Pinpointing your Connected mobile Cell Tower site: How Can it be? Possibilities and Realities

This piece of writing is the part of my previous post where I discussed about external antenna, its importance, choosing guide for some specific networks whcih you can check it out and the process to face your antenna towards the direction of your network tower for good internet etc.

But with this current post I discussed about the problem we face in real world scenario to spot the precise location of tower.

 

 

 

I started with the incident which inspired me to write this post.

I still remember the day when I went to my nephew’s village for the grand opening a new shop. The village was very far away for the town, about 35 miles. 

Establishing an internet for the shop was necessary but there is no other way to connect but only mobile hotspot. 

Unfortunately the network was too slow in my area, so we made a plan to install a directional antenna and a booster.

For this we needed to know the location of a tower. We downloaded various cell finding app on android mobile (currently not remember the name but tried more than). 

This was the funniest part which I never forget. 

The funniest Part

After installation and doing the further process like allowing location and call permission etc (you must have familiar with the process if you ever tried). 

The location arrow in app was indicating the tower’s location but to make it sure we opted to check it manually. 

We set off on our scooty, following the arrow sign. However, after 2 miles of travel, we noticed that the indicated arrow vanished. 

We thought to move little bit in backward direction and once again the arrow appeared. 

Once again we started to follow the arrow and reached the place. There was a hill and the arrow was showing the same location. 

We thought that the tower might be at the other side of the hill which we could not see so, we went to the other side to see but surprisingly did not find.  

Then we went to other side because the arrow was showing the same place. We were moving side by side, here and there like Tom and Jerry, feeling like playing hide and seek. 

Since it was a rural area, people were hardly seen often. Hopefully a man was going through that path. He said he lived in nearby village. 

We inquired about the mobile tower. He said “this is hilly area and fields and plots and no any tower.

Anyway this was merely the incident but aroused so many questions in my mind and also inspired me to write this post.

 

Can we really pinpoint the exact location of a tower?

I have seen so many posts available on internet regarding the topic, how to guide and even some claim to track it with the help of some finding app? So is it possible? If yes then how?

What are realities? We will discuss everything, every aspect, every possibility and then come to the conclusion. So this detailed post may be long but solve all your queries I think.

First I will try to express the post by some question and answered series, and by some discussion which will helps you to decide at the last conclusion points.

 

Lets’ start with the first question

What are the methods to know your connected cell tower?

If your phone has active sim card then you are already connected to a cellular network. 

When you initiate a call or data, your phone automatically searches for the best signal in your area and connection is established but to get the connected cell data information you can use several apps like cell maper, opensignal, cell Info Lite etc.

 

 

The second method is very simple and you do not have to install any app. Just dial a code *#*#4636#*#* (works for android smartphone) and get the several info and even so many options like run ping test, radio power on/off and set preferred network type in which you can choose the network type etc.

What info we get by these finding apps which are available in google app store (for android user) and with dialing code?

By using the apps, we get  info like lac, cell id, mcc, mnc, tac, pci, rsrp, rsrq etc. which can also be easily access if you put your phone in engineering mode in developer option or you can dial a code above code *#*#4636#*#*.  Just dial and check. 

Let’s see these one by one

MCC-Mobile country code is an unique identifier which tell about the specific country.

MNC-It stands for Mobile network code. It identifies a specific mobile network within a country.

LAC-also called Location Are code. It is associated to GSM and represents specific geographical area code within a larger cellular network.

Cell Id- A unique identifier code assigned to each specific cell within a location area.

TAC-Tracking Area code is associated with LTE or 5g and represents specific tracking area similar to location area.

PCI-Physical cell identity is a term used in Lte or 5g. 

RSRP- Reference Signal Received Power.

RSRQ- Reference Signal Received Quality.

When you change your network type lte and you will get mcc, mnc, tac, cid, pci earfcn, rsrp, rsrq, ta and when you change it to gsm you will get mcc, mnc, lac, cid.

 

 

To make it clear just dial #4636#*#* and go to phone info, choose gsm under set preferred network type and choose immediate option under cell info refresh rate. By doing this you will get the current info as well as other measurement details.

Now do the same process but choose lte in your network type and see the results.

Is it possible to tell what tower you are linked to?

This is the main question which needs to be clear because some available post/article on internet even declare that you can track the tower with cell id and lac.

There are numerous apps available for android and Iphone users, which you can try but, they are not fully reliable and, the accuracy is not up to the point. 

Some of you may say that I am wrong here. So, let’s elaborate it.

Cellular network is something like a web which is divided in different coverage areas, which is called lac in gsm term and tac in lte or 5g. 

These coverage areas are further divided into smaller cells to provide coverage over a specific geographic area and each of these cells is identified by a Cell Id, or pci.

When a mobile device connects to a cellular network, it communicates with a specific cell under specific lac or tac. 

This also helps the network to identify which cell the device is currently linked to.

Whenever a phone is linked to any cell or pci , it registers the network along with location (lac in gsm) or tracking area (TAC in case of lte or 5g) and, the network uses these information to route the communication to the appropriate base station. 

Now a day’s Cellular network is so advance with many technologies and its network infrastructures are designed in such a way to optimize the allocation of devices to towers to provide the best overall performance for users in a given area.

 
Now if you notice then you will find your phone continuously changes cell id when you slightly move around.  

Sometime it changes even without any movement and this process of handover occurs continuously at the background without interrupting your work. This happens to provide you a seamless, stable and best performance.

You can check it by an app. try cell mapper or any similar one which has the option of switch on the sound notification. Just go to setting of the app and set the notification on. 

You would get sound notification every time when your phone changes cell id.

Again, when your phone connects to a cellular tower you may think that the established connection is from the nearest one and if your phone connects to different cell id then you would think ok! That may be another one but, it is not always correct. 

Let me explain

 
In a cellular network a single cell tower can have more than one cell site and can support one or more. 

This is a common practice in cellular networks to efficiently manage coverage and capacity and traffic load.  So, it can be equipped with multiple antennas, each serving a specific direction or sector.

In this scenario a single tower can be divided into many cells and each cell will have its own coverage area and its own cell id which differentiate it from other cell or sector. 

This network plan is done by engineer to increase the network capacity to serve more users. In this way the network reduces interruption in connection and manages smooth handover process.

For example A tower has three sectors then 

Sector 1: Cell ID 1234
Sector 2: Cell ID 4568
Sector 3: Cell ID 7890

Let see other examples 

Consider a three flour building as a tower and every floor as a sector having different cell id. Now your phone searches for the best signal and connect any one of it. 

It can also be possible that your phone may desert the first connection and connect to second one.

This happens because your phone evaluates many factors like signal strength, signal quality, network congestion, and other conditions to determine which tower or cell will offer the best overall performance for your specific location and needs.

 
It's a dynamic process that aims to provide the best user experience in terms of call quality and data speed. 

Now in this case it is so difficult to pinpoint the exact position for a normal user. To achieve exact location one must has to dive deeper into it with also right equipment, and regulatory access.

Is it possible that phone may connect to the tower which is not closest?

It can happen that the established connection may not necessarily from the closest one because phone typically searches for the best signal rather than the absolute nearest one.

 While nearest plays a role in signal strength but it is not the only factor that determines which tower your phone will linked to.

 
The primary goal is to establish a stable and high-quality connection, so, in this case connecting to a tower that is slightly farther away might be possible if it provides a stronger and more reliable signal.

Let see other factors and scenario which can make your decision more challengeable.

 
When you are moving at high speeds, for instance fast-moving vehicle then your mobile phone might connect to multiple cell towers at once during a handover process. 

This ensures continuity of the connection as you move from one cell's coverage area to another.

 

Now come to the discussion point of apps which are available in app store. Are these apps reliable?

I already discussed through the above question and answer series that what and how factors play the role behind selecting a cell id. I also discussed how dynamically it changes. 

Now one may think why these locating apps as well as its maps and navigation that rely on crowd-sourced data might not always be completely accurate.

 
Now when you use these types of apps for locating then you will find that basically these apps’s data are based on crowd sourced which can provide valuable real-time information and updates but relying on its data and map might not always be correct.

 
This is because the contribution of data is made by users and perhaps most data are contributed by unprofessional or by normal users which do not know or have less knowledge about the cellular network and its connecting factors.

And verification of contributed data is void. Some may upload incorrect or incomplete data. Sometimes cell locator app may interpret your location as it were a tower and this is what happened in my incident. In rural areas there might be incomplete or no information.

When you connect through these apps, it asks for phone and the location permission. Here the location becomes main element because when your connection is established, it means you are already in a specific geographical area. 

Now when you grant the location permission to the app and upload the data to it then it will be used to show others the network coverage area of the particular carrier network.

 This process of data sharing by any individual is recorded and further used.

So basically these user-contributed data helps these apps to create maps of network coverage and performance of different network carrier.  

They offer valuable insights but not always correct. It gives general ideas and insight which can narrow your decision in site selecting but manually visiting tower are researching can help more.

This is not the end but will be very long so I will discuss in next post.

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A complete breakthrough: What is Baseband shows in android mobiles and its duty

Have you ever wondered that what is baseband version in your phone all about? Those who do not know that where this is located, can go to setting and then type about phone in the setting search box or type it directly. There you would find it. Hope you got right?

 

 

Now the question is, what is it? What is its duty/role in phone? What are its characteristic, function and what it can do? Everything I will discuss through this post so, stay tuned.

The term baseband version that you find in your mobile by going in setting, is written in some letters and numbers. It is a firmware version or you can say it as software which is responsible for your device wireless communication. 

It means, it takes control of wireless communication to establish a connection between a cell tower and a device to perform different tasks like calling, video calling, messaging, data and other wireless activity etc.

 

Let’s get in to it to grasp deep knowledge of the topic.

If we talk about the connectivity between a mobile device and cell tower then, several tasks are related like calling, data, messaging etc.  All these functions are done with the help of processor or baseband and it is a hardware component or modem that is found in your mobile phone. 

And all these activities are controlled by software or you can technically call it as a firmware or baseband version which you see in the mobile setting.

So, the baseband and baseband version are two different things but related with each other. The first one is a hardware component or processor or say it as a modem and the second one is a software or firmware that runs on baseband (processor).

Again the baseband version is also separated from the phone’s operating system and the baseband which is hardware, is also separate component from the phone’s main processor chip (cpu). 

But now a days many chips Manufacturers Company integrating baseband with cpu processor to make it more cost effective for users. It means, it integrates both functionality of cpu and modem together in a single chip which is called system on chip (SoC) or microchip. Though it is combined together, its function is different.

Both baseband with baseband version and main processor (CPU) with operating system (android, iOS) play essential role for a mobile to function but both deal in different tasks
The baseband version may vary according the manufacturers and phones model. 

 

See some examples of that you can find on phone and try to understand more about it.

 

 

Media tek- MOLY.LR12A.R2.SP.V2 and MOLY. LR11.W1533.MD

Sumsung: G950FXXS9DUCI

Qualcomn: MPSS.TH.2.0.c1.4-00015-M8974AAAAANAZM-1.x.x

 

For iOS

Apple-3.10.01

Intel-1.00.00

Here we can see the manufacturer and their versions which are designed for android. For knowing more let’s take Media tek- MOLY.LR12A.R2.SP.V2 as an example. 

The version MOLY.LR12A.R2.SP.V2 is manufactured by the semiconductor company Mediatek.  It manufactures and designs different chipsets for different electronic devices. And Moly is prefix to the version that is added by Mediatek, is an abbreviation to represent a specific version.

And LR12A.R2.SP.V2 which is mentioned here are model designation, version number, service pack, and release of the version respectively. This specific version is designed for specific baseband and model and may vary according to the devices.

To experience optimal performance in your phone, a firmware should be updated because updating a firmware sometime may resolve the communication problem like slower data rate, call drop etc. The updating process is mostly available on most devices which are provided by your manufacturer or sometimes by your carrier at the time of new release. 

In the case of carrier, you may get an updating notification to your phone for installation however you can check whether you have got an update option or not by going to system under setting option.

It is also to be noted that some devices may do not have the updating option especially in older version of phones. In this case you can also update it manually or even change it completely but the process will be difficult or may make your phone inoperative if you do not follow the right process.  

So, I would recommend keeping a backup your data, reading your manufacturers guidelines or contact your manufacturer before you opt for the process.

 
If you have made your mind or want to know about the updating process then I will give you in another post.

Now let’s decode the baseband. It is a hardware device inside a phone and plays a vital role regarding communication in between a cell tower and a device. It is specifically designed according to the device and even may vary device to device from the same manufacturer.

 
Now let’s see some of the characters baseband and function.

1. As I said earlier that it can be said as a modem, it performs same like a modem. It works like a modulator and demodulator. In simple word it converts digital information to analog and then demodulates/reconvert/ back analog signal to digital format to make it suitable for a device to perform.

2. It communicates to nearby cell tower to establish the connection. It also handles some necessary network protocols like network registration, cell tower handover and maintaining the data and voice transmission.

3. It also handles the function of carrier aggregation through which a device can get fast internet. This feature may not available in some phones. If you want to read more about carrier aggregation then you can read my previous post.




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Front to Back Ratio: Role in Directional Antenna by Nourishing Tech Appetite

This is a related post of “How to choose the best antenna for airtel jio etc”. You can read it if you wish and then you can come to this current post which is a second part but it is specially focused on directional antenna. 

 

The main objective of the post is to provide you more ideas on directional antenna like how greater front to back ratio(F/B) impacts on the performance of antenna and the simple ways to check this ratio to evaluate the performance.

 

Here we have used Question and Answer session to grasp more ideas on the topics. So, let’s begin.

Q-What is front to back ratio of Directional Antenna?

Ans-Directional antenna is designed to radiate most of its power from main/front lobe to forward direction rather than rear direction to get most of the signal from front direction. It is designed in such a way to get signal from a specific direction, it means you can use it to optimize signal from specific directions according to your choice.  The ratio in between front signal power and back signal power is called the F/B ratio. It is a measure through we can check the quality of antenna and greater F/B ratio is always an indication of good directional antenna.

 

Q- How high F/B ratio contributes in getting good signal?

Ans- If forward radiation power is better and greater than its opposite direction then it is said as a good or greater front to back ratio and the performance of antenna is also increased. This happens because of its ability or features to minimize or terminate the signal that comes from opposite or other direction so as to work great in only forward direction.

Let’s get into it to get clear the views on the topic. The antenna’s performance is determined by its F/B ratio and can be calculated through a formula:

Front to back ratio = (Pfront/Pback) 

Front to back ratio = Pront- Pback

The radiation power strength in the forward direction is indicated by Pfront and the power strength of opposite direction is called Pback.

Q-Determining a good directional antenna or how to know whether the antenna is good F/B ratio or low F/B ratio

Ans-Suppose a performer giving a speech on a stage and you are sitting and facing towards the performer. You want to listen but noises are coming from back like talking and murmuring of others audience. To listen carefully you have to focus on performers’ voices and at the same time you also have to ignore the noises coming from opposite direction or surroundings.

Here in this example the talk of the performer is like a signal that you want to listen so, it can be assumed as a desired signal which is coming from the forward direction

Again, you want to focus on performer’s voice but sound of others audience are distracting you. In this case, the sound which are coming from behind or surrounding will be assumed as an unwanted signal that you should ignore to listen clear.

In this circumstance your ability decides that how good and clear you could listen while rejecting others noises.

Let’s see other connected facts which could affect the situation. If the performers’ talk is loud enough than the other distracting sound and your hearing capability is good enough then you can easily listen to the performer. So, it is like greater F/B ratio where your capabilities show that you can listen well and focus on the performers’ voice and other noise does not affect you.

On the other hand the low front to back ratio shows the circumstance where the performer’s voice is too low and distracting sounds of audience is too high. In this case, listening to the performer will be difficult as well as challenging for you.

The same rule is applied to directional antenna. The higher F/B ratio indicates the ability of antenna, where, it could manage the incoming and outgoing signal in the desired direction very well and reduce the unwanted signal from opposite direction to give a good performance.

Q- How to know whether your antenna has high front to back ratio or not? 

Ans- To know this, professional tries several tests to get the exact value which can be hard for normal people because it needs some equipments and software like signal meter testing, field testing and antenna patterns testing etc.

Q- So, is there any simple testing guide that can be done by simple users?

Ans- Yes, we can do it. The process is very simple and only we need a signal indicator that is already available on device like router or modem with external antenna port. Therefore, I am giving a simple guide through which we can test the performance and monitor its signal strength. Let’s see the how.

Note- This test alone can’t give detailed or accurate measurement. If you want fast network then so many indicators, application and tools are needed to get the quality signal strength.
Just attach the external antenna to the modem and connect with a computer. 

 

Go to the setting of your modem. The setting may vary according to the device and manufacturers.  We have to open the setting where we get device information. See the example.

 

Now you have to do some field testing. You just need to put the antenna facing to the location of your desired cell tower. Adjust its angle till getting the best and strongest signal.(greater rsrp) After placing the antenna just monitor the indicator (you can see RSRP, Reference signal receive power) value. (it is indicated in dbm). The value you get is the Pfront(signal Power received from the main lobe). Note it down for further calculation.

Field testing 2- Now you have to rotate your antenna to 180 degree and by doing this the antenna‘s back portion will be to the direction of tower. Check the indicator to get dBm value. The value you get is the Pback(Power of signal of back lobe of the antenna). Jot it down.
 

Compare those received value. You will see the huge difference and the big difference is considered as a good antenna having higher F/B ratio.

Let’s see some examples

Suppose you point your antenna to the desired cell tower and get RSRP value -50dbm and when you face the back portion to the tower then you get RSRP -70dbm. Here dbm is a unit to measure the power level of signal strength

Here we have got two received signal strength which are-50dBm and -70dBm. Now let’s convert the both value in to miliwatts (mW). For this we will use the formula

Power (in mW) =10^ (dBm/10)
We will put -50dBm in formula
Power (in mW) =10^ (-50/10)
Power (in mW) = 10^ (-5)
Power (in m W) = 0.00001 mW
Therefore the received power of -50dBm is = 0.00001 mW

The same conversion we will do for -70dBm
Power (in mW) = 10^ (-70/10)
Power (in mW) = 10^ (-7)
Power (in mW) = 0.0000001 mW

Now when we compare these two power which are -50dBm = 0.00001 mW and -70dBm = 0.0000001 mW then we find that -50dBm received signal power is stronger and greater than -70dBm-

Example 2

Suppose Pfront is -30dBm and Pback is -80dBm then we will convert the value to miliwatts by the formula

Power (mW) =10^ (dBm/10)
Placing the value -30dBm in formula
Power (mW) =10^ (-30/10) =10^ (-3) = 0.001 mW

Conversion for -80 dBm
Power (mW) =10^ (dBm/10)
Power (mW) =10^ (-80/10) = 10^ (-8) = 0.00000001 mW

From the above example we have found that the received power of -30dbm is greater than -80 dBm

Now let’s calculate the front to back ratio
We would use the formula 

          
Front to back ratio (db) = pfront- Pback
Putting the value in formula we get
Front to back ratio (dB) = -30 - (- 80) = -30 + 80 = 50dB

So, the answer is 50 dB

Now let’s find out that how stronger is Pfront from Pback in power level. For this we can use formula – Power Ratio = 10^ ((Pfront – Pback)/10)

Putting the value in the formula we get
Power Ratio = 10^((-30 – (-80)/10) = 10^ ((-30 + 80)/10) = 10^ ((50)/10)
= 10^ 5 = 100000

It means the Pfront is 100000 times stronger than Pback in power level.

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Complete guide to Select an External antenna for Jio, Airtel And Bsnl

Today many people in India use the above networks for internet. Some are using fiber optic and others are using wifi but those who are not using any of these medium or do not have these options then buying an external antenna can help in boosting internet speed in some aspects.

 

So, if you are deciding to take one then I must say that selecting a right one is not hard however you need some basic knowledge and information.

 

I have seen that many people randomly select any external antenna thinking that his or her internet speed will be increased but the problem get more worse than before.Therefore, I have made this guide and tried to explain in a step by step process for buying an external antenna for jio, airtel and Bsnl.

 

So, without wasting a time let’s see 

 

Steps 1 to 3 to take a perfect antenna as per your network.

 

Step 1. Know your carrier’s frequency band

 

It is right that antenna plays an important role and can improve our network reception but different antennas are designed to be used on different frequency and parameters. So, before choosing the right one, let’s have a look on frequency band of jio, Airtel & Bsnl one by one. Here we are using two charts of jio and Airtel network only to help you in getting ideas. It is general guide that will also be applied when opting for Bsnl antenna.

Jio frequency band details

 

State	700MHz FD-NR Bandn28	850MHz  FDD-LTE Band 5	1800MHz FDD-LTE Band 3	2300MHz  TDD-LTE  Band-40	3500MHz  TD-NR  Band-n78	26GHz  TD-NR  Bandn258
Andhra Pradesh	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Assam	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Bihar	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Chhattisgarh	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Delhi	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Goa	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Gujarat	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Haryana	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Himachal Pradesh	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Jharkhand	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
J and Kashmir	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Kerala	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Karnataka	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Kolkata	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Ladakh	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Mumbai	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Maharashtra	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Madhya Pradesh	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
North East	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Odisha	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Punjab	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Rajasthan	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Telengana	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Tamil Nadu	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Uttar Pradesh	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Operating Band of Airtel

 

State	900MHz FDD-LTE Band 8	1800MHz FDD-LTE Band 3	2100MHz  FD-LTE  Band 1	2300MHz  TDD-LTE  Band-40	3500MHz  TD-Nr  Band-n78	26GHz TD-Nr  Band n258
Andhra Pradesh	Y	y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Assam	Y	y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Bihar	Y	y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Chhattisgarh	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Delhi	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Goa	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Gujarat	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Haryana	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Himachal Pradesh	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Jharkhand	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
J and Kashmir	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Kerala	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Karnataka	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Kolkata	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y
Ladakh	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Mumbai	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Maharashtra	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Madhya Pradesh	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
North East	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Odisha	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Punjab	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Rajasthan	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Telengana	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Tamil Nadu	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Uttar Pradesh	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now you must have found the operating frequency band in your area with the help of above image.

Note- Make sure about the serving frequency bands in your city, village or area because the above charts tell about the state but not the specific cities and areas. So, get sure.

 

To make you understand let’s look the example of Airtel carrier.

Suppose you are using airtel network in orisha then you have to find the frequencies bands that are being served by airtel in your area which are 900 Mhz, 1800 Mhz, 2100 Mhz, 2300 Mhz according to the above given chart. Now you might have got the idea. Right?

 

Now you have to find an antenna for airtel that can work well in odisha region. For this you should search and look for its working frequency and If its frequency matches with those of  airtel network in your area then it is compatible and can be used.

 

Suppose that, if the antenna has working frequencies of 1800 and 2300MHz then you can use it only if your carrier operates on these frequencies. Did you follow?

 

So, the first tip is very simple. You just have to find out the operating frequency band of the network in your area and find the antenna that matches the frequency of your network.

 

 

Step 2. After knowing the frequency band of your network carrier and antenna, the next step is to consider an antenna types.

Omnidirectional and directional antennas are the two types of antennas which are common and widely used. Let’s find out more to obtain more ideas.

 

Omnidirectional- It works in all direction and catches the signal (receive) and tranmit in all direction. It is designed in such a way that gives you coverage in 360 degree, whether in horizontally or vertically according to the manufacturers.

 

It is a good option if you are in town and not sure about the exact location of your cell tower. 

 

For instance- If you reside in town then you might have seen that numerous antennas are all around. So, it may be difficult to know that through which cell tower your signal is coming from? Again in this case an omnidirectional antenna works better as it will receive automatically the strongest signal from the tower.

 

It can be also a great choice for travelers and for those who do not want any manual process of polarizing to cell tower.

Examples or various types of omnidirectional antennas.

Whip antenna- A vertically designed antenna that radiates vertically in 360 degree often comes in wide range frequencies. It is portable and comes for outdoor or indoor use according to manufacturers. It can be seen on vehicles, walkie-talkie etc.

Out- door Cylindrical Antenna-it has got its name due to it design. It can be used outdoor and can easly mounted on roof. It works in all direction and also available in mimo.

Magnetic base antenna- It comes with magnetic base that can be easily mounted of roof of vehicle or and any iron base. It generally comes in low gain and can be used outdoor or indoor.

 

                                    Magnetic base Antenna(Omni-directional)

 

Directional- it works in one direction and used in accessing the signal from specific direction. If you are in rural area with poor signal then this may solve your problem. It generally comes with higher gain. People generally use it for long direction. If your cell tower is very far away from you but, can be seen or if you want to target a specific cell tower then you can try high gain antenna to get good signal.

It is suitable for those who want to establish long distance connectivity and to focus a specific tower. However you have to adjust it manually to your targeted tower in very precise way to get the most the best signal.

 

Various types of Directional Antennas

 

 

      

 

LPDA- it can be said Log Periodic Dipole Array(LPDA) antenna. It is an directional and broadband antenna often comes in multiband. 

 

 

 

Yagi-it is another directional antenna and also can be used for specific network or direction.

 

 

 

Panel antenna- It is also a directional antenna comes in panel liked shape. There are so many of its which can be easily available in market with multiband features.

 

Step 3.   Knowing about antenna’s gain.

You should look for its gain specification carefully before buying a one for yourself. The gain is mentioned by dbi for example 10 dbi, 20 db etc.

 

Higher gain antenna is capable of sending and receiving signal over a long distance with narrow beam width. If you are using high gain directional antenna then it is necessary to focus it to the direction of cell (line of sight) tower to get good result. It is also to note that as gain increases, its beamwidth will become narrow. You should be precise in pointing it to the direction of tower to get most signal.

 

Lower gain antenna- The lower gain is just opposite of those higer gain antennas. It’s output power is scattered hence its beamwidth is wider than higher gain antenna. 

 

Wire and connector type-To install an external antenna you will be required wires and connector that will connect your antenna to your modem or router or booster. You should choose a good quality wire(coaxial cable) and keep the shortest length as much as possible to reduce signal drop.

 

 

 

Some of the good lmr coaxial cable like LMR 400, LMR 600, LMR 800 etc in the market which is specially designed for this purpose. The signal drop is minimized when good LMR cable is used with shortest length.

It is up to you that which one you choose according to your budget and requirement but I would recommend you not to use less than LMR 400 to get good signal.

Antenna comes with different types of pre-stalled connectors like SMA, TS9, CRC9, or FME. Although you can change it according to your requirement, you should look the connector that can go easily with your modem, router or booster etc.

 

 Look out some other suggestions

1.   Multi band antennas- As it names, it comes with multiband properties that makes it compatible with different networks. It can be said as all rounder antennas. Several multiband directional and omni-directonal antenna are available in market which you can select according to your need.

 

E.g- 12 dBi omnidirectinal  or  directional antenna, frequency range 698-2700MHz. 

 

 

 

As you can see that its working frequency range is vast from 698 to 2700MHz. It means that it  can give flexibility to use  for different networks because most of the carriers’ operates some of its band under this given range. You can use it for band 1, 3, 5, 8, 40 of Airtel.

 

Mimo- Using multiple antennas to get better signal and fast internet. If your device has more than one port than you can attach more antennas to get more reception.

 

 

 

E.g. You can connect one mimo antenna or two separate omnidirectional by placing them 1 feet to 1 mete apart from each other.

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