5g router recommendation - which modem best suits my situation (long post)

[chris.dempsey]

I need to replace my current 4g router and am struggling to identify which product best suits my situation.

Can anyone see a clear path forwards based on the following?

Current setup
- Draytek 2866 Lac - 4g router with Cat 6 modem
- Stock 4g antennas mounted indoors facing out the window

Curve ball
- the SIM I use does no have a static IP address
- I need a static IP to access works servers and dashboards that operate IP whitelists
- more on this later

Cell tower
- 200m away in direct line of sight
- Vodafone offering bands 1 and 20

Current results
- averages 100Mbps downstream, 30Mbps upstream
- peaks 30% higher, often but not consistently

Comparative results
- Pixel 6 in the same position achieves 180Mbps down
- Pixel 6 raised above the roofline or in the street outside has hit 210Mbps downstream

Picking up a static IP address
- currently I run a shadowsocks server and when running a shadowsocks client on my workstation or phone I can access the resources I need as the shadowsocks server IP is whitelisted
- I need a new solution to allow external resources to dial in to the office - specific ports to access specific services
- To achieve this I plan to switch to Wireguard and after a bit more reading I should be able to configure a reverse tunnel so that external resources can access devices in the office by routing requests through the Wireguard server

Issues
- I think the speeds achieved by the Pixel are higher because it has a Cat 19 modem (I think) and is capable of Carrier Aggregation
- I'm not sure how to figure what level of CA (2/3/4 channels) my cell tower supports, or if this is indeed the reason for the increased speed
- I could abandon the 5g capability idea and go for the Teltonika RUTX14 which has a Cat 12 Modem supporting 2xCA B1+B20 but no combination of 3xCA listed in the documentation is available on my cell tower
https://wiki.teltonika-networks.com/view/RUTX14_Supported_Frequency_Bands

Goals
- understand why the Pixel is faster
- identify kit that will deliver speeds as close to the Pixel as possible
- future proof the kit for 5g availability so I don't need to buy the same thing twice
- secure a robust Wireguard solution

Ideal solution
- If Teltonika's 5g router was available it would be perfect - 5g modem and runs Wireguard natively
- The marketing says it should have been released a year ago but I guess war and COVID got in the way

Options considered
- after reading on this for ten days or so I've considered a great many options
- Protectli Vault as it can run OPNSense which offers a Wiregurd plugin, but on board modems are pretty much limited by driver availability to Cat 6 and going by the OPNSense forum the software isn't rock solid
- Same goes for any build your own solution - Tekager, the rebranded Protectli's like Thomas Krenn etc.
- Briefly considered a consumer router that runs 5g but I don't particularly want anything from Huawei/TCL/GH Telecom
- At this point the plan is to find a 5g modem (or router and run it in IP passthrough) to take care of the 5g part and hook it up to a Teltonika unit to take care of the router and Wireguard parts
- the Teltonika range all look to share the same core board/chassis and the RUTX08 (bare router, no bluetooth/wifi/modem etc.) is reasonably priced at around £150
- the Proroute H685 could be used to feed the Teltonika but looks to be a rebranded E-Lins unit which are widely available on Alibaba which put me off but this is cheaper and they have a Quectel RM500Q modem which on paper looks like a strong option. Ultimately though I don't want to risk a reasonable chunk of cash and a two week wait for China Post to find out it's not fitted with an RM500Q
- industrial options are easily available - Sierra Wireless, Peplink, Celerway, Lantronix etc. but they are dear, really dear
- I briefly looked at the m.2 adapter boards on aliexpress, this one says it accepts a Quectel RM500Q and doesn't require drivers - I'm not convinced it'd work if I plugged it into a Protectli style device though

5g 4g Lte Industrial M.2(ngff) To Usb3.0 Adapter W/nano Sim Card Slot Compatible With 5g Lte Module Like Quectel Rm500q Etc. - Add On Cards & Controller Panels - AliExpress

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com

www.aliexpress.com

- I considered a Proroute NR550 router which has a Fibocom FG150-AE modem, but I still don't like the idea of using a full on router just to get 5g into another router
- The Milesight 5g Modem from Tekdis looks worthy of further investigation but nobody replied to my enquiry yet

UF31 5G Modem

High-performance 5G modem for 5G wireless networking applications

www.tekdis.co.uk

Part of me reckons just get the RUTX14 and see what happens - I know I won't be happy though if it turns out a bit more investigation would have identified a solution that is faster or more future proof.

Does anyone have any thoughts that could provide the answer?

Thanks,

Chris

 

[Journey]

understand why the Pixel is faster
- identify kit that will deliver speeds as close to the Pixel as possible

CA with better internal antenna array, e.g 4x4 MIMO which allows better speeds. Any idea when you are due a 5G upgrade in your area?

 

[Caged]

What options do you get if you USB tether a 5G phone? You could even use the Wi-Fi on something like the RUTX10 to connect to a hotspot from your Pixel and use that as the WAN link.

You've also got the Mikrotik LHG LTE18 kit which is overkill for 200m line-of-sight but is a CAT18 radio for under £250.

 

[chris.dempsey]

Sounds like I'm on the right track then.

All the options I've looked at are 4x4 MIMO and I will be adding external antennas because the router needs moved away from the window.

Don't know if or when 5g will be added to the cell tower. It's fairly rural so don't expect it'll be a priority.

Any idea if the Cat 12 Teltonika could match the Pixel on the 2CA the manual says it's capable of?

Or if the cell tower would ever be updated to allow 3CA on 4g? I don't know it that's a possibility or whether the provider would only ever do a full upgrade to 5g if at all.

Thanks

 

[chris.dempsey]

What options do you get if you USB tether a 5G phone? You could even use the Wi-Fi on something like the RUTX10 to connect to a hotspot from your Pixel and use that as the WAN link.

You've also got the Mikrotik LHG LTE18 kit which is overkill for 200m line-of-sight but is a CAT18 radio for under £250.

The DrayTek has a dedicated data SIM, I put it the Pixel temporarily to compare speed. So I'd need another phone to run a hotspot. Also means the Teltonika would need to be WiFi capable which bumps the cost up a little. Other thing is the location indoors that gets good signal is upstairs and the other side of the house from the office, so WiFi reception is decreased.

Hotspot would be ok as a backup I think but not sure as a permanent solution.

I remember looking at the Microtik routers but from memory think they were 2x2 MIMO and discounted them thinking it might be better to keep looking for a Cat 20.

Will go check them out again now...

 

[chris.dempsey]

Wee update - I looked at the Mikrotik routers as suggested by @Caged. They offer the Chateau LTE18 at £215 and the Chateau LTE12 for £200. Prices are good but I decided to go down a different route and now have

• Milesight 5g Modem - it's only just released and is the size of a pack of cards but half as thick. Modem is a Fibocom FG360-EAU which supports 4x4 MIMO.
• Teltonika RUTX10 - it's the same as the RUTX08 but with added WiFi. I don't plan to use WiFi off the router but for £50 extra it might be helpful in future
• Poynting OMNI-600 antennas - picked up a pair of these after speaking to a contact who happens to be an engineering manager for a comms company that works on remote infrastructure installations. Overkill for what I need but it will get the antennas onto the roof out of the way - once I figure a safe way to get up there

This is the first speedtest with the antennas on a desk facing the window, really poor position, not facing the mast and surrounded by metal and other objects not conducive to good radio signal.

Upload speed needs a look, it was peaking at 30Mbps on the Draytek antennas.

Modem is running through the Draytek just now, still to make time to hook up the Teltonika and external antennas.

Thanks to all who helped out with suggestions.