# Just dropped DirecTV, Now Using 4G hotspot for TV /internet



## drseth (Sep 20, 2017)

Hi,

I am a newbie here, finding this site after not getting answers elsewhere.  I have been using a 4G hotspot (Sprint network) for my home internet, with speeds far superior to the 2.5mbps I had on DSL.  My highest speeds have been 33mbps download, 9.34 upload, with 38ms latency.  I am using wireless clients, and am getting 8-12mbps download, 4mbps upload most of the time.

I dropped DirecTV recently, now using H96 Pro Plus Android Boxes for Kodi and YouTube TV viewing.  Sometimes on Kodi, the 1080P pauses, and infrequently crashes.  

I am getting 2 bars on my hotspot in its current location, but 3 bars upstairs, but one of my wireless clients loses its signal upstairs.  It seems when the clients are converted to repeaters, my download and upload speeds suffer.  Interference, I suppose.

I would like to upgrade from the hotspot to a 4G LTE router/gateway with external antennas, and possibly, switch from wifi to a powerline ethernet.  I am on Sprint, which uses bands 25, 26, and 41.  The nearby tower has the Band 25 output.  Any suggestions?  I don't want to splurge, preferring to keep my costs under $200 or so.  The tower is about 1 mile away line of sight, but heavily forested.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.


----------



## eidairaman1 (Sep 20, 2017)

Yeah Sprint will put a cap on your data useage speed, unlimited data means they drop the speed after you reach a certain cap. 

You need to search for a 4G isp or find out if you have a crossbox in your area that is at most 3000 feet from you, otherwise coax...


----------



## thebluebumblebee (Sep 20, 2017)

Please don't post multiple times about the same thing.


----------



## drseth (Sep 20, 2017)

thebluebumblebee said:


> Please don't post multiple times about the same thing.


Sorry about that.  I thought the topics were about equipment suggestions on one, and 4G service on the other.


----------



## newtekie1 (Sep 20, 2017)

eidairaman1 said:


> Yeah Sprint will put a cap on your data useage speed, unlimited data means they drop the speed after you reach a certain cap.



It's 23GB with Sprint.  I've seen the speed after 23GB drop to absolutely unusable levels, like 256kbps download.


----------



## Gasaraki (Sep 20, 2017)

"I am getting 2 bars on my hotspot in its current location, but 3 bars upstairs, but one of my wireless clients loses its signal upstairs. It seems when the clients are converted to repeaters, my download and upload speeds suffer. Interference, I suppose."

I'm confused by that sentence.

You keep your hotspot upstairs and have the clients downstairs but they don't have good signal upstairs? 
Clients are converted to repeaters... (no idea what this means)


----------



## Toothless (Sep 20, 2017)

Yeah it's a Sprint move. We would advertise unlimited but throttle you after X amount. Didn't matter what it was you can be sure you will be capped unless it's the unlimited plan for phones. (not sure if that is still offered)


----------



## drseth (Sep 20, 2017)

Gasaraki said:


> "I am getting 2 bars on my hotspot in its current location, but 3 bars upstairs, but one of my wireless clients loses its signal upstairs. It seems when the clients are converted to repeaters, my download and upload speeds suffer. Interference, I suppose."
> 
> I'm confused by that sentence.
> 
> ...



When clients are switched to repeaters, the speeds decrease.  Faster when the units are in client setting.  Using TP-Link TL-WR810N, 2 of them.


----------



## OneMoar (Sep 20, 2017)

are the repeaters rated at the same speed as the host ap ?

are the repeaters mid-way between the ap and the desired coverage zone

it does no fracking good to put the repeaters on the edge of the ap's range you want it midway or as close to you can get to the ap while maintaining strength to the desired coverage zone


----------



## arbiter (Sep 20, 2017)

Toothless said:


> Yeah it's a Sprint move. We would advertise unlimited but throttle you after X amount. Didn't matter what it was you can be sure you will be capped unless it's the unlimited plan for phones. (not sure if that is still offered)


Um its not just a Sprint move. AT&T does it, Verizon also does it. If you read the fine print on any one of them for their "unlimited" plan they will all say after certain amount they "may" slow your speeds.

If you are using internet streaming for tv, you gonna want least good 250-300gb a month. that assumes 5mbit HD video, 4 hours a day avg. That could be more like 400-450 if you watch bit longer on weekends. Sadly going back would be cheaper then that hotspot if that is only decent option you got for internet outside dsl.


----------



## newtekie1 (Sep 20, 2017)

drseth said:


> When clients are switched to repeaters, the speeds decrease.



Repeaters always decrease speeds.


----------



## Toothless (Sep 21, 2017)

arbiter said:


> Um its not just a Sprint move. AT&T does it, Verizon also does it. If you read the fine print on any one of them for their "unlimited" plan they will all say after certain amount they "may" slow your speeds.
> 
> If you are using internet streaming for tv, you gonna want least good 250-300gb a month. that assumes 5mbit HD video, 4 hours a day avg. That could be more like 400-450 if you watch bit longer on weekends. Sadly going back would be cheaper then that hotspot if that is only decent option you got for internet outside dsl.


I know this. I worked with and along side those companies and some do truly offer unlimited in the form of phone data. I don't think any offer in internet service real unlimited though.


----------



## yotano211 (Sep 21, 2017)

Are you looking for better speed or better coverage from your cell phone provider.


----------



## drseth (Sep 21, 2017)

yotano211 said:


> Are you looking for better speed or better coverage from your cell phone provider.



Closer to the tower I got 44mbps download, 14mbps upload with all 4 bars lit.  I would like to be able to stream 4K without pauses, which is supposed to require at least 25mbps.  My speed varies from 12mbps to 19mbps download currently with the cheap Franklin Hotspot.  I am considering buying a 4G Router with an external antenna, and perhaps go to a power line wired network for better speeds.

Any suggestions?  Which brand 4G router/gateways have performed well for you?


----------



## Kissamies (Sep 21, 2017)

I've been using 4G hotspot as my main connection for about two years now. In Finland almost all ISP:s have unlimited data and playing online FPS's isn't a problem at all.

Phone is Galaxy J5 (2015 model).


----------



## yotano211 (Sep 21, 2017)

drseth said:


> Closer to the tower I got 44mbps download, 14mbps upload with all 4 bars lit.  I would like to be able to stream 4K without pauses, which is supposed to require at least 25mbps.  My speed varies from 12mbps to 19mbps download currently with the cheap Franklin Hotspot.  I am considering buying a 4G Router with an external antenna, and perhaps go to a power line wired network for better speeds.
> 
> Any suggestions?  Which brand 4G router/gateways have performed well for you?


What country do you live in?


----------



## kn00tcn (Sep 21, 2017)

random tip, the first forum i go to when the subject is (north american) internet service is dslreports.com , no offense to TPU of course, but TPU does quite lean towards pc hardware


----------



## drseth (Sep 21, 2017)

yotano211 said:


> What country do you live in?



USA, Virginia

I am interested in purchasing a 4G LTE router/gateway with a SIM slot, an external antenna, and 802.11ac capabilities. The hotspot does not have an external antenna port. 

What LTE speeds are possible with Sprint? I live in a rural area, a little over a mile from the tower with a forest in-between. I was wondering if the hotspot has a limit to the speed?


----------



## bug (Sep 21, 2017)

drseth said:


> Closer to the tower I got 44mbps download, 14mbps upload with all 4 bars lit.  I would like to be able to stream 4K without pauses, which is supposed to require at least 25mbps.  My speed varies from 12mbps to 19mbps download currently with the cheap Franklin Hotspot.  I am considering buying a 4G Router with an external antenna, and perhaps go to a power line wired network for better speeds.
> 
> Any suggestions?  Which brand 4G router/gateways have performed well for you?


An uncompressed 4k frame is ~8MB. At 3 bytes per colour channel, that's 24MB. Even when compressed beyond recognition, you'll have a hard time fitting 30fps into 25mbps (factor in sound, protocol overhead and what not). And that's before your usage cap kicks in.


----------



## drseth (Sep 21, 2017)

bug said:


> An uncompressed 4k frame is ~8MB. At 3 bytes per colour channel, that's 24MB. Even when compressed beyond recognition, you'll have a hard time fitting 30fps into 25mbps (factor in sound, protocol overhead and what not). And that's before your usage cap kicks in.



Having used the unlimited Sprint service for almost a year, I have never been capped or throttled.  According to what I have read, for 4K, I need at least 25 Mbps average speed. I think with an antenna I can exceed that speed. 

What should I look for in a 4G LTE gateway/router?  I would like my costs to be under $300.


----------



## bug (Sep 21, 2017)

drseth said:


> Having used the unlimited Sprint service for almost a year, I have never been capped or throttled.  According to what I have read, for 4K, I need at least 25 Mbps average speed. I think with an antenna I can exceed that speed.
> 
> What should I look for in a 4G LTE gateway/router?  I would like my costs to be under $300.


I'm pretty sure at 25Mbps you're getting a pretty terrible image quality. But it's ok, you can't spot 4k detail on an average home TV anyway. Just noting this because if at some point your provider decides to up the quality, you may find your transfer speeds are not adequate any longer.
As for sourcing hardware, I don't live in the US so I couldn't say.


----------



## arbiter (Sep 21, 2017)

drseth said:


> I am interested in purchasing a 4G LTE router/gateway with a SIM slot, an external antenna, and 802.11ac capabilities. The hotspot does not have an external antenna port.
> 
> What LTE speeds are possible with Sprint? I live in a rural area, a little over a mile from the tower with a forest in-between. I was wondering if the hotspot has a limit to the speed?


If you do some research you can find routers that can use a hotspot, my router even being bit old supports hooking up one those LTE modem's via USB ports.



bug said:


> I'm pretty sure at 25Mbps you're getting a pretty terrible image quality. But it's ok, you can't spot 4k detail on an average home TV anyway. Just noting this because if at some point your provider decides to up the quality, you may find your transfer speeds are not adequate any longer.
> As for sourcing hardware, I don't live in the US so I couldn't say.



you can get good 720p for around 5Mbps. and even little lower then that 1080p a few Mbps higher.


----------



## bug (Sep 21, 2017)

arbiter said:


> you can get good 720p for around 5Mbps. and even little lower then that 1080p a few Mbps higher.



Still, 4k is literally 4 FHD screens arranged in a 2x2 grid. Add HDR, the bandwidth goes up even more.


----------

