Question

Hi

I have an antenna on roof of my motorhome that I fitted, I think I "may" have damaged it somehow when fitting, else its awful from new?

Have two SIM cards inserted (RUT950) on different networks, very rarely get a usable internet connection, I have once or twice in some towns, but most towns I get either "not connected to internet" or else super slow internet, IE: websites don't load but can just receive emails and have Facebook chats ok.

I then remembered I had my old android phone in cupboard, so ive tried both the SIM cards in that and turned on hotspot, both seem work reasonable well. So essentially with a "proper" expensive 4G antenna on roof outside metal van I get rarely usable internet and yet same SIM card inside a phone, and inside a metal van and works ok?

When I do get something from router and roof antenna, the router shows about -77dbm as signal etc.

What else can I maybe try to test etc, before I go to expense and hassle of replacing the antenna on roof, considering it sealed to roof etc!

Thanks

Answer 1

Hello. You can try these steps: 

Look under a Settings, Wi-Fi, or Network menu. For example, in the settings on a Google Pixel with Android 10, select Network & Internet, select the Wi-Fi you're using, and then select the gear icon next to the network you're connected to. There you can see the signal strength. 

five nights at freddy's

Answer 2

Hello,

Thank you for your query.

Could you please tell me what kind of antenna are you currently using on your RUT950 router? In general, since the signal is pretty good it appears that the only thing you could have damaged would be the antenna connector to the PCB. So I would recommend checking it on the router, when ever the thread where antenna is being fixed is solid. It should not move, should be stable.

Signal strength mentioned -77dbm,  it falls under the category of -80 dBm to -90 dBm , therefore it is not excellent but it is good. Here is some more information regarding signal strength: https://wiki.teltonika-networks.com/view/Mobile_Signal_Strength_Recommendations

Regarding that your RUT950 has two sim cards unfortunately, it has only one modem, therefore, it can operate one sim at a time. 2nd Sim card can work only as a back up connectivity. In addition, it is normal for your phone to have better internet connectivity most of the time due to different LTE modules used, here is a link to a resource where this is explained in more detail:

LTE speed discrepancies :https://wiki.teltonika-networks.com/view/LTE_Speed_Discrepancies

You have also mentioned that you can receive messages and emails, however, you are unable to view webpages. Did you mean that it never loads at all or just occasionally? If it doesn't load at all, then it could be even a DNS issue, which would result in the router not being able to map hostname to ip addresses: https://wiki.teltonika-networks.com/view/What_is_a_DNS%3F

You could try adding a DNS forwarding of 8.8.8.8 , which is google DNS server.

Here is the link : https://wiki.teltonika-networks.com/view/RUT955_DNS

In addition, I would recommend to carry out an internet speed test, for example ,fast could be used: https://fast.com/

Internet speed test will allow you to see whenever it is really the internet problem or as mentioned, potentially DNS.

You could also download the troubleshoot file and forward it to me so I could have a more in depth look. To download the troubleshoot file please navigate to System -> Administration -> Troubleshoot -> Download Troubleshoot and forward it to me via private message.

Best Regards,

Dziugas

Comments

The antenna is an Avtex AMR985 which I am led to believe is a rebadged Panorama "Great White", see here:

https://www.panorama-antennas.com/site/2G-3G-4G-5G-LTE-Antennas?product_id=70

No, websites just very rarely load at all, so can't run a speediest usually. Already had my DNS at 8.8.8.8. Its the cable I "think" I may have damaged during install as insulation was nicked a little. However if cable was damaged surely it wouldn't show -77 signal still?

Like I say the same SIM cards work 100% fine inside the van, inside a phone! Id like to think a proper antenna and router would do better than a smartphone?

---

Hello,

it does not look like a damaged antenna as the signal is pretty strong.

However, I am afraid that your phone in most cases would have a better internet connection than your router with a proper antenna. This is due to the differences in LTE Modules and their architectures, Modern phones support faster LTE technologies than most Teltonika-Networks devices as they are made and used for different purposes. Most of the speed discrepancies are due to carrier aggregation (CA). To see how CA and other factors can affect LTE speeds, please refer to the following page:

https://wiki.teltonika-networks.com/view/LTE_Speed_Discrepancies

Best Regards,

Dziugas