Tips on signal strength

[hnaparst]

I would like to get some tips on improving signal strength.  I have searched in the f, but the only tips I have found are to make sure the box is not near the wifi router (which is strange considering the 1 meter length of cord that shipped with the unit), and to make sure you have a good internet connection.

How about brick walls or making sure the unit is on an upper floor?  Do these affect the transmission?  For instance, I find that the signal penetrates interior walls but not exterior walls.   Please give me some tips to improve the range and understand the transmission characteristics.

[Ben_H]

Hi hnaparst,

The main tip I can give is to place your Sure Signal in a central location in your home. If your unit is against an outside wall of your building, the signal will be weak on the other side of your home. If it's on the first floor, place the device high on a shelf in the room where it is located.

Metal objects, walls, and floors will interfere with your signal too. The closer the Sure Signal is to these obstructions, the more severe the interference, and the weaker your connection will be. 

My final piece of advice is to ensure you reset the unit once every couple of months to prompt for any software updates pending as well as keep it in good working order.

Hope this helps!

Cheers, Ben

[hnaparst]

Since the SureSignal can handle up to 32 different mobile numbers and 8 simultaneous conversations and supposedly has a range of 30 meters, I thought I would offer the service to my neighbors and hopefully entice them to switch to Vodafone.  In fact, the lady next door was quite interested in switching.  So I mounted the SureSignal on the exterior wall closest to her house on the first floor.

Sadly, SureSignal doesn't seem to penetrate the brick wall of my house.  Standing at her side door, which is less than 10 meters from the Sure Signal, there is only one bar on my Galaxy S3.  Back inside my house, there are zero bars in my kitchen, about 10 meters from the Sure Signal.  Standing right in front of the Sure Signal, there are five bars.

So it really isn't living up to the advertising as far as range goes.  However, when there are five bars, the call quality is fantastic!

[Retired-Andy]

Hi hnapasrt,

As Ben advised, walls can affect the 3G signal a Sure Signal produces. The 3G Signal can reach up to 30 metres but this is entirely dependant on the building structure and the positioning of the Sure Signal itself. The quick start guide will give advice on getting the best results.

Thanks

Andrew

[hnaparst]

Unfortunately, the getting started guide gives only two tips:  Make sure the broadband signal is good, with an MTU of 1500, and don't position the SureSignal near a wifi transmitter.    There is no guidance given regarding where in the house it should be positioned or the amount of degradation that can be expected from interior or exterior walls.

In fact, there is no guidance regarding range except to say that the range is 30 meters, end of story.  That the signal degraded to one bar or so within about seven meters of the unit on the other side of an exterior brick wall is disappointing, to say the least.

Regarding the advice that the getting started guide gave, I actually found that those suggestions had no effect.  I upgraded my broadband speed and moved the unit away from my router without any improvement.

I have the unit positioned on the ground floor, plugged into an interior wall socket behind the TV, and about a meter from the wifi router.  I get five bars anywhere in that room, but it degrades to three bars in adjacent rooms and one bar in rooms that are adjacent to those.

Any further observations or suggestions would be appreciated.

[Ben_H · Accepted solution]

Hi hnaparst,

A lot of users of the Sure Signal device tend to be people who suffer poor penetration on external walls for their local cell sites. As such, the Sure Signal is key in enhancing service where coverage itself isn't necessarily a problem so much as penetration is. Quick examples are those in basement flats, old Victorian buildings or in large internal complexes.

We offer support here on the eForum such as the advice I gave above, however beyond experimenting with placement in your home (as you would with a Wi-Fi router), I'm afraid there's no way of “amping” up the range or direction of the signal strength at this time. 

Cheers, Ben