I have 2 of these:
https://ltefix.com/shop/antennas/4g-lte-antennas/directional-panel/700-2700mhz-15dbi-4g-lte-directional-antenna/

and you can use cellmapper:
https://www.cellmapper.net/map?MCC=310&MNC=410&type=LTE&latitude=39.334624910198926&longitude=-104.67076437871364&zoom=3.5506317688987004&showTowers=true&showTowerLabels=true&clusterEnabled=true&tilesEnabled=true&showOrphans=false&showNoFrequencyOnly=false&showFrequencyOnly=false&showBandwidthOnly=false&DateFilterType=None&showHex=false&showVerifiedOnly=false&showUnverifiedOnly=false&showLTECAOnly=false&showENDCOnly=false&showBand=0&showSectorColours=true

to find the tower of the cell provider you are using...

My other suggestion is to read through this thread. TFunk gives a lot of good info and links. Work your way through the links as well. That is how I educated myself before I ordered from OTR and bought all the equipment I needed.

You are going to get much better results with a directional antenna. It isn't difficult to find your tower and point your antenna.

Cellmapper is good. I right click the antenna and tell it to open in Google Maps. I then zoom in satellite mode and make sure the tower is where they think it is. Once I find the tower, I get the gps coordinates and put it in a compass app on my phone. The compass app will point you towards the tower gps coordinates. It's pretty easy, seamless, and will get you the best results. I'd try a bunch of towers if you can. The closest isn't always the best.

I'm still on att with otr. Service has been good. Anyone else?

Still haven't received the unlock code for the Nighthawk but AT&T is still working for me.

Same here. Hoping this doesn't jinx it.

I got my replacement TMobile SIM but AT&T was working great so I decided to hold off until I needed the TMobile SIM. This afternoon AT&T suddenly disconnected and hard resets of my Cradlepoint had no effect, and the LEDs on the Cradlepoint show no connection, so I figure AT&T is done.

Unlike the original SIM, the replacement TMobile SIM worked - to a point. Everything shows up correctly as connected on Cradlepoint status both in the LEDs and in the software.

State: Connected
APN: fast.t-mobile.com
Conditions: Connected
and a green icon under the Profile Name

I have tried direct Ethernet from Cradlepoint to computer. All indicators show everything should be working. I have tried Ethernet to my Wireless router. The router shows Internet connected and all my devices connecting to router.

>> But browsers will not connect to the Web. <<

I have DSL as a backup, which I'm using now.

I saw earlier messages suggesting to change the APN to b2b.static but that APN disconnects T-Mobile instantly. If I put fast.t-mobile.com back in as APN, it immediately connects. But still no browser joy.

I have wasted a few hours trying different settings but I'm only guessing at them. I did do some screenshots of the AT&T settings in Cradlepoint and compared them with the T-Mobile settings. Everything is nearly identical except:

Under Status > Internet > Connections > Connection State, T Mobile currently shows Dormant but AT&T had showed Active when it worked. Right above Connection State is Carrier Status, and it shows "UP" for both old AT&T and new T-Mobile.

Under Device Information, AT&T showed a Mobile Directory Number but that field doesn't even show up when using T-Mobile.

Anyone have any suggestions what to try next?

Yes, switch providers.

I had a similar issue. I went through 2 or 3 TMobile sims. It worked initially, but after unplugging it one time for 2 hours it never came back no matter what APN. I also had the cradlepoint showing green bars, but never had internet.

I ended up buying from an eBay seller and getting an AT&T unlimited plan. I'm back to having unlimited AT&T service for about $75/month.

Hey Tfunk. I have gotten so frustrated with our lack of internet options where I live (and work) here in southern Grimes County. Fortunately, I'm still hanging on with ATT through OTR.

A crazy idea I've been kicking around is using TV White Space as an alternative to a WISP since that doesn't seem feasible with tree coverage around here. I've asked Brazos Wifi to look in to our area, but they were unwilling/nonresponsive. TVWS doesn't need line of sight to provide service.

The technology and implementation seems pretty straightforward. With as many people here in the Brazos Valley, why couldn't we set up a co-op of some sorts to share on the network software coordination of it and we have individual areas of coverage where we need it? A Texags Nerdery Broadband Co-Op.

Just trying to think outside the box for internet solutions for those of us outside of coverage areas. There are solutions out there, it's just outside my area of expertise to get off the ground.

What are the collective thoughts? Dumb? Brilliant?

For reference:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/corporate-responsibility/airband
https://rdlcom.com/tv-white-space/

I waited only an hour (can't believe I just wrote that) for OTR chat support and the agent said she would reset my signal, whatever that means. She told me to wait two hours and then retry. It worked, but I'm getting DSL speeds. Next step appears to be moving the Cradlepoint from the north side of the house where the AT&T tower is, to the west side of the house where T-Mobile's tower is. The AT&T tower was further away but I had direct line of sight from my office window. The T-Mobile tower, which usually gives me ok cell phone service, is blocked by a hill that even a roof antenna may not improve.

If that doesn't work I will need to try another service. Thanks to tfunk02's suggestion about ebay.

Anyone else out there have a Cradlepoint and use a service other than OTR?

What service and how much?

Are you on Mid-South electricity? At some point you will have fiber they are running along their lines. No clue on time frame though for different areas.

No, unfortunately we are serviced by Entergy here. I've heard about Mid South laying fiber. Not happnin' for us.

There is Centurylink "DSL" here in the area. It runs along CR 319 where we have our business. They offer blazing fast download speeds of 3 mbps down. We live on CR318, and there is nothing. Their infrastructure is curious.

I'm just a hobby nerd and don't have the scholastic background in computers. I'll have to look into that option.

Elon tweeted that Starlink will start a private beta in 3 months and a public one in 6, but they will be mostly Northern latitudes. The only problem for me is that there might be an end to the investment. If... IF Starlink is fully operational and available in a year-ish then it may be a waste of time and money. I do realize that Musk companies are normally too optimistic on how soon things will be completed.

I saw the release from Starlink. If we could get in to a public beta by EOY, it would be amazing.

However, every time I tell myself that I'm banking on "Space Internet" to solve my problems, it makes me....wary.

But you're not wrong. If Starlink turns out to be what he says, my idea is irrelevant. I'm not sure whether to be optimistic or terrified of that thought.

Just out of curiosity, I put my AT&T SIM back into my cradlepoint router to see if it still works. To my surprise, it is still working. We will see how long that lasts.

twbot said:

---

I got my replacement TMobile SIM but AT&T was working great so I decided to hold off until I needed the TMobile SIM. This afternoon AT&T suddenly disconnected and hard resets of my Cradlepoint had no effect, and the LEDs on the Cradlepoint show no connection, so I figure AT&T is done.

Unlike the original SIM, the replacement TMobile SIM worked - to a point. Everything shows up correctly as connected on Cradlepoint status both in the LEDs and in the software.

State: Connected
APN: fast.t-mobile.com
Conditions: Connected
and a green icon under the Profile Name

I have tried direct Ethernet from Cradlepoint to computer. All indicators show everything should be working. I have tried Ethernet to my Wireless router. The router shows Internet connected and all my devices connecting to router.

>> But browsers will not connect to the Web. <<

I have DSL as a backup, which I'm using now.

I saw earlier messages suggesting to change the APN to b2b.static but that APN disconnects T-Mobile instantly. If I put fast.t-mobile.com back in as APN, it immediately connects. But still no browser joy.

I have wasted a few hours trying different settings but I'm only guessing at them. I did do some screenshots of the AT&T settings in Cradlepoint and compared them with the T-Mobile settings. Everything is nearly identical except:

Under Status > Internet > Connections > Connection State, T Mobile currently shows Dormant but AT&T had showed Active when it worked. Right above Connection State is Carrier Status, and it shows "UP" for both old AT&T and new T-Mobile.

Under Device Information, AT&T showed a Mobile Directory Number but that field doesn't even show up when using T-Mobile.

Anyone have any suggestions what to try next?

---

Do you have both SIMS in the router? If so, remove the ATT one and put the T-Mobile one in its place. If you still have the ATT still in, the router may be trying to use it if in the primary slot instead of the T-Mobile one.Just a thought.

@labmansid
Thanks for the suggestion - I never used both SIMs at the same time.

The reset of TMobile by OTR finally worked out but, after a few days of fiddling with hotspot location, aerials, Cradlepoint's settings, etc., my average download speed remains under 10Mbps. Highest has been 14Mbps but that only lasted an hour or so. With AT&T I had average speeds between 20 and 30Mbps and sustained bursts up to 60Mbps.

I plan to cancel OTR and find another AT&T reseller. Netbuddy appears to be the chepaest at $65 a month but they seem to be as flaky as OTR.

Others that don't require you to buy their hotspot:

BixWireless $85 plus $10 activation
NeverThrottled $85 plus $30 activation
Infinite LTE $80 plus $50 activation

plus many others listed on the rvmobileinternet.com site. Some are "sold out".

There are a few in the $100 a month range that look more reliable though that's the upper limit of my budget.

I also looked on eBay, but my trust factor with the sellers there is pretty low.

Does anyone know if I can use my old AT&T sim from OTR with any of these services?

You will get significant speed improvement if you invest in some antenna and point them in the direction of the tower. When I set up my system, I got 2 antenna (two of these I believe) and installed them on my roof in the offset 45* position. The ATT tower is approximately 3.5 miles away WITHOUT clear line of sight and I was pulling 30ish. Now, with the change to TMO, I turned the antenna 90* towards the TMO tower which is much closer (<1 mile) and I maxxed out around 80 but average around 50 down

@the enigma

I appreciate the suggestion but we are in a canyon and the hill between the TMobile tower and our location is several hundred feet above our roofline and is also covered with trees. I have taken the hotspot with the OTR TMobile chip as well as my Tmobile phone to our roof area and get the same reception/bandwidth as I get inside the house - under 10Mbps.

AT&T on the other hand is further away but on the highest hill in the area. I have a direct line of sight from the window of my home office to the AT&T tower and had been getting excellent speeds: 20-30Mbps average, with much higher speeds during off-peak usage.

As mentioned in my previous post, to me the obvious solution, rather than spending time, money and labor on trying to erect a tall-enough antenna for TMobile, is to get an AT&T plan from another vendor. It may cost more but some of the ones I have researched seem far more reliable than OTR has been - and easier to contact. And I won't need to spend extra for an antenna.

Good luck and let us know what you get for service. Although OTR is working for me, I may need an alternative in the future if something changes

I just switched over to Never Throttled it was a little difficult getting a response back and sim card activated but after waiting an hour plus with OTR it wasn't a huge issue. Plus I didn't wait until the last minute, I still had a week left with OTR. With my wife and daughter working from home I didn't want to screw anything up and they didn't have internet.

I had the OTR T-mobile sim card for one month and my speeds were 4-8 download with Peaks around 15, upload was 3 and ping was anywhere from 68 to 177.

First run with NT download 29, upload 13 and ping 34 and I haven't touched the antenna since moving it to the T-mobile tower.

A little more expensive but way better results.

Is never throttled faster or is your antenna placement better resulting in faster speeds?

It's hard to say with just one day I always had really good service with ATT on OTR but last night my download speed reached 50 mbps which never happened on OTR.

I want to increase my cell signal in my house to the Unite aircard I am using. What's the easiest way?

There are a ton of options and reading through this thread I am getting lost.

@chaca5151

Thanks for your feedback about NeverThrottled.

I'm seriously considering either BixWireless or NeverThrottled - I've got 15 days left on my slow Tmobile from OTR.

Did you ever have AT&T from OTR? If yes, what were your AT&T speeds with OTR versus NeverThrottled?

If you had OTR AT&T, did you use your OTR AT&T SIM with NeverThrottled or did you get a new SIM from them?

No problem!

This may sound ridiculous, but one of the reasons I chose Never Throttled was because of their web page; it looked way more professionally done vs. someone paid a buddy to do it (bix wireless). I could be completely wrong that just my opinion, to me, it's like going into a restaurant's bathroom and it is downright gross it makes me wonder what their kitchen looks like.

I did have ATT when I was with OTR, and it was great, I never had any issues with our internet and signing up was easy, fast forward four months later and I'm being forced to use T-mobile. There was a huge difference right off the bat; we only stream, so having to always wait for it to catch up was an issue. When my daughter would come home from work, I don't know what it is but her new I-phone would just take all the wifi.

I must say I also saw an increase in download speed when I connected my orbi system.

I asked NT if it was possible to use the ATT card that I had with OTR and they said they would give it a shot, and I never responded to them because my card from NT was only a day away, so I just held off.

The card you get from NT is an actual ATT card that is plastered with ATT on it, which made me feel better because if I remember correctly, OTR was just a white generic card.

Hope this helps

My service with Never Throttled has been great up until the last 2-3 days. It has slowed down a good amount. But my parents' service with them has also been slower, so I'm thinking it's more an issue with AT&T service.

I should have my new antennas today, after several weeks of waiting. Replacements had to be sent out twice due to USPS losing them back to back.

I have to wonder if all the people that have been homebound because of Covid is affecting our download speeds. Later at night and early in the morning, speeds are pretty reasonable with my service. At those times I can usually get 20-30 down and 5-10 up speeds. Right now, around midday, I am only getting about 0.5 down and up! That's crazy. Sometimes rebooting the modem helps, but not always. My wife is working from home now, and that doesn't help, although she doesn't usually require a lot of bandwidth unless there is a teleconference.

@chaca5151

I know what you mean about the 1990s website by BixWireless but I have to give them kudos - I emailed them about using my existing card and Steve emailed me back a few minutes later and answered all three questions I asked. NeverThrottled took a few hours, which is still admirable compared to OTR.

NT thinks my old AT&T SIM might work, BixWireless says the old AT&T SIM won't work but both said they would send a brand new one as part of the monthly plan. NT said they weren't sure about my Cradlepoint hotspot working with their SIM, but BixWireless said they were sure the Cradlepoint would work with theirs.

Makes the choice a little difficult - may have to flip a coin since the monthly price is similar.

Regarding the comments about slower speeds during the COVID crisis. I keep screenshots of my speedtests and I can see the drop in my AT&T speeds in mid-March from 25-30Mbps+ down to 15-25Mbps and then a lower average into April until AT&T suspended my OTR account. With the OTR TMobile SIM, I have never had good speeds (usually under 10Mbps), so I have nothing to compare it to.

I can't fault NT only because they got slammed because of OTR screw up.

The NT sim card worked in my cradlepoint I had to update the modem back to ATT.

Also Slimnet was very quick to respond.

I'm still on att with otr. I thought I'd be disconnected by now...

@black_hat_ag
I was able to keep AT&T through OTR for about six weeks after it should have expired. Not sure if signing up for the TMobile special extended it, but when AT&T finally stopped, it was abrupt. My Cradlepoint hotspot/modem software showed the AT&T SIM installed but followed by the phrase (SUSPENDED).

@chaca5151
After futzing with OTR T-Mobile for a month I finally bit the bullet and signed up for BIX Wireless AT&T since they had the quickest responses to my sales questions and also had experience with Cradlepoint modems. They sent me a new A&T branded SIM via Priority.

Once I got it working, my speeds at peak time jumped to 24Mbps down and 3Mbps up (Tmobile averaged under 10Mbps/2Mbps) and off-peak I have been getting 40Mbps down and 7Mbps up.

Steve at BIX told me all I needed to do was switch out SIMs and change the APN to broadband. But after doing that, nada. I also did a hard reset and re-entered the APN. Still nada. Then I plugged a spare Ethernet cable directly from the Cradlepoint hotpot to my computer, and without any other changes, it started working. After I removed the direct Ethernet cable, and plugged the Ethernet back to my Archer A7 wireless router, the router and extenders finally took over and it's been smooth sailing since.

@black_hat_ag
@chaca5151
@twbot

I highly recommend Neverthrottled.com

Good customer service compared to OTR, faster speeds too. If your device work on OTR using AT&T service, your device will work on Neverthrottled.

I work for a construction company and we have 7 OTR devices (Netgear M1) for use on our job sites. They are all still running on AT&T... I'm the person in charge of our whole internet operation for our company, and I am panicking a little bit knowing the AT&T service is going to get the axe one day (probably soon) on all these devices..

@amalgamation

Neverthrottled was my second choice, especially since their office is close to me in Central Texas. But I went with Bix Wireless - same price as NT but they had a cheaper activation fee and the BIX owner assured me that my Cradlepoint hotspot/modem would work. NT wrote they weren't sure. I figured my hotspot would probably work with any AT&T SIM - but I preferred the reassurance from BIX.

I have been using it for several days now and my speed test averages have improved every day. I just checked and I'm at 30Mbps down/6Mbps up - a bit better than my OTR AT&T speeds and way better than OTR TMobile. I have had speeds above 40Mbps down, but usually only later at night or early am.

I'm in a canyon using the stock aerials on the Cradlepoint which sits on a desk next to a window that faces the AT&T tower on a nearby hill about a mile or two away. When the apple tree outside my window is leafless I can just see the top of the tower through a notch in the surrounding hills. Might get better speeds with a rooftop aerial but I'm happy for now.