Tip for farmers struggling to get broadband in remote areas

A Farmers Weekly reader from Norfolk has found a low-cost way to improve his broadband connection using a mobile broadband dongle.

Anthony Bryan from Eccles on Sea in Norfolk has contacted FW to share his discovery with farmers seeking low-cost basic broadband internet access at remote farmhouses.

“Mobile phone and mobile broadband radio coverage is weak and patchy in the area I live at ground level,” he says.

“But I have experimented to improve mobile broadband access and reliability and obtained good results (up to 3.6 megabits/second using 3 dongle) by increasing the height of the aerial device.

“By mounting a USB mobile broadband ‘Dongle’ on a long plastic tube using rubber bands and string, and connecting via a Maplin active USB extension lead to a computer I obtain internet access that is good and reliable enough for personal business purposes.”

Mr Bryan, who is a retired telecommunications professional, said his dongle was mounted at 6 metres and the key to success was achieving line of sight reception from the nearest local mobile phone aerial site.