Upgrade Suggestions

[Twoods196]

Hello all, I currently have a we826-t2 with a mc7455. It has served me decent for the past couple of years but have always struggled to get good speeds. Originally had 2 15db flat directional antennas and even though I'm prob 1-2 miles from the tower the signal was never as good as I thought it should be limiting me to average speeds of 5-10mbps. So I switched to a technically weaker MIMO Antenna with both elements in a single enclosure. Even though it was a lower gain wide band antenna it still performs better than the 15db gain antennas. My signal is now -55/-60, SNIR 14. An get around 10-15mbps. So after that long story I was considering upgrading and wanted recommendations on a CAT 12 or better modem. I would also like to change the we826 out to something else as it can be annoying sometimes. I'm hoping maybe a better modem and maybe a new 2x2 or 4x4 antenna would help increase speeds and reliability. Since I work remote 100% it's fairly important for me.

So with all that said which modem would people recommend Quectel EM12-G, Sierra Wireless EM7565 Or something else? Also looking for recommendations on routers for it and lastly suggestions on antennas. I have been using Verizon for the past year and the 2 closest towers have B2, B13 an B66. Main band current modem connects to is B4 which is a subset of 66 and secondary band is 13.

Sorry for the long post just wanted to provide as much as I can so people can offer recommendations. Thanks for any suggestions it's greatly appreciated.

[gscheb]

Hello,
Sounds like Verizon is throttling your speeds. Honestly wouldn't upgrade router for better WiFi. Since your speeds are below 100 the WE826 would be just fine with WiFi disables and another router plugged into it.
Personally have set up a couple of Quectel Em12 modems to Visible which is Verizon service. The EM12 can combine higher Mhz bands to help with being prioritized. Could also look at locking out certain bands that might be not as fast like band 13 is pretty famous for being slower. Currently have the Visible modems locked to 2+4+5.
Have you ever looked into if you have another service option other than Verizon?

[Twoods196]

Thanks for the response, I thought same thing about being throttled. Putting the sim in my phone though I get speeds on average at 75mbps. Peaking higher that that alot too. So that's kinda what made me think it was something else. Thanks

[MattB29]

You might not notice any change in speeds by going to a higher cat rated modem. But than again you might be very pleased. Always a gamble as your antenna change out was an example of. I think location and provider plan has more impact on what speeds you can obtain. Your phones speed might be different if it was tethered and the speed test run by the device you were tethered too.

My experience from upgrading modems (cat 4 to cat 12) was a wash in terms of speed gain where I live. Urban folks stand to see the biggest gains from running the latest and greatest I expect.

[BillA]

Thanks for the response, I thought same thing about being throttled. Putting the sim in my phone though I get speeds on average at 75mbps. Peaking higher that that alot too. So that's kinda what made me think it was something else. Thanks

If you're getting around 50Mbps on your phone, or to bypass some carrier's strict hotspot/router restrictions besides TTL, the best legal way to do it is by tethering a spare phone or tablet to a router. Apple devices are only supported via WiFi at this time (usb is coming soon), or Android devices via usb or WiFi.

I have a Samsung S9 tethered to a WE1608 router and I'm getting an average 100Mbps (50 to 100 during the day, and around 200 at night) using Tmobile/SimpleMobile. Phones usually have higher CAT# modems along with highly optimized built-in antennas, therefore you won't need any external antennas (can't attach one anyway to most phones).

You could pick up a cheap used Android phone on Ebay (I got a Samsung S9 CAT-18 phone with a slightly cracked yet fully functioning screen for only $100), just make sure that it has at least a CAT-16 or higher modem (ex. Samsung S8/S9; Note that Apple devices are only supported via WiFi at this time, usb is coming soon). Or you could go with one of the faster 5G phones like the Samsung A51-5G (model# SM-G516, not the SM-G515 which is only 4G). Here's how to tether a phone via usb or WiFi:
https://wirelessjoint.com/viewtopic.php?p=10303#p10303

With two or more internet sources for extra speed and reliability (ex. internal modem + external usb modem or phone), you could use OpenWRT's built-in MWAN load-balancing/failover feature, or OpenMPTCPRouter with true channel bonding for speed increase, static IP, and VPN on all devices.
https://openwrt.org/docs/guide-user/net ... iwan/mwan3
https://wirelessjoint.com/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=1078

As Gscheb has suggested, maybe try some other carriers like ATT and Tmobile which now has expanded coverage due to merging with Sprint. Since carriers are constantly expanding their coverage, you never know till you try it using a borrowed phone before committing a new line. For a list of prepaid service providers, take a look here:
https://wirelessjoint.com/viewtopic.php?p=5790#p5790