Cottonland Electronic Devices
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Never really thought about that, but you are right, it would have to have some kind of small transformer built in to power the USB ports. @BMThiker Rick, you have any experience with these. I feel like I have seen you weighing in on a question about them somewhere else.
I typically try to over-complicate everything to the point that I eventually have to just start over. Case in point, trying to figure out the "right" way to insulate my pole barn. Been beating on that one for about a week now and still don't know what I'm going to do. Will report to the shop thread for that one though.
Haven't used any in-wall outlets, but added something similar to these external 6 outlet + USB to a few locations. I don't think it would get any hotter than an iPad brick does, but it does mean it's drawing some wattage even when nothing is plugged in.
Alright here I come with another question for the CLC brain-trust. Cellular internet booster options, anyone got any information. @wngrog I've never been anywhere near your place, but it looks to be very remote, do you have a land-line internet option or are you all cellular? And if so do you have any type of booster equipment to help out? @BMThiker put me on what is looking like a good option with a Cradlepoint Router which can be (I think) added to my current VZW service as a device similar to a mi-fi or Jetpack. I am going to be talking with a cradlepoint rep about some particulars and VZW if needed, but I thought I might see if any of the rest of you have run up against this.
#firstworldproblems #middleofnowhere
#firstworldproblems #middleofnowhere
I have a Wilson Repeater. It takes the outside signal (however good that is) and puts it in the house. My metal roof kills my signal.
We have DSL. It sucks. It's expensive but LTE is not great either.
We have DSL. It sucks. It's expensive but LTE is not great either.
No options where we are other than LTE or satellite, and the DISH guy basically said don't do DISH internet, period, ever... and AT&T said no copper for internet in the area and no plans for it any time soon, so we are left with LTE.
Been doing some talking and other than making sure I don't burn thru data (we don't stream more than the occasional youtube and no online gaming) then the other thing is to just get a good solid signal to work with. There are times the 4G is on point and others when I would kill for dial-up, So I am doing my research. Rick put me on the cradlepoint and said he has seen 50 mbps on some of his job-sites in ATL with a nice robust cellular network around, but if I can get a consistent 10 - 15 mbps then I will be thrilled. Sidebar, true 4G is supposed to allow for 100 mbps downloads while in motion and 1 Gbps when stationary, that is nuts to me. Anyway, just curious if any of you had run into this particular hurdle and if so how you got around it.
Been doing some talking and other than making sure I don't burn thru data (we don't stream more than the occasional youtube and no online gaming) then the other thing is to just get a good solid signal to work with. There are times the 4G is on point and others when I would kill for dial-up, So I am doing my research. Rick put me on the cradlepoint and said he has seen 50 mbps on some of his job-sites in ATL with a nice robust cellular network around, but if I can get a consistent 10 - 15 mbps then I will be thrilled. Sidebar, true 4G is supposed to allow for 100 mbps downloads while in motion and 1 Gbps when stationary, that is nuts to me. Anyway, just curious if any of you had run into this particular hurdle and if so how you got around it.
my friend has one of the wilson devices... as noted it takes the outside signal and brings in indoors. In this case it worked great to bring cell signal inside a metal walled shop building, where the cell signal was good outside but dead on the inside. Basically it has an external antenna and you mount the antenna to the outside of the building or other convenient location, bring the antenna cable inside and it mates to the inside repeater device that simply plugs into a power source. Works seamlessly, plug & play install. in this instance the cell signal outside was good, the metal building was the showstopper on signal. Wilson makes quality stuff.
I've never heard anything from anyone that had anything to say good about Hughes (sat services).
I've read where this is a new technology in broadband that will serve rural communities via what is essentially a expanded version of a wireless (radio signal), when and where your location would get service...(who knows). You would install some type of antenna on your house (relatively small) and then that would connect to type of modem/getaway inside your house for internet, speeds on the low side of broadband. No leads on this, as I just recall reading about it somewhere. Likely this will only ever the effective manner in which rural areas are served outside of cell service and some places cell service is a joke. This wireless signal is across some spectrum of radio signal bandwidth....not cellular. So speed/bandwidth/capacity...etc would be issues I'm sure. As I recall it was dicussed that the guys pushing this technology would look to work agreements with cell tower owners where potentially they could mount their antennas.....now one wonders if the cell tower owners would agree to a competitive product using their infrastructure.
Rural areas have been undeserved in broadband for a very long time...and it comes down to capacity and $$. The providers don't care to serve/offer the service unless enough $$/customers are in the "zone". I'm sure customer density is a big deal on supporting that technology/service.
If the radio signal service has sufficient bandwidth and is affordable and ___________??? maybe one day...
I've never heard anything from anyone that had anything to say good about Hughes (sat services).
I've read where this is a new technology in broadband that will serve rural communities via what is essentially a expanded version of a wireless (radio signal), when and where your location would get service...(who knows). You would install some type of antenna on your house (relatively small) and then that would connect to type of modem/getaway inside your house for internet, speeds on the low side of broadband. No leads on this, as I just recall reading about it somewhere. Likely this will only ever the effective manner in which rural areas are served outside of cell service and some places cell service is a joke. This wireless signal is across some spectrum of radio signal bandwidth....not cellular. So speed/bandwidth/capacity...etc would be issues I'm sure. As I recall it was dicussed that the guys pushing this technology would look to work agreements with cell tower owners where potentially they could mount their antennas.....now one wonders if the cell tower owners would agree to a competitive product using their infrastructure.
Rural areas have been undeserved in broadband for a very long time...and it comes down to capacity and $$. The providers don't care to serve/offer the service unless enough $$/customers are in the "zone". I'm sure customer density is a big deal on supporting that technology/service.
If the radio signal service has sufficient bandwidth and is affordable and ___________??? maybe one day...
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When I lived in Granbury Texas 11 years ago we had internet via cell tower. It was as good as cable then but then it was all slow.
We have a fiber optic cable across our driveway but no way to get it to our house.
ATT quoted my sister $1900 a month.
She just went all LTE at office.
We have a fiber optic cable across our driveway but no way to get it to our house.
ATT quoted my sister $1900 a month.
She just went all LTE at office.
Well I got this monster today.
Ran up to Verizon and added it to our existing data plan. SIM card was $2.19 and I some how walked out with more data, carryover, the new device added and my bill went down $15/ month... It's a racket for sure. Anyway, plan to get it home and plug it in tonight and see how it does. I will report back.
Ran up to Verizon and added it to our existing data plan. SIM card was $2.19 and I some how walked out with more data, carryover, the new device added and my bill went down $15/ month... It's a racket for sure. Anyway, plan to get it home and plug it in tonight and see how it does. I will report back.
It is a cradlepoint IBR600 wireless router. Best way to describe it is a jetpack on steroids. This model has 2 Ethernet ports and built in Wi-Fi capability. 2 of the antennas are for LTE capture and the other 2 are for Wi-Fi. It also has the capability to take a separate external antenna if I need to further improve the LTE capture.
We hooked it up last night and so far so good. I gauge speed by how well MUD loads on my phone and on the Wi-Fi last night things were loading better. We are going to have to play with placement in the house to see where works best and since I'm this far down the rabbit hole, I think I'm going to go ahead and pop for the external antenna and cabling to ensure I've done everything possible to get the best service possible.
I will say this thing is WAAYY over my techno-banana skill level. I got it up and running but it has so many features that I have no idea what do. The only thing I'd like to figure out is if I can check the incoming signal strength.
Yeah, as I recall with ours it has more management features than you would probably ever use (well even the newer Jetpacks do now) such as hiding the SSID, limiting the number of wifi users, or even only allowing specific MAC addresses access wifi. I think the external aerials will really improve your signal. They not terribly obnoxious looking either, just a twin mast about 18" long. You have to run two coax cables though, one for each mast.
Ours look like this
Ours look like this
Technically you buy from a Cradlepoint rep/reseller with it already provisioned for one of the major cellular flavors (AT&T or VZW). Then you take it to your cellular company and they read the ID/Serial #s off of it so they can assign it a "phone number" on their network. It's a cash purchase up front for the CP unit and accessories, no subsidized pricing from your provider available. Then you just add it to your existing family plan at your cellular company as a data/broadband device.
What Rick said. I will post the CP rep I dealt withs number and he can line you up with a local dealer. Like Rick said, the CP guy hooked me up with a dealer, dealer sold me the unit. I took the unit over to the VZW store and added it like a jetpack to my data plan. They are available for all the major carriers, just a couple different letters at the end of the model number. The VZ kid stuck the SIM card in and assigned the number, when I got home I plugged it in, tied it to the laptop with an Ethernet chord, set the passwords up and the Wi-Fi was on. Real simple to get up and going in its basic form.
Blaze Montgomery. 208-472-6147. His signature says he is the TN account manager, but I bet he could still get you what you need to know.
The sales guy I bought it thru basically said CP was the top of the pyramid for this technology and if this didn't work then nothing else out there would.
Rick, do you all have a directional or non-directional antenna? The guy actually spec'd a directional unit for me that I could aim at a tower. I just thought I'd try it without it first. Probably should have just went ahead and gotten it, oh well.
Also, VZ business actually deals with CP as a business solution, and I bet others do as well. I found it on the VZ site and it linked to CP, but for simplicity for a residence, direct purchase is likely the easiest as if the reaction of the guy at VZ is any indication, they won't have a clue.
Blaze Montgomery. 208-472-6147. His signature says he is the TN account manager, but I bet he could still get you what you need to know.
The sales guy I bought it thru basically said CP was the top of the pyramid for this technology and if this didn't work then nothing else out there would.
Rick, do you all have a directional or non-directional antenna? The guy actually spec'd a directional unit for me that I could aim at a tower. I just thought I'd try it without it first. Probably should have just went ahead and gotten it, oh well.
Also, VZ business actually deals with CP as a business solution, and I bet others do as well. I found it on the VZ site and it linked to CP, but for simplicity for a residence, direct purchase is likely the easiest as if the reaction of the guy at VZ is any indication, they won't have a clue.
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