Careful Modem Placement Equals Great Service

USI Wireless

When did you sign up for USI Wireless?: 

Which neighborhood in Minneapolis do you live?: 

My Review 

Great service. Initially I was reluctant to subscribe based on so-so reviews, but I am glad I did.

My subscription story is as follows:

1) July 2010 - Nov 2011. 1Mb/s Roaming service

2) then decided to upgrade my speed, so

Nov 2011 - till now. 3Mb/s Home service.

I am very happy with my subscription and consistently achieving these speed limits. I am confident that if I subscribed for 6Mb/s, I would get those speeds easily.

Here are the details:

1) I :

- am close to their access point (150 feet. Direct line of sight)

- positioned my modem very carefully: it is attached to the outer part of my window in the place of the best reception.

2) Stats from my modem: -26dbm signal level and -86dbm noise level, so I get the signal to noise ratio (SNR) of 60dbm.

That SNR is more than enough to achieve much more than 6Mbps.

Several observations:

* Their home service (requires you to buy the modem) is significantly more powerful as compared to roaming service. (I didn't have a modem when I was on roaming service, so I could compare the two)

* Do NOT place the modem behind double-pane windows!

My signal level decreases to mere -56dbm (from -26dbm) if I simple move my modem behind my window and close the window. The modem MUST be attached outside for the best speed (they have a nice simple suction mount). 30dbm difference means 1000 times weaker signal!

* Position of the modem makes a LOT of difference.

I was totally surprised! My entire window is in the direct line of sight of their access point, yet different parts of my window receive much stronger signal than the rest of the window. Honestly I don't know why.

I guess this is it for now. Good luck with

Whay kind of home do you live in? 

Would you recommend this to a friend?