In order to choose the best kit for reliable Internet operation, you need to know the answers to several questions.
- Where and at what distance is the nearest base station which has internet?
- Is there a line of sight to the base station from the site of the proposed antenna installation?
- How long is the RF drop cable required to connect the antenna?
There are two options to answer the first question.
First option:
The easiest way is to use coverage maps that are published by cellular operators on their sites.
Below is a list of links to coverage maps of major operators cellular.
Let's set ourselves the task of determining the possibility of receiving 3G Internet in the village of Nagishi, Ryazan Region. According to the coverage map of the MTS operator, we determine that the nearest base station is located in Gorlovo, Ryazan region.
We find a more or less exact location of the base station. As a rule, the directional pattern of the base station antennas is similar to a trefoil because three sector antennas with a directional pattern of 120 ° are used at the base, the base will be in the center of this figure.
Next, using the Yandex map, we find the distance between the client and the base station. This is necessary so as not to do unnecessary work, because if the distance turns out to be more than 30 km, then most likely it will be impossible to establish a 3G connection
Using the "Get information" tool, we determine the coordinates of the 3G base station and the location of the proposed installation of the antenna.
We got the following coordinates:
Base 53 ° 49′37.35 ″ N 39 ° 2′30.3 ″ E
Customer 53 ° 50'20.41 ″ N 38 ° 55′7.82 ″ E
The first service is very simple and straightforward, you just need to enter the coordinates of the base and the client indicate the height from the ground for the base, it is usually from 50 to 120m, for the client 10-15m.
There is one limitation this service he will not be able to build a route if the coordinates of the place are more than 60 ° N or 60 ° S, so it will no longer be possible to calculate the route in the area of Arkhangelsk.
Here's what happened in our case.
It can be seen from the graph of the route that nothing interferes with getting a reliable reception at the antenna installation site, even if the base height is less (50m), direct visibility between the antennas will still be ensured.
When entering the resource, go to the tab immediately Tower
We delete the lists of base stations by clicking on the "cross" to the right of the table and fill in the data of our database to save, click Refresh
Go to the tab Map
reduce the size of the map and move the "cross" to the location of the receiving antenna, guided by the names on the map and the coordinates at the bottom of the map.
By clicking on the tab Profiles you can see the profile of the track. As you can see in the picture on the right, the route is open and will be able to provide reliable 3G reception.
scroll down to the "System Performance" heading
We will proceed from the fact that in order to obtain a signal level on the receiving side of at least -85dbm, and a margin for gain "for bad weather" at least 10db.
We fill in the free fields based on the fact that the receiving antenna has a gain of 14 dB, transmitting 12 dB, the transmitter power of the base is 3 W, the loss in the cable for lowering the base is 2 dB, in the cable for lowering the receiving antenna is 5 dB. Click calculate and get the result above. Based on the calculated data, it turns out that the gain margin is 24 dB, that is, it will work in any weather. The signal level on the receiving side will be about -64 dB, which will allow you to have a confident stable reception of the Internet at the highest possible speed.
Second option:
In order to find out the location of the base station, you need to take a phone with 3G support (now this is no longer a rarity), and, guided by the signal strength indicator on the phone, move in the direction of signal amplification until a structure similar to the ones shown below appears in the field of view:
Having marked the location of the station using the maps http://maps.yandex.ru we determine the distance to the installation site and coordinates.
The antenna should be installed in an open space, as high as possible from the ground surface and oriented towards the signal source. It is better to fix the antenna on a separate, grounded mast or on the wall of the house facing the base station. The antenna in the direction to the base station should not be obstructed by vegetation and tall objects even at a considerable distance and within a radius of about 8 meters from the axis of the route - this will greatly weaken the ability to receive 3G Internet. Remember that the antenna requires a direct line of sight to the base station! Also, you cannot install the antenna under the roof of the house, even from non-metallic parts (slate, rubber, roofing material, etc.). Also, do not install the antenna near the chimney; excessive uneven heating will damage the antenna.
Today the cell phone has become an important part of our life. With the help of it, we correspond, call up and use the mobile Internet. But even now, when cellular operators are doing everything to improve communication, there are failures, and sometimes communication is lost or completely absent. Not everyone knows how cellular communication works and what determines its quality. To cover the territory and High Quality cellular communications, operator companies are increasingly building (installing) base stations. The base station map will help you stay connected. Each operator has a wide network of 3G (third generation) and 4G LTE (fourth generation) base stations. If you have not yet decided on the choice of an operator or want to switch to another, you may be interested in a map of the base stations of cellular communication of the operator you need, which will show in detail the coverage area. The range of one station depends on the location and frequency range. 3G stations in megalopolises reach - 500m, in open areas - up to 35km. 4G LTE stations - the radius can be different, optimally it is about 5 km, but if necessary, it can be up to 30 km or even 100 km (with sufficient antenna lift).
Mobile operators have learned to combine low and high frequencies. For areas where a small number of subscribers live, while they occupy a large area, networks operating in low bands are ideal. And in large and densely populated cities, networks are being built in high ranges. The future is behind dual-band LTE networks mobile communications.
You can view the map and find out the coordinates of the base stations of cellular operators, as well as understand the coverage areas of cellular operators, depending on the region, on various sites. Examples of such sites include the following resources:
- http://bsmaps.ru/maps.php - coverage areas of Megafon, MTS, Tele2 in the central federal district;
- http://tolyatti.beeline.ru/customers/beeline-on-map/ - Beeline coverage areas
- http://www.mts.ru/mobil_inet_and_tv/help/mts/coverage/ - MTS coverage area
The quality of cellular communication among the operators is different. On the website of the State Service, a popular project has been launched - "Quality of Communication" (creating a quality map of cellular communication using the mobile application "Communication Quality"). https://www.gosuslugi.ru/555666/1/
On the "Angry Citizen" project, you can complain about the poor quality of the connection.
If the coverage is unsatisfactory, and there are uncovered areas ("white spots"), then the connection is unstable and may be interrupted. Our resource was created to solve these problems.
Here you can see the layout of the base stations on the interactive
Detection of communication towers is not a criminal activity, but a fairly common task in remote regions and villages where the quality of coverage is poor. How to understand why it takes better from this post than from that gate? The following tools and sites can help you navigate.
Of English-speaking services perhaps best is opensignal.com, where you can choose the operator and the desired location. The map does not display towers, but shows coverage areas. Of the Russians, I can recommend netmonitor.ru - its database contains a lot of information about operator towers.
Some applications for Android are also interesting. For example, OpenSignal displays a map of cell towers and Wi-Fi points (places with poor connections are also marked on the map), has a built-in compass and a speed checker.
Another interesting utility is Netmonitor. It can monitor GSM and CDMA networks, shows information about the signal level, contains a database of cell towers, supports devices with multiple SIM cards, and can also keep a log in CLF or KLM format.
Please note that Netmonitor has limitations when working on devices from some manufacturers. On the Motorola smartphones, LG, Samsung, Acer and Huawei, the list of neighbors may be empty, and the signal strength may not be displayed on Samsung devices.
I would also recommend the GSM Signal Monitoring application, which allows you to work with GSM, UMTS and LTE networks. It displays the change in the signal strength on the graph and shows the neighboring cells (only in GSM networks). There is a data rate monitor and the ability to track connection status, connection standard, cell and current zone identifiers (LAC / RNC / TAC) and received signal strength (RSSI, as well as RSRP for LTE).
Knowing the data of the base station, you can punch it through the xinit.ru website and get information about its location. In large cities, it does not hurt to try to find folk maps with the location of the towers, but it should be understood that the towers belong to different operators. Plus, base stations are installed not only on poles, but also on rooftops.
Detection of communication towers is not a criminal activity, but a fairly common task in remote regions and villages where the quality of coverage is poor. How to understand why it takes better from this post than from that gate? The following tools and sites can help you navigate.
Of the English-language services, perhaps the best is opensignal.com, where you can choose the operator and the required location. The map does not display towers, but shows coverage areas. Of the Russians, I can recommend netmonitor.ru - its database contains a lot of information about operator towers.
Some applications for Android are also interesting. For example, OpenSignal displays a map of cell towers and Wi-Fi points(places with poor connection are also marked on the map), has a built-in compass and a speed checker.
Another interesting utility is Netmonitor. It can monitor GSM and CDMA networks, shows information about the signal level, contains a database of cell towers, supports devices with multiple SIM cards, and can also keep a log in CLF or KLM format.
Please note that Netmonitor has limitations when working on devices from some manufacturers. On smartphones Motorola, LG, Samsung, Acer and Huawei, the list of neighbors may be empty, and on Samsung devices, moreover, the signal strength may not be displayed.
I would also recommend the GSM Signal Monitoring application, which allows you to work with GSM, UMTS and LTE networks. It displays the change in the signal strength on the graph and shows the neighboring cells (only in GSM networks). There is a data rate monitor and the ability to track connection status, connection standard, cell and current zone identifiers (LAC / RNC / TAC) and received signal strength (RSSI, as well as RSRP for LTE).
Knowing the data of the base station, you can punch it through the xinit.ru website and get information about its location. In large cities, it does not hurt to try to find folk maps with the location of the towers, but it should be understood that the towers belong to different operators. Plus, base stations are installed not only on poles, but also on rooftops.
In general, experiment, use specialized software, and you will know where the signal level is higher not by sensations, but by charts and maps.
Published 22.04.2015 by Johhny
Cellidfinder is a simple and convenient service for finding the location of GSM base stations and plotting them on a map. The article provides detailed instructions to find the location of GSM base stations using this service.
What data is needed to localize BS?
In order to find the coordinates of a base station sector, you need to know 4 parameters:
- MCC (Mobile Country Code) is a code that identifies the country in which the mobile operator is located. For example, for Russia it is 250, the USA - 310, Hungary - 216, China - 460, Ukraine - 255, Belarus - 257.
- MNC (Mobile Network Code) is a code assigned to a mobile operator. Unique for each operator in a specific country. A detailed table of MCC and MNC codes for operators worldwide is available.
- LAC (Location Area Code) - local area code. In a nutshell, LAC is the union of a number of base stations that are served by one base station controller (BSC). This parameter can be presented in both decimal and hexadecimal form.
- CellID (CID) - "cell identifier". The same sector of the base station. This parameter can also be presented in decimal and hexadecimal form.
Where can I get this data?
Data is taken from a non-monitor. Netmonitor is a dedicated application for mobile phones or other devices that allow you to find out the engineering parameters mobile network... There are a huge number of non-monitors on the network for various devices... Finding the right one is not a problem. In addition, many modern GPS trackers in conditions of poor satellite reception can send the owner not the coordinates, but the parameters of the base station (MCC, MNC, LAC, Cellid) to which they cling. Cellidfinder will help you quickly translate these parameters into an approximate BS location.
Where do the coordinates of the base station come from?
The search for the coordinates of base stations is carried out in the Google and Yandex databases, which provided such an opportunity. It should be noted that as a result of the search, we get not the exact location of the tower, but the approximate one. This is the location in which the largest number of subscribers were registered, who transmitted information about their location to the servers of Google and Yandex. The most accurate location by LAC and CID is determined using the averaging function, which calculates the coordinates of all sectors (CellID) of one base station, and then calculates the average value.
How to work with CellIDfinder?
In order to start working with the CellIdfinder base station location search service, you need to install any non-monitor on your smartphone. Here's one good option. We turn on the downloaded application and look at the necessary parameters.
In this case, in the non-monitor window, we saw:
MCC = 257 (Belarus)
MNC = 02 (MTS)
LAC = 16
CID = 2224
We enter these parameters into the search form on. Because LAC and CID can be displayed by the nonmonitor in both decimal and hexadecimal forms, then the search form has autocompletion for LAC and CID in the second form. We select "Google data", "Yandex data" and, if high accuracy is required, "Averaging". Press the button "Find BS".
As a result, we got the coordinates for this sector of the base station. Moreover, the coordinates for the Google and Yandex databases almost coincided, which means that it can be assumed that the BSs are built on the map quite accurately.
One of the first questions that arises when you are connecting to the mobile Internet is the question of the location of the base station of the operator of your choice in order to point your antenna in its direction. It is advisable to find out the exact coordinates of the tower and the relief to it in order to understand whether it makes sense to use the tower to receive a signal. Services and various android applications do not give the exact coordinates of the BS, tk. based on measurements and their mathematical processing... In this case, the error can reach several kilometers.
Often, the coordinates of the tower can be established by studying operator coverage maps, terrain, Google and Yandex maps, as well as the opportunities they provide to view photographs and panoramas of the studied area. I must say that BS on the map can not always be found. There may be many reasons for this - the maps are outdated, the BS is located on the roof of the building and is simply not visible on the map, the tower is small, etc.
BS parameters are unknown. Kostroma region
Given: coordinates 57.564243, 41.08345, the village of Kuzminka in the Kostroma region. The task is to determine the exact coordinates of the BS, to which you can connect to receive 3 G-signal.
We will consider the search for BS in steps.
Step 1. Analysis of coverage maps.
We will use a well-known servicehttps://yota-faq.ru/yota-zone-map/ , where the coverage areas of four operators, except for Beeline, are presented. I note here that the Beeline coverage presented on their off-site is almost impossible to use - as a rule, a continuous coverage is shown there that does not take into account the terrain.
The most interesting from the point of view of connection are the coverage areas of Megafon and MTS. You can see for yourself by opening the service, pasting coordinates into the search bar and switching operators.
Megaphone coverage area:
MTS coverage area:
From the analysis of the Megafon coverage area, we see that the 3G BSs are most likely located in the directions of Krasnoe, Sukhonogovo, Lapino (on this scale, Lapino's map is not visible, it is southwest, approximately where the P-600 mark is).
The coverage area of MTS is more interesting. Here we also consider the direction to Sukhonogovo and Krasnoe. But Red is a more interesting option, because there is 4G coverage. The distance to Red is about 10 km, if MTS distributes 4G at a frequency of 1800 MHz, that is, there is every chance to establish communication with one of the MTS BSs located in this settlement.
Step 2. Study of the terrain.
The relief up to Red is not easy, but quite penetrable. To assess the relief, we will use the service https://airlink.ubnt.com. If this is your first time on this site, then first you will need to go through a free registration procedure. Having opened the service, scroll the slider down to the end and enter the initial data in the lower right corner, as shown in the following figure.
I usually first enter the same coordinates in both windows, and then I begin to move the purple label to the points of interest to me, where the BS can presumably be located. In this case, the relief, line of sight and the approximate size of the Fresnel zone are displayed in the upper right corner of the screen.
For our coordinates, we have:
Checking the relief in other "suspicious" directions showed that the relief there is much worse. Thus, we decided on the direction and at the same time chose the operator - MTS.
Step 3. Clarification of our choice using the "Quality of Communication" service
The service opens at the following address https://geo.minsvyaz.ru. In the search box, we set the name of the village Kuzminka, switch the view from 4 windows to one-window mode, scale the map to a convenient size and get for the MTS operator:
We see that our choice is correct, because according to the measurement database of users of this service in Krasnoye there really is good coverage 4G from MTS.
Let's zoom in on this map and see that the most likely location of the tower (or towers) is Sovetskaya and Okruzhnaya streets.
Step 4. Explore the area using Google and Yandex maps.
These cards have useful tool to study the area - panoramas and photographs of the area. Google maps have much more panoramas of various areas than Yandex, so you often have to use Google when looking at panoramas. On the other hand, Yandex has more photos taken in different places, and besides, Yandex maps are usually more relevant for Russia. In this regard, you have to use both services. Google maps and services are used here.
So, we found out that we need to consider two streets in Krasnoye in search of BS. We launch Google maps, enter the approximate coordinates of st. Sovetskaya (or street name) and we get:
Here the street view mode is turned on, the street we need is highlighted in blue on the map. You can get a panorama of the street by clicking the mouse anywhere on the blue line. Moving in this way along the street to the north, near the post office we find the first BS:
And finally, not far from the intersection of Sovetskaya and Okruzhnaya streets, a third tower is discovered, the highest one found:
We return to the map and find the shadow of this tower in the place where the photo points:
We mark this place on the map with the mouse and get the exact coordinates of the BS:
Let's summarize some of the results of our research. With the help of information obtained from the analysis of coverage areas, custom measurements of signal strength in the area of interest to us and study of the area from photographs and panoramas, we were able to find three base stations and their exact coordinates in a city that we have never been to. The question of which operator the found BS belongs to remains open, since the answer to it requires additional research. The easiest way is to drive along the route and measure the BS parameters using some android application that gives MNC, MCC and signal strength. Some of these applications are presented.
The BS parameters are known. Suburb of Penza
As you know, a number of android applications, as well as the HiLink modem interface and the MDMA program can give BS parameters, with the help of which known services and applications can give approximate BS coordinates, which makes it easier to find specific BS coordinates on maps. Reviews of some of these tools are given in the "" section of the Antex website.
Let's look at a specific example from the forum, an example is based on a topic. User Coordinates 53.1592536, 44.8728602, selected operators - Iota or Megafon. The following signal parameters were received from the modem interface (screenshots posted by the user):
Enter the received BS parameters (LAC, CellID) into the corresponding fields of the known service:
And we get the approximate coordinates of the BS and its position on the terrain map:
Go to Google maps and use the panorama service to move along the P-208 road, for example, to the west.
After some distance, we notice a cell tower on the left in the direction of our movement:
We find this place on the map on an enlarged scale and mark the coordinates of the tower:
Real photo of the tower taken from a different angle:
Distance to the tower is approximately 4800 meters:
As can be seen from our study, the error in determining the BS coordinates obtained using the xinit .ru / bs service is very significant - it is almost 2 km. Such errors are common for all services based on user measurement databases, but there are no other services available.
Probably everyone knows that an operator's base station is what a mobile phone “clings to” through the air so that its owner remains in touch. If the MTS base station is nearby, then on your smartphone is fast Mobile Internet, and the interlocutor in the receiver can be heard as if he is in the same room with you. This is a generally correct idea of a base station, but still too simple for a device with such versatile capabilities. See for yourself.
The Internet is our everything
For many of us, the Internet is a means of always staying connected, an opportunity to be in the center of events. A lot of convenient services depend on it, without which we cannot imagine ourselves today - from instant messengers and social networks to ordering a taxi and online stores. The fact that in our life with you the Internet is everywhere - the merit of MTS base stations, which are always ready to help you be online, instantly connect you with another area of the city or a friend from distant Australia, transmit good news and share photos, show movies or play music from the network.
Invisible
Let's say you are sitting at home or at work. You don't see any base station. But your phone works: calls pass, notifications from VKontakte and WhatsApp arrive, funny videos from YouTube are played. This is because the MTS base station does not have to literally "see" your phone: it knows how to connect to it using a radio signal reflected from walls and other obstacles, and many not too thick walls for a base station are completely translucent, that is, they do not interfere with communication ...
Neighborly
And also, if a base station near your home or office suddenly fails, then your phone will most likely still remain on the network. This is because usually not one base station is "looking after" your mobile phone, but two or even three, and each of them is ready to pick up the fallen banner at any time. Of course, occasionally it may turn out that there are no other base stations nearby, but MTS always tries to make sure that your base station always has responsive neighbors.
Pass it on to another
By the way, when you are moving, the base stations skillfully pass your phone to each other like a baton. You do not need to worry about this at all: MTS base stations are able to agree on such things among themselves. There are no border quarrels because of the desire to send you an SMS, and a mobile conversation started in the zone of one base station can continue without interruption in the zone of another station, and end near the third or fourth.
Where are you?
When you connect to the base station, it immediately knows that you are somewhere nearby. If your phone is "seen" by three or more base stations, then together they can determine your location very accurately. Geolocation services are built on this, which, for example, help parents to always find out where their children are, and transport companies to control their cars.
Above all
MTS base stations are able to prioritize. It cannot be that someone near you, who needs to download a large movie from the Internet, will take over all the resources of the nearest base station, and you will not even be able to send a comment on Facebook. Moreover, the base station is able to give part of its resources allocated for the Internet for calls. This, for example, is sometimes useful at train stations, where there are a lot of people, while they constantly need to call each other in order to find each other, inform about their arrival, call a taxi. If the base station sees that somewhere, on the contrary, the Internet is needed, it will take this into account.
Where there are people, there is communication
Mobile communications are available where base stations are located. But where are they placed? It depends on the people, including you. If somewhere in the city too many subscribers begin to constantly claim to be connected to a single base station due to the fact that a new shopping center has opened in this place, MTS will very soon launch another base station nearby - a new one. It is not people who are chasing the MTS mobile network, but it is developing based on their needs, which, as you know, are increasingly flowing into the mobile Internet. It's such an almost magical vicious circle: in recent years, the development of the mobile network allows us to get more and more from the Internet, and our growing needs for it determine how the mobile network develops.
Start your
You can live or work in a special place, you may have a poorly planned room - in general, where the MTS base station is very difficult to connect to your phone. However, if you have in the same room wired Internet, you can easily get yourself your own MTS base station, for example, this one. Use it alone if you want.
It's safe
So, base stations appear where people need, and someone can buy an MTS base station personally for themselves. However, some still believe that the radiation from the base station is fraught with a threat. Such people with anxiety can point a finger at a tower that has appeared nearby and gossip with friends about sudden headaches. In fact, the "rays" of the base station are harmless, and any person receives more radiation from their own mobile phone. By the way, the farther from you the base station, the more your smartphone “tries” to be in touch, more and more abundantly pouring radiation on its owner. However, even with such zeal, you have absolutely nothing to worry about, since it is not the extremely weak radiation of the mobile that is dangerous, but talking on it while driving or during a road crossing.
It's fun
MTS strives to introduce new stations in the regions of the country as actively as possible - we know that literally every year high-quality communications and fast mobile Internet mean more and more to people. If an MTS base station appears somewhere near you, this is definitely a good omen!