kaleb_allison said:

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Thanks for the reply tfunk, that's helpful. I've read through this thread and some of it is over my head, but I'm learning. Recently it looks like OTR hasn't been the best to work with. There are a ton of different providers out there, has anybody had good luck with a different provider?

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I'm using bix wireless. Att service. GREAT customer service. They reply very quickly. Happy so far.

I was on with OTR but after all of the problems, plus the chat wait times... I decided to cancel with them.

kaleb_allison said:

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I was about to pull the trigger on a Craddlepoint but it looks like they're moving to a cloud based subscription service if you update the firmware. Is it safe keeping the modem on the old firmware so I don't have to subscribe to the expensive service?

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From what I have heard yes you can keep it on the old firmware and be fine, but don't take my word for it. There are other modem makers like MoFi and Peplink to check out. I went ahead and got the subscription since I found it cheap, have multiple modems at multiple houses, and I want to be able to control the modem from away when needed.

Howdy all, thank you to everyone posting here, this has been an incredibly informative thread! After reading through everything, I decided to go with NeverThrottled and bought the Nighthawk M1 to start with, figuring I can go with something more high-end later on if this doesn't work.
I now have a question for any of you who know about this stuff, as I myself am not especially tech-savvy and have no experience with this setup...
I ordered the Nighthawk through NeverThrottled, and it arrived today, via an eBay seller. Upon opening it, I see that it has been previously opened (small scratches on surface, visible fingerprints on the outside of the router as well as in the battery compartment, scuff marks along bottom edge)...my question is this: is a used hotspot/router an issue, in terms of the possibility of malware and the like? Sorry if that's a stupid question, but I'll be honest and say I don't really know how they work, so I don't know if they can be hacked, etc...
I tried to research online but got conflicting info; thought maybe someone here would be able to comment. Thanks again for all the info provided so far, it has been incredibly helpful!

Well, I think my old AT&T SIM got cut off yesterday afternoon. All of a sudden just quit, and I had to swap the T-Mobile SIM back into the first slot on the Cradlepoint. Sucks because AT&T was a bit faster downloading, but also 3-5X faster at uploading than T-Mobile, which has been generally <1Meg. Kind of important when you upload photos and videos on a regular basis.

Where are you located? Have you tried moving your modem to a different window? It's likely that the Tmobile tower may be in a very different direction than the AT&T tower. Cellmapper is a good resource to find your cell towers.

Jefe07 said:

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Where are you located? Have you tried moving your modem to a different window? It's likely that the Tmobile tower may be in a very different direction than the AT&T tower. Cellmapper is a good resource to find your cell towers.

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I use a pair of external flat high gain antennas on a pole on the roof pointed towards the closest T-Mobile towers as indicated by mapping sites. The closest tower is about 3-4 miles from my location. AT&T has a tower close to the T-Mobile one also, so switching between the two was easy without having to re-point my antennas. At first, the T-Mobile service was pretty similar to AT&T, but AT&T always seemed to have better upload capabilities.

I am in a bit of a hole elevation wise south of Wellborn so that doesn't help. There is an AT&T tower about two miles to the south of me I was using before the switch that worked pretty well. Now I have to point towards Towerpoint for the best signal for T-Mobile. During off-peak hours like late at night, I get decent speeds, but during the day it obviously gets much worse.

I finally lost the old ATT yesterday. Popped in the tmobile sim and it worked without any changes or adjustments. Speeds are about the same!

My cradlepoint OTR just went out a few days ago. I missed the email.

I search Texags and boom. Here are all you awesome people with all the info. Haven't digested it yet but I love Aggies and Texags. I'm not very networking/modem literate so I hope I can figure this out.

My MOFI just came in and my SIM should be arriving Monday. Thanks for all the help and I'm sure I'm going to have a ton more questions as I try to get everything figured out. Starlink can't get here fast enough.

Good luck! Starlink sounds like a dream. I hope they get it up and moving ASAP. I hope I can find a way to become a beta tester when it works its way down here. I worry that my zip code will make it hard to get since it has a lot of good internet in it, it just doesn't make it here.

Got set up and I'm pulling about 8 mbps down but my upload is around 20 mbps. Does that make any sense?

kaleb_allison said:

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Got set up and I'm pulling about 8 mbps down but my upload is around 20 mbps. Does that make any sense?

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No. I just got my replacement card in. ATT brand. ????


8 MB's down less than 1 up

How do I improve the up? Unuseable for sending people pics.

GeorgiAg said:

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kaleb_allison said:

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Got set up and I'm pulling about 8 mbps down but my upload is around 20 mbps. Does that make any sense?

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No. I just got my replacement card in. ATT brand. ????


8 MB's down less than 1 up

How do I improve the up? Unuseable for sending people pics.

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I sometimes get more upload then down.

To improve your signal you will need to get directional antennas and point them at the tower, or you can try a booster. It's a trial and error thing. I can't tell you what will work best for you. For me it was antennas on my roof pointed at the tower.

https://www.cellmapper.net/

I have antennas on the way. Once I got set up inside my speeds dropped to 3 mbps, but I was surprised when I was able to stream with minimal buffering and VPN in to my work computer with no problem.

Just a quick update since my last post mid-May.

I'm in Central Texas. I switched from OTR to BixWireless just before OTR brought back AT&T (the T-Mobile tower was blocked by a hill an antenna couldn't fix). I have been very happy. OTR was okay when it worked but when it didn't, support was ridiculous. I have had only a few interactions with BIX via email and response has always been within a few minutes. But I have had no real problems and my Cradlepoint hotspot modem keeps chugging along -- without the firmware/subscription update.

BIX AT&T speeds have been similar to OTR, but more consistent, averaging around 30mbps down and 3mbps up as measured by the Speedtest desktop app.

Which resellers are doing AT&T? I had RV-4G but lost my AT&T and took a chance with their new t mobile and it SUCKED. Want to go back to att from somewhere. What's the cheapest way to do it? The whole thing is a pain in my neck.

I got mine through... https://unlimiteddatanow.com/ I bought it from ebay. Lately it bills through https://finallywifi.com/. It has worked great since I got it.

I managed to walk into AT&T and guilt them into a free SIM card. I checked a few resellers online and only one even responded to my text. They activated my sim after I paid my money. We'll see how it goes. It is set up for auto pay after the first month so hopefully I don't have to go through this again. Unlimited AT&T.

Atthotspot.com

BrazosDog02 said:

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Which resellers are doing AT&T? I had RV-4G but lost my AT&T and took a chance with their new t mobile and it SUCKED. Want to go back to att from somewhere. What's the cheapest way to do it? The whole thing is a pain in my neck.

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Bix has great customer service

At 99 cents delivered via Amazon Prime, I keep a few of these SIM card packs on hand at all times. Never had any trouble activating the AT&T flavored ones.

Also, I know this is late for you but I am on month two of AT&T service with CG Cellular for $80 the first month and $60 each month thereafter. The activation did take 24 hours and I'm using it as a backup in a fail-over configuration so it's not on all the time.

Just FYI and I'm pretty sure you can get around this with a VPN but CG Wireless limits video streams to 1.5Mbps or 480P.

Quote:

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PLAN INCLUDES STREAM SAVER, WHICH ALLOWS CONTENT THAT IS RECOGNIZED AS VIDEO TO STREAM IN STANDARD DEFINITION QUALITY AT A MAX OF 1.5MBPS (ABOUT 480P).

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Jethro95 said:

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At 99 cents delivered via Amazon Prime, I keep a few of these SIM card packs on hand at all times. Never had any trouble activating the AT&T flavored ones.

Also, I know this is late for you but I am on month two of AT&T service with CG Cellular for $80 the first month and $60 each month thereafter. The activation did take 24 hours and I'm using it as a backup in a fail-over configuration so it's not on all the time.

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Appreciate the info! I may kick over to them
And give them a shot if I need to. I contacted them when I was looking and never heard back from them...and several others for that matter.

tfunk,

Pardon my ignorance, but in your cheaper setup scenario, does the 2nd item (antenna) connect directly to the modem? Or how does that work? Thanks for your help!

tfunk02 said:

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That will depend on what they offer and what you need. I'm inclined to get my own equipment and just get a sim so you don't have to deal with future unlock issues like some are experiencing with OTR now.

For a cheaper setup that works with AT&T and TMobile based carriers, I'd do this:
https://www.newegg.com/netgear-lb1120-100nas-office-products/p/2A6-00G2-00001

https://www.amazon.com/Netgear-6000450-MIMO-Antenna-Connectors/dp/B00DN3J03O/

For a higher end system in a place with a lesser system, I'd to this:

Works with all carriers.
https://ltefix.com/shop/routers/cradlepoint-routers/cradlepoint-cba850lp6-na-cat6-att-verizon-t-mobile-sprint-refurbished/

Then two of these mounted as high as you can get them.
https://ltefix.com/shop/antennas/4g-lte-antennas/directional-panel/700-2700mhz-15dbi-4g-lte-directional-antenna/

Of course there are many MANY other options and directions you can go. Let us know if we can help out in any way.

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should have quoted this in my earlier post. Apologies.

Yes, the antenna comes with two connectors that go in the two antenna ports on the back of the modem.

Perfect. Thanks for the help!

BrazosDog02 said:

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Jethro95 said:

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At 99 cents delivered via Amazon Prime, I keep a few of these SIM card packs on hand at all times. Never had any trouble activating the AT&T flavored ones.

Also, I know this is late for you but I am on month two of AT&T service with CG Cellular for $80 the first month and $60 each month thereafter. The activation did take 24 hours and I'm using it as a backup in a fail-over configuration so it's not on all the time.

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Appreciate the info! I may kick over to them
And give them a shot if I need to. I contacted them when I was looking and never heard back from them...and several others for that matter.

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Where are these sim cards you can buy for unlimited data? I'm about tired of these damn ramshackle OTR style internet companies. This is a lot like going to a f-ing flea market to find internet. I'd like to find one...just one that was run sort of legitimately or with some degree of professionalism.

Oh well, on to the next jerkoffs that sell this stuff.

BrazosDog02 said:

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BrazosDog02 said:

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Jethro95 said:

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At 99 cents delivered via Amazon Prime, I keep a few of these SIM card packs on hand at all times. Never had any trouble activating the AT&T flavored ones.

Also, I know this is late for you but I am on month two of AT&T service with CG Cellular for $80 the first month and $60 each month thereafter. The activation did take 24 hours and I'm using it as a backup in a fail-over configuration so it's not on all the time.

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Appreciate the info! I may kick over to them
And give them a shot if I need to. I contacted them when I was looking and never heard back from them...and several others for that matter.

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Where are these sim cards you can buy for unlimited data? I'm about tired of these damn ramshackle OTR style internet companies. This is a lot like going to a f-ing flea market to find internet. I'd like to find one...just one that was run sort of legitimately or with some degree of professionalism.

Oh well, on to the next jerkoffs that sell this stuff.

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Until AT&T, TMobile, and/or Verizon decide to get into the game for real, we are stuck with these schmucks. I haven't had to talk to mine in months and it keeps going, but they can't bring on anyone new now.

I was also able to snag a Verizon prepaid card that's on autopay when Verizon had unlimited as an option. It is truly unlimited, but it is alway deprioritized. It's my backup failover in case the AT&T 3rd party goes out.

Starlink the early beta is looking like a serious option eventually. Here are some leaked speed tests.

Crap. Looks like my ebay AT&T is being discontinued next month... Time to start researching again.

Anyone have luck getting a new plan? If so, link and cost?

tfunk, I've met a few more people in our neighborhood that are frustrated with internet options. I wonder how much a wifi backhaul link to downtown Bryan would cost? I'd have to first figure out what the hell I'm talking about...

Ordered another SIM from OTR last week for work. Apparently that last batch of "Blue Blast" (AT&T) SIMs they sent out to migrate everyone off of the old legacy plans was a limited run. They are back to offering only Pink Blast (T-Mobile). The T-Mobile cards have been working fine for us, so that's not really an issue.

I will say that i was able to get on chat support immediately twice last week. No wait. So maybe they've finally caught up form all their craziness a few months ago. Waiting in the chat queue for 3 hours was a nightmare.

WheelinAg said:

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Anyone have luck getting a new plan? If so, link and cost?

tfunk, I've met a few more people in our neighborhood that are frustrated with internet options. I wonder how much a wifi backhaul link to downtown Bryan would cost? I'd have to first figure out what the hell I'm talking about...

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Midway through this page there are links to the 3rd party sites that have data plans. Not all are still taking customers, and not all are truly unlimited. It is the best list I have seen.

https://www.rvmobileinternet.com/guides/unlimited-cellular-data-plan-directory/

I watched a bunch of videos on starting a neighborhood ISP and came to the conclusion it probably isn't worth the money with StarLink a year-ish away. They launched 57 more satellites yesterday. I'm hoping I can limp along with my current setup for the next year or so.

For the past month I have had repeated problems with my local AT&T tower - keeps dropping me to HPSA+ speeds, usually in the middle of the night so my wife and I are greeted with slow speeds first thing in the morning. I don't use an antenna because I can see the tower from the window where the hotspot sits and for nearly two years I have had only a few problems, usually because of tower maintenance. Resetting the Cradlepoint or simply switching it on and off sometimes works immediately but not consistently. Usually after a day or two of resets it finally finds LTE again.

I use BixWireless and they couldn't figure out what's wrong. While poring over my Cradlepoint settings, I discovered one called Force LTE. Online manual tells you how to set it but doesn't explain how it works.

I just tried it. After selecting the option, it resets the modem and voila! - 40Mbps up/6Mbps down LTE is back. Don't know yet if this is my solution, but after the past 24 hours of frustration I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this will keep the faster connection.

Sounds kind of like an issue I had where everything on my network acted like it had no internet, but the Cradlepoint said it was online. It would pop up every few days until I rebooted the modem. I found a setting where the Cradlepoint will reset itself on a schedule, so I have it do that every night at 3am. Seems to help a lot and I never notice the reboot.

I was about to post the same thing. I have my Cradlepoint set to reboot every day at 4:00AM. Figured it couldn't hurt. For a while it seemed to need an additional reboot once in a while during the day. Service would slow to a crawl, and sometimes a reboot seemed to help it. I have seen that setting about force LTE while playing around with mine, but never really saw the need to enact it. It always looked like it was using LTE, just local congestion probably clogging things up.

On that note, I was getting tired of abysmal speeds during peak times during the day on my OTR T-Mobile plan I was still using. I was looking for something that uses Verizon towers, since I have one much closer to me than the T-Mobile or AT&T ones apparently. Testing speeds on my Verizon phone always yielded much better than either of those two.

I saw on one of those sites listed here previously an outfit called WiFi Mate that touted a plan using Verizon towers. I thought I would give them a try. I ordered a SIM from them, and as I sort of suspected, it wasn't a Verizon one, but rather a Visible SIM. It came in just a plain envelope with a printed page with one or two sentences about changing the APN for use with Visible. I got it to work after playing with the settings, and got pretty decent speeds. Then after a week it abruptly stopped working. Fortunately I hadn't cancelled OTR yet. I emailed them about the problem, since that seemed to be the only way to contact them. I didn't hear back until the next day. Strangely, all the communications from them seemed to occur in the middle of the night, which makes me wonder where they are really located. Long story short, I never got their service working again, even after they said they would send another SIM but never did. So a warning from me to not consider using them based on my experience.

After that debacle, I was doing some research and came across a mention of using another MVNO, similar to Visible, that uses Verizon towers. This one is called Page Plus, and they have a plan including unlimited data for 50 bucks a month. You just have to go through the activation process yourself, which is no big deal. Like Visible, the latency or ping times are kind of high in the 100ms range. If you are not big into gaming, or don't need VOIP, it might be a viable alternative, especially if Verizon has better service in your area.