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CPE Pro + Antenna vs CPE Pro 2???

tim.jtq

Super Pro Member
Hi Everyone

In terms of both speed an reliability, which do you think would be better out of a CPE Pro with an external antenna or a CPE Pro 2 without an external antenna?

As many of you probably already know, it is not possible to plug external antennas into the CPE Pro 2.

The reason I am asking is that I already have a CPE Pro and I am wodering if I should get an antenna for it or purchase a CPE Pro 2 instead.

Thank you very much.
 
I've had both routers you mentioned and both preformed similar.

Biggest dfferences are that the Pro 2 supports many more bands than its predecessor.

Also the antenna sockets are for 5G not 4G so it all depends what signal is available to you in your area.


You'll get a specs comparison on the link above.

Also there is a forum related to all sorts of mobile and router goodies below you may want to have a wee lookie at.


Have fun if you visit tim.jtq :giggle:
 
I've had both routers you mentioned and both preformed similar.

Biggest dfferences are that the Pro 2 supports many more bands than its predecessor.

Also the antenna sockets are for 5G not 4G so it all depends what signal is available to you in your area.


You'll get a specs comparison on the link above.

Also there is a forum related to all sorts of mobile and router goodies below you may want to have a wee lookie at.


Have fun if you visit tim.jtq :giggle:
Hi The Wee Bear

Thank you very much indeed for your very informative reply and for the links.
 
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20221113_124918.jpg

Hi tim.jtq, you're probably asking the wrong person as I don't have any 5G. :(

But compared to the MC801A and Huawei CPE Pro 2, they are pretty much the same on 4G, perhaps a little faster but not a great deal in it.

I actually wanted 2 routers the same for EE and Three to keep me happy in my OCD world, so when I found out both networks were using the same Zyxel router, it was a no brainer for me lol.

Also I wanted to try a new chipset for a change too. (Mediatek)

I just love the network logos on them as well, the sad person that I am.

OCD can be an expensive business believe me.😁

The router corner is the best its ever been though, an OCD free zone.:rolleyes::giggle:
 
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Hi The Wee Bear

No worries but thank you very much for your reply anyway. :)
No problem, hopefully someone with 5G can pop in and advise you more on the comparison between the two. :)
 
View attachment 4238
Hi tim.jtq, you're probably asking the wrong person as I don't have any 5G. :(

But compared to the MC801A and Huawei CPE Pro 2, they are pretty much the same on 4G, perhaps a little faster but not a great deal in it.

I actually wanted 2 routers the same for EE and Three to keep me happy in my OCD world, so when I found out both networks were using the same Zyxel router, it was a no brainer for me lol.

Also I wanted to try a new chipset for a change too. (Mediatek)

I just love the network logos on them as well, the sad person that I am.

OCD can be an expensive business believe me.😁

The router corner is the best its ever been though, an OCD free zone.:rolleyes::giggle:
Is your 5103 EE unlocked?
 
Is your 5103 EE unlocked?
I've never tried another sim in it meritez, it was brand new unopened so I expect it's still locked.

Will try the three sim in it tomorrow and report back. :)
 
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Is your 5103 EE unlocked?
Well I done my sim experiment this morning meritez, and to my surprise the three sim works just fine.

I honestly thought they were all locked to EE, especially this router as it was brand new, unopened and unused.

You could even buy them from Scancom at one time locked (Cheaper) or unlocked.(£30 more)

Anyway, that was a nice surprise, I'm glad you asked now. :giggle:
 
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Until we get 5G NR SA (Stand Alone) in the UK pretty much most of the better 5G Routers will perform simular, this includes most of the Huawei 5G Routers.

Your Huawei Pro is still a very cabable Router, be it only supports only one of the 5G Bands in the UK which is Band n78 (3500Mhz).

What is the reasoning for adding an external Antenna? If its to improve 4G Signal Strength then your wasting your time as the External Antenna Ports on this Unit only support 3500 Mhz on its 2 Ports (3.3 to 4ghz). If its to improve your 5G Signal, then the External Antenna will work well, but as mentioned only for the UK n78 5G Band, which by the way is currently the best Band for 5G Speed (most Bandwidth).

As you mention both the Huawei CPE Pro 2 and the Pro 3 do not have any External Antenna options but do have additional 5G Bands for its Internal Antenna setup, so it's a bit of swings and roundabouts on this, but note the above about Band n78.

Sorry if it's all a bit Techy but you did ask the Question.

Personally speaking if your current CPE Pro is working for you, and your getting a 5G n78 Signal on top of your 4G then I would probably stick with this for now, at least until the general 5G Rollouts really improve into NR SA mode. If you want to play about with 3.5ghz (UK n78) by all means have a play but you don't need a Full Band Antenna, just a 3.5Ghz version,. If I was to recommend one then it would be the Huawei AF9 2x2 MiMo External Antenna (3.3 - 4ghz), they work really well on these Routers and are a well designed and compact Antenna with plenty of Forward Gain at these Frequencies.
 
Last edited:
Until we get 5G NR SA (Stand Alone) in the UK pretty much most of the better 5G Routers will perform simular, this includes most of the Huawei 5G Routers.

Your Huawei Pro is still a very cabable Router, be it only supports only one of the 5G Bands in the UK which is Band n78 (3500Mhz).

What is the reasoning for adding an external Antenna? If its to improve 4G Signal Strength then your wasting your time as the External Antenna Ports on this Unit only support 3500 Mhz on its 2 Ports (3.3 to 4ghz). If its to improve your 5G Signal, then the External Antenna will work well, but as mentioned only for the UK n78 5G Band, which by the way is currently the best Band for 5G Speed (most Bandwidth).

As you mention both the Huawei CPE Pro 2 and the Pro 3 do not have any External Antenna options but do have additional 5G Bands for its Internal Antenna setup, so it's a bit of swings and roundabouts on this, but note the above about Band n78.

Sorry if it's all a bit Techy but you did ask the Question.

Personally speaking if your current CPE Pro is working for you, and your getting a 5G n78 Signal on top of your 4G then I would probably stick with this for now, at least until the general 5G Rollouts really improve into NR SA mode. If you want to play about with 3.5ghz (UK n78) by all means have a play but you don't need a Full Band Antenna, just a 3.5Ghz version,. If I was to recommend one then it would be the Huawei AF9 2x2 MiMo External Antenna (3.3 - 4ghz), they work really well on these Routers and are a well designed and compact Antenna with enty of Foward Gain at these Frequencies.
Hi EssexBoy

Thank you very much indeed for your very informative reply and no worries about it being techy. The more information the merrier. :)

Most of the time, my CPE Pro is on approx 100 Mbps download and 10 Mbps upload which is great but sometimes it slows right down to 1 Mbps download and upload.

Sometimes, but not always, rebooting the router makes it fast again.

Do you know why it sometimes slows right down and what I can do to stop this from happening?

Would the antenna you have recommended help?

Just to let you know, the SIM in the router is a Vodafone SIM.

Is it a problem with Vodafone or the router?

Thank you very much.
 
View attachment 4238
Hi tim.jtq, you're probably asking the wrong person as I don't have any 5G. :(

But compared to the MC801A and Huawei CPE Pro 2, they are pretty much the same on 4G, perhaps a little faster but not a great deal in it.

I actually wanted 2 routers the same for EE and Three to keep me happy in my OCD world, so when I found out both networks were using the same Zyxel router, it was a no brainer for me lol.

Also I wanted to try a new chipset for a change too. (Mediatek)

I just love the network logos on them as well, the sad person that I am.

OCD can be an expensive business believe me.😁

The router corner is the best its ever been though, an OCD free zone.:rolleyes::giggle:
Hi Again
Does the antenna you use in the photo make a big improvement on your 4G downloads versus the router internal antenna?
 
Hi Again
Does the antenna you use in the photo make a big improvement on your 4G downloads versus the router internal antenna?
20230228_100238.webp

Actually it's a Philips Hue light bar Thackers, at least you thought it was an antenna, some suggestions were that it came from Ann Summers. :rolleyes:
As you can see in the piccy, it's actually horizontal now so not as ominous looking.😊
 
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