About the Cable - ?

Will these antennas fit my modem ?

My modem does not have an External Antenna Socket ..
Can I use these Antenna Kits ?
Unfortunately not. We only support USB modems and other 3G routers that have a physical External Antenna socket. There are "Inductive Coupler" devices that aid in the connection of external antennas to these modems, but the results using these are limited and unreliable.
Wireless-broadband-speed.com.au's mission is to support customers that are serious about getting the absolute best from their 3G Internet service. Always use a Modem that has an External Antenna Port. Modems are so cheap now that its not worth messing with Inductive Coupler devices. 

My modem has an External Antenna Socket ..
Will your Antenna Kits fit my modem ?
Your answer is here. Browse to our selection page and click on the modem you have.
You will see all the available antennas to suit your modem. If you don't see your modem /router listed, please contact us and we'll do our very best to help you.

Will these antennas suit the new LTE 4G NBN wireless service.
At time of publishing, it is still not clear as to which frequencies will be allocated to the new Australian LTE service. It looks as if LTE will be using 700MHz 1800MHz and maybe DD800 and/or 2500MHz. Some of our antennas cover LTE bands. Telstra are rolling our their HSPA+ 42mbps service (not LTE) that they are calling 4G on their existing UMTS 850MHz Band.
Our 850MHz antennas are compatible with this service.

Which antenna suitable for My Location ?

What frequency antenna do I need, 850, 900 or 2100 ?
Our high gain antennas are suitable for one or two UMTS bands such as 850 and/or 900MHz. Our low to mid gain antennas may cover three or four bands.

Generally:

In Metropolitan areas, all carriers use 2100MHz for 3G.
Telstra, Optus and Vodafone also have 850MHz and 900MHz bands operating in selected metro areas.

Many rural cell towers are utilizing both the 850(900) and the 2100 bands simultaneously to assist them with Town and Country coverage.

Luckily, you can Find Cell Towers in your area, the carriers that are using them and which frequency bands are available from them at  maps.spench.net

Do I need "Line of Site" to a Cell tower to 3G signal.
Short Answer: If you some 3G signal now, these antennas will greatly improve your signal.
Long answer: In rural areas using 850/900MHz, some signal may be refracted around hills that would obstruct higher frequency signals. This is why the carriers use the lower frequency in country areas. However the signal you will receive without direct line of site to the cell tower will be greatly reduced. At 2100MHz, direct line of site is a must. But this does not mean you need to me able to see the tower. Indeed if you could see the tower you most likely would not be here reading this. The 3G signal is absorbed by buildings, trees and other vegetation, but its high frequency waves cannot go through or around hills and mountains. Follow the how to install a 3G yagi antenna instructions to determine if you have line of sight. If you already have at least some signal than you don't need to worry.

Where are the Mobile Internet Towers in my area.
You can Find Cell Towers in your area, at maps.spench.net

What type of Antenna do I need ?

Directional - Yagi, Panel and LPDA antennas are best suited to:
Fixed Wireless Installations:  Homes, Office and Semi-Mobile dwellings.
Directional antennas have advantages over omni-directional antennas that can improve
Signal Quality regardless of the Signal Strength available. They do this by blocking out spurious unwanted signals to side and rear of the antenna. Its also possible to connect to more distant, lower signal cell towers that may have less traffic load than your closest most powerful tower. You can increase your internet speed and reliability by pointing the antenna at the tower your want. Omni antennas don't have this advantage.

Omni-directional - Co-linear and Whip antennas are best suited to:
Mobile Installations: Mobile Homes, Caravans and Motor Vehicles
If your constantly on the move, then you will need an antenna that can connect with cell towers in any direction. Omni-directional antennas achieve higher gain by flattening out the "donut". As a general rule, antenna gains of 9dBi and above are fine for semi-mobile vehicles like caravans and mobile homes. For road vehicles, up-to 9dBi and 4WD vehicles up-to 6dBi is recommended. At higher gains, vehicle speed and terrain changes effect the angle of the antenna, causing reliability issues.

Why Should I Buy an Antenna from YOUR store ?

Beware of FAKE antennas

I see other stores sell shorter, higher gain antennas ..
Why are your antennas lower in gain?
There are a few Online Sellers listing antennas that they claim are 18dBi and 21dBi gain, yet these antennas are only 1metre long and only have about 15 director elements! They claim that they get the higher gain because their antennas have a mesh reflector. The truth is, a mesh reflector is used to increase the Back-Front ratio and has only minimal advantage to the Gain spec of the antenna. The other suspicious fact is that, for each 3dBi of Gain, the number of Elements (and thus the total-length of the antenna) needs to double.
For example... a true 3G 850/900 14dBi antenna is ~1150mm in length, so a 17dBi antenna would need to be about 2.2m and a 20dBi Yagi would be about 4.4m long.
So you see it is mathematically impossible for these antennas to achieve 21dBi gain from a 15 element antenna with a boom length of only 1 metre!
BUYER BEWARE of these resellers and manufacturers that are advertising specifications that are just not possible to achieve. To make the right choice of 3G antenna please checkout our 3G Antenna Selection Guide.

Our antenna manufacturer is Accredited to ISO9001-2008 Quality Management Systems.

Important things you should know before purchasing !

• Know your Carriers Band. Is it 850, 900, or 2100 MHz? . . Find out here
• Where are the Mobile Cell Towers located near you? . . . . Find out here
• Quality: Is the antenna manufacturer Quality System Accredited ?
• Antenna Coax Cables: Are the longer cables Low-Loss or just standard RG58 coax?
• Ask the supplier to provide:
  - Specification Sheets
  - Free-Radiation Test Reports for the entire frequency range.
  If they cannot supply this information, then it is possible that the product spec is being overstated.
• Your Modem.. has it got an External Antenna Socket?
• Where will the antenna be Mounted? You may need to erect a mast. This will be additional cost. . . .More info here

Will this antenna fix my 3G reception ?

I have WEAK SIGNAL in my area ..
Will this antenna give me 3G reception ?
If you have low and/or unreliable GSM/3G signal using your USB modem inside or outside your building we 100% Guarantee that, when correctly installed, this antenna will greatly improve your 3G signal strength. If you currently have no signal whatsoever, and there is no mobile phone service in your general location then this antenna is not guaranteed to give you any improvement.

I have NO SIGNAL in my area ..
Will this antenna give me 3G reception ?
If others around your location are able to get some signal then, when optimally installed, this antenna will help, but if no one in your area has any signal at all, then it is highly unlikely. The only real way to find out is to get a High-Gain directional antenna and mount it in the best possible location as described below.. Although we don't guarantee this, many of our customers have reported that they are now able to access high speed 3G internet in locations that previously showing no signal bars at all.

I have GOOD SIGNAL but my connection drops out and internet is slow ..
Will this antenna fix this ?
Generally yes, if your problem is due to poor Signal Quality rather than Hardware or Service Provider issues.. these Directional Antennas will improve your 3G Internet connectivity by: Reducing interference from areas behind and to the side of the antenna. Reducing reflected and refracted signal coming from Buildings and Vehicles. These spurious signals can cause connectivity errors that result in the Modem dropping its connection to the Cell Tower.

Where Should I Mount The Antenna?

Can I mount the 3G antenna on my existing TV mast?
Yes. The same rules for securely mounting any outdoor antenna.
1. Mount the 3G antenna at least 250mm from the existing TV antenna
2. Ensure the pole is fixed securely to the building so that it does not move much in the wind.
3. Follow the 3G yagi antenna installation instructions regarding where to point the antenna. The phone tower wont normally be in the same direction as the TV tower.

Can I mount the 3G antenna in my roof space?
Any vertical or horizontal pipe, roof edge, wall, window sill, balcony railing or fence post can be used. Also, inside-attic hidden install is acceptable as long as there is no metal in the roof that signal has to penetrate. RF signals these frequencies (824-960MHz) may be reduced by wood and concrete roof structures so avoid mounting inside a building if signal strength is marginal.
The available length of your feeder cable may determine your mounting spot.

I have a 20m tower to mount the antenna, should I run a 20m antenna cable or should I mount the antenna lower at 10m ?
At these frequencies, coax cable loss is a big factor. For every 10m of our low-loss cable, 2.5dB of signal is lost. Consider that if there is only an extra 1dB gain increase at 20m over that at 10m then you would actually loose 1.5dBi of antenna gain by mounting higher. So try it out at 10m. If you get good signal then don't bother raising it. Remember that Signal Quality is more important than Signal strength.

Where Do I Point The Antenna ?

Installation Instructions
If you haven't already done so, find out which towers are nearest to your location.

You can also determine the frequency (850 900 or 2100) your carrier (Telstra, Optus etc) is transmitting on each tower. You may also see the radiation pattern in use for some towers.

Follow the how to install a 3G yagi antenna guide.

Direct the front of the antenna (usually the thin bit) at the mobile phone tower. It is best to use a map and compass and knowledge of target location but usually you can locate the target if it has a signal being sent to you. By rotating your Yagi until best signal is found then centering on the estimated location, satisfactory results may be had. Slowly rotate the antenna and stop every 10 degrees. Record signal levels. Note the peak and decline positions and soon a center can be figured out then tighten the mounting bolts. Be sure to stand at least a couple of feet away from the antenna and to the back or sides. Never in front of the antenna. Your body can greatly alter signal patterns.

YAGI SAFETY PRECAUTIONS

Are these antennas safe ?
These, like most antennas, are made of aluminum, a great conductor of electric power besides radio frequency energy. You can be instantly killed if the antenna or support structure being worked with touches an electric power line. Avoid installing an antenna during rain or wet conditions.

Finally, don't stand less than 5 feet in front of the transmitting antenna when using a regular modem or phone. Don't install the antenna where the signal has to cross where people reside, walk in front of or can touch your antenna. While radiation dangers at low power are not proven, don't take chances with RF emissions. High gain antennas focus the signal power in a particular direction. A 16dBi antenna has over 32 times the power of a standard dipole, 3W effectively becomes nearly 100W ! Its not wise to be exposed to this radiation.

How Do Yagi Antennas Achieve So Much "Gain" ?

Typical Radiation Pattern 

 Yagi Antenna 

Yagi antennas are directing most of their signal in just one direction instead of dispersing all around a 360 degree circle. Single element whips and rods on cars, boats etc are omnidirectional, radiating in 360 degrees when you are viewing from above, looking down on the antenna. Zero (unity), 3, and 5db gain are the typical numbers for those. Usually the taller they are (for a given frequency) the more gain is laid out on the horizon, where it is needed.

Mechanical Basics of Yagi Antennas ?

 Mount 3G Antennas
Vertically Polarized

Yagi antenna basics.
The "Boom" is the long horizontal bar you would see in attached drawings or photos here.
The "Elements" are the small thin rods supported by the boom. 3G internet antennas are installed with elements vertically positioned, as seen in the pictures. The front of the antenna has the shorter elements and the rear has the longer ones. The difference in element dimension is small. Starting from the rear the boom has the reflector then always the "driven" element then from 1 to any number of "directors" usually 1 to 15 or more.
The signal output is off the front end of the boom. The signal "beam" is anywhere from 10 to 90 degrees wide with the longest or most elemented design having the narrowest beamwidth and highest gain.

What is Polarization ?
Radio signals travel polarized or oriented vertically, horizontally, circularly or combination's of these. In cellular and most commercial applications signals are vertically polarized. Your cellular mobile antenna on the car is vertically polarized, for example.
Your Yagi must be installed with its elements vertically polarized too.