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Old 02-22-2016, 12:27 AM   #1
aa406079

 
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Mobile Phone Signal Boosters

I was curious if the Camaro 4g LTE Antenne could be hacked and turned into a Cellphone signal booster...


The 4G LTE Wifi is a joke.... why would you pay GM $60 a month for data when I am already paying for data on my phone? What is smarter is BOOSTING the signal getting to your mobile phone and using that as a hotspot...

What I am curious about is using the large sharkfin as a signal booster as a part of a system like this...



https://www.wilsonamplifiers.com/cel...-booster-guide



anyone have the technical know-how to tell me if its possible?

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Old 02-23-2016, 11:43 AM   #2
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This is very interesting and something I will be following to see if some one does it.
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Old 02-23-2016, 11:52 AM   #3
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Well, that's going to depend on how easily you can access the software that's controlling the radio components and if it'll interconnect with cell towers in such a mode (basically a repeater).

I'm not a cell cracker or EE/RF Engr myself, so I don't know the ramifications of doing such things or if you would just splice off the antenna wiring (thought that was interlinked with the OnStar uplink though).
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Old 02-23-2016, 12:28 PM   #4
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Really that makes way more sense than paying separately for your car to have an internet connection. It would have been cool if they made it capable of both functions. Either a hotspot or a signal repeater. I know a mobile repeater would be stupid advantageous here in North Dakota. There's a ton of cellular dead spots.
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Old 02-23-2016, 01:15 PM   #5
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Well, that's going to depend on how easily you can access the software that's controlling the radio components and if it'll interconnect with cell towers in such a mode (basically a repeater).

I'm not a cell cracker or EE/RF Engr myself, so I don't know the ramifications of doing such things or if you would just splice off the antenna wiring (thought that was interlinked with the OnStar uplink though).
The advantage is not in software, it's the hardware. A physically bigger antennae than what your phone has. So all we need is to figure out the leads for the 4G antennae. Tapping into them I bet would mean no OnStar since it uses the same antennae. So you really don't need to work on the software side.

I know OnStar uses AT&T networks, so guessing it's sim card based. Not sure if that means it will work for other fequencies like Verizon and Sprint.
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Old 02-23-2016, 01:29 PM   #6
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The advantage is not in software, it's the hardware. A physically bigger antennae than what your phone has. So all we need is to figure out the leads for the 4G antennae. Tapping into them I bet would mean no OnStar since it uses the same antennae. So you really don't need to work on the software side.

I know OnStar uses AT&T networks, so guessing it's sim card based. Not sure if that means it will work for other fequencies like Verizon and Sprint.
So, you're going to toss out all amplification of the sending unit and the gain provided and go with nothing more than a longer and bigger piece of wire.

You don't need jack up anything at that point. Just make a trip to Walmart and grab a mobile antenna, some wire and some 3M tape.

I would think the whole point of the venture is to have something offloading your cell handling, and then to repeat it locally to your phone amplified, for use in low signal areas. Most of those devices I've worked with are all powered.
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Old 02-23-2016, 01:58 PM   #7
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So, you're going to toss out all amplification of the sending unit and the gain provided and go with nothing more than a longer and bigger piece of wire.

You don't need jack up anything at that point. Just make a trip to Walmart and grab a mobile antenna, some wire and some 3M tape.

I would think the whole point of the venture is to have something offloading your cell handling, and then to repeat it locally to your phone amplified, for use in low signal areas. Most of those devices I've worked with are all powered.
Pretty sure there is no amplification done by the myLink unit. Tuning to take advantage of the bigger antennae, maybe. But you will never be able to get a usable data connection through myLink to your phone without using the OnStar data. You have to remember these systems are now firewalled on the carrier side to prevent vehicle hacking. No unauthorized data on the 4G connection inside is going to be allowed to come from your phone thru myLink and use the carrier network. If someone does figure it out(which people have) software updates come out quickly to fix it or the carrier makes a change.

Now if you can tap into the signal wires for the antennae and keep OnStar connected, your phone will have access to that better antennae. But then you really haven't done anything different than a booster like in the OP, since you are loosing any amplification or tuning done by myLink. Sorry I might not have been clear in my first post.
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Old 02-23-2016, 02:14 PM   #8
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You have to remember these systems are now firewalled on the carrier side to prevent vehicle hacking. No unauthorized data on the 4G connection inside is going to be allowed to come from your phone thru myLink and use the carrier network. If someone does figure it out(which people have) software updates come out quickly to fix it or the carrier makes a change.
Network security and running firewalls is part of my daily job.. So, this part, is actually part I'm curious about with the OP.. Which seems to suggest using the onboard systems to capture and repeat locally the 4G signal his personal cell is using... Which was my whole confusion on the thing with removing of everything from the line other than just physical cabling and nothing powered and why I was referring to the software bits.. It seemed like the question was being asked to allow for, through some tech magic, his cell to repeat through the car, not just use the cabling as a large mic. That's why I was referring to changing up the software in the MyLink system or even on the radio controller itself (though, offhand I don't know the FCC rules on such things -- esp if you F up and are sending out too much signal w/o a license)..

Anyways, was just going off what I see in the phone hacking side to allow for unlocked WiFi piggy backing for data.. and the powered cell boost amps I see..

All the passive ones have never worked out too well... And, I've had to deal with cell signal complaints years back on the 55th floor of the Prudential tower here in Chicago and we ended up going through a couple different catch/repeat systems with lengthy cable runs, amps and various antennae.
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Old 02-23-2016, 03:19 PM   #9
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Network security and running firewalls is part of my daily job.. So, this part, is actually part I'm curious about with the OP.. Which seems to suggest using the onboard systems to capture and repeat locally the 4G signal his personal cell is using... Which was my whole confusion on the thing with removing of everything from the line other than just physical cabling and nothing powered and why I was referring to the software bits.. It seemed like the question was being asked to allow for, through some tech magic, his cell to repeat through the car, not just use the cabling as a large mic. That's why I was referring to changing up the software in the MyLink system or even on the radio controller itself (though, offhand I don't know the FCC rules on such things -- esp if you F up and are sending out too much signal w/o a license)..

Anyways, was just going off what I see in the phone hacking side to allow for unlocked WiFi piggy backing for data.. and the powered cell boost amps I see..

All the passive ones have never worked out too well... And, I've had to deal with cell signal complaints years back on the 55th floor of the Prudential tower here in Chicago and we ended up going through a couple different catch/repeat systems with lengthy cable runs, amps and various antennae.
I think we are one the same wavelength

There just doesn't seem to be an easy way make it pay off. If there is, like you said, it will likely have to be licensed by the FCC. And I don't see them doing that with current focus on "securing" connected car tech.
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Old 02-23-2016, 04:21 PM   #10
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I think we are one the same wavelength

There just doesn't seem to be an easy way make it pay off. If there is, like you said, it will likely have to be licensed by the FCC. And I don't see them doing that with current focus on "securing" connected car tech.




Though, if someone makes Cyanogen Mod for MyLink with that.. I'm all over it.
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Old 02-24-2016, 07:16 AM   #11
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The 4G LTE Wifi is a joke.... why would you pay GM $60 a month for data when I am already paying for data on my phone? What is smarter is BOOSTING the signal getting to your mobile phone and using that as a hotspot...
If you have AT&T, you can add your vehicle as a device (just like a tablet) to your mobile share plan for $10/mo. You don't have to pay for any extra data this way, and just use whatever's already on your cell phone plan.
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Old 02-24-2016, 09:01 AM   #12
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If you have AT&T, you can add your vehicle as a device (just like a tablet) to your mobile share plan for $10/mo. You don't have to pay for any extra data this way, and just use whatever's already on your cell phone plan.
Don't believe you can. I did see On star's website say AT&T customers got a discount on their data plan, but they still had to have OnStar data plans.

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Old 02-24-2016, 09:03 AM   #13
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Don't believe you can. I did see On star's website say AT&T customers got a discount on their data plan, but they still had to have OnStar data plans.

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https://www.att.com/shop/en/wireless...chevrolet.html

As it states, you can do either Mobile Share OR OnStar data plan. No need for both.
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Old 02-24-2016, 09:25 AM   #14
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https://www.att.com/shop/en/wireless...chevrolet.html

As it states, you can do either Mobile Share OR OnStar data plan. No need for both.
That's awesome and certainly wasn't listed last time I looked. Now there's actually a reason for me to use it!

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