Re: Off-topic: Measuring ISP's signal strength
 

Hi
His tool is probably a propriety hardware/software specifically to the ISP
equipment.
You can try to search for terms like Signal Meter + the name and model of
your modem.
Example,
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q...&aq=f&oq=&aqi=
I am not very hopeful, but try, you never know. :)
Jack (MS, MVP-Networking).

"Captain America" <the_captain@america.com> wrote in message
news:diq0h5h3hdom5i8qdgsdsraoq74e8okbf8@4ax.com...
>I am in an isolated rural area. My ISP uses Motorola Canopy 900 Mhz
> equipment. There's a tower ( actually, a wooden utility pole ) with
> their antennas about 1.8 miles away from my house.
>
> I have a long Yagi antenna on the roof with the Ca nopy receiver-modem
> on the antenna and Cat 5 cable running into the house.
>
> My connection drops from time to time and the ISP tells me it's a
> signal strength issue. Their contractor has climbed all over my roof
> and lawn. Where the antenna is now located the signal strength ranges
> from -78 dBm to -81 dBm. There's one spot in the lawn where he gets
> -68 dBm but we can't put a tower or antenna at that point.
>
> The Canopy receiver has a nominal signal floor of -90 dBm -- so -- I'm
> getting close to the point at which the Canopy drops the signal.
>
> The Yagi antenna is installed horizontally -- that is, with the
> elements parallel to the horizon. I can't find in the Canopy
> specifications whether it operates with VERTICAL or HORIZONTAL antenna
> polarization and the installer simply does not understand the
> difference between a vertically-polarized and a horizontally-polarized
> antenna.
>
> If the antenna on the ISP tower is vertically-polarized, and my Yagi
> is horizontal, then, I'm losing 12 - 15 dB of signal strength -- which
> is substantial.
>
> Two questions:
>
> 1. Does anyone know what antenna polarization the 900 Mhz Canopy
> system uses -- vertical or horizontal?
>
> 2. When the contractor comes out here, he connects the receiver-modem
> on my antenna to a device of some kind that is connected to his laptop
> and he reads the signal strength and other signal parameters on the
> laptop. Where can I get whatever it is he's using to measure the 900
> Mhz signal strength from the ISP tower? I want to turn my antenna
> vertical and move it around my roof -- I think I can get better signal
> strength by playing around with it.
>
> Thanks.

Re: Off-topic: Measuring ISP's signal strength
 

You can always rotate the Yagi to the vertical mode and see what happens. I
would think you could also look at the transmitter site and note the
orientation of their antenna. If its a vertical, which I would guess it
would be since the interest is serving more than one customer (omni
directional) Also try to set the antenna pointing directly in the direction
of the tower, making small movements and recording the signal strength.


"Jack [MVP-Networking]" <jack@discussiongroup.com> wrote in message
news:OtcJTt9bKHA.1648@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
> Hi
> His tool is probably a propriety hardware/software specifically to the ISP
> equipment.
> You can try to search for terms like Signal Meter + the name and model of
> your modem.
> Example,
> http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q...&aq=f&oq=&aqi=
> I am not very hopeful, but try, you never know. :)
> Jack (MS, MVP-Networking).
>
> "Captain America" <the_captain@america.com> wrote in message
> news:diq0h5h3hdom5i8qdgsdsraoq74e8okbf8@4ax.com...
>>I am in an isolated rural area. My ISP uses Motorola Canopy 900 Mhz
>> equipment. There's a tower ( actually, a wooden utility pole ) with
>> their antennas about 1.8 miles away from my house.
>>
>> I have a long Yagi antenna on the roof with the Ca nopy receiver-modem
>> on the antenna and Cat 5 cable running into the house.
>>
>> My connection drops from time to time and the ISP tells me it's a
>> signal strength issue. Their contractor has climbed all over my roof
>> and lawn. Where the antenna is now located the signal strength ranges
>> from -78 dBm to -81 dBm. There's one spot in the lawn where he gets
>> -68 dBm but we can't put a tower or antenna at that point.
>>
>> The Canopy receiver has a nominal signal floor of -90 dBm -- so -- I'm
>> getting close to the point at which the Canopy drops the signal.
>>
>> The Yagi antenna is installed horizontally -- that is, with the
>> elements parallel to the horizon. I can't find in the Canopy
>> specifications whether it operates with VERTICAL or HORIZONTAL antenna
>> polarization and the installer simply does not understand the
>> difference between a vertically-polarized and a horizontally-polarized
>> antenna.
>>
>> If the antenna on the ISP tower is vertically-polarized, and my Yagi
>> is horizontal, then, I'm losing 12 - 15 dB of signal strength -- which
>> is substantial.
>>
>> Two questions:
>>
>> 1. Does anyone know what antenna polarization the 900 Mhz Canopy
>> system uses -- vertical or horizontal?
>>
>> 2. When the contractor comes out here, he connects the receiver-modem
>> on my antenna to a device of some kind that is connected to his laptop
>> and he reads the signal strength and other signal parameters on the
>> laptop. Where can I get whatever it is he's using to measure the 900
>> Mhz signal strength from the ISP tower? I want to turn my antenna
>> vertical and move it around my roof -- I think I can get better signal
>> strength by playing around with it.
>>
>> Thanks.
>