Mobile Fun Blog

Boosting your Mobile BroadBand Signal

Tuesday, January 11th, 2011

The world of Mobile Broadband seems to have quietened down recently, with the networks choosing to focus on smart phones and apps instead, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not as important.

Mobile Broadband dongles and portable WiFi dongles are still the easiest way to connect your laptop, iPod touch or iPad to the internet while you’re out and about, but some still suffer with signal reception because of their small size.

We’ve covered our range of mobile broadband antenna’s quite extensively in the past, but as the range of dongles are constantly changing, I thought I’d take a look at the current range of Mobile Broadband dongles and let you know what the options were regarding antenna’s and signal boosters.

The dongles listed below are the current range of dongles offered by each of the big 5 UK networks. Other dongles may still be available and the posts listed above should show antenna compatibility for any older dongles.

USB Dongles:

Thankfully the range of devices available is shrinking. All dongles have the same functionality so having a huge range seems a bit of a waste, so I’m glad to see most networks have slimmed down to just one or two dongles – currently the range is the Huawei E1752, Option 515m, USB Stick 610, ZTE MF112 and the Huawei E160.

None of these dongles feature a dedicated antenna connection and they all use the same Universal 3G antenna. These wrap around the housing of the dongle and are held in place by a velcro strap. The Universal Mobile Broadband antenna is available as a Clip Antenna, High Gain Antenna and an Outdoor Panel antenna. You can find out more about the different types on our post “Which mobile broadband antenna do you need“.

Mobile WiFi Devices

All networks, with the exception of O2, now offer a WiFi hotspot or MiFi device. These are a great alternative to a USB dongle as they can be used with so many more devices than just laptops. They’re also easier to set up and use and allow you to connect and use up to 5 devices at the same time. As they’re designed to be portable, they don’t have antenna connections, so like the USB dongles listed above, you’ll need to use the Universal 3G antenna to boost your signal.

The Universal Antenna works brilliantly for most people, but you do need to position both the antenna and the connector correctly. This might mean that you have to experiment with where to place the connector, as it works best when it’s really close to the internal antenna.

Clip Antenna - High Gain Antenna - Outdoor Panel Antenna

As for positioning the antenna itself, we’ve written a few guides that explain exactly how to work out where to position it and which way you need to point it to get the most improvement. For full and detailed information on how to get the best possible mobile broadband signal, make sure you check out all our guides that are listed at the top of the page.

How to Boost your Mobile Broadband 3G Signal

Tuesday, May 18th, 2010

One of the great things about Mobile Broadband is that you can go online anywhere you like – but you can almost guarantee that the place you need it the most is the place where signal is at its weakest.

While 3G coverage is getting stronger with all networks, there will still be blackspots where it drops out, or you can only pick up a 2G signal. Thankfully, a couple of solutions are now available to try and get round these signal issues. If you don’t have a dongle yet and are looking for the network with the strongest 3G signal, then the OFCOM website has just published updated coverage maps (as of 31/12/08) that allow you to view the 3G coverage by network.

UPDATED: There are now three different types of antenna available:

• Clip Antenna: This Antenna is designed to be a portable solution that clips onto the screen on your laptop or sits on your desk. It is omni-directional, which means that it will pick up signals from all directions.
• High Gain 3G Directional Antenna: This is a much more powerful signal booster than the clip antenna and is ideal for people who have problems with 3G reception or use their dongle in a fixed location. They are directional, which means that you will need to point this towards your network’s transmitter in order for it to improve the signal. The High Gain antenna when positioned correctly will make a significant difference to the signal you receive and can be wall mounted as a permanent fixture.
• Mobile Broadband Outdoor Panel Antenna:This is also a more powerful signal booster than the clip antenna and is ideal for people who have real problems with 3G reception. They are also directional, which means that you will need to point this towards your network’s transmitter in order for it to improve the signal. The Outdoor Panel antenna when positioned correctly will make a significant difference to the signal you receive and is designed to be wall/pole mounted outside.

Each of the antenna’s can make a big difference to the signal you receive. Some will have an ariel connection that will plug straight into the dongle, and others will use a Universal “strap on” connection. Antennas are available for Dongles and Data Cards made by:

To help you find the right antenna for your dongle, you can now check the 3G Antenna Compatibility chart or, to view all available antennas, head over to the Mobile Broadband section of the site, and then choose your device – either a USB Dongle or a Data Card. You’ll need to know the model number of your dongle, but this should be printed on a label on the underneath of your Dongle or Data Card.

Your model number is printed on the base of your dongle and is not the CE number

Setting up your Antenna

Clip 3G Antenna to screen

Set up is quick and simple. The Clip Antenna easily clips onto the screen of your laptop or can be mounted in the desk stand (if included).
The High Gain Directional Antenna needs to be mounted on the deskstand, or fixed to the wall (bracket included)

3G Antenna Installation

Next you’ll need to connect the antenna to the adapter cable. If your dongle has an antenna connection, carefully connect the end of the cable to your dongle.

The Clip Antenna includes a 50cm cable, the High Gain Directional Antenna comes with a 1.2m cable. Longer 3m cables and 5m cables are available for the High Gain and Outdoor Panel Antenna.

Universal 3G Antenna Installation

If your dongle doesn’t have an antenna connection, wrap the universal adapter round your dongle and make sure that it doesn’t stop it from going in to your pc/laptop.

The High Gain 3G Directional Antenna and Outdoor Panel Antenna will need to be positioned so that they are facing your nearest mobile phone transmitter.

Our post on Finding your Nearest Transmitter should help you to work out which way your antenna should be facing.


That’s it! All done. Use your Dongle or Data card as normal and you should see an increase in signal strength straight away.

Mobile Broadband: Finding your nearest transmitter

Monday, February 22nd, 2010

The one thing that I’ve not covered yet though is how to find your nearest 3G transmitter so you can work out how to position the High Gain Antenna or Mobile Broadband Panel Antenna correctly.

High Gain Antenna for USB Modems

Both the High Gain and the Mobile Broadband Panel antenna need to be pointed towards the network transmitter in order for them to work effectively, but chances are you won’t know where your nearest transmitter is. Fortunately there is a great tool on the Ofcom website. Sitefinder shows you not only where the transmitters are, but also which network they belong to, what frequencies they transmit on and how high they are.

Before we get to using Sitefinder, it’s worth putting your postcode into the coverage checker on your network’s website (see links below to network coverage maps) to make sure that you do actually live in a 3G coverage area before you start. If the coverage map shows that you live on the edge of 3G coverage, both antenna’s should help, although the Mobile Broadband Panel Antenna will be the better option. If your network says that you don’t have coverage, then neither High Gain and the Mobile Broadband Panel antenna will be of any use to you.

Edge of Coverage Vs No Coverage - Click for more information.

Once you’ve established that you’ve got 3G reception, you’ll need to know where it’s coming from, so for this head over to Sitefinder by Ofcom. It works in a similar way to the network coverage checkers, but instead of showing coverage, shows you the locations of nearby transmitters as small blue triangles on the map. To see details of the transmitter, you’ll need to zoom in as close as you can, until the ‘Zoom in’ option changes to ‘View Base Details‘ as shown below. Once it’s changed click on the blue triangle on the map to see details of that transmitter.

Transmitter Locations on Sitefinder

A pop up window will then open to show you the information on that transmitter. The first thing you’ll need to check is that it belongs to your network. If it does then you should check the Type of Transmission – 3G Transmitters will be UMTS where as standard GPRS transmitters will be listed as GSM. If it doesn’t belong to your network or is a GSM one then the transmitter is of no use to you and you’ll need to go back to the map to find the next nearest. To do this you’ll probably have to zoom out again until you see more blue triangles, then zoom in on them.

Transmitter Details

If you’re struggling to work out exactly where the transmitter is, I find it helps to have a satellite view of Google maps open in a different browser window so that you can cross reference the main roads from the Sitefinder map with the Google map and work out where it is.

Once you’ve determined which transmitter is your nearest 3G one you’ll be able to point your High Gain or Mobile Broadband Panel antenna in the right direction. Keep an eye on the transmitter height too, as you might need to angle it up or down if it’s mounted on the roof of a tall building or you live on a hill.

Coverage Maps

To get started you’ll need to visit your network to check the coverage where you are. These links should take you straight to the relevant page on each networks website.

• Vodafone Coverage Map
• Three Coverage Map
• T-Mobile Coverage Map
• Orange Coverage Map
• O2 Coverage Map

FAQ’s

We get a lot of questions about the mobile broadband antennas, most of them asking the same thing, so to try and answer your questions here are some of the most common questions and answers:

Where can I find 3g coverage map?

Use the links above to go to the networks coverage checkers

What signal booster would we need?

There’s no set answer to this, but as a rule of thumb:

• Clip antenna is best suited for mobile users that use their laptops while they’re out and about in areas with generally good coverage
• High Gain antenna is best suited for those who get 2-3 bars of 3G signal and want a stronger, faster connection
• Outdoor Antenna is best suited for those who get 3G signal outside, but not inside or those that live on the edge of an area of coverage

Which connection type do you use for my dongle?

Please see our post titled “Which Antenna Do I Need?” or find your dongle on the Mobile Broadband section of the Mobile Fun website

I thought the antenna would help boost that but when I connect it, if anything, it reduces the signal.

This can happen if you’re using an antenna with a long cable in an area that already has good signal. You lose some signal strength the further the signal has to travel, so by using extension cables with the outdoor and high gain antenna the dongle can lose signal. If this happens either disconnect the antenna as the signal is strong enough for you not to need it, or reduce the length of the cable. You shouldn’t see a drop in signal strength if you’re in a poor signal area

Does the 3G USB Modem Antenna work?

Yes, although the difference it makes to your dongle will vary depending on the dongle you have, the current strain on the network, distance to the transmitter etc. Other customers have told us that the antenna with a physical connection to the dongle seems to give more of an improvement over the universal one, but an improvement is still seen on both. If you are considering taking out a Mobile Broadband agreement, I’d recommend that you opt for a dongle that has an external antenna connection if you are given the choice.

If you’ve got a question that’s not been covered here, please post it in the Mobile Fun Forums.

Improving your Mobile Broadband signal in the car

Friday, August 28th, 2009

If you use mobile broadband while you’re travelling or you spend most of the day working out of your car, you might struggle to maintain a decent connection to your network – this will be due to the fact you’re sat in a metal box with no end of interference from all the wiring and electrical gadgets in the car.

If you’re in a cafe or at home you can boost your signal by using a Clip Antenna or a High Gain Antenna, but inside a car they won’t be anywhere near as effective. For this reason we’ve just released our 3G Mobile Broadband Vehicle Antenna for use in cars, lorries, caravans, motorhomes, boats etc.

Car Antenna for Huawei USB Modems

Unlike the Clip Antenna and High Gain antennas that sit next to you, the Mobile Broadband Vehicle Antenna is designed to be mounted on the outside of your vehicle. This way it can pick up the signal from your network and carry it directly to the antenna to provide you with a better reception and faster download speeds.

The antenna is small and portable and can be stored in the glove box or a door pocket when not in use. It measures just 15cm long and has a small magnetic base that is just over 3cm in diameter. It can be mounted in seconds and won’t cause any damage to the paintwork on your vehicle.

The Mobile Broadband Vehicle Antenna is currently only available for Huawei dongles that use the CRC9 connection.  These dongles include the E156G, E160, E160G, E169, E620 & E110.

Mobile Broadband Antenna range extended

Friday, August 28th, 2009

A few months ago we launched a range of Mobile Broadband Antennas that connect to your Mobile Broadband Dongle to help increase signal strength and download speeds. Up until now there have only been two options available – a Clip Antenna and a High Gain Antenna. Well, we now have a third option – a Mobile Broadband Panel Antenna – a very high gain antenna that is perfect for areas of low reception.

To give you a better understanding of each of the antennas and to help you determine which type will suit you best here’s a quick summary of all their features.

USB Modem Clip Antenna

This an ultra portable aerial that clips onto the top of your laptop screen and connects to your dongle. It has an Omni Directional aerial and will pick up signals from all directions. The Clip Antenna will improve your 3G and GPRS signal by up to 2dBi.

Clip Antenna for USB Modems

There is a Clip Antenna for just about every USB modem or Datacard, with most current USB Modem using one of the following connections:

• Clip Antenna – CRC9
• Clip Antenna – Universal

USB Modem High Gain Antenna

This is a much more powerful signal booster than the Clip Antenna and is ideal for people who have real problems with 3G reception. They are directional so you will need to point this towards your network’s transmitter in order for it to improve the signal. The High Gain antenna when positioned correctly will make a difference of up to 9dBi on a 3G network, but will not improve a GPRS Signal.

High Gain Antenna for USB Modems

These antennas include a desk stand, but can also be mounted on an internal wall for a more permanent solution. You get 1.2 metres of cable included, but this can be extended using either a 3m extension cable or a 5m extension cable.

High Gain Antennas are the best option if you have low signal levels or live on the fringe of network coverage and don’t want to be able to mount the Antenna outside.

There is a High Gain Antenna available for most of the current USB Modems with the following connections:

• High Gain Antenna – CRC9
• High Gain Antenna – Universal

Mobile Broadband Panel Antenna

Visually, the Panel Antenna looks the same as the High Gain Antenna, but there are a number of significant differences – the main one being that the Panel Antenna is weatherproof and is suitable for use outside. Concrete, Steel and thick brick walls can reduce your signal strength, so by fixing the antenna to an outside wall or mast, the antenna picks up a stronger signal than it would inside and carries it along a lossless cable through to your mobile broadband dongle.

Mobile Broadband Panel Antenna

The Mobile Broadband Panel Antenna is the best option for areas where there is good reception outside but little or variable signal inside buildings or if you are on the fringe of the network coverage. This antenna can improve signal strength by up to 11dBi on a 3G network and up to 9dBi on a GPRS network.

Mobile Broadband Panel Antennas are directional so they will need to point in the direction of your nearest network transmitter in order for them to function properly. They come with 5m of cable and a wall/mast mounting bracket.

Panel Antennas are available for most of the current USB Modems with the following connections:

• Mobile Broadband Panel Antenna – CRC9 Connection
• Mobile Broadband Panel Antenna – Universal Connection

To find out which type of connector your Mobile Broadband Dongle needs take a look at our Mobile Broadband Antenna Compatibility List.