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EE Indoor 4G/5G router

Polo

Member
I’m looking for my first ever 4G/5G router to use with an EE SIM. This is my first time setting up and using 4G/5G broadband.

I have good indoor 4G EE coverage on my iPhone so should have no issue getting a decent speed. 5G is available but according to the EE coverage checker, it’s limited indoors.

I’ve been reading the multiple discussions on the various indoor routers that are available.

I’ve narrowed the shortlist down to the following:

Zyxel NR5103E
Zyxel NR5103EV2
Huawei 5G CPE Pro 2 (H122-373)

Any advice on the models above? Are there other models I should be considering?

Is the NR5103EV2 worth spending more for?

Do routers with antennae (seen some of the Zyxel NR5103E’s with 2/4 antennas) help boost the signal indoors?
 
I’m looking for my first ever 4G/5G router to use with an EE SIM. This is my first time setting up and using 4G/5G broadband.

I have good indoor 4G EE coverage on my iPhone so should have no issue getting a decent speed. 5G is available but according to the EE coverage checker, it’s limited indoors.

I’ve been reading the multiple discussions on the various indoor routers that are available.

I’ve narrowed the shortlist down to the following:

Zyxel NR5103E
Zyxel NR5103EV2
Huawei 5G CPE Pro 2 (H122-373)

Any advice on the models above? Are there other models I should be considering?

Is the NR5103EV2 worth spending more for?

Do routers with antennae (seen some of the Zyxel NR5103E’s with 2/4 antennas) help boost the signal indoors?
1000065294.jpg

Hi Polo, welcome along to the forums. 👍

I don't think you can really go wrong with the routers you've mentioned.

Biggest difference between the V1 and V2 NR5103E's are the amount of antenna connections, and the ethernet speed, not really a problem for most users though.

The V1 is the slightly higher spec router compared to the V2, the V2 is also much smaller.

I think the V2 was probably just a cost cutting exercise on Three's part. 🤷‍♂️

The Huawei CPE Pro 2 has no external antenna sockets if you should ever wish to go down that route, also it does come network locked sometimes so make sure you find out first if it's unlocked or not.

Although the NR5103E routers are 3 badged, they are unlocked so you can swap networks in the future should you wish to.

See above piccy for any network proof. :rolleyes: 😁

The CPE Pro 2 was getting a bit fresh with the O2 router so he's banished to the cupboard now.

The 3 NR5103E also features band locking which is very handy should you wish to tinker, but EE has an NR5103 router which looks identical but has no band locking so be wary of that, the EE version has no 'E' on it's model number.

External antennas can help if you have a very weak signal, but they can also make things much worse too, so see how you get on without them first.

Hope that helps you out a wee bit.:giggle:
 
View attachment 15968
Hi Polo, welcome along to the forums. 👍

I don't think you can really go wrong with the routers you've mentioned.

Biggest difference between the V1 and V2 NR5103E's are the amount of antenna connections, and the ethernet speed, not really a problem for most users though.

The V1 is the slightly higher spec router compared to the V2, the V2 is also much smaller.

I think the V2 was probably just a cost cutting exercise on Three's part. 🤷‍♂️

The Huawei CPE Pro 2 has no external antenna sockets if you should ever wish to go down that route, also it does come network locked sometimes so make sure you find out first if it's unlocked or not.

Although the NR5103E routers are 3 badged, they are unlocked so you can swap networks in the future should you wish to.

See above piccy for any network proof. :rolleyes: 😁

The CPE Pro 2 was getting a bit fresh with the O2 router so he's banished to the cupboard now.

The 3 NR5103E also features band locking which is very handy should you wish to tinker, but EE has an NR5103 router which looks identical but has no band locking so be wary of that, the EE version has no 'E' on it's model number.

External antennas can help if you have a very weak signal, but they can also make things much worse too, so see how you get on without them first.

Hope that helps you out a wee bit.:giggle:

Many thanks for the detailed response! 👍🏻

My next question was going to be whether the 3 badged NR5103E would work with an EE SIM but you’ve answered that for me. 😊

I’ll probably look at the NR5103E as there doesn’t appear to be much benefit to spending extra on the V2.

I’ll probably rule out the CPE Pro 2 just in case I need to use antennae in the future .
 
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Many thanks for the detailed response! 👍🏻

My next question was going to be whether the 3 badged NR5103E would work with an EE SIM but you’ve answered that for me. 😊

I’ll probably look at the NR5103E as there doesn’t appear to be much benefit to spending extra on the V2.

I’ll probably rule out the CPE Pro 2 just in case I need to use antennae in the future .
You're very welcome Polo.

I'm sure the original 'Soap Dispenser' will do you just fine Polo. :giggle:
Let us know how you get on with whatever router you decide on, best of luck.👍
 
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