T-Mobile Home Internet has hidden MHF4 connectors for external antennas?

Post by **MudMan54** » Sat Oct 17, 2020 11:36 pm

I've been using a WE826-T2 with Nomad's Wholesale Pink plan (T-Mobile). With external antennas, I have a decent D/L of 20Mbps and u/L of 5Mbps. I received my T-Mobile Home Internet yesterday and without external antennas, I have one signal bar at my location. with a D/L speed of 2-4Mbps and a u/L of 1Mbps. Basically unusable for my needs. After doing a little research I found an FCC document with images of the unit (RTL0102VW). It uses a Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ X20 LTE modem and has two external MHF4 antenna ports connectors on the PCB. I have not disassembled the unit to test it out as I didn't want to void the unit. Check out the link for the FCC document internal photos.

https://fccid.io/H8N-RTL0102VW/Test-Rep ... df-4058016

Update:
I disassembled the unit and discovered what I thought were MHF4 antenna ports are SWG RF switch connectors, used for RF testing. But I found the antennas, they were in plain sight connected via pressure contacts on the PCB to copper foil antennas wrapped on a sub inner plastic housing. I did some ohm testing and you can see my results in the images. Any antenna experts out there care to comment?

Post by **Erickpal** » Mon Oct 19, 2020 4:07 pm

Thank you so much for taking the time and effort of doin this.

Are you going to connect antennas to it?

Post by **mibi37** » Mon Oct 19, 2020 10:56 pm

Thanks for the post, I noticed some of the images you posted aren't showing, could you reupload them? Interested to see if you're able to connect antenna cables.

Post by **bcd1975** » Tue Oct 20, 2020 11:27 am

I could be wrong but it looks like it’s utilizing 4x4 mimo antenna setup. Either way would it be possible to sandwich some sma pigtails in between the copper contacts on the board and the antennas on the case?

Post by **Didneywhorl** » Tue Oct 20, 2020 12:22 pm

One way to find out if they work like test ports!

Post by **dbcool** » Tue Oct 20, 2020 2:05 pm

Solder antenna pigtails to the antenna contacts on the board . There is plenty of room to do it and not interfer with the contacts.

Post by **doco2279** » Wed Oct 21, 2020 9:51 am

Is anyone planning on doing this? I have never soldered RF connectors before. I'm assuming there is an inner wire and outer wire. If I were to attempt this, do these two wires go on different contacts? Is it just one solder joint to the indicated contact with the yellow arrow? Any help figuring out how to do this would be appreciated. I don't mind playing guinea pig.

Post by **pivotpoint** » Wed Oct 21, 2020 2:45 pm

I received my T-Mobile Home Internet Wi-Fi gateway today and for a signal I am getting two bars if anyone can pinpoint the exact locations to solder the connectors to like doco2279 asked I have the connectors and two outside antennas and will post after mod photos if someone can direct me to the exact location points to the center pin and ground the connectors would need to be soldered too. Thanks

Post by **tvecell** » Sun Oct 25, 2020 1:44 am

It's kind'a hard to see where the traces are going on the photos. One of the test points doesn't seem to correspond to either main antenna.

For each antenna one of the spring contacts should be ground and the other signal. The ground one should be connected to a large ground plane. The other to a relatively thin trace.

You would strip 1/4-1/2 inch of the outer insulation off the coax, undo the braid or foil and bundle it to one side, then strip the inner insulation from the center conductor. Use an xacto knife to carefully remove the green stuff from 1/8-1/4 inch of trace and a slightly bigger area of the ground plane directly adjoining.

Then solder the center conductor to the trace and the braid to the ground plane. Be particularly careful to work quickly with the center conductor because the insulation around it melts fast. Pre-tin the conductor. Pre-tin the PCB. Use lead-base solder if available (lower melting temp). Use lots of flux and a relatively low tip temperature. If it didn't work, cut an inch of coax off and start over

.

The main risk you have is pulling the trace up from the PCB. You can do that either by heating it up for a long time or by pulling on a wire that it soldered to it. SO avoid these things

. This also means that it may be smart to glue the coax to the PCB with some hot glue about an inch from the solder work to act as strain relief.

Edit: the ground plane sucks up a lot of heat, so you may want to heat it up 'til the solder melts and then dip the pre-tinned braid into the puddle.

Post by **triangles** » Mon Oct 26, 2020 9:26 pm

Okay noob to 4G LTE here. However, I'm no stranger with a soldering iron. I've had my unit apart and I think I see what needs to be done. Just looking for a cheap pair of antennas that would be appropriate. I only get 3 bars signal strength. I drove own the street 1/2 mile and I get 5 bars and triple to quadruple the speed. According to cellmapper.net I'm about 1/2 way between towers that are probably about 1-1.5 miles away. I have a 43' TV Antenna tower I might mount the unit outside in a weatherproof enclosure if going up gets me a better signal.

Also I'm not sure I understand all the antennas on this thing. I assume WIFI 1 and 2 are the 2.4 and 5 GHz wifi antennas and the Main 1, 2 are the two MIMO antennas for the LTE. WTF are Diversity 1 and 2??? What are these used for and would I need to do anything with them?

Post by **triangles** » Tue Oct 27, 2020 2:21 pm

Well I have SMA pigtails to solder to the board as well as 2 antennas ordered. Now the weeks of waiting to get them.

Post by **tvecell** » Sat Oct 31, 2020 12:54 pm

FYI: https://imgur.com/a/1Qgua6z/
From https://www.reddit.com/r/tmobile/commen ... demrouter/
Originally from https://www.facebook.com/groups/360887451937077/

Post by **Poorguyyy** » Sat Oct 31, 2020 3:29 pm

tvecell wrote: Sat Oct 31, 2020 12:54 pm FYI: https://imgur.com/a/1Qgua6z/
From https://www.reddit.com/r/tmobile/commen ... demrouter/
Originally from https://www.facebook.com/groups/360887451937077/

Great information here! I just got my tmobile lte gateway yesterday but I am still a noob to LTE field on both software and hardware. Do you have a video or any kind of reference from Youtube on how to solder the sma pigtail on the pcb by any chance? Thank you!

Post by **triangles** » Tue Nov 03, 2020 11:12 pm

I thought about starting a new thread but decided to just put it all here. I wanted to sum up what I have learned from here, reddit and the facebook group, and the interwebs in general. I'm still new to the LTE stuff so someone correct me if I get the terminology or something else wrong. I wouldn't want to spread misinformation. I claim no credit just trying to put all info relevant to adding an antenna in one place. First off www.cellmapper.net can help you find your local tower(s) as well as what LTE bands the towers use. That would be really helpful if you want to use a directional antenna.

Specifications - T-Mobile LTE Wi-Fi Gateway
• Model: TM-RTL0102 LTE WiFi Gateway
• Router Specs:
• # of Connected Devices: 20
• Wi-Fi Router:
• 2.4GHz Wi-Fi: 802.11 b/g/n
• 5GHz Wi-Fi: 802.11 a/n/ac
• Wi-Fi Antenna: No
• Wi-Fi-as-WAN: No
• Claimed Wi-Fi Range: Not specified
• Guest Wi-Fi Network: No
• Control Panel and Default Password:
Control Panel Access: http://192.168.1.1 or via mobile app
Default Password: Default Admin username: Admin, Default Password written on device sticker
• USB Tethering Support: No (no USB port)
• Ethernet Ports: 3x Gigabit ports - 1x LAN/WAN, 2xLAN
• Cellular Modem Specs:
• Supported Networks and Bands:
LTE Bands: 2, 4, 5, 12, 66, 71
2G/3G: WCDMA 1, 2, 4, 5, 8
• LTE-Advanced Carrier Aggregation: Yes
• MIMO Support: 2x2 Internal only
• LTE Performance Category: Category 12
(Max Theoretical Speed: 600Mbps Down / 150Mbps Up)
• Cellular Antenna Ports: None
• SIM Slots: Mini (4FF)
• Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.9 x 2.2 inches
• Other Ports: Phone (RJ-11)
• Power Source: A/C adapter (12V/ 2A)
• Outdoor Rated: No
• Special Features: N/A
• Retail Price: Included with service, $207 if the device not returned when service ends.

On to the important stuff. Where to add pigtails for external antennas. I added antenna port labels to the OP's image:

What I have learned is that this modem supports something called MIMO (multiple In Multiple out). I believe this means multiple antennas for multiple connections to increase data throughput. To be honest I don't fully grasp how it all works.
There are 4 antennas used. Main 1 and Main 2 and then diversity 1 and diversity 2. I don't fully understand how div-1 and div-2 are used but it's the main antennas that are the important ones. It has been mentioned that one of the pair of antennas are used for high bands (HB) and the other antenna is used for mid/low band MB/LB. Bands 5/12/71 on one and bands 2/4/66 on the other. I don't know which is which, just that the main pair have one HB and one MB/LB and the same with the diversity pair. If someone knows what bands are on which antenna, please share.

I took some pictures (not the best) in case someone wanted to see what the diversity u.FL plugs and the main SW23 plugs looked like. I think there are better pictures elsewhere.

Main HMF-SW23 ports:

Diversity u.FL ports:

Finally the only tidbit I can claim credit for. If you want to be able to return the unit and not pay the $207 (assuming you don't let the magic smoke out), you can add the antennas without drilling holes in the unit's case. As you can see in the pictures below the top of the case snaps off allowing for a path for pigtails to exit the unit without drilling holes. I will probably affix a scrap piece of lexan in place of the case top and mount the SMA connectors to the lexan. That way for all intents and purposes I can return the unit in the same condition as I received it when the time comes.

Right now I am waiting on pigtails and antennas to arrive on the slow boat from China. I'll post my results once I get them.

Post by **ylrkdr** » Fri Nov 06, 2020 10:30 am

I take it the MHF-SW23 is not compatible with MHF-4? Could one leave the mains alone, and just use u.FL adapters to the diversity plugs to attach antennas to? Wonder how much of a performance hit it would take doing it that way.

As it is, My 3rd party AT&T reseller told me that they are pulling the plug on his business, so TMO will have to do as a first last resort. My Test Drive experiment was just so-so, but this gateway is more powerful than the Franklin. At least I got a refund on the partial month I didn't use. Nearest TMO tower is 6 miles away, no LOS.

Post by **woodz** » Fri Nov 06, 2020 9:31 pm

If anyone finds a source for the HMF-SW23 pigtails please post a link.

Post by **Didneywhorl** » Sat Nov 07, 2020 8:13 am

woodz wrote: Fri Nov 06, 2020 9:31 pm If anyone finds a source for the HMF-SW23 pigtails please post a link.

thewirelesshaven.com is working on stocking them asap

Post by **ylrkdr** » Sat Nov 07, 2020 9:02 am

Didneywhorl wrote: Sat Nov 07, 2020 8:13 am thewirelesshaven.com is working on stocking them asap

Thanks, I'll keep an eye out for them! Hate the idea of having a pair of good antennas setting there useless.

Post by **workshop35** » Sat Nov 07, 2020 1:03 pm

Is there any info on how to disassemble the router? I'm guess it's 4 screws underneath the feet pads but I wanted to make sure before starting on this.

Post by **Didneywhorl** » Sun Nov 08, 2020 10:01 am

FYI: thewirelesshaven.com is working on getting the special connectors/pigtails to allow adding pigtails for external antennas to the Tmobile home internet device.

Post by **jrp78** » Mon Nov 09, 2020 6:08 am

Didneywhorl wrote: Sun Nov 08, 2020 10:01 am FYI: thewirelesshaven.com is working on getting the special connectors/pigtails to allow adding pigtails for external antennas to the Tmobile home internet device.

Nice, hope you all can get them and at a decent price.

Post by **Alberteezy21** » Sat Nov 14, 2020 1:37 pm

FYI: thewirelesshaven.com is working on getting the special connectors/pigtails to allow adding pigtails for external antennas to the Tmobile home internet device.

This will eliminate the need to solder on the pigtails?

Post by **razblack** » Mon Nov 16, 2020 12:34 am

I would love to get a heads-up if those MHF-SW23 connectors are ever acquired...

comming here from Reddit and the FB group for TMobile Home ISP...

oh ya HI!

Post by **Didneywhorl** » Mon Nov 16, 2020 9:34 am

razblack wrote: Mon Nov 16, 2020 12:34 am I would love to get a heads-up if those MHF-SW23 connectors are ever acquired...

comming here from Reddit and the FB group for TMobile Home ISP...

oh ya HI!

Keep an eye on the thewirelesshaven.com site under SMA antenna pigtails: https://thewirelesshaven.com/product-category/cab ... -pigtails/

Post by **Dr-BroadBand** » Mon Nov 16, 2020 1:48 pm

Diversity Antennas

Found this

What do diversity antennas do?

JESSE ROTHSCHILD AUGUST 13, 2014

Antenna diversity typically uses two antennas in order to increase the quality and reliability of wireless communications. In order to understand diversity antennas, you need to understand the idea of multipath interference. Basically, multipath interference is caused by radio waves bouncing off of different objects on the way to their destination.

When these radio waves arrive, they have the potential to interfere with each other. Diversity antenna capable devices support multiple antennas (usually two) in order to combat this phenomenon and minimize its effects. While diversity antennas are not required for 2G/3G connections, they are highly recommended in order to get the most reliable connection, especially in areas of low coverage.

Identical or highly similar antennas should also be used for the best results. On the other hand, 4G connections use MIMO communication (multiple input multiple output) and therefore should always be used with 2 antennas. As a result, the second antenna used with a 4g modem is not considered a diversity antenna.

Post by **razblack** » Mon Nov 16, 2020 5:14 pm

One question I have is regarding the current internal antennas.. main 1 and div 1 have what look like SMD resistors (2394 or 2.39MΩ) and several zero ohm (0Ω)...

or could that 2394 be a capacitor? my gut says resistors... if so, i could make my own pigtail and use a contact plate sandwiched between the internal antenna and PCB contacts thereby completely bypassing it.

Post by **AndroidFerret** » Sat Nov 21, 2020 8:21 am

I wonder, could you solder in U.FL connectors in place of the SW23s? Anybody have a picture of the SW23s desolderd?

Post by **Didneywhorl** » Sat Nov 21, 2020 9:00 am

You can, someone on the facebook group did so.

Post by **razblack** » Sat Nov 21, 2020 12:01 pm

I believe they cut or made SMA pigtails and removed the connectors, just soldered directly to the PCB.

The diversity connectors appear to use regular MHF4 or some U.FL (not sure which or what kinds actually)...

(this is SW23 ones)

20201031_152118 - Copy.jpg

Post by **razblack** » Sat Nov 21, 2020 12:04 pm

the pad layout looks identical to a normal MHF4 on that SW23, so I think you probably could put one down on the trace

Post by **bd_24** » Tue Nov 24, 2020 2:36 pm

Add me to the list of folks interested in the MHF-SW23 pigtails ...

Post by **Josephur** » Mon Nov 30, 2020 8:01 pm

Also interested!

Post by **kal0512** » Mon Nov 30, 2020 9:44 pm

Didneywhorl wrote: Sat Nov 07, 2020 8:13 am thewirelesshaven.com is working on stocking them asap

Is there anyone we need to email or contact to make the process go faster?

Post by **Didneywhorl** » Tue Dec 01, 2020 9:53 am

Nope. IPEX themselves are involved and there is only one vendor on the planet that can sell them right now. They do as they please apparently.

The Wireless Haven has paid for an order and they are being custom made to spec for you guys. As soon as they are made and shipped they will be on the thewirelesshaven.com site.

Post by **Didneywhorl** » Tue Dec 01, 2020 5:15 pm

The latest update says the special antenna pigtails from IPEX will take 6-8 weeks to be made and shipped. Mid to late January is what is being quoted.
This is a brand new product line and is going to take much longer than other items to get manufactured and procured.

Post by **justpushplay** » Wed Dec 02, 2020 12:28 pm

Didneywhorl wrote: Tue Dec 01, 2020 5:15 pm The latest update says the special antenna pigtails from IPEX will take 6-8 weeks to be made and shipped. Mid to late January is what is being quoted.
This is a brand new product line and is going to take much longer than other items to get manufactured and procured.

And I'm OK with that. As long as they are available before my attic starts heating up and eats the TMobile modem:-)

Post by **EtherSailor** » Wed Dec 02, 2020 1:50 pm

@Didneywhorl, do you believe enough were ordered to satisfy this growing demand?

Post by **Didneywhorl** » Wed Dec 02, 2020 3:38 pm

Probably not. But we will see.

Post by **OptimusPrime** » Fri Dec 04, 2020 12:19 am

Count me in. Is there a link for pre-orders?

Post by **Didneywhorl** » Fri Dec 04, 2020 9:23 pm

OptimusPrime wrote: Fri Dec 04, 2020 12:19 am Count me in. Is there a link for pre-orders?

Nope.

Post by **Alberteezy21** » Sat Dec 05, 2020 4:47 pm

Didneywhorl wrote: Tue Dec 01, 2020 5:15 pm The latest update says the special antenna pigtails from IPEX will take 6-8 weeks to be made and shipped. Mid to late January is what is being quoted.
This is a brand new product line and is going to take much longer than other items to get manufactured and procured.

Thanks for the update. I been checking every few days

I'll keep money in handy. I'll start getting ready for my outdoor setup!

Post by **topbilling** » Mon Dec 07, 2020 11:44 pm

Just to confirm. The home internet plan is really unlimited? No soft caps, throttling video, etc?

Post by **kal0512** » Tue Dec 08, 2020 11:04 am

topbilling wrote: Mon Dec 07, 2020 11:44 pm Just to confirm. The home internet plan is really unlimited? No soft caps, throttling video, etc?

I will say I have been on it for 2.5 weeks and I have used 522gb of data. I haven't had an issue yet.

Post by **triangles** » Wed Dec 09, 2020 9:37 pm

workshop35 wrote: Sat Nov 07, 2020 1:03 pm Is there any info on how to disassemble the router? I'm guess it's 4 screws underneath the feet pads but I wanted to make sure before starting on this.

your guess is correct.

Post by **Alberteezy21** » Sat Dec 12, 2020 5:03 pm

topbilling wrote: Mon Dec 07, 2020 11:44 pm Just to confirm. The home internet plan is really unlimited? No soft caps, throttling video, etc?

Only thing its de-prioritized from the get go, but I haven't noticed too much of slowdowns and I'm hitting well over 700 GB a month. No throttling on streaming services either!

Post by **triangles** » Sun Dec 27, 2020 11:34 am

Finally made some progress. Got these supplies from Ali express.

Some sketchy soldering work. I'm honestly surprised I didn't kill it.

All boxed up...

Initial indoor testing..

So the little magnetic omni dir. antennas seemed to work the best. Signal is about the same but connection is much more consistent. the white rectangular directional MIMO antenna was no better and possibly worse than the internal antenna. I fully admit I may have to try the directional antenna outside where I have more of a direct line to the tower.

Did some testing climbing my antenna tower and hanging the box in a back pack. I must say I am disappointed. Couldn't manage much better than what I got indoors. I'm guessing it may be my choice/orientation of antennas. Now I need to get an education on antenna design. I just can't bring myself to splurge for an expensive antenna that may not get the results I am looking for.

After I have a chance to build or buy a 2x2 MIMO antenna array to include the diversity antennas, I may end up mounting this outside permanently in a weather proof enclosure.

Any educational references to antennas and antenna design would be greatly appreciated.

Edit: corrected 4x4 MIMO to 2X2 MIMO.

Post by **Dr-BroadBand** » Sun Dec 27, 2020 9:43 pm

Do you know what band the modem is using??

Would make sure the phone and modem are using the same band..

Also FYI there is NEW hardware coming for
T-Mobile home Internet

See link
https://youtu.be/I22rkTfGdKg

Post by **triangles** » Sat Jan 02, 2021 8:55 pm

I do not have T-mobile for phone. Not sure what that would have to do with my internet service.

The modem connects on band 66.

Thanks for the video link. I was aware of the new hardware but T-Mobile doesn't have 5G in my area yet so I don't think that matters.

Post by **ylrkdr** » Sat Jan 02, 2021 11:12 pm

On your TMO app, it should tell you the bandwidth of the cell you're getting your data from. If it's just 5mhz, then all the bars in the world won't help you much. You say that the speed quadruples when you get close to the tower, verify that it's the same tower you get at home. You've probably already done this, just throwing some ideas out there.

Will using the diversity ports get you 4X4? The modem specs say it only supports 2X2.

Post by **triangles** » Sun Jan 03, 2021 12:01 pm

You are correct. I got my terminology messed up. I meant 4 antennas, 2main, 2 diversity which I believe is called 2x2 MIMO?

My tower bandwidth is always 20Mhz. I did not think to check tower metrics to make sure I was connecting to the same tower as I was somewhere about 1/2 to 1/3 mile from the tower I connect to at home. I get 2-3 bars at home and was getting 5 bars closer to the tower. I think it is highly unlikely I was connecting to a different tower as the next closest tower was at least a mile away.

I could be wrong but I didn't think you could connect to multiple towers simultaneously?

Post by **EtherSailor** » Mon Jan 04, 2021 4:46 pm

triangles wrote: Sun Dec 27, 2020 11:34 am Finally made some progress. Got these supplies from Ali express.

Some sketchy soldering work. I'm honestly surprised I didn't kill it.

All boxed up...

Initial indoor testing..

So the little magnetic omni dir. antennas seemed to work the best. Signal is about the same but connection is much more consistent. the white rectangular directional MIMO antenna was no better and possibly worse than the internal antenna. I fully admit I may have to try the directional antenna outside where I have more of a direct line to the tower.

Did some testing climbing my antenna tower and hanging the box in a back pack. I must say I am disappointed. Couldn't manage much better than what I got indoors. I'm guessing it may be my choice/orientation of antennas. Now I need to get an education on antenna design. I just can't bring myself to splurge for an expensive antenna that may not get the results I am looking for.

After I have a chance to build or buy a 2x2 MIMO antenna array to include the diversity antennas, I may end up mounting this outside permanently in a weather proof enclosure.

Any educational references to antennas and antenna design would be greatly appreciated.

Edit: corrected 4x4 MIMO to 2X2 MIMO.

Forgive the newbie question....any chance that soldering pigtails to the board is causing both the internal and external antennas to be used and perhaps a problem?

Post by **Josephur** » Mon Jan 04, 2021 5:06 pm

I'm sure those connectors are not MHF-SW23. I have sample parts directly from IPEX which included one soldered connector to a blank PCB for insertion testing, and a MHF-SW23 to SMA bulk head and it will NOT connect to the connectors, they are not the right size compared to MHF-SW23. We need to figure out exactly what the jacks are to use them, to avoid soldering and make it simple to add antennas.

See attached photos, the blue IPEX PCB has a MHF-SW32 plug which clearly is larger than what people have been labeling as MHF-SW23 in the pictures of the TM-RTL0102 unit.

Post by **triangles** » Mon Jan 04, 2021 7:38 pm

EtherSailor wrote: Mon Jan 04, 2021 4:46 pm Forgive the newbie question....any chance that soldering pigtails to the board is causing both the internal and external antennas to be used and perhaps a problem?

No problem. It's a plausible idea. I'm a newbie myself. Learning as I go just hoping I don't let out the magic smoke along the way.

However there is zero chance. The plugs that apparently are not MHF-SW23 function like the MHF-SW23 plugs. When I de-soldered them it was clear that there is a break in the antenna trace that the removed plugs connect together. With the plugs removed there is no connection to the built in antenna. I soldered the pigtail to the antenna trace that goes to the onboard chip. Also when I remove the external antenna the signal goes away which pretty much verifies the connection to the internal antenna is broken. I have read that operating without an antenna will burn out the transmitter chip so I did that only long enough to test the signal strength.

Post by **Josephur** » Tue Jan 05, 2021 5:13 pm

I would be interested in what the LTE admins think about my discovery that they do not appear to be MFH-SW23. I wonder if they ordered the correct thing themselves to sell later on the site?? I'm looking through IPEX's website now to see what it could possibly be. Will try and remember to take my board to work with me tomorrow to get some inner/outer dimensions taken with some calipers.

Looks like they might not be IPEX at all but Murata Electronics SWG RF Switch Connectors.. but I'm just eyeballing and guessing at this point.

Post by **Woolaroc** » Wed Jan 06, 2021 4:31 pm

Just signed up for the service and noticed on Reddit that they are shipping new devices. My order shows that I'll be getting the new Nokia device. Anyone seen this, or know if it will be able to accept external antennas, or be modified?

NOK 5G21 GATEWAY GRY KIT

https://www.reddit.com/r/tmobile/commen ... ming_soon/

Post by **Dr-BroadBand** » Wed Jan 06, 2021 5:09 pm

T-Mobile home internet 5G ready! WiFi-6

Saw this last week on my list to look into more

See Link
https://youtu.be/I22rkTfGdKg

https://youtu.be/r6zl_Jl5eSs

https://www.nokia.com/fastmile

Post by **Josephur** » Wed Jan 06, 2021 11:01 pm

Woolaroc wrote: Wed Jan 06, 2021 4:31 pm Just signed up for the service and noticed on Reddit that they are shipping new devices. My order shows that I'll be getting the new Nokia device. Anyone seen this, or know if it will be able to accept external antennas, or be modified?

NOK 5G21 GATEWAY GRY KIT

https://www.reddit.com/r/tmobile/commen ... ming_soon/

I've seen a few videos of the Nokia unit and it does not appear to have external antennas. It's a cylinder "trash can" style design.

Post by **Viper67857** » Thu Jan 07, 2021 11:48 am

They should be shipping me a Nokia within the next couple weeks... I'll happily take it apart and take pictures if no one else has...

Post by **OrpoTico** » Thu Jan 07, 2021 1:28 pm

In light of recent doubts about whether or not the MHF-SW23 is the correct connector, I thought I would share some close up pictures of the connector found inside my TM-RTL0102. I don't know anything about connectors, I just thought I would share some better pictures in an attempt to help.

2021-01-07-142346.jpg

2021-01-07-142215.jpg

2021-01-07-142539.jpg

Post by **Woolaroc** » Thu Jan 07, 2021 2:13 pm

I just got a shipping notification and should have mine tomorrow. Ordered yesterday and the rep said it was backordered and may not be shipping till January 12th. Looks like I got lucky.

Post by **Didneywhorl** » Thu Jan 07, 2021 4:14 pm

OrpoTico wrote: Thu Jan 07, 2021 1:28 pm In light of recent doubts about whether or not the MHF-SW23 is the correct connector, I thought I would share some close up pictures of the connector found inside my TM-RTL0102. I don't know anything about connectors, I just thought I would share some better pictures in an attempt to help.
...

Great photos! Definately SW-23. IPEX1 and IPEX4 connectors are technically a male board connector, and this is obviously female. Also its much higher at the base. This base houses the switching portion of the port.

Good stuff.

Post by **Josephur** » Thu Jan 07, 2021 4:21 pm

Didneywhorl wrote: Thu Jan 07, 2021 4:14 pm Great photos! Definately SW-23. IPEX1 and IPEX4 connectors are technically a male board connector, and this is obviously female. Also its much higher at the base. This base houses the switching portion of the port.

Good stuff.

If these are MHF-SW23 then why does my MHF-SW23 connector directly from IPEX not fit it? It fits the SW23 example PCB just fine, but does not fit on the router. The connectors on the router are also smaller (shown in my pictures above) than the SW23 connectors in my IPEX sample kit.

Am I missing something here?

Post by **thunderpuppy** » Thu Jan 07, 2021 5:57 pm

New here, just trying to help. This does appear to maybe be the Murata SWF or SWG? I haven't taken it apart to get a size so not sure (also I am no expert at all just a novice) As was pointed out by Josephur above, the SW 23 does not fit this.

Post by **Didneywhorl** » Thu Jan 07, 2021 10:42 pm

Josephur wrote: Thu Jan 07, 2021 4:21 pm If these are MHF-SW23 then why does my MHF-SW23 connector directly from IPEX not fit it? It fits the SW23 example PCB just fine, but does not fit on the router. The connectors on the router are also smaller (shown in my pictures above) than the SW23 connectors in my IPEX sample kit.

Am I missing something here?

Nope, I could be totally wrong then. It may be a different item altogether. I don't have one myself and that alone makes the judgement hard to read.

Post by **Didneywhorl** » Thu Jan 07, 2021 11:01 pm

Looking at catalogs and the pictures it looks like an SWG connector.

Post by **Didneywhorl** » Thu Jan 07, 2021 11:09 pm

If this is so, then its likely that there is no way to use it with a pigtail, as the TP connectors are only for testing the port/circuit if I recall correctly. They don't snap in, they simply push in and come right back out when released, or at least isn't exactly a tight hold fit? Zero personal experience with them.

Post by **Josephur** » Fri Jan 08, 2021 8:06 am

I also have the MHF-SW23 test probe, perhaps it fits. I will try this as soon as I get to the office and get the router disassembled again. Also this time I'll try and take better up close photos of what is on the router and the SW23 test kit connectors that I have. Although I believe now with the 5G T-Mobile router this is going to be a moot point as it seems to have MHF connectors (but again I guess we won't know until we see them) exposed that would be fairly trivial to adopt to SMA bulkheads and add your own antennas.

Post by **Woolaroc** » Fri Jan 08, 2021 8:42 am

Josephur wrote: Fri Jan 08, 2021 8:06 am 5G T-Mobile router this is going to be a moot point as it seems to have MHF connectors (but again I guess we won't know until we see them) exposed that would be fairly trivial to adopt to SMA bulkheads and add your own antennas.

Everything I've seen so far about the new gateway say's it doesn't have external antenna ports. Probably need to disassemble it and dissect like the OP did with the old gateway. I'll be getting mine today (out for shipping!) I'll report if I see any available ports on the outside.

Post by **Josephur** » Fri Jan 08, 2021 9:24 am

Woolaroc wrote: Fri Jan 08, 2021 8:42 am Everything I've seen so far about the new gateway say's it doesn't have external antenna ports. Probably need to disassemble it and dissect like the OP did with the old gateway. I'll be getting mine today (out for shipping!) I'll report if I see any available ports on the outside.

There are no outside ports but if you disassemble you should see all the internal connectors for the antenna and GPS exposed at what is hopefully MHF connectors. I'm uploading a video to YT as we speak showing my findings on the 4G T-Mobile unit so you can see they are not SW23. Will post shortly for your review.

Post by **Josephur** » Fri Jan 08, 2021 9:46 am

Here is the YouTube video of me comparing the T-Mobile TM-RTL0102 Internal Antenna Connectors to SW23 as promised.

https://youtu.be/BpqBkR1mC_E

Post by **Didneywhorl** » Fri Jan 08, 2021 11:04 am

Josephur wrote: Fri Jan 08, 2021 8:06 am ... Although I believe now with the 5G T-Mobile router this is going to be a moot point as it seems to have MHF connectors (but again I guess we won't know until we see them) exposed that would be fairly trivial to adopt to SMA bulkheads and add your own antennas.

The new 5G tmobile home router is basically confirmed to use U.FL/IPEX1 connectors inside. Here is a breakdown live stream: https://dlive.tv/p/honktavious+O_WZxbaGR
This link is only good for 3 days from right now.

You can fast forward to the end parts to see the confirmation. They took a set of wifi antenna pigtails from a Nighthawk router and plugged them into the cellular antenna ports of the 5G tmo home unit.

Post by **Josephur** » Fri Jan 08, 2021 11:11 am

I had a discussion with T-Mobile earlier today to upgrade my 4G unit to the new 5G one, and they said there is no official channel yet to upgrade existing customers but they are working on it. They took my details and said to check back next month. Debating if I want to just send this back and cancel service then resub to get the new modem.

Post by **Didneywhorl** » Fri Jan 08, 2021 11:14 am

Josephur wrote: Fri Jan 08, 2021 9:46 am Here is the YouTube video of me comparing the T-Mobile TM-RTL0102 Internal Antenna Connectors to SW23 as promised.

https://youtu.be/BpqBkR1mC_E

Good work! Confirmed NOT SW-23. Thank you!

It does look like the Murata SWG. I think with T-mobile replacing the home unit seemingly altogether its kind of a moot point, as you've said.

Post by **Woolaroc** » Fri Jan 08, 2021 1:22 pm

Didneywhorl wrote: Fri Jan 08, 2021 11:04 am The new 5G tmobile home router is basically confirmed to use U.FL/IPEX1 connectors inside. Here is a breakdown live stream: https://dlive.tv/p/honktavious+O_WZxbaGR
This link is only good for 3 days from right now.

You can fast forward to the end parts to see the confirmation. They took a set of wifi antenna pigtails from a Nighthawk router and plugged them into the cellular antenna ports of the 5G tmo home unit.

For those trying to find this in the LONG video, it starts around 02:20:00!

Post by **Woolaroc** » Fri Jan 08, 2021 1:55 pm

Watching that video some more, not sure if we will really need external antennas on this thing. Those look fairly beefy to begin with, unless you are needing to do directional. Also appears to have 4 LTE antennas.