but can it be done when direct connected to a router (K4505Z and Billion 7402NX router)?

I'm guessing your router probably won't be able to set that setting, but you can do it on a PC, and like the '3G Only' setting, it is stored in the modem's NVRAM so it will keep that setting until you change it back.

PS. Thanks for the MDMA - it's been invaluable so far!

You are welcome!

 

[lotus123]

I'm guessing your router probably won't be able to set that setting, but you can do it on a PC, and like the '3G Only' setting, it is stored in the modem's NVRAM so it will keep that setting until you change it back.

I never knew that. So I can fire it up with a dashboard on the PC, change the setting to "CellC only" and then unplug the Modem and move it back to the router which gets powered off every night, and it will stay set until I decide to change it via that process again one day?

And while I'm in the presence of great collective wisdom does anyone know how I can get a CellC or compatible dashboard for this K4505-Z (which was originally a Vodafone device)? I've searched the web (including ZTE's website) and found nothing to date.

Thanks

 

[ginggs]

I never knew that. So I can fire it up with a dashboard on the PC, change the setting to "CellC only" and then unplug the Modem and move it back to the router which gets powered off every night, and it will stay set until I decide to change it via that process again one day?

Correct.

And while I'm in the presence of great collective wisdom does anyone know how I can get a CellC or compatible dashboard for this K4505-Z (which was originally a Vodafone device)? I've searched the web (including ZTE's website) and found nothing to date.

Cell-C were supposed to be putting the dashboard for their ZTE modems on their website last week.
ZTE's own dashboard is called 'Join Air' if you want to search for that.

 

[kidnotorious]

Cell Tower IDs and Transmitter Directions

Once upon a time there was a thread which included information on how to use a CellID and the last digit in the ID to determine which direction the Tower's transmitter/antenna is facing.

Tried searching for the thread but have been unable to find it. Is anyone able to help?

 

[ajax]

I remember it, it was posted by Ginggs. Send him a pm.
It was something like if the ID ended in "1" it was pointing South West, if it was ending in "2" it was South East, something like that.

However lately there have been reports of ID's ending in "6". Perhaps they are omni's?

 

[kidnotorious]

Thanks, much appreciated

 

[1geoff99]

I can't find the reference, but this is what was said...

It seems Cell-C are assigning the last digit as follows: 1 for the
North-facing sector, 2 for the Southeast-facing sector and 3 for the
Southwest-facing sector.

So for example, Cell ID 42551 is the North-facing sector of tower 4255.

 

[OMB]

original post here http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread.php/273804-Tower-Locations-and-Improving-Signal-Strength?p=5395941&viewfull=1#post5395941

 

[ginggs]

However lately there have been reports of ID's ending in "6". Perhaps they are omni's?

I have seen Cell IDs ending with 4, 5 and 6 or 6, 7 and 8 (I think MTN might use 8, 9 and 0). These seem to be an additional set of three sectors facing the same directions as the 1, 2 and 3 sectors.

 

[fsgoldstein]

I can't find the reference, but this is what was said...

It seems Cell-C are assigning the last digit as follows: 1 for the
North-facing sector, 2 for the Southeast-facing sector and 3 for the
Southwest-facing sector.

So for example, Cell ID 42551 is the North-facing sector of tower 4255.

During a visit by a CellC/ZTE technician (as a result of a logged call), he informed me that the 1,2,3 suffixes are for the 900MHz transmissions and 4,5,6 are for 2100MHz. This ties in with what I am seeing: whereas previously I connected to IDs 40081 and 40391, I now see those 2 IDs as well as 40084 and 40394. As 1geoff99 stated in 'Cell C 2100 MHz in Cape Town?', I get better performance from the 2100MHz transmissions even though the signal strength is significantly lower.

 

[kidnotorious]

Thanks guys, out of interest, why would 1 = North but 2 = SE?

Surely
N = 1
NE = 2
E = 3
SE = 4
S = 5

etc?

 

[ginggs]

Thanks guys, out of interest, why would 1 = North but 2 = SE?

Surely
N = 1
NE = 2
E = 3
SE = 4
S = 5

etc?

The sectors cover 120 degrees so they don't need one every 45 degrees. Imagine the Mercedes Benz symbol.

 

[1geoff99]

Thanks guys, out of interest, why would 1 = North but 2 = SE?

Surely
N = 1
NE = 2
E = 3
SE = 4
S = 5

etc?

I am guessing it works like this. Elements 1, 2 and 3 transmit in 3 different directions (for 900 MHz) and need to cover the full 360 degree circle. So each element needs to cover 360/3 = 120 degrees. Then if 1 = North, 120 degrees from North is SE and SW respectively (clockwise and anticlockwise).

Similarly elements 4, 5 and 6 (or 6, 7 and 8?) need to cover 120 degrees x 3 for 2100 MHz transmissions, so 4 = N, 5 = SE and 6 = SW (or 6 = N, 7 = SE and 8 = SW).

 

[kidnotorious]

The sectors cover 120 degrees so they don't need one every 45 degrees. Imagine the Mercedes Benz symbol.

Ah, i c. makes perfect sense

 

[T-Man]

Cell C Tower LAC & SID

Hi
I recently installed Cellumap on my Android. It shows info like signal strength and also CellID info. Strange thing is, the LAC doesn't seem to change - it's always 50. Only the CID changes. Now I know the 900 band is supposed to have better penetration etc but it is a bit strange to me. On Vodacom/MTN the LAC changes every couple of km.

Cellumap plots the signal strength on a map. Its nice to see strong signal strength on almost all the points I plotted.

Can anyone shed some light on this?

 

[SteveO]

Dude,google lac.its location area code.it should not change often at all.mtn lac changes could be because you are on a boundry between 2 la's

Sent from my GT-I9000 using MyBroadband Android App