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Narrowboat solution - looking for 4G/5G router with external antenna

Is the banana just held in between the antennas dabigm? :unsure:
 
There are a few (expensive) 4g/5G routers which support up to 4x4 MIMO and use a single antenna for both 4G and 5G, such as the Proroute "industrial" routers -- I'm planning to use this one (£395+VAT) for exactly the same application as you have in a boat which will be delivered next year:


If you want one that supports dual SIMs this one is £495+VAT:


These both have the advantage of being able to run directly from 12V or 24V DC, so will work even of the boat inverter is off -- which means they can be used for remote monitoring when you're away from the boat.
 
@petch @Meatball see what dabigm did with the Unicom vn007+, it's not that complicated. You can connect some external antennas that way.
This looks doable. I wonder if I could make some sort of switch box that would swap the antenna between the 4G and 5G connections so I can just flick between them rather than having to unscrew and refit the external antenna connections whenever the 5G signal gets too weak/non-existent?
 
This looks doable. I wonder if I could make some sort of switch box that would swap the antenna between the 4G and 5G connections so I can just flick between them rather than having to unscrew and refit the external antenna connections whenever the 5G signal gets too weak/non-existent?
I would just connect all 4g and 5g antenna sockets to external ones, a switch would be fiddly and potentially introduce extra loss etc.
 
There are a few (expensive) 4g/5G routers which support up to 4x4 MIMO and use a single antenna for both 4G and 5G, such as the Proroute "industrial" routers -- I'm planning to use this one (£395+VAT) for exactly the same application as you have in a boat which will be delivered next year:


If you want one that supports dual SIMs this one is £495+VAT:


These both have the advantage of being able to run directly from 12V or 24V DC, so will work even of the boat inverter is off -- which means they can be used for remote monitoring when you're away from the boat.
Bit expensive but looks like an easier solution than modifying the vn007+... but where's the fun in that? 😁

Since I'm going on a 10 day cruise this Thursday to bring the boat from where it was sold to closer to home I'll just have to make do with the MC801A from Three. Ideally I'd return it and get a cheaper, shorter contract and buy my own router that actually works with external antenna but I don't think they'll arrive in 2 days time.

Going forward I think I'll get the vn007+ and modify it for external antenna. Whether or not I can argue with Three over how fit for purpose their router is (I bought it from a store so apparently no 14 day cooling off period), I did say it would be for use inside a metal boat and would need external antenna support and they were very reassuring!!
 
I would just connect all 4g and 5g antenna sockets to external ones, a switch would be fiddly and potentially introduce extra loss etc.
Wouldn't I then need 2 external antenna? Doable but my pole mount might get a bit top heavy
 
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This looks doable. I wonder if I could make some sort of switch box that would swap the antenna between the 4G and 5G connections so I can just flick between them rather than having to unscrew and refit the external antenna connections whenever the 5G signal gets too weak/non-existent?
That won't work, in the UK we have NSA (non-standalone) 5G which needs a 4G signal to set up/control the link, 5G is used for high-speed download only (and sometimes upload?), so you need a good signal (external antenna) for both.
 
Wouldn't I then need 2 external antenna? Doable but my pole mount might get a bit top heavy
Two external antennas is the only solution if the router has separate 4G and 5G antenna ports.
Or if you have a 4x4 MIMO antenna and the router is 2x2 MIMO you can use 2 antenna ports for 4G and 2 for 5G.
 
Okay, assuming I go with the modded vn007+ and keep my XPOL-1-5G 2x2, what would be a good antenna to pair with that and which should I use for 4G/5G?
 
Okay, assuming I go with the modded vn007+ and keep my XPOL-1-5G 2x2, what would be a good antenna to pair with that and which should I use for 4G/5G?
You could just replace your Poynting 2x2 MIMO with the 4x4 version...

(note that neither cover the 1400MHz band (B32?) used by some networks)

Or this if you want a roof-mounted one (instead of pole-mounted) that covers all bands:

 
You could just replace your Poynting 2x2 MIMO with the 4x4 version...

(note that neither cover the 1400MHz band (B32?) used by some networks)

Or this if you want a roof-mounted one (instead of pole-mounted) that covers all bands:

I'm thinking rather than going through the hassle of returning a now unboxed and setup antenna to buy a more expensive one, I just bite the bullet and buy a 2nd 2x2 one. The question is which one? If my Poynting one is missing some frequency then it would make sense for my 2nd antenna to support that frequency, and then use that one as the 4G antenna (I'm assuming 1400MHz is 4G)

@dabigm reading through some info on this vn007+ router... can it be setup to automatically switch between 4G and 5G NSA? I just want to set this thing going and not have to worry about it as I move through the canal network. And any ideas if this thing supports the lower (700MHz) frequencies that are meant to provide coverage to rural areas?
 
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I'm thinking rather than going through the hassle of returning a now unboxed and setup antenna to buy a more expensive one, I just bite the bullet and buy a 2nd 2x2 one. The question is which one? If my Poynting one is missing some frequency then it would make sense for my 2nd antenna to support that frequency, and then use that one as the 4G antenna (I'm assuming 1400MHz is 4G)
@petch your 2x2 Poynting is not missing any frequencies, just Poynting do not seem to state the correct information on their website until you have a look at technical specs.
 
@petch your 2x2 Poynting is not missing any frequencies, just Poynting do not seem to state the correct information on their website until you have a look at technical specs.
Correct, the data sheet shows it does cover that band (both 2x2 and 4x4 versions).
 
I'm thinking rather than going through the hassle of returning a now unboxed and setup antenna to buy a more expensive one, I just bite the bullet and buy a 2nd 2x2 one. The question is which one? If my Poynting one is missing some frequency then it would make sense for my 2nd antenna to support that frequency, and then use that one as the 4G antenna (I'm assuming 1400MHz is 4G)

@dabigm reading through some info on this vn007+ router... can it be setup to automatically switch between 4G and 5G NSA? I just want to set this thing going and not have to worry about it as I move through the canal network. And any ideas if this thing supports the lower (700MHz) frequencies that are meant to provide coverage to rural areas?
The Poynting antennae do cover 700MHz:
 

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Wouldn't I then need 2 external antenna? Doable but my pole mount might get a bit top heavy
The vn007+ has 2 internal antennas for LTE and 4 for 5G, so you would need either 3 2x2 xpol-1 or get 1 2x2 and one 4x4 (more expensive also).

At this point I'd seriously consider putting the router outside in a vented enclosure. Simpler, less mess, less loss, much cheaper.
 
You would need either 2 4x4 antenna (ie 4 cables each) or 4 2x2 antenna (2 cables each).

At this point I'd seriously consider putting the router outside in a vented enclosure. Simpler, less mess, less loss.
It's really annoying that there are few (or no?) 5G external CPE available and supported in the UK (at a reasonable price!) which cover all the bands and can do carrier aggregation which suits the UK... :-(

(Huawei and ZTE grey-market options aren't attractive...)
 
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It's really annoying that there are few (or no?) 5G external CPE available and supported in the UK (at a reasonable price!) which cover all the bands and can do carrier aggregation which suits the UK... :-(

(Huawei and ZTE grey-market options aren't attractive...)
Indeed. Mind you I have since edited my post as it was a bit off.

That's why I plan to convert the vn007+, flexible enough and cheap enough to not cry too much if I mess it up. :)
Also great band coverage btw.
 
The vn007+ has 2 internal antennas for LTE and 4 for 5G, so you would need either 3 2x2 xpol-1 or get 1 2x2 and one 4x4 (more expensive also).

At this point I'd seriously consider putting the router outside in a vented enclosure. Simpler, less mess, less loss, much cheaper.
I could get a 4x4 then - again, open to suggestions

Regarding roof enclosure - not sure about that one. Current plan is a magnetic pole mount that can easily be taken inside when boat is not in use or if leaving the boat for the day whilst moored in a dodgy area. It's hard enough keeping water out of the interior of a narrowboat, never mind a roof-mounted router box 😅
 
I could get a 4x4 then - again, open to suggestions

Regarding roof enclosure - not sure about that one. Current plan is a magnetic pole mount that can easily be taken inside when boat is not in use or if leaving the boat for the day whilst moored in a dodgy area. It's hard enough keeping water out of the interior of a narrowboat, never mind a roof-mounted router box 😅
Most of the possible 4x4 MIMO 5G antennae seem to be stocked here:


If you want to add one to your existing Poynting XPOL-1-5G 2x2 MIMO on a pole, the Poynting XPOL-1-5G 4x4 MIMO is the obvious suggestion...
 
That's my concern, as on 4g masts out near the canals, 3 uses a lot of band 32 as supplementary downlink for band 20.

The ZTE mf286d would prove the Poynting, as while it states it doesn't support 1400 MHz, the SMA ports would allow @petch to see the performance.

It's a curious omission, and would also negatively affect the mc801a
Are you saying the ZTE devices don't support B32?
I have a Sotel MC801A B09 and have tested it with 4G+ on B20+32, B20+3+32, B28+32 and B1+3 from three different towers.
The B28 tower also has B1 and B3. I couldn't get B28 to aggregate with those but they are weak as the tower is about 7 miles away.
 
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