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4G Router Recommendations...

Hi all,

After moving house and getting a not great connection from my existing BT broadband contract (20mb down 2mb up) I am starting to look into 4G options.

Upstairs, near one of the bedroom windows, I get around 70mb down and 20mb up (I am on iD Mobile) which would make working from home a fair bit easier.

I've been looking at the B618s-65d but I read different carriers/routers use different bands of 4G etc - will it be compatible? If not any advice on alternatives that would work for me... Maybe with the option of an external outdoor antenna to improve speed/reliability?

And in regards to provider... would iD mobile be ok (on the Three network). I checked on the ofcom site and we get good connections with all carriers... although on the map view Three seems to provide a much broader coverage here than the other carriers...

Cheers,
Rob
 
Hi all,

After moving house and getting a not great connection from my existing BT broadband contract (20mb down 2mb up) I am starting to look into 4G options.

Upstairs, near one of the bedroom windows, I get around 70mb down and 20mb up (I am on iD Mobile) which would make working from home a fair bit easier.

I've been looking at the B618s-65d but I read different carriers/routers use different bands of 4G etc - will it be compatible? If not any advice on alternatives that would work for me... Maybe with the option of an external outdoor antenna to improve speed/reliability?

And in regards to provider... would iD mobile be ok (on the Three network). I checked on the ofcom site and we get good connections with all carriers... although on the map view Three seems to provide a much broader coverage here than the other carriers...

Cheers,
Rob
What did you test with, which device?
 
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Ok, so the modem inside the iphone 13 is way, way better than the one in the B618 which is a modest device.
You say you are with ID Mobile which is Three, then I suspect you might have tapped into Three's band 32 for the extra speed which the B618 does not support. Can you share a post code?

I'd suggest to find a B818 if possible, if not then a Huawei B628, they are better devices.

Re external antenna, I would not recommend it in your case, seems there is a nice strong signal providing high speeds in your home. An antenna does not always help, it's mostly useful if you have a weak signal indoors etc.
 
@robmillington got it. BTW, if you feel uneasy sharing post codes online, feel free to censor part of it.

Cellmapper shows a few masts around, but no mention of band 32, that could be because it is not a primary carrier. However even the advertised B3 could give you the speeds you noticed, so still good.

I'll stick to my initial recommendation, try the B818 or B628. Before you do that though, test, test and test again, especially speed tests at peak hours, because that's when most problems appear.

To make your life a little bit more complicated, EE claim there is 5G in your area. :)
It is outdoors only though, so you could try to order a payg from them or something and see if you pick better speeds than with Three. If that works then you'd need to look at a whole new class of devices.
 

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wow the b618 is pricey compared to the zte mf286d which can be picked up from cex for £45.
Is that any good? Never used it. I also see it at a good price on Amazon, also from Three.
 
but no mention of band 32, that could be because it is not a primary carrier.
Cellmapper does not show band 32 as its single way ie download only. I have had band 32 for 15 months but the mast I use still does register band 32 on cellmapper despite me sending the data. When band 32 was added Cellmapper showed the mast change from 3 and 20 to 1, 3 and 20. So I would have thought band 1 showing on a mast means its likely to have band 32 but its not a certainty as my mast is under the joint EE/Three regime.
 
Thanks all - super helpful!

The mf286d does indeed look good value for money - and as this is an initial test it might be a good place to start.

5G would be nice – but looking at EE contracts its a 12 or 24 month contract commitment (for unlimited which I would probably need) and I spotted on a local news site that plans to install a Three 5G mast were granted in Nov 21.. so perhaps they will come in with something too in the future.
 
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Cat12/13

Band 32 support, can be put in bridge mode, modem is a Qualcomm 9250 minipcie card, has external antenna ports.
So same chipset as the Sierra EM7511: https://m2msupport.net/m2msupport/product/sierra-wireless-em7511-mgff-m-2-lte-4g-module/

Has OpenWRT support as well.

If the OP is looking for just a 4G router, £45 is not a bad price
That sounds like what the doctor ordered.

Cacombos for some reason doesn't list B32 though:
 
Thanks all - super helpful!

The mf286d does indeed look good value for money - and as this is an initial test it might be a good place to start.

5G would be nice – but looking at EE contracts its a 12 or 24 month contract commitment (for unlimited which I would probably need) and I spotted on a local news site that plans to install a Three 5G mast were granted in Nov 21.. so perhaps they will come in with something too in the future.
Glad it helped you.
As I said, before you commit, do test thoroughly on your phone.
Install the nperf or speedtest app and do regular tests for a few days, especially at peak hours (and also at whatever hours are important to you).
 
I am using Netgear Orbi RBK853 router and If your internet service provider allows it, we recommend obtaining the RBK853 so you can make use of the increased capacity to receive better Wi-Fi speeds as well as more connected devices and simultaneous streaming.
Those aren't 4G routers though.
 
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It's currently thrashing a vn007+.

I'm surprised
Yeah, the vn007+ can be modest, but I'm still happy with it (tough today it let me down by not playing ball with esim..).
 
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