[ILUG] 3G Reception Booster

[Niall O Broin]

On 20 Jan 2009, at 22:53, Conor Mac Aoidh wrote:

> I am using a HUAWEI E220 modem with 02. When I bought it they told me
> that I would have full 3G coverage in my area. I checked the website
> and it said the same. When I actually brought the thing home I could
> only pick up GPRS and EDGE. This is probably because I live behind a
> big hill! Today I went about 50 meters down the road and could pick up
> UTMS.
>
> I just wanted to know if anyone here has any advise as to buying a 3G
> antenna or something to boost my reception? Is it even possible? If so
> how does it work? I have a 12 month contract with 02, 10 months to go
> so there's no point in just changing to something else. I have a
> budget of €100 which is reasonably flexible. I would appreciate any
> advise on the subject.

A friend of mine lives in an area with slightly dodgy 3G coverage and  
has the
same problem. He's an inventive chap, and came up with a working Heath  
Robinson
solution. He connects the dongle to his PC with a USB extension cable,  
and places
it at the focal point (more or less) of a satellite dish. The boards  
URL somebody
else mentioned claims that placing the dongle inside a Roses tin also  
worked for
somebody - the principle is the same, but the satellite dish would do  
a rather
better job, I suspect.



Niall