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5G Hardware recommendations

Lead17

Casual Member
Hi All,

I have been reading the forums for the last couple of weeks but have not been able to get a straight answer (If this is possible) on what people recommend in terms of 5G routers.

I currently have a 4G setup using a B525 with external antenna, I also have the Mikrotik LHGG which I currently don't use but have experience with Router OS. Recently 5G has been switch on in my area and I am able to get 220mbps from the loft in my house on my phone, signal is 3 out of 4 bars and mast is 2.5 miles away with no clear line of sight. It seems to be using band N28 with MIMO. Not sure if it will be using LTE as well but it is using band 1, 3 and 20 in aggregation. Note my LTE alone is giving roughly 100 Mbps combing those three bands. Long story short I want to sell my 4G routers and upgrade to a 5G.

I would be happy with a router that I could sit inside my loft without to pair to and mount an external aerial with lots of leads. An alternative I would consider is a simple outdoor router that requires just a POE network connection, if that would give me better performance. I would like a router that can tell me what I am locking onto and aggregating, as well as potentially being able to lock to a cell. It needs toe aggregate the bands mentioned above and provide MIMO. In addition, something that is stable and doesn't drop connection. I am happy to add it to my wifi setup so wifi performance isn't a big issue. I don't want to go too mad on price, hopefully something around £200.

So far from what I have read there are the ZYXEL NR5101 (Indoor) and NR7101 (Outdoor), they get good reviews generally. However is there much difference between these two in terms of performance? Also they seem to allow remote management and cell locking is that true? Not sure what the FWA versions do?

There is the CPE PRO2, I have currently the B525 which has given me good performance so that is a possibility. What are people's thought in this over the NR above?

Another popular recommendation is the ZTE MC888 but I am not sure if it is better than any of the above. Or maybe another ZTE would be worth ago?

There are the MikroTIK chateau 5G but there isn't much on the internet about people's experiences with these. Plus they are expensive.

Outside of this there seems to be a d-link DX 5G router but not many seem to use it.

I would be interested to know your thoughts on the above routers, or any other recommendations, which you think might work for me.

Thanks in advance
Paul
 
Any 5G NR router from a brand you trust is probably a good pick as you'll probably have better peace of mind using a brand you trust than buying an unfamiliar brand just because someone recommends that unfamiliar brand of router.

As you have experience with Mikrotik, I would have expected you want a router with more features, e.g. band-locking and multi-WAN so Mikrotik and Teltonika are brands which come to mind for consideration.

If you've found Mikrotik to be excessive, you might want a consumer brand or a cheap brand to keep the configuration simple. The impression I get is that most 5G NR routers are reasonably ok so you won't go far wrong with any choice and would usually have a week or two to test and return any 5G NR router which you find to be bad.

As you have experience with the B525 (using a 4G LTE router isn't a world away from using a 5G NR router), you are probably in as good a position to make recommendations as many others here with experience of a single brand and model. The budget of GBP 200 probably limits your choices to ZTE, Zyxel, or Huawei, either second-hand or cheap and new. For consumer performance considerations, you would probably like a router with a capable and modern modem and this will be limited by the budget available as new 5G NR modems command a premium.
 
The CPE PRO2 is a solid work horse, but it will not allow you to lock cells, only bands.

I am a fan of outdoor routers, because being outdoor they usually get more solid signals and can easily be powered over ethernet, so easy to trace network cables.

I have 2 such routers, Huawei CPE Win (rock solid, can lock bands, but not cells) and the ZTE MC7010 (£150 used off ebay), this one is great and can also lock bands - and with the right firmware (ping @stich86 ) can also lock cells.
 
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Thanks mikeliuk

The mikrotik while has lots of features is not the most straightforward and can be time consuming getting things figured out sometimes so I would lean towards maybe some more simple that has some of the features like cell lock. I think that leans me towards Zyxel. Plus the mikrotik is nearly £500 which puts it out of range. As with all these things if something ticks all the boxes but starts to stretch the budget I would consider it so £200 could be increased for the right product.

Would other's recommend the Zyxel 5G routers and what model would they suggest?

While I have used the Huawei and I like it the CPE2 PRO apparently doesn't give information on bands etc which is what I would like to get an idea if I am locking on the correct cell, especially if I am not using a directional antenna to point in the correct direction. Maybe an outdoor Zyxel would give me the ability to point and cell locking ...

Let me know your thoughts.
 
Thanks mikeliuk

The mikrotik while has lots of features is not the most straightforward and can be time consuming getting things figured out sometimes so I would lean towards maybe some more simple that has some of the features like cell lock. I think that leans me towards Zyxel. Plus the mikrotik is nearly £500 which puts it out of range. As with all these things if something ticks all the boxes but starts to stretch the budget I would consider it so £200 could be increased for the right product.

Would other's recommend the Zyxel 5G routers and what model would they suggest?

While I have used the Huawei and I like it the CPE2 PRO apparently doesn't give information on bands etc which is what I would like to get an idea if I am locking on the correct cell, especially if I am not using a directional antenna to point in the correct direction. Maybe an outdoor Zyxel would give me the ability to point and cell locking ...

Let me know your thoughts.
I guess the first thing to decide is which networks and service providers you might use over two to three years so you can check where the masts/towers are for those service providers.

This will determine whether an omni-directional or unidirectional antenna is more appropriate and you can check whether the outdoor Zyxel is omni-directional or unidirectional. I would guess omni-directional but perhaps with a noticeable unidirectional preference (given my experience of an omni-directional Poynting antenna being rather unidirectional in behaviour).

A unidirectional antenna is normally only appropriate in remote or very rural areas where there is only one candidate mast.

I personally have a bias toward using a SMA antenna over the inconvenience of an external router, but I also using my external antenna inside my loft rather than do the work to mount it outside where it should be. (Everything has pros and cons, and I can more easily adjust an antenna in the loft than something which is fixed outside and high up.)
 
I guess the first thing to decide is which networks and service providers you might use over two to three years so you can check where the masts/towers are for those service providers.

This will determine whether an omni-directional or unidirectional antenna is more appropriate and you can check whether the outdoor Zyxel is omni-directional or unidirectional. I would guess omni-directional but perhaps with a noticeable unidirectional preference (given my experience of an omni-directional Poynting antenna being rather unidirectional in behaviour).

A unidirectional antenna is normally only appropriate in remote or very rural areas where there is only one candidate mast.

I personally have a bias toward using a SMA antenna over the inconvenience of an external router, but I also using my external antenna inside my loft rather than do the work to mount it outside where it should be. (Everything has pros and cons, and I can more easily adjust an antenna in the loft than something which is fixed outside and high up.)
I should have stated that I am using EE and will likely keep using for the next 2 years. After that I will see who else has provided 5G in my area. However to that end I live rural and it seems EE have turned a random mast on in my area (Even closest big town doesn't have 5G with EE!).

Like you I have an external antenna with my B525 but it is inside rather than the hassle of mounting outside, especially with having 2 SMA cable / connectors, which now has increased to x4 if you want 4xMIMO. Hence why an outdoor router with one network cable is a bit easier to install. But I get the issues with getting to it should there be any issues!!
 
The CPE PRO2 is a solid work horse, but it will not allow you to lock cells, only bands.

I am a fan of outdoor routers, because being outdoor they usually get more solid signals and can easily be powered over ethernet, so easy to trace network cables.

I have 2 such routers, Huawei CPE Win (rock solid, can lock bands, but not cells) and the ZTE MC7010 (£150 used off ebay), this one is great and can also lock bands - and with the right firmware (ping @stich86 ) can also lock cells.
How easy is it to change the firmware on a MC7010?

What are ZTE vs ZYXEL

The Zyxel have cell locking and both indoor and outdoor options so seem like it could work but what is the performance like compared to the ZTE and Huawei routers?

Also as this is my main internet connection I have a lot of devices from laptops, to tablets and TV's, as well as smart home and CCTV connecting so the router needs to handle a decent amount of traffic.
 
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How easy is it to change the firmware on a MC7010?
Can't be too difficult, depends also on your tech skills.
I myself have never done it.
What are ZTE vs ZYXEL

The Zyxel have cell locking and both indoor and outdoor options so seem like it could work but what is the performance like compared to the ZTE and Huawei routers?
The indoor Zyxel NR5101E does not have cell locking, afaik.
No experience with the outdoor one.

Also as this is my main internet connection I have a lot of devices from laptops, to tablets and TV's, as well as smart home and CCTV connecting so the router needs to handle a decent amount of traffic.
Usually the bottleneck is not the router, but the operator/mast/backhaul.
 
I have the Three version you can pick them up on eBay. You don’t need to change the firmware for the Three version. Just add Java script in your browser to cell lock.

I’ve copied this from another post:

https://gist.githubusercontent.com/...622a4583f0ea2ee4728178af2bd73f4e2f54c4/zte.js )

Use Google Chrome
Ctrl - Shift - i
Copy the whole javascript code and paste in to the 'console' prompt, press enter
Thanks George. Can you unlock the three version and still have access to cell locking? There is one on eBay at the minute here. I can find my way around a bit of coding so not too worried about messing about.

@Lucian I think the NR5101EV2 does cell locking but have heard performance is maybe not as good as V1.

Anyone else have any suggestions as the ZTE and Zyxel seem very popular options.
 
Thanks George. Can you unlock the three version and still have access to cell locking? There is one on eBay at the minute here. I can find my way around a bit of coding so not too worried about messing about.

@Lucian I think the NR5101EV2 does cell locking but have heard performance is maybe not as good as V1.

Anyone else have any suggestions as the ZTE and Zyxel seem very popular options.
That’s the same seller I bought mine from, they are not locked. Just branded. It’s quite simple, you just paste that code in and you’ll get a load more options come up.
They also have an app to help with getting the best position.

I also have/had a zyxel nr5103E and the Huawei Pro 5G, both couldn’t keep a stable 5G connection due to the distance, the ZTE outdoor unit works great for me. (1.5 Miles and higher than the mast)

I did have the Huawei connected to an outdoor antenna from Poynting, directional too. That worked ok for a while for me, but the ZTE outdoor worked out the same speed and has been more reliable.

Edit: You will need a 3/smarty SIM card for system updates, if it’s not on the latest version I would recommend updating it, much more stable.
 
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me seller I bought mine from, they are not locke
That’s the same seller I bought mine from, they are not locked. Just branded. It’s quite simple, you just paste that code in and you’ll get a load more options come up.
They also have an app to help with getting the best position.

I also have/had a zyxel nr5103E and the Huawei Pro 5G, both couldn’t keep a stable 5G connection due to the distance, the ZTE outdoor unit works great for me. (1.5 Miles and higher than the mast)

I did have the Huawei connected to an outdoor antenna from Poynting, directional too. That worked ok for a while for me, but the ZTE outdoor worked out the same speed and has been more reliable.

Edit: You will need a 3/smarty SIM card for system updates, if it’s not on the latest version I would recommend updating it, much more stable.
Thanks George.

Looks like a decent option and good to hear it is stable. I have read a few things with Zyxel with EE and dropouts.

Also available from amazon here

Does the ZTEMC7010 allow NSA and SA. My mobile phone states NSA and also mentions DSS, which I think is sharing 4G and 5G. Can the router aggregate 4G and 5G bands?
 
@Lucian I think the NR5101EV2 does cell locking but have heard performance is maybe not as good as V1.
Yes, v2 is a lesser router, I would not look at it.

Cheers @George26, I had forgotten about the js hack. @Lead17 you can lock bands without any hacks btw, you just need that for the cell lock.

The ebay link is the same seller where I bought mine, too. Legit.
 
Thanks George.

Looks like a decent option and good to hear it is stable. I have read a few things with Zyxel with EE and dropouts.

Also available from amazon here

Does the ZTEMC7010 allow NSA and SA. My mobile phone states NSA and also mentions DSS, which I think is sharing 4G and 5G. Can the router aggregate 4G and 5G bands?
There are a few different MC7010 firmwares depending on which country it was made for. I’m not sure about the Amazon one, the Three one was given to customers in Ireland. I believe some firmwares are not as good as others, the script for cell locking won’t work on all models. It does supper both NSA and SA, you can also use 4G and 5G at the same time, it also has 4x4 Mimmo for 4G. Here is more details https://cacombos.com/device/MC7010
 
There are a few different MC7010 firmwares depending on which country it was made for. I’m not sure about the Amazon one, the Three one was given to customers in Ireland. I believe some firmwares are not as good as others, the script for cell locking won’t work on all models. It does supper both NSA and SA, you can also use 4G and 5G at the same time, it also has 4x4 Mimmo for 4G. Here is more details https://cacombos.com/device/MC7010
Thanks for the information. What firmware do I need to get so I can do cell locking. The ebay one looks like it might fit the required description, I can ask the seller about the firmware.
 
Thanks for the information. What firmware do I need to get so I can do cell locking. The ebay one looks like it might fit the required description, I can ask the seller about the firmware.
No need for custom firmware, the stock one will work. Use the JavaScript method George shared above. Get the ebay one.
 
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Thanks for the information. What firmware do I need to get so I can do cell locking. The ebay one looks like it might fit the required description, I can ask the seller about the firmware.
The 3 network models will have the 3 network firmware, so no need to worry. From my experience, since it’s part directional, it tends to stay on the mast you point it at anyways. If you do cell lock, you’ll need to restart the device after selecting the cell for it to take affect.

I have 2 masts on the left and right side of my outdoor unit, but they don’t perform as well as the one much further away, for the most part it’ll connect to the one that’s most further away since it’s pointed in that direction.
 
The 3 network models will have the 3 network firmware, so no need to worry. From my experience, since it’s part directional, it tends to stay on the mast you point it at anyways. If you do cell lock, you’ll need to restart the device after selecting the cell for it to take affect.

I have 2 masts on the left and right side of my outdoor unit, but they don’t perform as well as the one much further away, for the most part it’ll connect to the one that’s most further away since it’s pointed in that direction.
Thanks, what speed are you getting with this setup and how does this compare to for example your phone? How far is your mast?

Are you getting CA of 5G and 4G for example?
 
Thanks, what speed are you getting with this setup and how does this compare to for example your phone? How far is your mast?

Are you getting CA of 5G and 4G for example?
I’m on 3, and it’s N78 5G, I get around 650 Mbps down and 100 ish upload. I’m getting CA, Band 1 + 3 with N78. (I believe it will do 1,3 and 20 or 28 too) My phone connects to one of the closer masts and won’t connect to the same one due to the distance. I’m about 1.5 miles away, but I’m on the top of a hill, with the mast in the valley. Roughly I’m twice the height of the mast. I found angling the outdoor unit down slightly improved signal.
 
Thanks for all the responses. I am leaning towards a ZTE MC7101. Is there any other routers I should consider. From reading the forums it seems that some indoor routers give just as good as speeds as the above and have wifi included.
 
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