Clear 4G is totally worthless

[Throckmorton]

I just got an iSpot to use with my disconnected iPhone. It's an access point that uses MAC address restriction to only work with Apple mobile devices - iPhone, Touch, iPad.
http://www.clear.com/spot/ispot

I figured $30 (hot deal last week) for the access point and $25 per month was a good deal to get internet on my iPhone.

Unfortunately it didn't recognize my iPhone because its MAC address isn't in its list. Thankfully they released a firmware update to fix that issue. Oh WAIT, it still blocks my iPhone even with the update! Looks like Clear went off halfcocked thinking they could successfully limit service to Apple mobile devices, without actually knowing all the MAC addresses our devices have.

http://forums.clear.com/clearcom/to...tm_medium=email&utm_source=reply_notification

But here's the real reason why Clear 4G is totally worthless. My office and house are both a few blocks away from the Clear tower and well within their coverage area, but I can't get a 4G signal indoors. ATT and Verizon 3G both work perfectly.

What the hell is the use of a mobile broadband technology that can't even penetrate the walls of a house? Is 4G only for people who need broadband outside?

 

[tatteredpotato]

It's known that Clears 4G doesn't have great penetration due to it's frequency, but no coverage inside a few blocks away does seem extreme.

 

[Headcase_Fargone]

I've seen the same thing here in Houston on my Evo. The thing might as well not even have a 4G radio since I don't even bother turning it on anymore. Supposedly "great" signal areas on their map are completely dead. I can never get a signal inside a building unless I'm downtown and even then it's spotty. Agreeing with the completely worthless conclusion.

 

[ViRGE]

It's known that Clears 4G doesn't have great penetration due to it's frequency, but no coverage inside a few blocks away does seem extreme.

The biggest factor is usually your windows. UV treated windows do terrible things for wireless reception because they block so much of the spectrum.

 

[Throckmorton]

The biggest factor is usually your windows. UV treated windows do terrible things for wireless reception because they block so much of the spectrum.

I thought it must have been the metallic tint on the windows. But 3G works fine. And what about the walls that aren't coated in metal? Are the frequencies that different that the walls block Wimax but not EVDO or ATT 3G??

 

[Throckmorton]

DOH! Turns out I messed up the firmware update. My iPhone is supported now.

I wish I had signal though. I have to go outside to use it. I guess the walls block everything, and so do the metallic tint windows. If I stand by a glass door, opening and closing it makes the signal LED instantly switch between green and red.

 

[ViRGE]

I thought it must have been the metallic tint on the windows. But 3G works fine. And what about the walls that aren't coated in metal? Are the frequencies that different that the walls block Wimax but not EVDO or ATT 3G??

Depending on the coating used, it can block different frequencies. Higher frequencies (Clear) seem to do worse than lower frequencies. And walls are thick enough to be murder for higher frequencies - windows are the thinnest and easiest source to get past.

 

[Throckmorton]

I've managed to get it to work by first getting a lock on the signal outside, then hurrying in and putting it at the very top of a shelf, angled exactly right. It will last a while usually, but eventually disconnect again. The best speed I've got indoors is 400kbps, but last time I checked it was only 200kbps.

I wonder if it's possible to modify this thing with an external antenna. Googling turns up nothing but the Clear Spot and iSpot are pretty new.