4G Routers

benparker · 3 May 2020 at 21:29

So after moving properties and having to pay a heft cancellation fee to Hyperoptic (landlord issues) I've decided against to try a 4G sim and router combo. Just over a year ago I bought an unlimited data Smarty SIM and the TP-Link Archer MR200 router. Not sure why chose it over a Huawei. For the duration up until yesterday I would get 10mb down but if I switch to 3G its about 20mb but upload speeds drops.

So apparently some spots in the house give better speeds. It turns out another room was giving just about 40mb but not that consistent but definitely seeing more than 20mb. So after checking the whole house I found the best spot and the router is hanging high up on the wall lol. So now I'm looking at options, I don't really want another contact and I'm not a heavy downloader as I was before but thinking of getting Netflix or maybe IPTV (are we allowed to discuss about that here?)

1. Can I buy an external antenna, will that give me better speeds?
2. If so does it have to be stuck outside as I don't want to drill at a property that isn't mine.
3. If a buy a Huawei B535, will that give me better speeds than my current setup?
4. Does anyone else offer unlimited 4G at about £20 per month? Currently paying £18.75.

Any help is appreciated.

Janesy B · 3 May 2020 at 23:04

Depends on the revision of MR200 you have, apparently v3 doesn't let you use an external antenna. You don't have to stick it outside but it would help. You'll want an antenna with SMA connectors.

The Huawei does have better date rates, 300/300 as opposed to 150/50 but that won't necessarily solve your current issues.

WJA96 · 4 May 2020 at 08:20

The MR200 is an excellent unit and given the right signal I’ve seen them pull in 100Mbps. But they’re like all these devices - completely reliant on a good signal.

1. If your MR200 will take an external antenna then a good one won’t be cheap. Poynting make a decent unit that comes with suction cups so you can theoretically attach it to a window but the antenna cables are sometimes too thick to go under the window when it’s closed.

2. if you’re going for a new device, have a look at the Mikrotik SXT-LTE or SXT-LTE6. They can also be attached to the outside of a window and a flat network cable will go under a window when it’s closed. It’s unlikely that the Huawei would be any better without external antennae. If you are looking for a new all-in-one SIM modem/router/WAP then can I suggest the Mikrotik hAP AC3 CAT6?

I use these to attach SXTs to glass https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00NLK5ZTW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 They are VERY strong.

3. Don’t get too hung up on ultimate speed. 10Mbps is plenty to watch Netflix etc. as long as you don’t want to do a lot else at the same time. Most TVs and tablets buffer 10-15 minutes anyway so in my view unlimited data > absolute speed.

4. Beware of devices offering more than 150Mbps. They rely on carrier aggregation technology to bond two channels together which sounds great in theory however in practise a lot of UK mobile networks don’t support carrier aggregation and the ones that do don’t offer it on unlimited data plans. And they also need to be broadcasting on multiple channels in your area to allow those devices to work. In central London or another MAJOR city you might be lucky but in most places you get one channel so even if they allow Carrier Aggregation Technology you’ll not be able to use it.

benparker · 4 May 2020 at 09:04

Thanks for the detailed reply. That hap ac3, never heard of the brand. Are they really good? Can't see anyone selling it in the UK.

I ordered this yesterday Poynting 4G-XPOL-A0001 with suction cups and a B535 router just out of curiosity.

Do you own a MR200? There's no settings to change the band frequency. I've read that different frequencies give different speeds.

WJA96 · 4 May 2020 at 09:24

Within our company we have, or have supplied, upwards of 50 MR200’s and well over 100 Mikrotik SXT-LTEs. They are our go-to devices for providing LTE failover for high-end home networks.

I’m not aware of any options on the MR200 that would allow you to configure the band. They are absolutely ‘slot in the SIM card and it works’.

Our fitters and sales staff (like me) are permanently in hotels so the ability to stick something on the window and fire up the internet is fabulous.

And sure, Mikrotik are not very fashionable in the UK but they’re massive in Eastern Europe and the former Russian republics. The hAP AC3 is brand new (launched on Thursday last week) and you’ll genuinely struggle to anything like the spec. and functionality for the money.

It would be good to know what speed you get out of the Huawei/Poynting combo.

WJA96 · 4 May 2020 at 09:30

And, just chatting to another sales guy, he says the best way to eak some extra signal out of your MR200 is to stand it up against the glass with the antenna sticking straight up. Apparently that’s the best orientation.

benparker · 4 May 2020 at 10:57

So right now the mr200 is nearly touching the ceiling and the antennas after playing around all positions facing half on the left giving best signal. 4:30 am saw it reach 55Mbps but obviously there's barely any users at this time.

What are the specs of that hap ac3? How does it compare with the B535? Where can I buy one? Is the older version just as good?

WJA96 · 4 May 2020 at 11:15

hAP AC3 is basically the old hAP AC2 with the SIM modem built-in. There is no 'old model'.

Mikrotik have several resellers in the UK, LinITX, Senetic and BroadbandBuyer are the first three that spring to mind.

https://mikrotik.com/product/hap_ac3_lte6_kit for the specs.

benparker · 4 May 2020 at 11:27

That's quite expensive, I'll see how the B535 gets along.

WJA96 · 4 May 2020 at 11:31

I think it depends what you mean by quite expensive. It's roughly 1.5x the price of an MR200 and maybe for what you want it's a bit overkill - you really have to check the specs on the router chip and the options in the software to appreciate that it's actually a bit of a bargain at the money they're asking. It's short on 'bling' but long on 'does what it says on the tin'.

Janesy B · 4 May 2020 at 11:56

benparker said:
Do you own a MR200? There's no settings to change the band frequency. I've read that different frequencies give different speeds.

That would be determined by the provider I'd imagine. Hopefully the Huawei does what you need.

WJA96 · 4 May 2020 at 12:07

Janesy B said:
That would be determined by the provider I'd imagine. Hopefully the Huawei does what you need.

The Mikrotik lets you manually pick from all the available bands. In somewhere like Central London EE will be broadcasting on some mixture of 1, 3, 7 or 20. Depending on how much bandwidth they need they might even be broadcasting on all of them. A CAT3 modem (like the MR200) can theoretically pull 150Mbps, CAT6 can aggregate 2 bands to give 300Mbps and a CAT12 modem like the Mikrotik Chateau LTE can aggregate 4 bands for a maximum theoretical throughput of 600Mbps. At which point “who needs 5G?”. Indeed some US carriers are already advertising aggregated 4G as 5G.

Janesy B · 4 May 2020 at 12:35

Didn't realise that. My S20+ 5G has pulled down 420Mbps from 4G+ (LTE-A) so definitely in the 'who needs 5G' camp.

WJA96 · 4 May 2020 at 13:48

Janesy B said:
Didn't realise that. My S20+ 5G has pulled down 420Mbps from 4G+ (LTE-A) so definitely in the 'who needs 5G' camp.

Nice. Which carrier and whereabouts?

benparker · 4 May 2020 at 15:09

@Janesy B if not mistaken, the Huawei allows you to pick a band.

@WJA96 I think I got the mr200 for £80 and the hap ac3 appears to be £180. I'm sure it's got lots of features but not a network savvy to appreciate it. Also doesn't seem to have no antennas should it need it.

WJA96 · 4 May 2020 at 15:52

benparker said:
[USER=39536]@WJA96 I think I got the mr200 for £80 and the hap ac3 appears to be £180. I'm sure it's got lots of features but not a network savvy to appreciate it. Also doesn't seem to have no antennas should it need it.[/USER]

With the collapse of the £ vs. the $ everything has gone up quite a bit. MR200's that were £80-ish are £100-ish now and I would expect the hAP AC3 to soften a bit once the novelty wears off. As for not having any antennae, it has punchouts for connectors on the back panel, so if you need to add external antennae, you open the case, punch out the holes in the back and slot the cables through. It's very.... Latvian.

With Mikrotik you are paying a lot for the RouterOS software which is just every possible option exposed. There is literally nothing these routers won't do, and you can work at any level from Layer 2 to Layer 7 and get the best out of the each unit. You can also replace the mini-PCIe card modem in the router so last year the best SXT-LTE you could buy was the CAT3 unit. Now they have released the CAT6 modem and you can buy just the modem and swap the cards over. Once the CAT12 card is released you'll be able to slot that into the hAP AC3, but I completely understand that some users want a more streamlined user experience. Because I sell, install and configure these things I'm used to the quirks of them. And 99% of users don't care what it is or who makes it so long as it just works when they turn on their client device. As I say, I'd be very interested to know what sort of improvement (if any) you see from the Huawei 535 with the Poynting antenna.[/user]

Janesy B · 4 May 2020 at 15:53

WJA96 said:
Nice. Which carrier and whereabouts?

EE, in Wood Green, London of all places. I get about 150Mbps at home in Harrow.

WJA96 · 4 May 2020 at 15:56

Janesy B said:
EE, in Wood Green, London of all places. I get about 150Mbps at home in Harrow.

Yes, there are some benefits to living in London.

alexakasloth · 4 May 2020 at 19:51

@benparker Use the following website to see if the network you are on, and the mast is in a good location:

https://www.cellmapper.net/map

The caveat is that the nearest mast may not be the best if it's blocked by terrain, but it can give you an idea.

I have just come away from a 4G service, I had a contract with Three for their unlimited SIM/ Huawei B535 package as it was a good price.
However I found the service to be unreliable, for about a period of a month I would get around 3mbps whereas for several months previous the speeds were 20-60mbps. That may down to the mast in this area though and YMMV. The router is quite good and the Huawei app shows you the strength of your signal so when you attach your aerial you can get an initial idea of placement.

benparker · 5 May 2020 at 04:33

@WJA96 I should get them Wednesday hopefully. Do you know how good an Asus 4g router is? When an N66u I think it was to replace sky router, it was amazing.

@alexakasloth

Website doesn't seem to work, will try on pc in the morning. I know there is a 4g mast about 100 meters from the property, actually found by an Android app.

After being on 20Mbps I'm seeing double speed now. It also just spiked to 60Mbps but obviously there's barely any traffic now.