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Three 5G issues

Appyhippy

Member
I recently switched to a three 5G home broadband service. It has been like what has been described here in many discussions.. great when it woris 300-500 mbps, upload anywhere between 10-45 mbps. My area seems to be having some work done as part of the big build.. but this has been going on for a month now, with no end in sight or information. meanwhile the connection is up and down.

Today i am getting <20mbps - 80mbps and it is very flaky. However , i also have a 3 5G data sim in my iPad. This is easily showing 150-450mbps at the same time. Can’t understand this. Both devices are in the same location , by a window with clear line of Sight. The data sim is much more reliable and gives higher speeds more consistently.

The 3 support folks dont seem to listen.. they simply ask me to restart or reset router , failing which they will point to this network build , give me 5 pounds credit and ask to wait for 7 days. This has happened at least 2 times now.

Why is my 5G data sim giving me 300 mbps, while the 5G router sitting right next to it is giving me 5mbps ? Both on 3 . A restart of the router ( power recycle) will improve speeds to ~100 and then drop back to unusable speeds.
 
The 3 support team are in the same transitional status we are all in. If you are getting different performance from the two SIMS (by swapping between devices) then you need to look at the defaults coming off them (APN etc) and amend.

If you have an iPAD that supports 5G it will have a better spec modem in it than the Router which will make the best of what is available from the mast. Are you definitely connecting using 5G?

I have been experiencing on both THREE and EE that devices are latching onto a weak 5G signal from a distant mast instead of a better LTE service from a nearer one. I currently turn off 5G on my phone to get a more consistent performance unless I know I am well within a 5G covered area (do not believe coverage maps).

At a fixed location where masts may compete you need to determine the best one either 4G or 5G (consistent) and use a directional aerial. For internal aerials it might actually mean moving the unit away from the window so 5G isn't present but a reasonable 4G is.

I think that is the position we are in until more masts are updated and more back haul is provided for the load.

If you can give more detail regarding devices and location/mast others may be able to assist.
 
Why not try swapping SIMs between Ipad and router? See whether the performance difference is down to the SIM or the hardware.
 
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I've had a similar issue.

My postcode is technically not served by Three's 5G according to their system even though my neighbouring postcode barely 20m away is. This meant I had to buy a Huawei CPE (H112-370) myself and sign up to a standard contract, but putting the modem up in the loft gave me typical speeds of 400/25 Mbps and around 25ms for about a year.

I'm not a gamer or anything so that has been more than good enough for working from home, video calls, streaming etc.

Over the past 6 weeks or so though, a frustrating issue has emerged where the 5G signal seemingly vanishes for a few days at a time (dashboard shows it's usually 4 bars). This leaves me with full bars of 4G but barely usable speeds of 1-2Mbps download at peak times, while upload stays around 15-20Mbps. Late at night, even before 5G returns it'll be 10-15Mbps download as well, suggesting there's some congestion. It's been happening more and more, and I'm now pretty much at 2 days on, 2 days off.

Three's support have been willing but unable. Restarting the modem doesn't help. The firmware, according to the dashboard, is up to date (10.0.5.11(H351SP3C233)). Apparently a few times it has coincided with engineers working on the mast nearby, but it's been down today and apparently there was no scheduled work. I'm being passed on to 2nd line (?) or occasionally mobile broadband, being asked generic questions around whether I have optimised the location of the modem, and then told to wait upto 7 days before contacting them again.

Not helpful. Does anyone have an explanation for what might be happening? Or what I can do to find out more? When 5G does eventually come back it's not because of any intervention that I make, just when it's ready.

I don't have an external antenna but am thinking about one.
 
I've had a similar issue.

My postcode is technically not served by Three's 5G according to their system even though my neighbouring postcode barely 20m away is. This meant I had to buy a Huawei CPE (H112-370) myself and sign up to a standard contract, but putting the modem up in the loft gave me typical speeds of 400/25 Mbps and around 25ms for about a year.

I'm not a gamer or anything so that has been more than good enough for working from home, video calls, streaming etc.

Over the past 6 weeks or so though, a frustrating issue has emerged where the 5G signal seemingly vanishes for a few days at a time (dashboard shows it's usually 4 bars). This leaves me with full bars of 4G but barely usable speeds of 1-2Mbps download at peak times, while upload stays around 15-20Mbps. Late at night, even before 5G returns it'll be 10-15Mbps download as well, suggesting there's some congestion. It's been happening more and more, and I'm now pretty much at 2 days on, 2 days off.

Three's support have been willing but unable. Restarting the modem doesn't help. The firmware, according to the dashboard, is up to date (10.0.5.11(H351SP3C233)). Apparently a few times it has coincided with engineers working on the mast nearby, but it's been down today and apparently there was no scheduled work. I'm being passed on to 2nd line (?) or occasionally mobile broadband, being asked generic questions around whether I have optimised the location of the modem, and then told to wait upto 7 days before contacting them again.

Not helpful. Does anyone have an explanation for what might be happening? Or what I can do to find out more? When 5G does eventually come back it's not because of any intervention that I make, just when it's ready.

I don't have an external antenna but am thinking about one.
If it's a Huawei router you could try Hmanager and force it into 5G only mode.
 
I'm not familiar with that — just searched in the iOS app store and found an Arabic only app??
iOS is f#&ked. Nothing like that works on tbere... Do you have a Windows PC or android device?
 
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'Fraid not. Apple has had me in its clutches for almost 20 years
Shame. I don't waste my money on overpriced devices so it's a tad easier lol
 
The 3 support team are in the same transitional status we are all in. If you are getting different performance from the two SIMS (by swapping between devices) then you need to look at the defaults coming off them (APN etc) and amend.

If you have an iPAD that supports 5G it will have a better spec modem in it than the Router which will make the best of what is available from the mast. Are you definitely connecting using 5G?

I have been experiencing on both THREE and EE that devices are latching onto a weak 5G signal from a distant mast instead of a better LTE service from a nearer one. I currently turn off 5G on my phone to get a more consistent performance unless I know I am well within a 5G covered area (do not believe coverage maps).

At a fixed location where masts may compete you need to determine the best one either 4G or 5G (consistent) and use a directional aerial. For internal aerials it might actually mean moving the unit away from the window so 5G isn't present but a reasonable 4G is.

I think that is the position we are in until more masts are updated and more back haul is provided for the load.

If you can give more detail regarding devices and location/mast others may be able to assist.
Yes.. both on 3 5G. The iPad latches on to 5G better , when the router may fall back to 4G . I then restart the router. The upload speeds are also better on the ipad. Today i am getting close to 300 Mbps download and 15 mbps upload on the router but again close to 500 on iPad. I can’t do the iPad tests too many times due to my data allowance on that SIM.

What details are useful. I am not sure of the exact location of the mast
 
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I'm not familiar with that — just searched in the iOS app store and found an Arabic only app??
Apple isn't really aimed at tech users but casuals with more money than sense, get a cheap Android phone or use Android emulator on your PC.

Android version (scroll down to select frequencies), the signal bars are also incredibly helpful:


AVvXsEhx8OHaJyMHduI7IDLMOe04QE0qii4GPye2AaFrMo3xrmw-aqJBkpvpcfg7TPGqoebzl2HxpMIz9ad50ZAMqwpDa7S4-rbIQMGf8KRBdjhk9Arb9dbTh1hhtBxBHymwSJ83-iZ0b766k7LXkCVFiHim4G2ejMGI5bqQp-XsKM_E6J5FEjhqphFcpzcDPw=w1600
 
5g-only will not work, in UK there is only non - standalone (NSA) 5G which relies on 4G for primary band download and upload. If you "kill" 4G, you kill 5G, too.
I wonder when we will finally get 5G standalone networks
 
Apple isn't really aimed at tech users but casuals with more money than sense, get a cheap Android phone or use Android emulator on your PC.

Android version (scroll down to select frequencies), the signal bars are also incredibly helpful:


AVvXsEhx8OHaJyMHduI7IDLMOe04QE0qii4GPye2AaFrMo3xrmw-aqJBkpvpcfg7TPGqoebzl2HxpMIz9ad50ZAMqwpDa7S4-rbIQMGf8KRBdjhk9Arb9dbTh1hhtBxBHymwSJ83-iZ0b766k7LXkCVFiHim4G2ejMGI5bqQp-XsKM_E6J5FEjhqphFcpzcDPw=w1600
Wow, lots of Apple bashing! I wouldn't assume every Apple user is 'casual' rather than 'tech savvy' (whatever that means in this context) and doesn't know better. I'm pretty well clued up on respective pros & cons for Apple and Android and have my own (good) reasons for picking the Apple ecosystem.

Back on topic though, I'm trying to understand if these issues are down to congestion and growing pains of the network as Three tries to keep up with demand, or if there's something I can do about it eg an external antenna.

My 5G signal is magically back today, and speeds are approx 470//20, so as good as I've ever had. But I have no idea how long it'll last.

Some stats:
RSRQ -13.0dB
RSRP -98dBm
RSSI <=-113dBm
SINR -11dB

5G RSRQ -11.0dB
5G RSRE -100dBm
5G SINR 14dB

Being tech savvy (!), but not familiar with what these are measuring, I'm not sure what 'good' looks like or what I should be aiming for. Can anyone enlighten me? Worth a punt on an external antenna? Would that improve my experience with Three when it works and reduce the downtime I've been experiencing?
 
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Wow, lots of Apple bashing! I wouldn't assume every Apple user is 'casual' rather than 'tech savvy' (whatever that means in this context) and doesn't know better. I'm pretty well clued up on respective pros & cons for Apple and Android and have my own (good) reasons for picking the Apple ecosystem.

Back on topic though, I'm trying to understand if these issues are down to congestion and growing pains of the network as Three tries to keep up with demand, or if there's something I can do about it eg an external antenna.

My 5G signal is magically back today, and speeds are approx 470//20, so as good as I've ever had. But I have no idea how long it'll last.

Some stats:
RSRQ -13.0dB
RSRP -98dBm
RSSI <=-113dBm
SINR -11dB

5G RSRQ -11.0dB
5G RSRE -100dBm
5G SINR 14dB

Being tech savvy (!), but not familiar with what these are measuring, I'm not sure what 'good' looks like or what I should be aiming for. Can anyone enlighten me? Worth a punt on an external antenna? Would that improve my experience with Three when it works and reduce the downtime I've been experiencing?
Good explaanation of what those numbers mean can be found here ==>

 
My 5G signal is magically back today, and speeds are approx 470//20, so as good as I've ever had. But I have no idea how long it'll last.

Some stats:
RSRQ -13.0dB
RSRP -98dBm
RSSI <=-113dBm
SINR -11dB

Your 4G signal is rubbish..

5G RSRQ -11.0dB
5G RSRE -100dBm
5G SINR 14dB
5G signal is OK.

You could try positioning the router in various places, see if it helps with numbers, check against the teltonika site.
Also, worth keep in mind, good RSRQ etc do not directly translate into higher speeds, funnily enough.. so test, test, test.
 
Wow, lots of Apple bashing! I wouldn't assume every Apple user is 'casual' rather than 'tech savvy' (whatever that means in this context) and doesn't know better. I'm pretty well clued up on respective pros & cons for Apple and Android and have my own (good) reasons for picking the Apple ecosystem.
For me its more the price to functionality ratio. It says a LOT when my cheap £99 Redmi can do more than an iPhone can when it comes to software etc. I use cellmapper which isn't availible on iOS and some other apps which don't run on Macs. My parents both use iPhones for the simplicity as they have the money but want to keep things simple. I'm forever trying to get them to switch to pixel.....


Sorry about the off topic post, carry on!
 
Last edited:
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