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Improve performance of Vodafone + TP-Link MR600 + Poynting 4G-XPOL-A0001 Antenna

garbtech

Member
Hi there,

I'm trying to improve the performance (connection speed + latency) of my 4G LTE TP-Link MR600 router using Vodafone SIM and a Poynting 4G-XPOL-A0001 antenna.

I've placed the router in an upstairs window and with the Poynting antenna in same location but stuck on the window (seems to be the best spot in my house). It's also the side of the house that the cell tower is closest to (according to cellmapper).

I've tested my setup with and without the antenna and I have to say the download speeds are pretty similar. I have variable download speeds throughout the day ranging from 7Mbps - 25Mbps (using either setup).

I've read a little bit about RSRP, RSRQ, and SNR from here (https://www.digi.com/support/knowledge-base/understanding-lte-signal-strength-values) but I can't get my head around the values I have with the antenna. My readings seem very similar and I'm not sure if I should be doing something differently.

TP-Link MR600 with default "rabbit ears":
RSRP: -85dBm
RSRQ: -13dB
SNR: 2.0bB
Rabbit ears.jpg


Poynting 4G-XPOL-A0001 Antenna:
RSRP: -84dBm
RSRQ: -10dB
SNR: 4.6bB
With Antenna.jpg


Any suggestions on if the antenna is worth the investment or whether I should return it are welcome. Similarly if anyone can interpret my results and provide suggestions I'd be very thankful!

Cheers,
Gartech
 
Your signal is definitely improved with the antenna but not by a huge amount. Your speeds would probably be pretty good on both of them.

One thing I think may be your bottleneck here is the router. The TP-Link router doesn't support the latest in network technology. It's only Cat6 which is somewhat ancient by todays standards.

Many users on the forum get significantly better performance with newer equipment, the budget friendly Huawei B535 is Cat7 which may provide a little performance improvement or the more expensive B618 Cat11 / B818 Cat19 (also 5G capable) router - it's been highly recommended by a few users for far superior performance.

You may find the antenna is unnecessary with a new router as it may provide good enough signal to provide good network throughput as the improvement to your signal values aren't that drastic.
 
B818 isn't 5G capable, but I have seen some marketing for it get muddled as it's 'gigabit capable', but that's only in 4G, not 5G.
 
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That antenna, as you see, is not great in your case. It's an omnidirectional, just like the one in your router. You could try placing it outside, that's about the only advantage you can get with it. I would return it.

As others mentioned, try to get the B818 router from Huawei. It's likely to make the biggest improvement.
If that's not an option, perhaps get the 4G-XPOL-A0002 directional antenna instead and mount it outside.

See attached img for help interpreting the radio signal values.
 

Attachments

  • rtaImage.webp
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Happy new year ISPReviewers! Thank you for taking the time to respond to my questions.

I've been fiddling around with antenna/no antenna on GiffGaff (O2), Three, and Vodafone and I've found that Three can give up to 42Mbps with the antenna and about 15Mbps without so it works significantly better with Three (different band perhaps?). I've noticed that Three's upload speed is pretty crap compared to any other network and maxes out at ~8Mbps whereas others can be 14Mbps.

I think Three might be worth trying as a network for a month just to see how things go.

I've also been roughly measuring my latency and general connection stablility with all three providers whilst playing online games whilst wired directly into the router. Vodafone is consistently "spikey", GiffGaff seems to be less so and Three seems pretty consistent. I just worry that with a low upload speed video calls for work will be poor.

I take onboard the improvement with the Huawei improvements and I might see if I can return the router and purchase the B618 / B818 - I need to check that these support Vodafone / Three / GiffGaff bands.

Obligatory pic of network values on Three + Antenna
RSRP: -105dBm
RSRQ: -8dB
SNR: 13.4bB
Three - With Antenna.webp

Three with rabbit ears:
Three - ears.webp


Three + antenna seems to have a much higher signal to noise value that all other conditions which probably explains the higher speeds as the RSRP + RSRQ are similar values.

Other than Amazon are there any places you guys recommend buying from or is this just go take a look at the web and find the cheapest?

Thanks again for your replies.
 
@garbtech it's the RSRP that's making the difference for you. SINR is then increase because the increase in RSRP (higher power signal) is swaying the ratio in its favour.
 
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You could get this off Amazon, only 1 left from what I can see. It's Indonesian version, but can switch to English and of course, easy return with Amazon if you dont like it.


I've seen that one and another:

The link above looks like a French company and in both instances it's a 2pin EU adapter. Is it a normal pole power connector? I'm just thinking I could buy a UK adapter.

According to another post the Indonesian version doesn't support the same number of bands:

Is that correct?

*edit* - It's your post! Am I the guinepig you're testing with :D
 
Yes, it looks like I am contradicting myself, but if the Amazon description for the Indo version doesn't lie, then it does support English language and exact same bands as the non-Indo so .. The advantage is Prime (if you have it, free delivery & return) and a bit lower price.
Having said that, both choices seem OK, so pick whichever you are most comfortable with.

Many EU plugs can fit in UK sockets, provided you can open the holes by pressing the 3rd hole switch with a screwdriver or something. I do this often with plugs that don't require earthing.
 
I bought my B818 from here as stock was in and out on amazon:

Was a bit...concerned considering the price as even with postage etc is is just under £150 so paid with paypal incase it went south. Ordered on the 11th December and it arrived yesterday so did take a while and it did have a 2 pin EU plug but the rest was in english.
 
FWIW the B818 handles dual stack IPv4/IPv6 well. I am now running in this configuration with EE and a number of my more modern devices are given IPv6 addresses and I’ve had no double NAT issues.
 
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I bought my B818 from here as stock was in and out on amazon:

Was a bit...concerned considering the price as even with postage etc is is just under £150 so paid with paypal incase it went south. Ordered on the 11th December and it arrived yesterday so did take a while and it did have a 2 pin EU plug but the rest was in english.
Thanks for that link. Is the B818 brand new and unlocked to all networks? Are you getting better results than previous router ?
 
Thanks for that link. Is the B818 brand new and unlocked to all networks? Are you getting better results than previous router ?
Hi
I've put an EE sim in and it works. Can test with another sim later. This is my first router so can't really compare. Speeds are as good if not slightly better than my Oneplus 7T Pro in the same location but I think that's because the RSRP is slightly better on the B818.
 
I can't really justify buying one, as I'm with three on a B535 and at least during the quiet hours I can get 90Mbps down (20-40Mbps during day), and always seem to get about 30Mbps up - which all suggests its congestion impacting me during the day. I'm also using 4g as a stop gap between poor FTTC (about 1mile away to cab) and waiting for the mythical FTTP for which my area is now supposedly in the BT rollout plans - although whether that means 1year, 2years is anyones guess.

Anyhow having said all that I bought one anyway! The price seemed too good and it will give me Bridge mode and a VOIP connection, as well as better performance if I do switch to another provider.

Thanks again,
Tim.
 
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