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Signal strength: Cell phone vs hot spot vs data collector

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(@plumb-bill)
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I have definitely seen my hotspot get better signal than my Galaxy S3, but I remember someone saying a while back that a TSC3 with a SIM card is even better than a hot spot in terms of signal power.

I never tested this side-by-side, has anyone on here? I was wondering about Carlson Surveyor, TCS3.

 
Posted : 08/01/2015 4:47 pm
(@unmannedsurveyor)
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It's a total crap shoot.

My phone (Droid DNA) works better than my ellipsis jet pack hotspot... Most of the time. No rhyme or reason, just seems to depend on the weather I guess.

I would advise against the SIM card for one simple reason: flexibility. I use my laptop in the field a fair bit WITH my hot spot.

I've heard some people talk about the TSC3 not working well with the SIM card. It's worth googling.

 
Posted : 08/01/2015 5:37 pm
(@a-harris)
Posts: 8761
 

The local Windstream phone company field technicians use their Verizon cell phones as a hot spot for their laptops when troubleshooting and connecting pedestals and contacting the office.

:-O

 
Posted : 08/01/2015 11:08 pm
(@plumb-bill)
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I should have clarified: I have used a TSC3 with a SIM card. Once you learn to do a certain thing (I think it was to make sure to hang the phone up in Windows instead of Trimble Access) it worked fine. It worked so well I suspect that it is stronger than a cell phone.

I have a galaxy S3, for some reason I usually show one bar less than my wife's S3, but I don't notice any difference in use. The hotspot (ellipsis jetpack) is always better than the S3 by a little bit. Also, I got an external antenna for it a while back, really helps. The external antenna isn't really practical for VRS use, though, which is why I was wondering about the performance of the DC. I do a lot of work in fringe signal areas.

 
Posted : 09/01/2015 4:47 am
(@michael)
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Does anyone have experience with the 4G cellular option in the Panasonic FZ-G1 tablet? I understand the cellular option includes a GPS receiver and I am wondering how good the cellular/GPS package is for GPS service compared to the dedicated GPS option in the FZ-G1.

All questions and no answers here. Sorry.

 
Posted : 11/01/2015 3:56 pm