4G Router Recommendations...

[otester]

Or use something like Opensignal that actually shows the real signal strength and direction from a particular cell.

I've had better results doing it manually, finding the mast location, measuring the compass heading on Google maps, and pointing the antenna directly at it.

The A stands for aggregation. No single chain of mobile data can ever go above 150Mbps. You aggregate them to get you 300Mbps or 600Mbps or even 1200Mbps on a CAT20 device.

I am referring to the back haul of the mast.

4G+ is EE’s name for carrier aggregation, so yes, no point in buying a multi-chain CAT4 or better device if your carrier doesn’t support aggregation. But only EE call it 4G+.

Android phones also seem to refer to it as 4G+, whether they copied EE I don't know

Why would you have a dual-Yagi if you don’t have more than one chain? CAT3 (no carrier aggregation) only uses one antenna. Single Yagi. CAT6 (2 cables) needs a second antenna to allow diversity and carrier aggregation. Poynting is a South African brand selling pretty ordinary amplified antennae for a lot of money. All Yagi are directional (think TV antennae all point in the same direction)

Saves going up on the roof again if 4G+ becomes available.

If the antenna cable(s) are properly terminated then you should lose no signal over a few hundred meters.

Signal loss occurs not just with the terminals but the cable itself, it's why I try to buy LMR200/400 when possible.

I use only Mikrotik and Teltonika. There is nothing wrong with Huawei gear for simple consumer use and if that’s all you want then TP-Link are every bit as good as Huawei and will save you some money.

I wasn't able to switch bands when I used the MR6400 so that's why I don't recommend it for areas without 4G+ as you can get stuck on the 800Mhz band, but for security reasons I would favor non-Huawei/ZTE products, also with Mikrotik/Teltonika is band selection available?

Putting the antenna indoors massively reduces the effectiveness. Do this only if you want to permanently compromise your system.

I am aware of the drawbacks but at the moment I am able to get very close to the masts maximum bandwidth with my current setup and it makes maintenance much easier, I may roof mount it if 5G performance is inhibited too much though when it becomes available.

You’ll get something that’s respectably quick but frustratingly variable. A cabled connection will always be more reliable and consistent.

Even over a privacy VPN I've had no issues gaming with a sub-50ms ping and it's been more reliable than the FTTC connection I've had which had a tendency to go down for a few hours late at night.

 

[GinG]

I'm looking for an affordable router for the unlimited ee SIM I managed to snag.

I could be tempted to replace the home ADSL as speeds are showing around 50-70/25-30 compared to the 30/2 with talk talk. I run a gigabyte switch for internal network so only need one port on the router.

Any views in the following:

D-Link DWR-920 Wireless N300 4G LTE Router, Cat4?

 

[WJA96]

it’s fine, but the general recommendation on here is TP-Link.

TP-Link MR400 is decent, MR600 is CAT6 if your carrier supports channel aggregation.

I’d avoid the MR200 as it’s only 10/100 ports.

Also look at the Mikrotik Audience although it’s a bit more money.

 

[GinG]

it’s fine, but the general recommendation on here is TP-Link.

TP-Link MR400 is decent, MR600 is CAT6 if your carrier supports channel aggregation.

I’d avoid the MR200 as it’s only 10/100 ports.

Also look at the Mikrotik Audience a

Thanks mate.

Only reason I was looking at that router is it was £35 on Amazon warehouse...it's been snapped up now though!

 

[Rroff]

it’s fine, but the general recommendation on here is TP-Link.

TP-Link MR400 is decent, MR600 is CAT6 if your carrier supports channel aggregation.

I’d avoid the MR200 as it’s only 10/100 ports.

Also look at the Mikrotik Audience although it’s a bit more money.

The cat 6 ones I think are the only ones with gigabit ports - the x400 are 10/100 as well - not a huge drawback unless you are in a really good signal area though though you could use WiFi for faster speeds. I have my MR6400 hooked up to a gigabit switch so internally network is gigabit - sadly ~60MBit is a good day on the 4G here.

For plug and play, and getting results not far off the latest and greatest, not much beats the TP-Link x400 models though IMO.

Thanks mate.

Only reason I was looking at that router is it was £35 on Amazon warehouse...it's been snapped up now though!

Personally gone off D-Link I've not found them the longest lasting lately.