When an external 4G LTE antenna is necessary

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In today's day and age the options for home internet are ever growing. All 3 major cellular networks offer some form of "home internet" or "hot spot". While these services often are sufficient there are times when an external antenna can make or break the usefulness of the service.

T-Mobile has "T-Mobile home internet" which is just that. It cost $50.00 per month but it is a fixed device. There is not the option to operate your device or antenna for that matter. If you're within 2 miles of tower and minimal obstructions this is good enough to achieve decent internet.

Additionally, Straight Talk now offers a similar home service for $45.00. There device is a small cube as is the T-Mobile service. At least with straight talk there is a choice between the 3 major carriers as they have agreements with all 3 companies.

When an external antenna can help

There are many types of antennas out there designed for 600 MHz - 5 GHz. An outdoor antenna becomes necessary anytime a cellular signal has room for improvement. The white antennas, pictured below are 2 LOG PERIODIC Yagi antennas setup in MIMO. These antennas are relatively high gain at 10 DB. A log periodic antenna has a wide band operating range. Usually one of these antenna's can cover the entire 4G LTE spectrum. (600 MHz - 2.4 GHz)

The antenna seen in the middle is a 12 DB Wilson YAGI antenna.

In my case operating internal antennas or no antennas is not an option. Not only is the cellular tower 5 miles away but my location is a constant down hill slope all the way. My location is a known "dead zone" for cellular communication signals.

I have my antennas mounted approximately ~ 30 foot in the air on a tower. Thanks to external antennas and the MoFI 4500 I was able to achieve quality, useable signal from an AT&T tower that is about 5 miles away.

Cellular Dead Zone Speed Test

Here is the speed I have accomplished in a "cellular dead zone". Definitely not perfect speed but much better than DSL's 5 MBPS. This has allowed me to stream TV, operate internet radio station, and run online business.

Things to consider when choosing out door antenna

• Distance from the cellular tower.
• Topography between your location and the cellular tower.
• Current signal strength with standard/indoor antenna

The default paddle antenna included with MoFI devices offer 5 DB of gain. In the case of close distance to tower an outdoor antenna may not even be needed. Although any signal can be "improved" if you are already at 5 BARS there's not much room for improvement to be made.