Rogers now offers outdoor modem for portable internet

[t121t3]

Rogers portable internet is now available with an external modem. With this modem you can not recieve the portable internet if you could not recieve it before but you were not to far out of the service area.


http://hispeed.rogers.com/expand/por...t_outdoor.html

They have a new availability tool on another site that shows it this modem may work for you. If the availablity tool on the normal rogers portable internet site shows "no coverage" try this one for the outdoor modem and expanded coverage.

http://hispeed.rogers.com/expand/

I now show up as able to get coverage but so far they say they aren't shipping these yet even though they have the price listed and instructions to mount them--spent an hour on the phone playing phone tag.

[hugh]

$250 for a modem !

That seems like a heck of a lot money. How is this any different than the indoor modem? (other than having some sort of weather protection)

[t121t3]

I hope it gets much better reception like they say but I guess I won't know until I convince them to sell me one. I remember reading about it last year when Nextnet had it and I saw rogers was offering it to commercial customers only at that time. On the Motorola site is says extended range with the outdoor unit up to 32 km but I am not sure how.

http://www.nextnetwireless.com/products_CPE.asp

Actually I see on the Motorala site now they have it in PC card form aswell. Maybe Rogers or Bell with offer this version soon also.


owe how I long to get off dial-up.....without spending too much cash

[duquesne]

Bell's offering the outdoor modem now, calling the service Bell WiMAX at home. You can't buy the modem. Instead you have to sign a 3-year contract and spend $15/month for the modem (15x36= $540) plus $50/month for the service. Also 10Gb/month download limit, $1.50/Gb for over 10Gb to max of $30. Ripoff

[Ham.Clan]

It's these completely unrealistic contractual obligations that make me absolutely loathe Bell.

[hugh]

Please discuss the Bell Equivalent here. This is the Rogers discussion!

[yu130960]

May 9, 2007 - Ordered Modem from Phone Operator at Rogers
May 11, 2007 - Modem Delivered by UPS
May 12, 2007 - Modem installed 20 feet in the air on an aerial tower facing SSW with direct connection to computer

The modem has signal strength in the link monitor software of between 76 and 96 but it never gets a VLAN ID.

It has been almost a week and Rogers does not have a effin clue what is going on and all I get is promises of returned calls that never happen.

I am located in Markham, Ontario and I am just outside of the DSL range. There are apparently 7 towers along 404 Highway and it is within range.

10+ phone calls (and you all know what it is like to get through to those Tech SUpport) and there is no answers whatsoever. Finally, in frustration they say that it is "too far from the tower" notwitstanding that they said it is well within range and I am getting strong signal.

Any ideas?

I am think of trying Rogers Portable as it may just be that their outdoor modems are still in BETA.

Needless to say if Bell had some sort of resonable plan I would try them.

[hugh]

Bell is using the same infrastructure and presumably the same outdoor modems (or similar) so I'm not sure what difference going to Bell would make.

I don't understand why you have made 10+ calls in four days. Why the need to continually call? I understand its not working for you but what is changing that you must continually call?

[yu130960]

The Reason for the 10+ calls is that the Level 1 techs would not bump the claim and continuously ask me stupid questions like what are the lights on the modem doing when there are no lights on the modem and the Level 2 techs have never even seen an outdoor modem.

It is a provsionioning issue and I don't think it is a Hardware issue as much as a server issue, hence why going with Bell may be different as I am sure that they provision the modems different with their own servers.

Also, it has been 6 days, but who's counting.

[davidsmi]

My Modem didn't include the link monitor software -and I'd rather not spend 5 hours calling rogers trying to get it from them.

Does anybody have a copy I can download?

Tx

David in Ottawa

[mcengbeam]

I would like some help in seeing if I can access rogers wireless ineternet using an their outdoor modem. I am located just outside (SW) of Glencoe, Ont. near London. This area has recently been added to their coverage but is spotty in some rural sections. I went up on my roof near the peak at about 21feet off ground and managed 2 lights although at times appeared to drop to one. I figured I could attempt to improve on this. I attached the modem to a 15'-0" long aluminum tube and raised it in the air thinking the extra 10-15' might get me another light or two to boost my confidence of a reliable signal. I still could only manage the 2 lights.

I am considering trying the parabolic antenna array. Does anyone know what I should be looking at and where I can get it. I travel regularly to Toronto if that is the best place to get it.

I believe the new tower is just north of Glencoe. Does anyone know where it is? Also am I on the right track of increasing my signal gain or am I dreaming.

How high do I need to go to improve signal gain?

Any info would be greatly appreciated.

[jayoldschool]

Try rotating around 360 degrees to see if you can pick up a different tower. The closest tower to me is 3km, but it points the wrong direction. I connect to one 10km away, and I get 5 lights. As you probably saw from my earlier posts, I was going to use the array I have to try and improve latency, but have decided not to. Since I have 5 lights, it isn't going to improve things.

[stevey_frac]

You guys may remember me from earlier in the thread. I put up my own dish on a pole bolted to my shed. It worked well all sumer, but as temperatures turned colder, my connection has once again began to decrease in stability. Unfortunatly, there are no real alternatives for the time being, the ovation modem is simply to expensive bandwidth wise.

[GTC]

I got my outdoor modem today and tried to find a signal. I could, without much problem, get 3 flashing lights pointing at a Rogers tower directly west of me. At no time did they turn solid, even after plugging it into the computer. I have not yet activated my account, so I don't know if that step is necessary to actually receive the Rogers sign up page. I called tech support (I may have woken him up) and he told me the only tower in my area was due east of me (on the other side of a mountain) and that unless my 3 lights were solid, I had nothing. So my question is (finally) which towers are in my area that will work. I live on Salt Spring Island, in BC, between Victoria and Vancouver. I live about 500 meters ASL and am line of site to much of Vancouver and Victoria. The tech support guy said the only tower was in North Cowichan, BC, but I found it hard to believe that is the only tower for all Victoria and Vancouver!

[Pinza]

From my memory, the lights flash, all together, until you activate the unit.

Have a read through the Manual, I am pretty sure it tells you in there.

I hit signal in at least 5 different directions and get good connections even with 2 lights. I recently dropped my Modem to about 8 feet above ground and in this location get 5 lights most of the time.