EE New 2021 5G Router

[Nori7]

You’re the first person I’ve come across who’s shared their experience on the new router. I’m moving to a new flat which isn’t covered by Openreach Fibre and 5GEE is the only viable solution for fast internet (No 3 or Vodafone options either) so I’d love to pick your brain a bit. I’m not very technical and my knowledge on networking is very limited haha.

What is the range like?

I know it has a battery but I assume you can leave it plugged in all the time without any issues? (thinking about overheating)

Is it possible to disable the WiFi from the router? Reason I ask is if the range isn’t great I’d like to use a mesh system (something like the Deco M4).

Do you (or anyone else on here) know if it would even be possible to set up a mesh system with it? I’ve got one set up at my parents house with an OpenReach Modem but I suspect for the 5GEE router it’s just plug and play as it doesn’t support modem only mode. I know double Nat will be an issue but the only device it would impact would be my PS5 which I was hoping to connect to the LAN Port of the 5GEE router and then use the WiFi from the mesh for wireless devices.

Hi, im not the best at this stuff but I can give your questions a go.

In terms of range, I haven't had any problems. I live in roughly a 550sq ft flat with several rooms and had good connection in all of them. If it does become an issue you can always use an extender or run a network cable to the device you are using. (The router has two LAN ports at the back). I actually run a cable from the router to my PS4 and had zero problems.

In regards to the battery, I was previously using one of the pocket sized 4G routers for about 18 months, constantly plugged in and it would get warm but it never effected performance or stopped working. With this new router, its a lot bigger and has ventilation holes etc, so I'm sure they've designed it for constant use. I wouldn't worry about over heating.

Im not familiar with the mesh system you mentioned but I know the router has an internal/external switch at the back. Internal obviously uses the internal antenna and ext will switch to whatever you have plugged in. The four connectors at the back are TS9, if you plan on plugging an antenna in.

 

[baguar]

You’re the first person I’ve come across who’s shared their experience on the new router. I’m moving to a new flat which isn’t covered by Openreach Fibre and 5GEE is the only viable solution for fast internet (No 3 or Vodafone options either) so I’d love to pick your brain a bit. I’m not very technical and my knowledge on networking is very limited haha.

What is the range like?

I know it has a battery but I assume you can leave it plugged in all the time without any issues? (thinking about overheating)

Is it possible to disable the WiFi from the router? Reason I ask is if the range isn’t great I’d like to use a mesh system (something like the Deco M4).

Do you (or anyone else on here) know if it would even be possible to set up a mesh system with it? I’ve got one set up at my parents house with an OpenReach Modem but I suspect for the 5GEE router it’s just plug and play as it doesn’t support modem only mode. I know double Nat will be an issue but the only device it would impact would be my PS5 which I was hoping to connect to the LAN Port of the 5GEE router and then use the WiFi from the mesh for wireless devices.

I'm in exactly the same situation as you - we're moving this weekend and there's no available fibre in the area. So I've gone with EE 5G as they're the only 5G service in town.

I don't believe this device has a battery so I think it is mains powered the whole time. It's quite big so I don't think heating will be an issue and should be designed to run 24/7.

I also have a Deco M4 mesh wireless system which I will be looking to plug into the router. I'm not too fussed about double NAT (as I do that currently with my BT SmartHub).

The admin UI on the router does let you disable the onboard WiFi if needed. I can't see any option to run in bridge mode though but I haven't looked too closely. Will have a squizz when the dust settles from the move.

I'm moving at the weekend so will let you know how the EE router and the Deco mesh behaves themselves!

Cheers.

 

[Pandapolice]

I'm in exactly the same situation as you - we're moving this weekend and there's no available fibre in the area. So I've gone with EE 5G as they're the only 5G service in town.

I don't believe this device has a battery so I think it is mains powered the whole time. It's quite big so I don't think heating will be an issue and should be designed to run 24/7.

I also have a Deco M4 mesh wireless system which I will be looking to plug into the router. I'm not too fussed about double NAT (as I do that currently with my BT SmartHub).

The admin UI on the router does let you disable the onboard WiFi if needed. I can't see any option to run in bridge mode though but I haven't looked too closely. Will have a squizz when the dust settles from the move.

I'm moving at the weekend so will let you know how the EE router and the Deco mesh behaves themselves!

Cheers.

What are the odds haha! I’m moving in 2 weeks so would be great to hear your experience! Yeah please do update us when you can after settling in. Good to know WiFi can be disabled using the GUI, EE kept giving conflicting information when I asked them.

All the best for the move, hope it goes smoothly

 

[Pandapolice]

Hi, im not the best at this stuff but I can give your questions a go.

In terms of range, I haven't had any problems. I live in roughly a 550sq ft flat with several rooms and had good connection in all of them. If it does become an issue you can always use an extender or run a network cable to the device you are using. (The router has two LAN ports at the back). I actually run a cable from the router to my PS4 and had zero problems.

In regards to the battery, I was previously using one of the pocket sized 4G routers for about 18 months, constantly plugged in and it would get warm but it never effected performance or stopped working. With this new router, its a lot bigger and has ventilation holes etc, so I'm sure they've designed it for constant use. I wouldn't worry about over heating.

Im not familiar with the mesh system you mentioned but I know the router has an internal/external switch at the back. Internal obviously uses the internal antenna and ext will switch to whatever you have plugged in. The four connectors at the back are TS9, if you plan on plugging an antenna in.

Thank you so much that’s been really helpful! Have the antenna’s made much of a difference since you first started using them or is still pretty much the same?

 

[jcamain]

Just realised how new these posts are, so probably still being tested out in all the house moves! Has anyone tried the 5GEE Router yet with a mesh system? I'm using Google Wifi throughout the house with a 4GEE sim only contract and a Netgear LTE router in bridge mode, with three Google units, one plugged directly into the router and the others using mesh. I could really do with moving to 5G as we finally have it - So options are get the 5GEE Router and hope I can plug it in and it will work with Google Wifi (turn off Wifi and plug in the ethernet plug and hey presto), or get a Sim only 5G card and buy the latest and greatest Netgear M5 Router which should work in Bridge mode - think money wise it's much of a muchness over time, I've done a little bit of googling and nothing is clear, so great to find someone who actually has the 5GEE Router .. I'm also going to get someone I know who has a 5G phone contract to the house just to make sure that the 5G is working and check the strength of the signal and speed!

 

[baguar]

Just realised how new these posts are, so probably still being tested out in all the house moves! Has anyone tried the 5GEE Router yet with a mesh system? I'm using Google Wifi throughout the house with a 4GEE sim only contract and a Netgear LTE router in bridge mode, with three Google units, one plugged directly into the router and the others using mesh. I could really do with moving to 5G as we finally have it - So options are get the 5GEE Router and hope I can plug it in and it will work with Google Wifi (turn off Wifi and plug in the ethernet plug and hey presto), or get a Sim only 5G card and buy the latest and greatest Netgear M5 Router which should work in Bridge mode - think money wise it's much of a muchness over time, I've done a little bit of googling and nothing is clear, so great to find someone who actually has the 5GEE Router .. I'm also going to get someone I know who has a 5G phone contract to the house just to make sure that the 5G is working and check the strength of the signal and speed!

This router seems quite locked down by EE, so there really aren't many configuration options unfortunately.

I can't see any way of enabling Bridge mode, so if that's absolutely needed for your use case, then perhaps look elsewhere. I currently have a Deco M4 mesh with the 5GEE wireless disabled. Yes this does then have double NAT, but I don't personally have any issues running this way for my circumstances. YMMV of course!

I haven't had a lot of time yet to play around with positioning the device for best reception (2 adults WfH and 2 kids after school hours means people screaming at me if I keep unplugging it ).

(apologies if I don't use the correct terminology here, I'm new to this game)
I seem to be at an intersection between 2 EE towers - the closest one with the strongest signal doesn't seem to have as many bands available:
Cell ID:7398401
RSRP:-80 dBm
RSSI:-70 dBm
Bands: B3,B3,B7,B7

Speedtest results vary but the best I've seen is around 200 down/40 up.

I can also just about pickup another tower that has more bands but with a weaker signal.
Cell ID: 6777363
Bands: B1,B7,B3,B7,n78
RSRP:-100 dBm
RSSI:-90 dBm

Should I be looking to try and get the best connection to that 2nd tower then? Speedtest is around 80/10 that I've seen.

Annoyingly the 5GEE router seems to want to connect to the 2nd tower over the first tower, even though the signal is a lot weaker. I.e. the spot I've found with the best reception for the 1st tower is where it also picks up the 2nd tower, and the router flips over to that 2nd tower after a while (at slower ultimate speeds). Is there a way to get it to not do this? I assume it's because it's got the n78 channel available?

Will update as I investigate a bit more!

 

[jcamain]

Thanks! So sounds like SIM only and a 5G router / modem will be better for me! Will report back ..

 

[pras1011]

How is this new modem going?

 

[dabigm]

is the router unlocked ? (gonna guess it's not)

 

[Arcadeez]

I'm in exactly the same situation as you - we're moving this weekend and there's no available fibre in the area. So I've gone with EE 5G as they're the only 5G service in town.

I don't believe this device has a battery so I think it is mains powered the whole time. It's quite big so I don't think heating will be an issue and should be designed to run 24/7.

I also have a Deco M4 mesh wireless system which I will be looking to plug into the router. I'm not too fussed about double NAT (as I do that currently with my BT SmartHub).

The admin UI on the router does let you disable the onboard WiFi if needed. I can't see any option to run in bridge mode though but I haven't looked too closely. Will have a squizz when the dust settles from the move.

I'm moving at the weekend so will let you know how the EE router and the Deco mesh behaves themselves!

Cheers.

Hi Baguar,
Thank you for your information.
I am looking for a 5G home broadband to replace my super slow home broadband (11-18Mb/s).
I also have own AX router, and I look forward to your update (if you have any new finding (I imagine new firmware may enable the bridge mode?) that if the EE's 5GEE router has bridge mode or not, so that I can go ahead to subscribe the service.
Thanks in advance.
Cheers!

 

[uknowiama]

Just an update.....So I've been getting varied speeds with the router, anywhere from 30mb to 250mb. Usually around the 100mb mark during the day and 200mb+ in the late evening.

I'm also on the EE 5G network on my iPhone 12 Pro Max and have run a few speed tests on it. These come back at 300mb+ regularly. As both devices are connectiong to the same network im guessing the iPhone is just better at achieving high speeds compared to the router.

Either way I'm very happy as I was on 10-35mb MAX before this.

In regards to the antenna I purchased (mentioned above), I tested the router a few times with and without it and to be honest there wasn't any difference so I don't think ill be using it. Luckily I only paid £18 for it on eBay so no huge loss.

Question?

When testing the iPhone 12 on 5G - that's straight to network?
When testing the 5GEE Router is that from your phone or laptop using a wireless connection or a PC with a wired connection?

I see when testing FTTP or 5G speeds the bottle neck becomes the performance of the wireless, so best to take that out of the equation and use a PC with a wired 1Gbps connection to the routers.

 

[F Graham Marshall]

I have just received an EE 5GEE Router 2021 (Zyxel NR5103?) and wonder if anyone has more data on it yet?
I will use the external antenna sockets. There are four and I will attach one Bluespot antenna to start with.

Bluespot: a 4G/5G antenna for UK mobile internet -

Slow internet? Bluespot is a 4G & 5G broadband internet antenna, that fixes internet speed when signal is patchy. Our antennas connect to your existing 4G/5G broadband router to boost your internet speed. They work with all providers and are designed for UK 5G frequencies - to turn your router...

bluespotnet.co.uk

Which pair of sockets? -I assume into the top 2.

When the switch is on external does the box expect 2 antennas at 3.5 GHz and still use the internal 4G antennas? I suppose it must and that limits where you put the box - it would still like to be high up?
The Bluespot covers all bands but the sockets perhaps only use the 3.3 GHz antenna and ignore the others?
Perhaps I can add 2 Bluespots and use all 4 sockets with the antennas 45 degrees apart ????

Has any one any experience of this yet?
With the box on a high shelf (ground floor) I can get 70 bps on 5G - but it drops at times. Then 4G is better at 50 bps.
One odd thing is the that the time to load a new web page is longer on 5G even when the speed is better than 4G.

Help?

 

[The Wee Bear]

Apologies for reviving an old thread folks, but just noticed that you can actually buy the EE 5G router from Scancom.

I take it it's the Zyxel NR5103 5G.

Locked to EE it's £272.99 or unlocked at £302.99.

EE 5G Router

Just thought I'd share, because it's good to share.

 

[The Wee Bear]

Not a one off purchase, but £50 plus VAT with a 2 year contract will get you an outdoor and indoor 5G router.

EE Rural Broadband

Notice the mention of 'truly unlimited data, no FUP applies'

Amazing what secrets you can find at Scancom.

 

[GavinAshford]

Not a one off purchase, but £50 plus VAT with a 2 year contract will get you an outdoor and indoor 5G router.

EE Rural Broadband

Notice the mention of 'truly unlimited data, no FUP applies'

Amazing what secrets you can find at Scancom.

£499 all up-front here (no monthly) for 24months (works out at ~£21 per month), but '600GB FUP'

5GEE Router Rural Broadband Plug & Play Unlimited 5G Data* (24 months pre-paid)

5GEE Rural Broadband Plug & Play Unlimited 5G Data* (600GB Fair Usage) Unlimited 5G Data*: Fair use policy applies of 600GB per month. Pre-paid & Pre-loaded data Lasts for 24 months Unlimited 5G Data* FREE 5GEE router + in the box items DPD next day delivery What is in the box? 5GEE Outdoor...

www.scancom.co.uk

 

[The Wee Bear]

£499 all up-front here (no monthly) for 24months (works out at ~£21 per month), but '600GB FUP'

5GEE Router Rural Broadband Plug & Play Unlimited 5G Data* (24 months pre-paid)

5GEE Rural Broadband Plug & Play Unlimited 5G Data* (600GB Fair Usage) Unlimited 5G Data*: Fair use policy applies of 600GB per month. Pre-paid & Pre-loaded data Lasts for 24 months Unlimited 5G Data* FREE 5GEE router + in the box items DPD next day delivery What is in the box? 5GEE Outdoor...

www.scancom.co.uk

Guess that's not bad Gavin considering the price some 5G routers alone are, never mind including 2 years of unlimited EE.

 

[meritez]

£499 all up-front here (no monthly) for 24months (works out at ~£21 per month), but '600GB FUP'

5GEE Router Rural Broadband Plug & Play Unlimited 5G Data* (24 months pre-paid)

5GEE Rural Broadband Plug & Play Unlimited 5G Data* (600GB Fair Usage) Unlimited 5G Data*: Fair use policy applies of 600GB per month. Pre-paid & Pre-loaded data Lasts for 24 months Unlimited 5G Data* FREE 5GEE router + in the box items DPD next day delivery What is in the box? 5GEE Outdoor...

www.scancom.co.uk

which router is that?

 

[The Wee Bear]

which router is that?

5G NR CPE-Askey Computer Corp. (亞旭電腦)

A perfect device for connected home solutions.

www.askey.com.tw

5G NR ODU-Askey Computer Corp. (亞旭電腦)

Combines ultimate performance and revolutionary high-speed 5G technology to boost your broadband access network.

www.askey.com.tw

Looks very much like the Askey meritez.

 

[The Wee Bear]

Just adding a video about the above products here folks, just in case anyone's curious and wants a wEE (Stolen from Lucian) nosey.

 

[The Wee Bear]

O2 Homespot 5G - 4G Cat. 20 Router Askey RTL6310VW-D112LTE WLAN 802.11ax 5 GHZ | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for O2 Homespot 5G - 4G Cat. 20 Router Askey RTL6310VW-D112LTE WLAN 802.11ax 5 GHZ at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products.

www.ebay.co.uk

Looks like O2 also use the Askey 5G router too.
I spotted this on the online tat bazaar.
There's a couple references to Huawei in the description, maybe a copy n paste error.