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can't get good connection with cell phone or Verizon MIFI inside a steel building

I have a remote office that is a steel building with alot of copper piping and wires. It is for an aggregate batch plant. Cell phone coverage inside this building is almost zero. I need internet in the buliding and of course a Verizon MIFI (which is what I wanted to use and have tried) does not work. Is there a way I can attach something to the mifi and run it to the top of the building and to a wireless router or something and get better coverage or does EE have some other ideas on how I could have an internet device outside of the building and bring it into a router or possibly right into the desktop computer that needs the interent connection?

Phonebuff

Not sure of your issue, but if you need a network signal you should use something like the Digi Accelerated product linked with a cat-5 cable to a WifI access point in your office.

https://www.digi.com/products/networking/cellular-routers/digi-ex15

https://store.google.com/us/product/google_wifi?hl=en-US

If you have good IP broadband in the building then I would contact your cellular provider and ask for a MicroCell / FemtoCell unit..

https://smallbusiness.chron.com/verizon-equivalent-microcell-68163.html

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Dave Baldwin

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MLV CM

I don't think anything would work for the MIFI even if someone advertises it as such. We have used Cradlepoint and MOFI devices with external antennas Cradlepoint hardware is very expensive and they now require recurring "warranty" / "support". You can take a look athttps://www.unlimitedtogo.com/product/mofi4500-sim4b/ and the MOFI router which supports 2 external antennas. You can bring your own access with a Cradlepoint and Unlimited to Go requires you to purchase the access from them. You can get unlimited INternet for $99 a month from Unlimited to Go. You can buy the MOFI external antennas from Amazon https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01801BJ7I/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

mkramer777

ASKER

DAVE BALDWIN: I think your idea might work but what about the elemetns? Are there any ideas on how to protect it? I can get out of the building pretty easy and the roof is only about 10 feet from where the computer would have this device plugged in.

Dave Baldwin

I don't know where to find one but any kind of plastic water proof cover should work. I know that there are USB cords that are 12 feet long.

mkramer777

ASKER

Can you run the device to a wireless router on some sort so wireless can then be in the building or does this device only work plugged directly into the computer?

Dave Baldwin

That USB device requires a computer to operate. And from your description of the building, it is unlikely that wifi is going to work well there. If there are metal walls between section, wifi signals won't go thru them.

Scott Fell

I live in a rural area on the far side of the one verizon antenna. I can verify that that MLV CM's solution is a good one. I have ordered and use the very antenna from Amazon and has it happens paired with both a cradle point. I also tried it with a verizon modem and cell booster. The real idea of the cradle point is to use cell service as a back up but I used it only for cell because I couldn't get internet. It has some nice features but I didn't get a benefit of actual cell data service over the modem I received from VZW. The real problem with using a connected device as they call it is your unlimited data is limited to 15 gigs until they slow you down. I ended up using the cell booster and my own phone as a hotspot to use my full data package.

The booster does not really increase the signal, it just redirects it from the outside to the inside. Of course there is a downside to using your phone as the hotspot because once you leave with your phone, the internet is gone. Also, the the Above Unlimited plan is $95/month. I recently just switched to a sister company of VZW that currently offers unlimited data at $40/month flat including taxes. The downside is it limits data to just 5gigs per second. Based on my location, I only get 3 gigs per second anyway. https://www.visible.com/ is the company.