Wilson Sleek-4GV + Droid Razr: upload 3X faster, download 30% slower...please help!!!

[simplechain]

Hello,

-I have recently purchased the Wilson Sleek 4G-V antenna booster system with the home office adapter kit for my droid razr.

-I live in a rural area with maximum DSL download speed of 1 MB per second, and use my razr's mobile hotspot to broadcast to a "WiFi
as WAN" router which allows my desktop and laptop computers reasonable speeds.

-I live about 2.5 miles away from the nearest tower, and without the booster system, my phone achieves -95 dbm, with download speeds ranging between 8 and 12 MB per second, and upload speeds between 3 and 6 MB per second.

-With the Wilson system, I get down to -72 dbm, and my upload speeds range between 15 and 17 MB per second. However, paradoxically,my download speed slows to between 5and 10 MB per second.

-I contacted Wilson customer support, and they were great, and I've even tried one of their Yagi antennas specific for 4G LTE data (13 dbm boost), which got my phone down to -62 dbm. Once again, my upload speeds were very fast but my download speeds were actually slower.

-I have manipulated multiple variables, including refreshing what tower my phone connects to, and multiple reboots. In addition, I have the 3G/4G optimizer app, and manipulating the phones antenna power settings and whether download or upload speed is optimized did not seem to help. The
Bionic TCP buffer app and other 4G booster apps did not seem to affect this issue at all.

-When I am in town, and my phone picks up -72 dbm or so (-69 dbm is the fastest I've ever connected naturally), my download speeds are in the mid-20s, sometimes peaking at 30. My upload speeds are in the high teens and occasionally reaching 20.

-Neither Verizon nor Wilson customer support has any idea why this is occurring. Verizon has sent me a new Sim card which I have not yet installed.

-My razr was bought approximately one year ago and came with gingerbread, which I rooted, then I unrooted and rerooted for ice cream sandwich, and most recently installed the jellybean update, and finally rooted this. I haven't had any serious problems with my phone along the way.

-I'm very encouraged by the potential of the Wilson system I have, and debating whether to return it just in case it might really work well with my next device. I am curious if anyone has any additional ideas why this might be occurring or what can be done about it, or if anyone has had a similar experience.

-Thanks for your attention and input

simplechain

 

[wcjeep]

This sounds like a reflection issue. What is the distance between the external antenna and internal antenna (base)? Is the external antenna outside of the house? Wilson Electronics devices are designed to reduce power when not needed. The power reduction is to reduce/eliminate interference with the cell site. If your base unit senses the additional power is not needed or causing interference it will cut back. Place the Yagi as far as possible from the base. Also, consider a Wilson extension cord. I think the antenna extension is a .5db drop. In your case length sounds more important. What were you using for the a metal base with original antenna? Your original numbers without booster sound acceptable.

 

[simplechain]

Thanks for your reply wcjeep :biggrin:

I have tried putting base farther away from antenna, but this did not affect the issue. I now use stock antenna with home/office antenna mount. cradle and antenna are 3-4 feet apart. I briefly experimented with Yagi, but since it didn't improve things, I'm not using it any more so I don't have to thread wires through my attic from outside to inside. Having the stock antenna on the window inside is more convenient, and stock antenna cable is about 10 ft long. I have a 30 foot cable for Yagi (thicker, low loss), and adapters.

I'm wondering if this might be specific to droid razr, or mine which I've tweaked a bit as mentioned. I could do fresh install of OS with new sim card as last resort. Also looking to test another device with unit at my home.

I have decent #'s without antenna, but I'm looking to get Fios type speeds to desktops/laptops, and with the right setup here, I should be able to get my download speeds into the 20s.

The big mystery is why do the upload speeds rock but the download speeds suffer???

 

[wcjeep]

Standing wave ratio - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

If the two antennas are too close you'll encounter an SWR problem. I've also found with my various Sleeks not all metal is created equal. The middle of the hood of my truck and Jeep is better than other vehicle metal surfaces. Have you experimented with other metal surfaces? What about temporarily moving the Sleek to your car outside? This could help troubleshoot any problems associated with the house. I forgot to mention earlier not all cell towers are created equal. I have more experience with my 3g Sleek vs my 4gV sleek. It's rare two towers are the same.

 

[wcjeep]

Have you tried placing phone upside down? A few phones respond to this.

 

[simplechain]

Thanks for the helpful input. I've spoken to Wilson tech support once or twice, and they didn't mention this issue with the standing wave ratio. From the instructions, I gathered I should have the cradle and antenna at least 3 feet apart, and I currently have been just about 3 feet apart. I have experimented with stretching the antenna wire out the full 10 feet with a blocked direct line of sight between the two, and I have put the phone into the unit a couple different ways. Unfortunately, none of these things seem to help. Sometimes, I can get very good download speeds up to 14 MB per second, and then a few minutes later it drops to 8 or so. When it's struggling, it seems to hit a brick wall on speed tests, like it's wanting to go past eight but something is holding it back. And I am not using this unit in my car at all, it is just to increase my download/upload speeds for home use, because again my DSL is very poor at only 1 MB per second. I guess my options at this point include the following:

-call Wilson and try to have them exchange the unit for me, as I am beyond the return period For Amazon
-borrow a friends Verizon 4G LTE smartphone or jet pack to see if it has the same fast upload, slower download issue, and consider getting a new device for this purpose if my droid razor seems to be the culprit
-do a full wipe of my phone with a fresh Sim card just in case my tweaks along the way have somehow impaired my phone's ability in this regard
-try some additional phone tweaks (using a lower power setting for my phone's antenna, using speed optimizers, etc.)

That's all I can think of for the moment.

Please keep the feedback coming :biggrin: