Huawei b311 from Three

Hi
I've joined 3 recently on unlimited mobile broadband (22 p/m one).
I live in good coverage area but I only get 22 mb down at the moment. I thinking of getting an external antenna but that router b311 has only got one SMA port and I'm unsure if that will improve anything.
I thought about new router dough. That b525 seems good and it has got these bunny ears antennas already, does anybody knows if that could increase the speed. At the moment I got 2 bars .

22mb with 2 bars is good. You might get increased speeds with an antenna. I get 70mbps with the built in antenna with 5 bars with the same hardware you have (b311) It all depends though. Do you live in a high populated area? Is there a high populated area within a few miles of you?

Though, there is no harm in buying an external antenna. Most of these items can be sent back with a 30 day money back guarantee. If there is no increase of speed then send it back.

Try
https://www.cellmapper.net
This helped me find the mast my b311 uses. Type in your post code, head to the b311 router page, sign in, click advanced tab, system, device information then note down "cell_id" number. Look for Threes masts close by on the map and try find the cell your device uses. This has useful information that could help determine what speeds you are capable of at your current location. This can't rule out cell congestion unfortunately. It will help determine distance from mast and will give you a good idea, as you know the area, if anything is obstructing line of site.

P.S I don't know how accurate cellmapper is. Locations of masts could be wrong. All i know is it had my correct cell id and that the info it gave me correlates with the speeds i'm getting.

Edited by deleted (Tue 19-Mar-19 00:49:38)

Thank you very much for reply.
I've found the cell which my router use, unfortunately I'm not sure what all these numbers means in case of downloads.
I don't live too far from the tower and I just wonder which would be the better one, omni directional or directional. Could you recommend any specific one?

If you copy and paste all the information about the cell, i can tell you what speeds are theoretically possible with said cell. Excluding overuse of the cell, congestion and the such.

I don't know much about 4g antennas, unfortunately. A quick search shows that directional might work best in your situation.

"Directional antennas, also called yagi antennas, have a radius of only 45 to 90 degrees to pull signals from. Since their signal is concentrated in a more narrow field than omni-directional antennas, they are able to reach out farther to pull in a signal."

"Advantages of directional antennas:

Directional antennas are more powerful than omni-directional antennas.
They are better suited for people in rural areas where the distance between cell towers is much greater than in urban or suburban areas."

If you are still in your 14 day cooling-off period, Three have just announced a new AI Echo 4g router for £25 a month. Downside though, it has no external antenna ports. If your area has 4g+ the 2x2 MIMO inside the AI device might increase speeds. I was surprised to see that i get 4g+ in my rural setting with Three.

Cell Identifier 2943232
System Subtype LTE
PCI 450 (150/0)
EARFCN 1392
Maximum Signal (RSRP) -82 dBm
Direction NE (55°)
First Seen Wed, Aug 9, 2017
Last Seen Sun, Sep 30, 2018
Bandwidth* 15 MHz
Uplink Frequency 1729.2 MHz
Downlink Frequency 1824.2 MHz
Frequency Band DCS (B3 FDD)

I thought about the huawai b525s 65a, it is also cat 6 router and it has got good feedbacks.

You're looking around 50-70mbps max at that frequency, theoretically. As the b311 only has 1x1 SiSo. Though, i swear i was getting a few megs over 70 with my b311, typically under 70 though. Not sure how good that calculator is after all, or my knowledge on the subject

I would certainly give the antenna a shot first before investing in another router. If the antenna fails to provide useful results you can always try another router with multiple receiving antennas (2x2 etc)

Would love to know if the antenna works out for you!

Edited by deleted (Wed 20-Mar-19 20:45:48)

I would be happy if I get 35 !!! haha
Thank you very much, I will get the antenna first and I keep you update on the results. I found some on ebay already and it is time to order it. New antenna is only 50£ so it is worth to try before spending 120 on new router.
Thanks for your time and knowledge.

Yeah, can't complain about 35! I agree, definitely the antenna first. 4g+ might not even be available to you. Make sure the person you buy from has a return policy, just in case.

Good luck!

This is a good read for those thinking about 4g antenna.

https://www.solwise.co.uk/4g-lte-antenna-considerati...

I've already received one from solwise. It gives me one bar more inside but when I stick it outside the window I got 4 bars of 4g signal !!! which is very good in my opinion, speed test shows me a33 mb down but also 30 up ! At the moment I have to keep it inside but speed is still around 22-27 with 3 bars of the signal. I need to fix it to the wall and drill the wall through.