External antenna for 4Gee Smart Hub

[Marion1967]

Local EE store advised contacting EE Tech to arrange for an external antennae to be fitted to improve signal. After 1hr of telephone conversation, diagnostic checks etc, following contacting customer services number given I was advised there is no such external antennae for routers only broadband users and also that not having a solid, static aqua blue light when the router is in operation is not a fault. Whilst I can access the internet I cannot get the apps on my smart Samsung T.V to work and the local EE store advised a signal booster was required. Does anyone know how to boost the signal? 

[Chris_B]

@Marion1967  What device are you using ?   A router is a device that puts out a WiFi signal for you to use.    This device has either a fixed line connection ie a phone line of fibre cable or it’s a router with a SIM card in it and this is a home 4G/5G  router.    then there are mobile routers that you can take out and about with you 

post a picture of it please 

Its also illegal to boost a mobile signal,    You can get a device that redirects a signal within your home from the outside,  these get referred as boosters but they don’t actually do that 

[Marion1967]

Hi Chris 

It’s a router with a SIM card in it so a home 4G router 

[Marion1967]

The aqua light is supposed to be solid but on this router it flickers.

[Chris_B]

@Marion1967    Can you try relocating the router?   

I’ve just looked at this router online and I see there is no connection for an external antenna.  It’s called a  Smart 4G Hub 2 

[Marion1967]

Thanks for the info Chris. I have tried relocating the router. I live in a static home in a rural area so I’m guessing I’ll just need to put up with what I have and hope another provider will one day come along with fibre broadband or similar. Thanks for your responses. 

[bristolian]

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@Chris_B wrote:

Its also illegal to boost a mobile signal,    You can get a device that redirects a signal within your home from the outside,  these get referred as boosters but they don’t actually do that 

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Not strictly true, but Ofcom-approved boosters cost several hundred ££ - whilst well-meaning shop staff are probably quite keen to mention the concept, the realities are a little different.

Boosters are a different beast to self-contained pico or micro-cell installations.

[Ali_A]

Welcome to the community @Marion1967 

It sounds like there may have been some confusion with the terminology. The store was suggesting to "boost" your incoming Mobile Broadband signal using an external antenna- If you don't have great indoor signal, an external antenna can enhance your outdoor 4G signal and bring it indoors directly into the 4GEE "mobile" router, creating a faster and more consistent experience.
(As opposed to a mobile signal booster, which is a very different item as pointed out by @bristolian )

For our customers who had a 4GEE Home Router, we used to offer a 4GEE Home Antenna, which the store may have been referring to. This was an external antenna supplied by EE, fitted by our partner TSG and wired directly into a customer's 4GEE Home Router. We no longer offer external antennas. 

Only 4G routers that have a connection for an external antenna can be connected this way. 
As @Chris_B mentioned, the 4G Smart hub doesn't come with external antenna connection. 

We don't support this, however some rural users have sourced their own 4G routers which can accept external antenna connections. Then manually programmed the EE Internet access settings into the router and popped in the EE SIM card. 

Ali

[Marion1967]

Hi Ali

Many thanks for your reply.

I just wish the store staff had been more knowledgable and up to date with what is available as I wasted an hour in store then a further hour (plus mobile call cost!) speaking with an advisor having followed the store manager’s original advice.

It would have been ideal if EE still supported the external antennae as what you described will be an additional expense i.e buying an additional 4G router and an engineer’s time to fit it and set it up. I’ll look into it nonetheless though. If you could recommend/suggest such a router that would be appreciated. 

I can get online, do Zoom calls, shopping, emails and such like and I use an HDMI cable connected to my laptop to my t.v. For streaming Netflix so though a bit clumsy and perhaps not worth the £50 per month fee I pay EE I’ll perhaps just have to make it do until something better comes along or I move home. 

[Ali_A]

@Marion1967 It would be best to check online reviews for which routers people have had better or easier success with. 

An engineer installing a 4G antenna will know exactly which direction to point it for optimal signal, and check if the mast frequency you'll be receiving is higher or lower (High frequency = Faster signal but limited range. Lower frequency = slower speeds but have a much longer range), and if there are any other things in the way that could be the cause of limited signal strength (hills, trees, etc). 
If you give Customer care a call, a guide from the technical team may be able to tell you the general direction of your best connecting mast for your location, as well as likely frequency, before you make any decisions.  

Ali