Do I need an antenna?
Any antenna added to the router or an antenna mounted outside of the house should greatly improve your signal and download speeds.
Here are devices that other customers have used with success.
Note: I am not an Amazon associate and I do not make any money from these listings. Amazon just happens to be an easy place to find a grab pictures from.
Network Cell Info Lite - Free Tower Locator
This is a free app that will show you where cell towers are near you. The down side is it will only find cell towers for the cell service on your phone. If you are using ATT and have a Verizon phone, it will not find Verizon towers.
This is the best I have personally seen in use. It has to be aligned to the cell tower which makes installation a bit harder but it is worth the effort and expense.
If you do not take the time to find and point the unit directly at the proper cell tower, you will see no improvement in speed.
Cross-Polarized Antenna + 2 X 25 ft SMA/N Cables + Free Silicone Tape
This is another flat panel but not as expensive. It comes with the ts9 connector that fit the small external antenna connectors found on many of the new routers.
11dBi High Gain 3G 4G/LTE Waterproof Fixed-Mount Panel Dual Polarized MIMO Antenna with Dual 5 Meter Cable SMA Male Connector for Verizon AT&T T-Mobile Sprint Cellular 4G LTE Router, Eifagur
flat panel with tx9 connectors
The pictures below were provided by a customer after he purchased and installed this unit. thanks Robie!
This is an omni directional antenna. It is easier to install because it picks up signal in all directions and does not have to be pointed directly at a tower. Not being pointed directly at a tower, makes it not as effective.
Nelawya 4G LTE Antenna Outdoor High Gain 10-12dBi Long Range Antenna with SMA Male/Dual TS9 Connector for Netgear Nighthawk M1 MR1100 Verizon Mobile Hotpots Router MiFi Mobile Hotspot 4G LTE Router
This Extender got a good recommendation for extending service throuout the house and to the garage. He is using the Netgear Nighthawk M1 (MR1100)
Nighthawk WiFi Mesh Extender AC1900 Model # EX7000.
Ed says : I’ve been pretty happy with it as it extends the signal enough to cover the Blink Camera on my detached garage.
This is an add on antenna that goes directly on the modem/router.
Eightwood 5dBi 4G LTE SMA Antenna with TS9 Adapter Compatible with AT&T Netgear Mobile Hotspot 4G Router USB Modem MiFi Jetpack 7730L Nighthawk MR1100 700-2600Mhz
Bryan says this small set was all he needed for whole house coverage.
Michael uses this one stuck to a window. It doubled his speed.
Netgear 6000450 MIMO Antenna with 2 TS-9 Connectors
A lot of the newer modem/routers are using smaller connecters. To go from the larger SMA to the smaller TS9, you will need a jumper cable.
Boobrie SMA to TS9 Coaxial Cable RF Coax Adapter Cable SMA Male to TS9 Female Straight Connector Jumper Cable RG316 Extension Cable Low Loss Antenna Cable 5.9 Inch Pack of 2
