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Ask HN: What can I do about slow mobile data speeds?

2 points by connorgurney ↗ HN
Long story short, I'm staying with family who don't have broadband for an extended period, and need to use my mobile hotspot to work from here.

That said, I seem to be beyond the boundaries of the cell that my iPhone 13 Pro connects to, and my data speeds are really slow as a result.

To give you an idea of the severity of the problem, my RSRP, RSRQ and SINR values as calculated three times, three days apart, were as follows:

  RSRP: -115 through -103 (avg. -110)
  RSRQ: -16 through -12 (avg -14)
  SINR: -31 through 47 (avg: 4)
I'd love to know if there's something I (or the network, who I'm in touch with) can do about this, as it makes Microsoft Teams meetings hard (harder than having to use Microsoft Teams normally!).

6 comments

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robg
Is there a local library you can work at? I know not the same, but most have broadband, it’s quiet, and you can keep work hours separate from family time. Some even have private rooms.
connordoner
That's been my go-to for a little while now, but it's a fair while away, which is a pain.
solardev
Switch carriers, get a signal booster (Weboost.com), or get Starlink.

Edit: Also, if a local ISP serves them, just get that for a month or two. Cable & fiber usually don't have cancellation restrictions. Much faster and more reliable than any sort of wireless.

connordoner
God damnit — I did get the impression it would be headed this way! Thanks.
solardev
I mean, bad reception isn't magic... you're just a little too far from a tower. The signal boosters are a cheap way to strengthen that a bit if you wanna try. Buy them from somewhere you can return them easily (Best Buy, etc.) in case it's not enough.

Otherwise, that's what Starlink RV is for! You can buy it, use it for a while, and then pause/resume the service whenever you want. Good investment if you want to do the nomad thing every once in a while.

toast0
If my reading of this page [1] is correct, your received signal levels are on the low end of usable, and your quality is varying quite a bit.

Are you using a dedicated hotspot device or your phone? Either way, try moving it to different locations in or around your building. Some hotspots can use external antennas which can help with reception. Using a separate hotspot and wifi access point may help a bit, in case the hotspot wifi transmitter induces noise in the OTA radio interface.

Figuring out which tower your hotspot attaches to can be useful, especially if quality varies if it switches to others.

[1] https://www.rangeful.com/what-is-rssi-sinr-rsrp-rsrq-how-doe...