T-Mobile Home Internet has hidden MHF4 connectors for external antennas?

[EtherSailor]

Finally made some progress. Got these supplies from Ali express.

Some sketchy soldering work. I'm honestly surprised I didn't kill it.

All boxed up...

Initial indoor testing..

So the little magnetic omni dir. antennas seemed to work the best. Signal is about the same but connection is much more consistent. the white rectangular directional MIMO antenna was no better and possibly worse than the internal antenna. I fully admit I may have to try the directional antenna outside where I have more of a direct line to the tower.

Did some testing climbing my antenna tower and hanging the box in a back pack. I must say I am disappointed. Couldn't manage much better than what I got indoors. I'm guessing it may be my choice/orientation of antennas. Now I need to get an education on antenna design. I just can't bring myself to splurge for an expensive antenna that may not get the results I am looking for.

After I have a chance to build or buy a 2x2 MIMO antenna array to include the diversity antennas, I may end up mounting this outside permanently in a weather proof enclosure.

Any educational references to antennas and antenna design would be greatly appreciated.

Edit: corrected 4x4 MIMO to 2X2 MIMO.

Forgive the newbie question....any chance that soldering pigtails to the board is causing both the internal and external antennas to be used and perhaps a problem?

[Josephur]

I'm sure those connectors are not MHF-SW23. I have sample parts directly from IPEX which included one soldered connector to a blank PCB for insertion testing, and a MHF-SW23 to SMA bulk head and it will NOT connect to the connectors, they are not the right size compared to MHF-SW23. We need to figure out exactly what the jacks are to use them, to avoid soldering and make it simple to add antennas.

See attached photos, the blue IPEX PCB has a MHF-SW32 plug which clearly is larger than what people have been labeling as MHF-SW23 in the pictures of the TM-RTL0102 unit.

[triangles]

Forgive the newbie question....any chance that soldering pigtails to the board is causing both the internal and external antennas to be used and perhaps a problem?

No problem. It's a plausible idea. I'm a newbie myself. Learning as I go just hoping I don't let out the magic smoke along the way.

However there is zero chance. The plugs that apparently are not MHF-SW23 function like the MHF-SW23 plugs. When I de-soldered them it was clear that there is a break in the antenna trace that the removed plugs connect together. With the plugs removed there is no connection to the built in antenna. I soldered the pigtail to the antenna trace that goes to the onboard chip. Also when I remove the external antenna the signal goes away which pretty much verifies the connection to the internal antenna is broken. I have read that operating without an antenna will burn out the transmitter chip so I did that only long enough to test the signal strength.

[Josephur]

I would be interested in what the LTE admins think about my discovery that they do not appear to be MFH-SW23. I wonder if they ordered the correct thing themselves to sell later on the site?? I'm looking through IPEX's website now to see what it could possibly be. Will try and remember to take my board to work with me tomorrow to get some inner/outer dimensions taken with some calipers.

Looks like they might not be IPEX at all but Murata Electronics SWG RF Switch Connectors.. but I'm just eyeballing and guessing at this point.

[Woolaroc]

Just signed up for the service and noticed on Reddit that they are shipping new devices. My order shows that I'll be getting the new Nokia device. Anyone seen this, or know if it will be able to accept external antennas, or be modified?

NOK 5G21 GATEWAY GRY KIT

https://www.reddit.com/r/tmobile/commen ... ming_soon/

[Dr-BroadBand]

T-Mobile home internet 5G ready! WiFi-6

Saw this last week on my list to look into more

See Link
https://youtu.be/I22rkTfGdKg

https://youtu.be/r6zl_Jl5eSs

https://www.nokia.com/fastmile

[Josephur]

Just signed up for the service and noticed on Reddit that they are shipping new devices. My order shows that I'll be getting the new Nokia device. Anyone seen this, or know if it will be able to accept external antennas, or be modified?

NOK 5G21 GATEWAY GRY KIT

https://www.reddit.com/r/tmobile/commen ... ming_soon/

I've seen a few videos of the Nokia unit and it does not appear to have external antennas. It's a cylinder "trash can" style design.

[Viper67857]

They should be shipping me a Nokia within the next couple weeks... I'll happily take it apart and take pictures if no one else has...

[OrpoTico]

In light of recent doubts about whether or not the MHF-SW23 is the correct connector, I thought I would share some close up pictures of the connector found inside my TM-RTL0102. I don't know anything about connectors, I just thought I would share some better pictures in an attempt to help.

2021-01-07-142346.jpg

2021-01-07-142215.jpg

2021-01-07-142539.jpg

[Woolaroc]

I just got a shipping notification and should have mine tomorrow. Ordered yesterday and the rep said it was backordered and may not be shipping till January 12th. Looks like I got lucky.

[Didneywhorl]

In light of recent doubts about whether or not the MHF-SW23 is the correct connector, I thought I would share some close up pictures of the connector found inside my TM-RTL0102. I don't know anything about connectors, I just thought I would share some better pictures in an attempt to help.
...

Great photos! Definately SW-23. IPEX1 and IPEX4 connectors are technically a male board connector, and this is obviously female. Also its much higher at the base. This base houses the switching portion of the port.

Good stuff.

[Josephur]

Great photos! Definately SW-23. IPEX1 and IPEX4 connectors are technically a male board connector, and this is obviously female. Also its much higher at the base. This base houses the switching portion of the port.

Good stuff.

If these are MHF-SW23 then why does my MHF-SW23 connector directly from IPEX not fit it? It fits the SW23 example PCB just fine, but does not fit on the router. The connectors on the router are also smaller (shown in my pictures above) than the SW23 connectors in my IPEX sample kit.

Am I missing something here?

[thunderpuppy]

New here, just trying to help. This does appear to maybe be the Murata SWF or SWG? I haven't taken it apart to get a size so not sure (also I am no expert at all just a novice) As was pointed out by Josephur above, the SW 23 does not fit this.

[Didneywhorl]

If these are MHF-SW23 then why does my MHF-SW23 connector directly from IPEX not fit it? It fits the SW23 example PCB just fine, but does not fit on the router. The connectors on the router are also smaller (shown in my pictures above) than the SW23 connectors in my IPEX sample kit.

Am I missing something here?

Nope, I could be totally wrong then. It may be a different item altogether. I don't have one myself and that alone makes the judgement hard to read.

[Didneywhorl]

Looking at catalogs and the pictures it looks like an SWG connector.

[Didneywhorl]

If this is so, then its likely that there is no way to use it with a pigtail, as the TP connectors are only for testing the port/circuit if I recall correctly. They don't snap in, they simply push in and come right back out when released, or at least isn't exactly a tight hold fit? Zero personal experience with them.

[Josephur]

I also have the MHF-SW23 test probe, perhaps it fits. I will try this as soon as I get to the office and get the router disassembled again. Also this time I'll try and take better up close photos of what is on the router and the SW23 test kit connectors that I have. Although I believe now with the 5G T-Mobile router this is going to be a moot point as it seems to have MHF connectors (but again I guess we won't know until we see them) exposed that would be fairly trivial to adopt to SMA bulkheads and add your own antennas.

[Woolaroc]

5G T-Mobile router this is going to be a moot point as it seems to have MHF connectors (but again I guess we won't know until we see them) exposed that would be fairly trivial to adopt to SMA bulkheads and add your own antennas.

Everything I've seen so far about the new gateway say's it doesn't have external antenna ports. Probably need to disassemble it and dissect like the OP did with the old gateway. I'll be getting mine today (out for shipping!) I'll report if I see any available ports on the outside.

[Josephur]

Everything I've seen so far about the new gateway say's it doesn't have external antenna ports. Probably need to disassemble it and dissect like the OP did with the old gateway. I'll be getting mine today (out for shipping!) I'll report if I see any available ports on the outside.

There are no outside ports but if you disassemble you should see all the internal connectors for the antenna and GPS exposed at what is hopefully MHF connectors. I'm uploading a video to YT as we speak showing my findings on the 4G T-Mobile unit so you can see they are not SW23. Will post shortly for your review.

[Josephur]

Here is the YouTube video of me comparing the T-Mobile TM-RTL0102 Internal Antenna Connectors to SW23 as promised.

https://youtu.be/BpqBkR1mC_E

[Didneywhorl]

... Although I believe now with the 5G T-Mobile router this is going to be a moot point as it seems to have MHF connectors (but again I guess we won't know until we see them) exposed that would be fairly trivial to adopt to SMA bulkheads and add your own antennas.

The new 5G tmobile home router is basically confirmed to use U.FL/IPEX1 connectors inside. Here is a breakdown live stream: https://dlive.tv/p/honktavious+O_WZxbaGR
This link is only good for 3 days from right now.


You can fast forward to the end parts to see the confirmation. They took a set of wifi antenna pigtails from a Nighthawk router and plugged them into the cellular antenna ports of the 5G tmo home unit.

[Josephur]

I had a discussion with T-Mobile earlier today to upgrade my 4G unit to the new 5G one, and they said there is no official channel yet to upgrade existing customers but they are working on it. They took my details and said to check back next month. Debating if I want to just send this back and cancel service then resub to get the new modem.

[Didneywhorl]

Here is the YouTube video of me comparing the T-Mobile TM-RTL0102 Internal Antenna Connectors to SW23 as promised.

https://youtu.be/BpqBkR1mC_E

Good work! Confirmed NOT SW-23. Thank you!


It does look like the Murata SWG. I think with T-mobile replacing the home unit seemingly altogether its kind of a moot point, as you've said.

[Woolaroc]

The new 5G tmobile home router is basically confirmed to use U.FL/IPEX1 connectors inside. Here is a breakdown live stream: https://dlive.tv/p/honktavious+O_WZxbaGR
This link is only good for 3 days from right now.


You can fast forward to the end parts to see the confirmation. They took a set of wifi antenna pigtails from a Nighthawk router and plugged them into the cellular antenna ports of the 5G tmo home unit.

For those trying to find this in the LONG video, it starts around 02:20:00!

[Woolaroc]

Watching that video some more, not sure if we will really need external antennas on this thing. Those look fairly beefy to begin with, unless you are needing to do directional. Also appears to have 4 LTE antennas.

[Woolaroc]

Got the new device. I'm flucuating between 30-46mbps, which is double what I'm getting with my fixed based wireless at less than half the cost!

Currently the only problem I seem to have is the inability to disable the WiFi on the gateway! If anyone figures this out please let me know. I'm going to be using my Synology router and extender in place of this device.

[Dr-BroadBand]

User manual NOK 5G21 GATEWAY GRY KIT

Looks like You can disable Wi-Fi

https://www.t-mobile.com/support/public ... 0Guide.pdf

[Woolaroc]

User manual NOK 5G21 GATEWAY GRY KIT

Looks like You can disable Wi-Fi

https://www.t-mobile.com/support/public ... 0Guide.pdf

I think I got it figured out. There are 12 SSIDs between 2.4 and 5ghz combined. About 10 of mine were on and I had to disable each SSID and save individually. There is no Disable WiFi option.

If I look at the WiFi tile on the main status page it still shows that it's on, but if you go to the Statistics page -> WLAN it says 2.4 and 5ghz are disabled. Weird that the status page is showing on (green/Online).

[David A]

After ordering these connectors 3 times and none would fit I did some more research and found that these connectors are all wrong.
They seem to be Murata Electronics SWG RF Switch Connector or SWJ series. I am going to order both from Mouser and find out. I will post my results when I am done. I will also include photos. Here is the link for you to see them.
https://www.mouser.com/Search/Refine?Ke ... +Connector

They all look the same from the photos.
SWG it is used for such as PC, tablet PC, mobile phone mainly.
SWH It is used for the small device such as mobile phone and the wearable device mainly.
SWJ It is used for the small device such as mobile phone and the wearable device mainly.

[Didneywhorl]

After ordering these connectors 3 times and none would fit I did some more research and found that these connectors are all wrong.
They seem to be Murata Electronics SWG RF Switch Connector or SWJ series. I am going to order both from Mouser and find out. I will post my results when I am done. I will also include photos. Here is the link for you to see them.
https://www.mouser.com/Search/Refine?Ke ... +Connector

They all look the same from the photos.
SWG it is used for such as PC, tablet PC, mobile phone mainly.
SWH It is used for the small device such as mobile phone and the wearable device mainly.
SWJ It is used for the small device such as mobile phone and the wearable device mainly.

I believe your right. The new problem is the SWG-TP connector is too large and bulky and likely cannot easily be made to stay in place.

[David A]

I believe your right. The new problem is the SWG-TP connector is too large and bulky and likely cannot easily be made to stay in place.

What we need is the SWG Pigtail. I am still looking for them.
The Test Probe will not do what we want to do because it doesn't lock in place plus it is to tall to fit inside...

[David A]

Here is a PDF link for these type of microwave connectors from Murata. But which one is the correct one?

https://www.murata.com/-/media/webrenew ... 1447000000

[Didneywhorl]

What we need is the SWG Pigtail. I am still looking for them.
The Test Probe will not do what we want to do because it doesn't lock in place plus it is to tall to fit inside...

Correct, but I don't think they make the connector in anything other than the TP connector, as the port is made as a test port.

[razblack]

The new 5G tmobile home router is basically confirmed to use U.FL/IPEX1 connectors inside.
...

I'm guessing these then for the 5G?

https://thewirelesshaven.com/shop/cables/pigtail- ... ail-cable/

[Didneywhorl]

I'm guessing these then for the 5G?

https://thewirelesshaven.com/shop/cables/pigtail- ... ail-cable/

Not unless you have RP-SMA antennas or cables.

I would go with these: https://thewirelesshaven.com/shop/cables/pigtail- ... ail-cable/

or these if you must have larger diameter pain in the ass cables: https://thewirelesshaven.com/shop/cables/pigtail- ... ail-cable/

You can get shorter if you like.

Stick with U.fl to SMA Female Bulkhead.

[Osensnolf]

How many connectors does the 5G have and does each need its own antenna? I get great service (150Mb/down) but I need to put my modem in my "server" closet and I want to run antennas up 15' to my attic (as I do right now with my other equipment).

Not trying to take away from The Wireless Haven, but are the connectors needed for 5G the same as these (which I already own). "Antrader 4pcs 4 Inch Length IPEX U.fl Extension Cable IPEX to SMA Female Pigtail Cable"

Also, for anyone who is interested, I posted this on Reddit regarding 4G vs 5G modem testing. https://www.reddit.com/r/tmobile/commen ... g_results/

[Woolaroc]

On the 5G they are U.fl and there are 4 of them.

[Didneywhorl]

Should be the same cables.





To rant a little (A lot) about the cables you refer to. They do in fact take from away The Wireless Haven and all US based small, and even large, businesses.

Here is how: In many cases, including with Antrader, these are the Chinese manufacturers direct way to sell to American consumers without having to pay the tariffs in place that US based small and large businesses have to pay to import the products for resale.
This cuts US based businesses out of the picture and funnels more American dollars to overseas countries. Before they were getting $1.00 for something that cost them $0.10 to make, they are now getting $5.00 for the same $0.10 item. This doesn't improve a single American life or its economy. Many people (In many cases broke people, but that is another convo) would say, 'but it saves me a buck!' but in the bigger picture it doesn't. It eliminates opportunity and jobs in America. This isnt exclusive to America though, the same holds true for any country that this happens in. The EU and Australia, etc. All the same , or similar, scenario.


Maybe its just me

[David A]

Well after messing with this darn thing for 2 days I gave up. I even installed the pigtail directly to the board because the new ones didn't work either. But could not get any better signal even with it attached to the outside MIMO antennas at 40ft in the air.
So I am going back to my MoFi 4500 SIM7 for the time being. But last night I did a few speed tests on the T-Mobile modem and this is what I got. But with the Mofi4500 the speeds were about 1/2 of these.

screenshot-www.nperf.com-2021.01.14-09_20_04.png

[ylrkdr]

Well after messing with this darn thing for 2 days I gave up. I even installed the pigtail directly to the board because the new ones didn't work either. But could not get any better signal even with it attached to the outside MIMO antennas at 40ft in the air.
So I am going back to my MoFi 4500 SIM7 for the time being. But last night I did a few speed tests on the T-Mobile modem and this is what I got. But with the Mofi4500 the speeds were about 1/2 of these.

Umm, I've been up for 24 hours, and my brain is fuzzy, but you're saying the D/L speeds of the TMO is twice that of the MOFI?

[MudMan54]

Is there a recorded video link to the 5G teardown?

[Osensnolf]

Should be the same cables.





To rant a little (A lot) about the cables you refer to. They do in fact take from away The Wireless Haven and all US based small, and even large, businesses.

Here is how: In many cases, including with Antrader, these are the Chinese manufacturers direct way to sell to American consumers without having to pay the tariffs in place that US based small and large businesses have to pay to import the products for resale.
This cuts US based businesses out of the picture and funnels more American dollars to overseas countries. Before they were getting $1.00 for something that cost them $0.10 to make, they are now getting $5.00 for the same $0.10 item. This doesn't improve a single American life or its economy. Many people (In many cases broke people, but that is another convo) would say, 'but it saves me a buck!' but in the bigger picture it doesn't. It eliminates opportunity and jobs in America. This isnt exclusive to America though, the same holds true for any country that this happens in. The EU and Australia, etc. All the same , or similar, scenario.


Maybe its just me

I doubt these were made for $0.10 even if in China. Besides that, the most frustrating thing about buying from an independent website is shipping. So many of these smaller websites think that it is now acceptable to ship something 2-3 days after the order took place. There was a time when they could get by with that. If I order it today, it should ship today or by tomorrow. But don't hold off for 3 days like it's OK. If my neighbor will cut my grass for $100/week and the guy down the road will do it for $50, why should I pay $100 just because he is my neighbor? The best way to earn money is to save money. I owe it to my family to be resourceful with what I have and to make my dollar stretch as far as it can. I understand the point you are trying to make but at which point does it not make sense to pay 2-3x as much and wait an extra week for something to arrive?

[Didneywhorl]

I doubt these were made for $0.10 even if in China. Besides that, the most frustrating thing about buying from an independent website is shipping. So many of these smaller websites think that it is now acceptable to ship something 2-3 days after the order took place. There was a time when they could get by with that. If I order it today, it should ship today or by tomorrow. But don't hold off for 3 days like it's OK. If my neighbor will cut my grass for $100/week and the guy down the road will do it for $50, why should I pay $100 just because he is my neighbor? The best way to earn money is to save money. I owe it to my family to be resourceful with what I have and to make my dollar stretch as far as it can. I understand the point you are trying to make but at which point does it not make sense to pay 2-3x as much and wait an extra week for something to arrive?

The guy down the street is still your neighbor. Pay an overseas company to mow your yard, and let them find the cheapest dreg to do it for them. That would be a little closer to apples to apples.

Your savings and spending are your business no one should be able to make you do any different. I don't blame anyone for trying to save money, but understand what is being supported, and what you get for your money. It is supporting overseas companies and you get basically just the product and rarely real support. If you want to financially support companies that do not support the American economy over a couple bucks and a few days wait, then go for it.

The biggest issue usually is the lack of support for many things purchased direct from manufacturers oversea. Simple products like cables. No biggie. More complex things like routers, people buy them from China manufacturers cheaper than US retailers can get them for, then they come to sites like this one to get support because the manufacturer does not offer support for anything. One example at least.

You don't go to Best Buy and say, 'Hey I bought this on Alibaba/Amazon/etc, help me get it working.'

Having everything sent to your door within a few days is an extremely new concept and is very nice, but to expect it from every single company that sells products sounds like entitlement thinking, especially over small dollar items. People today expect even the small business owner to be awake 24 hours a day answering emails and shooting out orders at all hours of the day and night so that the customer can get 100% attention and their 'stuff' for products that are literally a couple bucks. Amazon has created a great service, but has literally set an impossible standard for individual small companies to keep up with.

[MattB29]

I just got off the phone after ordering the T-mobile home internet with the new Nokia 4G/5G modem router. Strange that you have to do it by phone instead of online. The process was I went to their website for Home internet and entering my location to check availability. It said it was eligible, took my name, phone number, address and then it displayed a phone number to call. Not having time at that point to call (I hate calling and being put on hold or menu hell these days anyway)I simply left it and a few hours later they called me to setup the account and shipping information.

The gateway is due to ship the second half of February or the first of March. Should be interesting to see if it is an upgrade from my present Cricket Simply Data setup. If it gets as good of speed (aprox 5mbs to 15Mbs on Cricket)and has the unlimited DATA it will be worth keeping. If not it will go back. The Nokia is a $370 cost if not returned intact so I will not be doing any modifications for external antennas.

[spoonipple]

Is there a recorded video link to the 5G teardown?

Can someone repost the video on a site that can host it perpetually? what's up with the expiring link !?!

[spoonipple]

Any updated on what connectors are needed? Clearly they are hard to find. What is the consensus?

[Osensnolf]

Any updated on what connectors are needed? Clearly they are hard to find. What is the consensus?

My guess is that interest in this will die down since most are going with 5G and 5G appears easier to modify based on the video uploaded.

Having everything sent to your door within a few days is an extremely new concept and is very nice, but to expect it from every single company that sells products sounds like entitlement thinking, especially over small dollar items.

I am a business owner and if the order comes in before USPS gets here, we ship it out the same day. That isn't entitlement - it's just really great service. I don't know if the customer needs it this week or if next month is fine but if I've got the ability to get it out now, then I will.

I just got off the phone after ordering the T-mobile home internet with the new Nokia 4G/5G modem router. The Nokia is a $370 cost if not returned intact so I will not be doing any modifications for external antennas.

This is the first I have heard anyone mention being charged.
This is a speed test I posted the other day for the 5G version having record upload speeds: https://www.speedtest.net/result/1086895285

[MattB29]

...

This is the first I have heard anyone mention being charged.
This is a speed test I posted the other day for the 5G version having record upload speeds: https://www.speedtest.net/result/1086895285

I have no idea if anyone would be charged other than what the CS gal said concerning the device being returned due to account closure. If not there would be a fee.

Looking up the steps to access the antenna connectors inside the device a careful person might be able to do that and than restore it to original condition for return. At that point it would be how tight or lenient T-mobile is on seeing if the device was altered in anyway.

I am not in a 5G zone so I really do not expect super great speed. I will be happy if it is an improvement over my Cricket simply data plan and WG3526 plus Sierra EM7565 setup.

[MudMan54]

This was posted a little over an hour ago.
Starlink is available to a limited number of users per coverage area at this time. Orders will be fulfilled on a first-come, first-served basis.
https://www.starlink.com/

[db1234]

Did The Wireless Haven ever stock the SWG pigtails for the T-Mobile 4G?

Did anyone here ever get external antennas working?

T-Mobile is shipping the 5G units except:
- there is at least a 1-2 month lead time on them
- if they deem you are not in a 5G area (and they do this via address, not their coverage map) you are stuck with the 4G.

So AFAIK myself (and possibly others) will be stuck with the T-Mobile 4G unit for the foreseeable future and may need to get an external antenna hooked up to it.

[thestache]

Would like to know as well. Was the first economical internet I found for my area, and while better than nothing, not getting anywhere near the 50 mbps D/L T-Mobile quoted.

[Didneywhorl]

No, the connectors have turned into a dead end. It seems the route to go is direct solder so far.

[TBVPS]

The socket ports are Murata SWG test ports. I am using part# MXHQ87WA3000. The probes do stay in place by themselves, although not firmly. The probes assembly is a bit long, once inserted there is no way to connect the plate with the internal antennas. I am just using an old router as AP. If they make a low profile SWG probe that my help.

Thanks to everyone who has contributed on this topic.

[LifesaGlitch0]

I'm wondering if you can just bypass the whole soldering directly to the interior gateway connectors and just use a cell booster and shoot the signal at the gateway itself. Should result in some improvement.. at least seems like it would.

[BillA]

I'm wondering if you can just bypass the whole soldering directly to the interior gateway connectors and just use a cell booster and shoot the signal at the gateway itself. Should result in some improvement.. at least seems like it would.

While cell boosters do in fact boost the signal's dB levels regardless how strong or weak the input signal is, it can be misleading thinking that now you have a strong -20dB signal (signal strength is only part of the equation). They can also introduce RF noise and latency which can cause lag sensitive applications like VOIP and gaming unusable. RF noise can degrade the signal quality (RSQ) thereby data speeds, depending on the quality of the booster especially with low cost low quality boosters. So it's possible to actually get better speeds with a non-boosted signal compared to a strong boosted one. Your mileage may vary.

[spoonipple]

I'm wondering if you can just bypass the whole soldering directly to the interior gateway connectors and just use a cell booster and shoot the signal at the gateway itself. Should result in some improvement.. at least seems like it would.

I can confirm that this does not work very well. I even used a cel-fi go x with the internal antenna a good 75ft from outdoor antenna facing away from each other. I even resorted to putting the t-mobile router and the internal booster antenna in a faraday bag directly facing each other. While I would get a much stronger signal on a single channel, eventually the router would try to roam and get stuck on a channel that I was not boosting. Even with the faraday bag it refused to just stay pinned to the boosted channel. I imagine that is by design so that folks don't force use of channels in the same way they don't let you configure the channel on the router itself.

They really don't want you to be able to configure these things for our individual situations. It makes sense cause they know once you have a few "power" users getting great signals in very rural areas that they will have to upgrade their backhauls to these remote towers. There is definitely some dissonance in the sale of this service as a solution for "RURAL" internet. By rural they clearly mean "far from cable and fiber providers, but still line of sight to cell towers without any obstructions"

[ghfct]

No, the connectors have turned into a dead end. It seems the route to go is direct solder so far.

Where can I learn more? Is this experience from the Facebook group?

[spoonipple]

Can someone repost the teardown video of the 5G router please?

[gscheb]

Hello all,
In the past checked to see if this was available to me and it wasn't. Even though been using phone sim in router for 3 years! Today checked again and it says it is available to me now.
Questions have :
Anyone seen severe slow downs with prioritization with this service?
What Category modem is this device?
Confused if this is 2x2 or 4x4 mimo antennas that can be added to this thing?
Thanks for any info

[paperwastage]

Hello all,
In the past checked to see if this was available to me and it wasn't. Even though been using phone sim in router for 3 years! Today checked again and it says it is available to me now.
Questions have :
Anyone seen severe slow downs with prioritization with this service?
What Category modem is this device?
Confused if this is 2x2 or 4x4 mimo antennas that can be added to this thing?
Thanks for any info

Which one, the 5G version or 4G version

[gscheb]

Which one, the 5G version or 4G version

Believe moving forward everyone now gets the Nokia 5g and LTE version combo. Round grey silver looking thing.

[Osensnolf]

The 5G version is very easy to take apart even without a reference. The antennas disconnect very easily and the new ones (for me) required some pressure to snap into place.

[gscheb]

The 5G version is very easy to take apart even without a reference. The antennas disconnect very easily and the new ones (for me) required some pressure to snap into place.

That is good to know. How many antennas did you hook to it? See conflicting info whether it is a 4x4 or 2x2 mimo.

[gscheb]

Hello again,

Now have the new T-Mobile Home Internet 5G silver can. I am located 4.7 miles from the tower. Had been using T-Mobile phone sim in router for years. Kept getting slower and slower after Sprint merger. Seems they had taken allot of the power and gave it to other bands I didn't have access too.
So this new device is way faster then the phone sim for sure.
Currently have one parabolic antenna on the house hooked to it. One of the ones that get up too 22 dbi. That was always my best option with T-Mobile phone sim since Band 2 was my best available band.
Know from calling T-Mobile they told me that the bands the tower has are 2, 12, 71 and N71.
So here is my question. Would I be better off to get a Antenna that has lower frequencies to get a better band 71 and band N71 signal strength? Because If i do that will loos about 10 dBi signal strength on band 2. Since those parabolic types are geared toward high frequencies only.

This picture below show my signal stats. The primary signal is band 2. The secondary signal is band N71. Amazed that it is picking up that lower frequency at all!!!!
But you can see how terrible the signal strength and quality is of Band N71. This info is about all this device will tell you. Don't have any clue what combo carrier aggregation bands it is doing or nothing.

T-Mobile Home Internet Signal.PNG

Also as a side note we use this to work from home so upload speed is important to us. Have no idea if this thing uses the only the primary signal for upload? That is what it is acting like. The upload is similiar to phone sim speed had before this device when only connecting to band 2 and 12.. Also don't know if band 71 is good for uploads if I improve that?
Here at this tower.
Band 2 is 15 mhz and Band 71 10 mhz.
Thanks for any guidance with this. This device is all new to me. Never thought I would see 5G where I live of any kind even if it is low band T-Mobile!

[gscheb]

This is an update to what is posted above.
Done some more experiments with antennas with this device. At first when I seen that the this link for instructions showed to connect to antenna 3 and 4 figured that was wrong for the primary. But it seems they are the primary from what I tested. If I disconnect antenna 1 & 2 and hook up up antenna 3 & 4 it will connect and work. But is I connect up antenna 1 & 2 and disconnect antenna 3 & 4 won't connect to the internet.
The other thing that have test is connecting two parabolic high frequencies to this thing. What happened is get NO 5G signal at all. When this happens my speeds are comparable to the what I had with the T-Mobile phone sim in a Quectel EP06. This could be the lack of lower bands like band 71 as well but hard to tell doesn't show allot of info on this Gateway Device.
The next thing tried was I mismatched the antenna ports. So for example antenna 1 & 3 are going to outside parabolic antenna. Then antenna 2 & 4 are going to some proxicast black plastic rubber duck antenna types. Know this is usually something that is a not preferred but it actually gave me the best signal strength combo and speeds so far.
Here below are the new stats can see this increased the 5G N71 signal strength and quality. This change gave it quite a boost.

T-Mobile Home Internet Signal Try 2.PNG

Reason why I did this mismatched thing is don't have the correct antennas for this set up. All I have is the black plastic omni antennas and the parabolic ones.
So question does anyone know what kind of antenna I should try? Should I try all Wideband antennas? Or just attach one in combo with this parabolic grid antenna?

[Didneywhorl]

Hard to say. I'm not a fan of mixing antenna types when the unit uses 4. The widebands set to all 4 ports seem to work simplest.

I've got the 4x4 MIMO panel from The Wireless Haven on mine right now.

[gscheb]

not a fan of mixing antenna types when the unit uses 4. The widebands set to all 4 ports seem to work simplest. I've got the 4x4 MIMO panel from The Wireless Haven on mine right now.

Does anyone have any experience with 4x4 MIMO panel from The Wireless Haven on T-Mobile band 71 and N71?
Know this isn't perfectly tuned for that band. But should get bleed over from it. So Maybe it is ok?
Hate to loose my high gain on Band 2!!!! Guess you can't have it all. Got to meet in the middle somewhere on this set up. The available bands are such wide range apart.

[gscheb]

This is another update to what is posted above.

This is mismatched antenna ports. So for example antenna 1 & 3 are going to outside parabolic antenna. Then antenna 2 & 4 are going to a Mimo Proxicast wide band antenna. Know this is usually something that is a not preferred but it actually gave me the best signal strength combo and speeds so far.

Below is the new signal stats. The primary is band 2 and the secondary is band N71.

New Signals.png

These two antennas are pointed the same way. Not turned in anyway they are both vertical and horizontal position. The proxicast is about 3 to 4 feet below the parabolic. The primary signal will jump up to -117 at times. Think there might be interference between these antennas this is isn't done right.

Had to try for long time switching wires over and over to get the best upload. Some combinations would give upload of like .86 was just terrible.

Wouldn't recommend this set up honestly it is a rigged mess. But works good enough for me until someone comes out with a 4X4 mimo antenna that is manufactured to support band 71 & N71.

[Didneywhorl]

I've pulled in B71 with it. The gain charts on the The Wireless Haven product listing page show the gain level for 600-700 Mhz. It's still in there at about 5-6dBi. Its on the Datasheet

https://thewirelesshaven.com/shop/antennas/4g-lte ... onnectors/

[MudMan54]

I purchased an 11 dBi Yagi Antenna for TV White Space (470-862 MHz). I'm still testing the configuration, but it made a significant difference in the dB gain. Had to send the first one back because of the poor packaging, but it's a high-quality antenna. I'll post my results in a couple of weeks.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07TY ... UTF8&psc=1

[Didneywhorl]

I purchased an 11 dBi Yagi Antenna for TV White Space (470-862 MHz). I'm still testing the configuration, but it made a significant difference in the dB gain. Had to send the first one back because of the poor packaging, but it's a high-quality antenna. I'll post my results in a couple of weeks.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07TY ... UTF8&psc=1

You could've gotten a 600-3800MHz LPDA Radome 9dBi-11dBi Cellular Directional Antenna for half that price: https://thewirelesshaven.com/shop/antennas/4g-lte ... l-antenna/

I'm guessing your using a pair of them?

[MudMan54]

Thanks for the tip, but I already had a couple of the The Wireless Haven 1700-2700MHz WiFi 4G LTE 15dBi Directional MIMO Antennas and wanted the maximum gain possible for the 600MHz band n71. With my location from the tower, I need all the gain I can achieve. I have a 30-foot antenna mast using 20ft of LMR400 cabling, my average T-Mobile signal is -115dBi to -120dBi on bands 2,4, and 66 after they updated the cell tower a couple of weeks ago. I've mapped out the cell tower and been to the cell site. From my location, I'm at one of the points of the cell tower antenna triangle, with no antennas directly beaming in my direction. I've tried AT&T and Verizon but the signals are not as good as T-Mobile's service. I have lots of foliage and trees with no direct line of sight unless I go up to 60ft.
One thing I have discovered about antennas you just never know what will work best for your location and price is not always an indicator. I'm currently waiting on my WG1608 and a Quectel RM502-AE to arrive and hopefully have decent bandwidth using n71.

[gscheb]

This is another update to what is posted above.

This is mismatched antenna ports. So for example antenna 1 & 3 are going to outside parabolic antenna. Then antenna 2 & 4 are going to a Mimo Proxicast wide band antenna. Know this is usually something that is a not preferred but it actually gave me the best signal strength combo and speeds so far.

Below is the new signal stats. The primary is band 2 and the secondary is band N71.
New Signals.png

These two antennas are pointed the same way. Not turned in anyway they are both vertical and horizontal position. The proxicast is about 3 to 4 feet below the parabolic. The primary signal will jump up to -117 at times. Think there might be interference between these antennas this is isn't done right.

Had to try for long time switching wires over and over to get the best upload. Some combinations would give upload of like .86 was just terrible.

Wouldn't recommend this set up honestly it is a rigged mess. But works good enough for me until someone comes out with a 4X4 mimo antenna that is manufactured to support band 71 & N71.

Another update looked into this again today.

After working thru the connections have learned that connection L4 is the primary connection.
It will connect to LTE with this only connected.
No other connections will do that.

What I am not sure if what connection pairs with it?
For example is it L4 & L3 go together?
Or is it is L4 & L2 go together?

Would think it would be L4 & L3 go together but also would have thought that L1 would have been the Primary antenna.

[gscheb]

Another update looked into this again today.

After working thru the connections have learned that connection L4 is the primary connection.
It will connect to LTE with this only connected.
No other connections will do that.

What I am not sure if what connection pairs with it?
For example is it L4 & L3 go together?
Or is it is L4 & L2 go together?

Would think it would be L4 & L3 go together but also would have thought that L1 would have been the Primary antenna.

Learned something else about this L4 primary antenna. Today when I connected it and it only to a wide band external antenna got LTE and 5G connection.
Once was thinking there was probably a LTE primary and 5G primary. But seems L4 is both. So maybe the other three are just diversity antennas?

[gscheb]

Hello,

Getting confused about signals and how this thing works. If I hook L3 & L4 only to a parabolic grid which isn't tuned for band 71 or N71 it will connect to 5G. Now when it does that L1 & L2 are connected to nothing. And it connects to LTE & 5G N71.

But when I connect all 4 of them to the parabolic grids will not get 5G. It connects to LTE only and runs slower!

So my question is can it be getting band N71 from just the wires them selves? Is this how it is connecting to 5G with nothing connected to L1 & L2? Like basically the old clock radio got radio signals from a wire.

So for now still have mixed matched antennas. Done it two different ways.
One with L3 & L4 to parabolic and L1 & L2 to proxicast mimo antenna.
The second time with L3 & L4 to parabolic and L1 & L2 to stick antennas like you would connect to the router.

With these Mixmatched set ups I am getting connected to Band 2 and band N71.

This is in learning and experimental mode so please don't judge these photos.

IMG_20210514_125621.jpg

IMG_20210515_181128.jpg

My goal is to get more upload speed for working from home.
So will need to buy different antennas to try again.