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Internal cell modem
I am contemplating the options on a new GPS setup and am wondering how good an upgraded modem is. Is a cell phone hotspot better than the included modem or even the best they have to offer? Sometimes, I am so close to having signal but can’t quite get the shot. If I can finish a few more jobs quickly, the $1,000 upgrade would be worth it. Anybody have any experience here? I’ve not settled on a particular brand but looking hard at the Javad unit.
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7 Replies
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Maybe looks like it is the radio and cell unit combined, in which case it is a good price and worth it. Otherwise I would get a Mifi unless you plan on using that receiver as an NTrip server. If you are just using it as a rover, I would go with the MiFi or hotspot on a phone. Nice thing about a mifi is on some of them you can use an external antenna. The people at the verizon store had no clue, but if you look on the side and there is a small female coax connector, it will use an external antenna.
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I have often wondered why one can’t get an external antenna for a phone for those on the fringe. Seems like a simple thing to design in to such an important communication tool. I have a Verizon Mifi at the house that I’ll look into to see if I can put an antenna on.
My house has a digital antenna for TV reception that picks up about 60 more channels than I’ll ever watch. I’ve not heard surveyors talking about a boosting antenna for cell reception in the past but there certainly seems to be a need for one.
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I haven’t used it in awhile but my Wilson Cell booster with a truckers antenna has saved me thousands of $$$. Getting a network RTK shot where the signal says none. Sometimes I run the antenna on my 15 ft pole and get the signal.
I also will tie a rope/flagging around my Mifi and throw it over a tree branch if signal is too weak. Gotta be creative when your in this business.
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Be careful with purchasing GPS with internal modems.
3G is going to be phased out and your expensive purchase will have to be coupled up to a hot spot or external modem anyway. Fact check me, but I think it is going to be totally shut down by 2019.
Are GPS internal modems going to be marketed at 4G from here on out?
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The biggest advantage it will have over a hotspot is just the convience factor of not having to have an external device.
Steven, this cellular modem supports many technologies other than just 3G: LTE, HSPA+, HSDPA, HSUPA, WCDMA, GSM, GPRS, EDGE (up to 100 Mbps), EV-DO, 1xRTT CDMA (up to 100 Mbps). It will not be obsolete anytime soon.
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I use the ATT data modem my area has so many dead spots that I often times must set up a base and restart the job . I’m wondering if Verizon has a pay as you go mifi that may have better signal . As of now, the unit can connect and receive corrections but not strong enough to sustain a fixed solution gets ridiculous and embarrassing when clients are me standing waiting for lock
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I use the ATT data modem my area has so many dead spots that I often times must set up a base and restart the job . I’m wondering if Verizon has a pay as you go mifi that may have better signal . As of now, the unit can connect and receive corrections but not strong enough to sustain a fixed solution gets ridiculous and embarrassing when clients are me standing waiting for lock
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