Need Advice on Modem Upgrade

[crazysteve]

Hi all, just found this site as I was searching for new equipment / solutions so, I thought I'd ask you folks....

I'm looking to replace my current modem with something else. Currently I am using a MOFI SIM4 from 2016 with a Sierra MC7455 modem. I want access to the newer bands that this combo does not support. I don't need / use external antennae.

I don't need a router as I already have a Synology RT2600AC and intend on keeping that (mesh), but the replacement modem needs to have an Ethernet (RJ45 jack) to communicate with the router, as the router and modem currently live in 2 different parts of the house. The router is dual WANed for LTE / DSL / LTE tethering as backup. My wife and I work exclusively from home in a rural area and solid internet is a must.

I'm currently using T-Mobile but may bounce to ATT soon to try that out.

I saw some suggestions on some other threads here but some don't seem feasible for my situation. I'm looking at the Nighthawk M1 but I don't see band 71 (not sure if I NEED 71) and I can't find anything regarding IP Passthrough (bridge?) as I don't want to double NAT.

Any better suggestions?

[Didneywhorl]

There are tons of options really. The M1 has a Cat16 modem inside and has built in 4x4 mimo antennas. The only downside is some lack of control and customization, though much has been figured out. I dont believe it supports B71.

Most cat12 modems (Quectel EM12, Sierra em7565/7511) are great choices with 2x2 mimo. The new Quectel em160 us pretty cool, and is 4x4 mimo capable. I like mine so far.

If you want a bit more control over your modem any of the openWRT capable routers will work. You may even be able to pit the modem in a usb3 enclosure and tether it directly to your primary router, if it supports modem tethering.

If you want top level, the cat 20+ modems are top right now. Sierra em9190, Quectel RM500Q-CS2, RM510Q, SIMCOM SIM8200.... These are also NR (new radio) ready 5G /4G cards

[MattB29]

It ain't cheap but Netgear has their Cat 18 Orbi LBR20 4G LTE router available now. it supports Band 71 and about all the others for AT&T, Verizon and T-mobile. https://www.netgear.com/orbi/lbr20.aspx
I see that Amazon is listing it now also.

[Yipzy]

It ain't cheap but Netgear has their Cat 18 Orbi LBR20 4G LTE router available now. it supports Band 71 and about all the others for AT&T, Verizon and T-mobile. https://www.netgear.com/orbi/lbr20.aspx
I see that Amazon is listing it now also.

It's interesting that its modem is made by Quectel https://www.rvmobileinternet.com/netgea ... -released/ and I don't know any Quectel modem that supports B71 with CAT18 for purchase separately in M.2 form. You would have to find out if your tower supports B71 and bandwidth block before you jump into this and whether you could set TTL to bypass hotspot detection on this propriety hardware with a locked down firmware.

The M1 has IP Passthrough mode and you could use the DMZ method http://wirelessjoint.com/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=49 on GoldenOrb firmware in OpenWRT router. My suggestion is to find out what bands your local towers actually support with a modern phone that you could check the bands you are connected to and with cellmapper before you decide on the modem. That way you don't need to spend a lot and still achieve your desirable speeds.

I personally use a RPi 3B+ and whatever modem I want in the USB3 enclosure with an optional power port then hook it up to a router since you said you only need an ethernet port but you may not want to go this route if you are new to this setup but I don't think it's complicated though.

[gscheb]

Hello,
In my opinion band 71 typically isn't super fast.

[BillA]

Hello,
In my opinion band 71 typically isn't super fast.

Band 71 is really not that fast, being only 5Mhz bandwidth in my area with a max download speed of 25Mbps, though others have reported 10Mhz which can go as high as 50Mbps. In most areas it's not much by itself, but with CA along another "fat" channel it can improve speeds.
By the way, an easy way to estimate download speed is via this formula: <bandwidth MHz> * 5 = Mpbs
That's in the best case scenario with great signal strength/quality, in the real world it can fluctuate quite a bit.

[gscheb]

Band 71 is really not that fast, being only 5Mhz bandwidth in my area with a max download speed of 25Mbps, though others have reported 10Mhz which can go as high as 50Mbps. In most areas it's not much by itself, but with CA along another "fat" channel it can improve speeds.
By the way, an easy way to estimate download speed is via this formula: <bandwidth MHz> * 5 = Mpbs
That's in the best case scenario with great signal strength/quality, in the real world it can fluctuate quite a bit.

Does it also matter that band 71 is low frequency band? Doesn't that make it a slower band as well. The higher frequencies are faster typically?

[crazysteve]

Hello,
In my opinion band 71 typically isn't super fast.

Band 71 may be included here soon. We definitely are using 2, 4, 12 & 66 now but I don't have access to 66. Super fast is relative out here.

If you want a bit more control over your modem any of the openWRT capable routers will work. You may even be able to pit the modem in a usb3 enclosure and tether it directly to your primary router, if it supports modem tethering.

This is where I think I need directed first; openWRT routers. I'm new at some of this but am diving in at this point so I'm not aware of what most of these are.

I was hoping I could just reflash the FW in my current Mofi with something else but from what I've been reading, that just isn't possible.

I'm beginning to lean toward something that's a little more flexible than the M1 but not overly complicated. What are some good routers / devices that support openWRT AND usb>card modem? Or is this a bad idea?

[Didneywhorl]

You can reflash the mofi. I believe you need to remove the modem and sim card first, though I have no idea why.

Search for flashing the mofi on this forum,I believe its already been done.

Ofmodemsandmen.com is the site where Goldenorb is hosted, an openWRT variant made for LTE modem compatability. They have a full firmware compatability list there. Those guys are great.
openWRT is now being compiled with a package called modemmanager. Many are starting to use this as well.

[gscheb]

My advice is sell the mofi start fresh. Mofi Has resell value to beginners.

[crazysteve]

You can reflash the mofi. I believe you need to remove the modem and sim card first, though I have no idea why.

Search for flashing the mofi on this forum,I believe its already been done.

Ofmodemsandmen.com is the site where Goldenorb is hosted, an openWRT variant made for LTE modem compatability. They have a full firmware compatability list there. Those guys are great.
openWRT is now being compiled with a package called modemmanager. Many are starting to use this as well.

So as I understand it, This will allow me to use a newer / updated modem correct (or at least a better one that Mofi doesn't support)?

This seems cool but then I see stuff like this: https://wirelessjoint.com/viewtopic.php?p=11066#p11066

Maybe I'd be better off with an M1. Less to tinker with.

[crazysteve]

My advice is sell the mofi start fresh. Mofi Has resell value to beginners.

Thanks. Any suggestions on a capable yet somewhat simple to use device(s)? I like tinkering but I need to work too!

[gscheb]

Guess you are using tmobile? Do need to set TTL? Seen you talking about nighthawk looks like at one point

[crazysteve]

Yeah, I'm using T-mobile but ATT just upped their speeds here and is easily 4x faster on average now. T-mobile will probably up theirs at some point. That's the reason I was interested in band 71. As I understand it, if the modem supports it, it can aggregate bands but I'm not so clear on that.

Right now TTL is set to Linux 65. I've never used ATT as a service before.

The nighthawk seems like a good out-of-the-box solution but I was just curious if there are much better devices out there. Are the Cradlepoints worth looking into or are they overpriced / overrated?

[gscheb]

Don't have experience with cradlepoints. Have used nighthawks the thing with them can't set ttl that you need for tmobile.

[crazysteve]

Shit! I just realized I have a NG R7000 just sitting here. I can grab a sierra card, enclosure and use rOOter right?

[Yipzy]

Shit! I just realized I have a NG R7000 just sitting here. I can grab a sierra card, enclosure and use rOOter right?

Yes but WIFI is not supported. Grab the USB3 enclosure with extra power input so you don't run into power issues.

[crazysteve]

I'd only be using the r7000 as a passthrough to my router that has wifi.

Which USB enclosure are your referring to?

[Yipzy]

I'd only be using the r7000 as a passthrough to my router that has wifi.

Which USB enclosure are your referring to?

https://thewirelesshaven.com/shop/pcie-m-2/m-2-ng ... card-slot/

or this with 5GNR compatibility from the maker

https://www.rawork.network/products/m-2 ... 4335&_ss=r

ship from China though so you have to wait a few weeks.

[LoveMeSomeCALTE]

I'm beginning to lean toward something that's a little more flexible than the M1 but not overly complicated. What are some good routers / devices that support openWRT AND usb>card modem? Or is this a bad idea?

I request you to read: http://wirelessjoint.com/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=1495#p10118

[crazysteve]

Thanks for the help guys. I did decide to go with the M1 for now due to availability and ease of use. As soon as I start working more soon I'm going to try a USB enclosure with my r7000.

The upload speed on the Mofi is about 50% better than the M1 but the download speed is about 300% better. With ATT + the M1, instead of Tmobile + the Mofi, I'm now getting ~70/12 MAX instead of ~21/8 MAX. Uploads using ATT + Mofi were the best I ever had but downloads were poor at 17/17.

[hazarjast]

...and whether you could set TTL to bypass hotspot detection on this propriety hardware with a locked down firmware...

Yes, it's running a customized version of OpenWRT Chaos Calmer with full iptables so mangling TTL is not difficult with the device. It is quick and easy to enable telnet access from the web GUI which provides root access on the device. I have a started a thread for the LBR20 here if anyone finds it useful:
http://wirelessjoint.com/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=1876

[crazysteve]

Update. I'm returning the M1 for a refund. The ethernet port flaked out and then died. After hours of fiddling I gave up. Some googling pointed to this being a common issue. I was really hoping this would be one of the good Netgear products but I'm not convinced. I think I'm going to try a USB enclosure next.

[Adm1jtg]

agreed sell it and buy yourself TWO new better quality routers for the same price

[crazysteve]

First of all, Thank you for all the help you guys have provided. It's really appreciated.

Anyway, I'm not sure if this is the thread to do this in. If not I can delete and move it or if the mods are willing, maybe they can move it if necessary.

So I'm trying to piece everything together to order the parts that I need and I'm getting confused.

I have an NG R7000 that I plan on plugging a USB enclosure into (https://thewirelesshaven.com/shop/pcie-m-2/m-2-ng ... card-slot/). Not sure if that is the best route or not but I already have it. Anyone using one of these? Any concerns? Better options?

I'm looking to get the Sierra EM7565 but I see something about MHF4 pigtails being necessary. I see several and I'm not sure which or how many I need since I ALSO don't know if I need 2 antennae or 4.

I'm still learning this so bear with me here....

Still looking to use Tmobile or ATT.

[crazysteve]

Never mind about the pig tails and antennae. I see now connectors now on better images found on google.

[crazysteve]

So... I have been back and forth.... considering Starlink, considering trying another upgrade, Starlink, upgrade.....

This helped make my decision:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Starlink/comme ... night_rip/

To make Starlink work I would have to put it on my roof. I'm not into it as my LTE modem works great in the window.

**** SO! I am using T-mobile and currently use a Mofi. I need parts recommendations.

I don't need a router but I need to connect to my current router via Ethernet and it needs to be reliable.

Basically, if cost was not an object, what would you get now?

[Adm1jtg]

Agree with gscheb, fresh start all the way
the mofi hardware really isnt that great anyway much better to build your own or have letfix build it up for you

[crazysteve]

Yes. That’s basically what I want to do. What do you mean have The Wireless Haven set it up for me?

[gscheb]

Have you checked to see if you are eligible for T-Mobile home internet? Has became available in more area. I have it now. They give you equipment for free.

[Adm1jtg]

Yes. That’s basically what I want to do. What do you mean have The Wireless Haven set it up for me?

thewirelesshaven sells preconfigured routers, all hardware installed and all software loaded. You just need to decide what you want and then buy it direct from them

[crazysteve]

Have you checked to see if you are eligible for T-Mobile home internet? Has became available in more area. I have it now. They give you equipment for free.

Yes. They have been telling me to be patient for over 2 years now. Maybe I'll call them again.

Jim Helms.... I think.... also mentioned there were certain limitations with the service. I can't seem to find the post now....

[crazysteve]

thewirelesshaven sells preconfigured routers, all hardware installed and all software loaded. You just need to decide what you want and then buy it direct from them

I just don't see this option listed anywhere.

[Adm1jtg]

You might be right, I thought they used to do this. I would send them an email and ask if you bought a router and a modem and all if they could configure it all for you.

[Didneywhorl]

Yes. That’s basically what I want to do. What do you mean have The Wireless Haven set it up for me?

thewirelesshaven.com they can recommend hardware and even build it for you for a labor fee, as they are normally a parts seller for DIY customers in many cases; for the routers and modems.

I would go with the WG3526-P and Sierra EM7565.
Router with parts for modem:
https://thewirelesshaven.com/shop/routers/lte-rou ... parts-kit/
Modem:
https://thewirelesshaven.com/shop/modems/sierra-w ... m-2-modem/

[crazysteve]

thewirelesshaven.com they can recommend hardware and even build it for you for a labor fee, as they are normally a parts seller for DIY customers in many cases; for the routers and modems.

I would go with the WG3526-P and Sierra EM7565.
Router with parts for modem:
https://thewirelesshaven.com/shop/routers/lte-rou ... parts-kit/
Modem:
https://thewirelesshaven.com/shop/modems/sierra-w ... m-2-modem/

Thanks for this. Any reason to NOT go with a 5g setup at this time? My tower doesn't have it yet but it is the last tower left in the area that doesn't. I expect it will soon.

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[Didneywhorl]

Still super new, and expensive, tech. The current users are 5G network beta testers.

Not a bad thing really, but thats about it.

The 5GNR cards, like the RM500 and RM502, have basically all LTE bands, 4x4 MIMO, Etc.