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ZTE MF286D external antenna?

It appears that I have Nordic_MF286D_B12 (TELIA_MF286DV1.0.0B12) although the web UI shows CR_H3GGBMF286DV1.0B04.
It looks like you're running Three's router firmware and Nordic modem firmware, until you see a cached data.
My web UI shows Nordic_MF286D_B12

I'm using Chrome.
 
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It looks like you're running Three's router firmware and Nordic modem firmware, until you see a cached data.
It is actually the other way round, I replaced mtd8 and mtd9 with Nordic firmware. The modem firmware is still original as supplied by Three. BD_MF286DMODULEV1.0.0B03

Does the script allow turning on B32? Using band selection in the original Nordic Web UI does not list B32 and when changing settings, you lose B32 (I checked that a while via AT commands over the console interface)
I tried B3+B20+B32 via the script and get CA B20/B3 but no B32 although I am pretty certain that my local eNB has B32
 
@green Thanks, I changed that, so I should not miss B32 if it popped up.

Last night I got CA Band 20 + Band 3 which had rubbish uplink speed because I have not upgraded the modem to support uplink CA. This morning, with AUTO and 3+20, I only get Band 3. It appears that Three are managing that depending on demand or whatever.
Also, with B20, I end up using cell 7 while B3 only is in cell 1. According to Cellmapper, cells 1 and 7 are more or less on top of each other, so the ideal candidate for CA.
 
Has anyone changed the antenna connectors on the modem to get 2x2 MIMO via an external antenna and had positive results?
I only get band 20 so am not interested in CA at the moment & have just tested connecting my external antenna to just the right hand SMA and not connected the left hand SMA. My data speeds have doubled from having both left & right connected to the external antenna so am guessing that I'm now getting a kind of hybrid 2x2 MIMO effect.
 
Has anyone changed the antenna connectors on the modem to get 2x2 MIMO via an external antenna and had positive results?
I only get band 20 so am not interested in CA at the moment & have just tested connecting my external antenna to just the right hand SMA and not connected the left hand SMA. My data speeds have doubled from having both left & right connected to the external antenna so am guessing that I'm now getting a kind of hybrid 2x2 MIMO effect.
My understanding that there is a filter on PCB between the modem and left SMA that is limiting the frequencies to B7 and B38 only, 2500-2750 MHz as I have in my notes. If that is true, then the use of this connector should not give any improvement to B20 reception.
I would connect a secondary B20 antenna to #4 on the modem.
 
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My understanding that there is a filter on PCB between the modem and left SMA that is limiting the frequencies to B7 and B38 only, 2500-2750 MHz as I have in my notes. If that is true, then the use of this connector should not give any improvement to B20 reception.
Interesting, thanks for posting. I'm still looking for a diagram I saw ages ago then lost which shows the modem connectors and where they connect to as standard.
 
Apologies for hijacking this thread but I'm in the same boat. Picked up a MF286d, converted to nordics firmware with the help of all the resources I find on this forum (great help, thanks!), and then flashed openwrt and upgraded the modem to B12.

Now I'm looking to get the best signal possible by using an external antenna but I'm not sure what would be my best option here. On cellmapper I find that the operator has a tower with bands 1,3,7 and 20 nearby: link

Can anybody chime in on what might be my best chance here?
 
Apologies for hijacking this thread but I'm in the same boat. Picked up a MF286d, converted to nordics firmware with the help of all the resources I find on this forum (great help, thanks!), and then flashed openwrt and upgraded the modem to B12.

Now I'm looking to get the best signal possible by using an external antenna but I'm not sure what would be my best option here. On cellmapper I find that the operator has a tower with bands 1,3,7 and 20 nearby: link

Can anybody chime in on what might be my best chance here?
No hijack detected!
Happy to be corrected here, but AFAIK the way the external antenna connections work on the MF286D is that the left is for the high frequency bands (7 & 38) and the other is for the low frequency bands, the internal antennas then provide the aux / diversity for the external antenna connections.
It's a personal thing but I found the Nordic GUI easier to navigate than OpenWRT, plus I could never get OpenWRT to connect via 4G on my local mast which only has B20. One possible advantage with OpenWRT may be that you can do cell locking.
In your case, I would simply try the router without external connections first and see what signal readings you get. I'm using a cross polarised directional external antenna as it gives slightly better quality & speed, I found that swapping the cables does make a difference to speed so if you do use an external antenna, try that too.
 
the operator has a tower with bands 1,3,7 and 20
I would use two existing antenna connectors (left for B7 and right for B1 and B3, if you have band specific antennas) plus diversity antenna attached to connector #4 on the modem, as a minimum configuration.
 
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I would use two existing antenna connectors (left for B7 and right for B1 and B3, if you have band specific antennas) plus diversity antenna attached to connector #4 on the modem, as a minimum configuration.
I'm not sure 100% about this, but AFAIK, connector 4 on the modem may not be general diversity , but may just be low band diversity? The thing I forgot to mention earlier is the Bookmark Hack that would allow you to see what bands are active and choose them for aggregation.
 
Oh well, I'll hold off on buying connectors & drilling holes for now. @meritez did you see any difference / improvement with an extra SMA connection for diverstity?
@cancunia I'm not able to test at present, roughly a fortnight ago my partner broke her hip while out walking the dogs so I'm currently at hers looking after the place etc with minimum time to get back to mine to test anything.
 
@cancunia I'm not able to test at present, roughly a fortnight ago my partner broke her hip while out walking the dogs so I'm currently at hers looking after the place etc with minimum time to get back to mine to test anything.
Sorry to hear that. No rush, but would be interesting to know your findings.
 
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After a few days of signal drop out & slow speeds I switched back from Talkmobile 4G to Three 3G today. With an external antenna, the ZTE has decided to only use 3G but I'm sure the mast also has 4G as my phone uses it.
 
I've used the MF286D recently at the location we have it. It works somewhat when I place it inside. But when I temporarily move it outside we get way better results. That means it's definitely time to get an external antenna. Like I said before, the provider only has bands 1,3,7 and 20 available. Can anyone suggest a good antenna (brand, model)? I really have no idea which antennas might be good and which ones might be absolute garbage. So anyone that can share their experience would be great!
 
I've used the MF286D recently at the location we have it. It works somewhat when I place it inside. But when I temporarily move it outside we get way better results. That means it's definitely time to get an external antenna. Like I said before, the provider only has bands 1,3,7 and 20 available. Can anyone suggest a good antenna (brand, model)? I really have no idea which antennas might be good and which ones might be absolute garbage. So anyone that can share their experience would be great!
A good brand is Poynting, there are reviews online about performance. Things to consider are if you have line of sight to the tower (use CellMapper to check), if so you may want to use a directional antenna for better performance, also for future proofing, maybe a 5G capable antenna would be a good idea.
I'm sure there are others.

Here's a link that might give you more info:
 
Any thoughts on a Poynting OMNI 600 antenna? link

I have no line of sight to the tower.

I can do a good deal on one of those. Should the coax cables not be long enough, can I still extend those if needed?
 
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