4G signal strength

[scottmac99]

I've moved into the rural area of Korweinguboora VIC 3461.  I am using a Telstra SIM for internet access and it works very well, but it's limited to 60Gb per month.  I am very keen to switch to the Optus 200Gb per month SIM offer (around $80 per month) that is running at the moment.

The Optus coverage map shows that I am in an Optus 4G area, but I have a neighbour who is on Optus and she says the coverage is very flakey. 

So I don't want to make the switch unless I can be 100% certain that I will have good Optus 4G or 4G+ coverage.

My phone is a Telstra phone and it will only show me the strength and reliability of the signal from the connected Telstra tower.

How can I find out what I need without having an Optus phone? 

[I've tried a number of the Android cell tower etc apps, and all they seem to be able to do is tell me where the Telstra towers are, and which one(s) I am connected to.]

[Davelew]

Hi

My suggestion would be to buy a cheap Ovo Sim who use the optus network, $9.95,then borrow a friend's phone, as I presume you are locked to The Telstra network, and stick the Sim in their phone and see what the reception is like.

https://ovo.com.au/products/mobile-phone

Dave

[scottmac99]

Thanks Dave, I just need to find someone who has an Optus phone 🙂

The Ovo mobile broadband data plans look rather good too ... https://ovo.com.au/products/broadband

[Davelew]

Can be any phone providing it's not locked or an optus locked phone.

[10000000000GB]

You don't need a phone, because you are going to use the data in a modem. You can put antennas on modems, to pick up the 700Mhz. The best modems are the ZTE MF920V (Target),  Huawei E8372.

700Mhz antennas are tricky to get, but you can make a couple of simple ones by making 20cm wide T dipoles. Neighbours are very bad at getting good signals, so don't go by what they say.

[scottmac99]

Yep, I use a yagi on the roof at an other rural address, connected to a Telstra 3G USB WIFI dongle and that gives me 2-4Mbps when I would otherwise have nothing.

All I want to know is ... if I buy an Optus 4G SIM and put it in a modem, what sort of 4G signal will it give me.

It's not rocket science, really.  The Optus shops should imo make available loan phones, so that people like me can test before they buy.

[10000000000GB]

BTW, don't trial it with OVO. Just get the Optus month to month deal while it's going. You can cancel out before the month is up, and only pay pro rata.

[10000000000GB]

In fact, if you cancel the plan and move to the 12 month after a week, then you get 400GB and pay $17 extra for the first plan.

[10000000000GB]

My two antennas are a Telstra whip antenna and a dipole. I have to work through 400m of gum leaves, so yagis are useless. An 850Mhz yagi also seems not to work on 700.

[scottmac99]

So what I did was buy a $59 wingle with minimal Gb, and hang that up high in the bathroom window that more or less faces south east.  The Optus tower is pretty much due south (in Ballan).

Not the strongest signal (and only 700Mhz) ... BUT ... 17ms latency, 4 Mbps upload and 22Mbps download.  So far so good.  I'll continue to monitor, but so far, I am a very happy chappy.

Will be buying the $80 200Gb month to month plan next week 🙂

[I'm kind of over contracts, all they do with Telstra is lock you into a deal which 6 months later turns out to be really bad in comparison with the more recently released plans.]