Wireless Joint

First off let me say howdy and this is my first post. I have been doing research for a long time now and trying to teach myself about the LTE world. I found this site yesterday and WOW! This site is pure gold. So here is what I have... Mofi4500V2 with a -26 single parabolic grid antenna on the primary side and a paddle on the secondary side. When I bought the grid antenna I went for the what I thought I needed. I seen a post on here saying it might not be a MIMO antenna. The SIM card is a VZW unlimited Legacy plan. I have it band locked to B13. B13 is the strongest signal I get. I am currently getting good signal strength and quality. Speeds aren't as steady and high as my S10+ running a beyond Unlimited VZW SIM. Speed tests were performed on my home computer and S10+ using Ookla. I feel like I'm missing something that is causing my slower speeds. My phone is constantly hovering around -98dbm but gets better speeds. My end goal is SPEED!! I want to achieve the maximum speed possible. I have had satellite for years and I'm over it. I'm still self learning as much as possible. Some of this stuff goes over my head but I sure do try to learn. Please educate me. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!!

Model MC7455
B13
ISP TTL Linux 64
RSRP -78dbm
RSRQ -7.0db
Diversity Signal Strength -89dbm
SINR ? I can't find that reading on my Mofi4500V2
Carrier Aggregation - Not Assigned


Speed Test on Mofi4500
6 - 16Mbps Down
7 - 11Mbps Up
19ms Latency
Packet loss 0.0%

Speed Test on S10+
24 - 30Mbps Down
10 - 15Mbps Up
15 - 17ms Latency
Packet loss 0.0%

Hello,

The reason your phone is faster is more than likely because you are locked to one band on your device. Phone is connected to more than one band doing Carrier aggregation.

Here is a video about why different devices matter.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxsEEDsgM3c

That is how you will get more speed.
Better signal strength with more Modem power.
Good luck

If you're like me and really in the sticks. You won't get interband (across bands, say B13 and another band) CA or intraband (two channels in B13 in your and my case) CA. I found having a proper MIMO setup really helped my speeds. I just recieved a lot of antennas in to test and am aggregating results still. But I also only get B13 Verizon and that's it! That's seriously all that's available for me. I'm happy to trade ideas and talk more! My Parabolic Grid arrives tomorrow. So far, I've found the Proxicast MIMO antenna has worked best for me of the antennas I do have. It performs as good as my phone (none of the other antennas did, even when I set them up MIMO). I am now getting 25-30mbps down and 20mbps up with my modem. With the non-proxicast MIMO setups I was getting 15mbps DL whereas my phone was getting 20mbps DL. I realized I was not properly cross-polarizing my own MIMO setups which was causing interference. However, the Proxicast properly cross-polarizes itself correctly since it's in a box as one piece. What speeds are you currently getting on your phone and current antenna setup?

More speed is more fun!


A few things....

1. Your phone has a Category 20 LTE modem with a 4x4 mimo antenna setup and full power blasted to the thing. Your mc7455 in your mofi is a category 6 modem and uses a single pair of antenna connectors you have connected to what sounds like a pair of mismatched antennas. The phones are optimized for kickass speeds. But you absolutely can build an LTE router to do so as well, it just takes a few bucks and patience.

2. I think you've got this one, but to clarify .... MIMO (multi input multi output) just means multiple antennas as far as the basics are concerned. The x2 or x4 is number of data streams, the 2x or 4x (or 1x) means the number physical antennas.

3. Using mismatched antennas hasn't turned out too well for many people, and is usually recommended to use matched pairs, or quads in the case of newer cat modems.

4. Not really mentioned but oft confused ... CA or Carrier aggregation is multiple data channels along a single connection, and has zero do to with how many antennae you have.


Ok so now HOW do we get the POWAH!?!?!?!

Easy.

Get the fastest, most powerful modem you can afford. The top picks lately seem to be the Quectel EM20, the Telit LM960, and the Tether your $1,200 phone to a router option.
I have an EM20.

]Get a router that can either take the modem module directly, a favorite here, via a mpcie slot and an m.2 key b adapter or better yet a router that has an m.2 key b slot for LTE modems in it (I only know of the NEXG H721 for the direct slot in it). mPCIe options I'm familiar with: The WG3526, the NEXG H721,and the CBA850. There is also the WE826 (exact same thing as the Mofi4500), but its LAN speeds are limited to 100Mbps and are a waste of time to upgrade to a modem higher than cat 6.
You can also get routers that have a usb3.0 bus and connector and simply tether the modem via a usb to m.2 key b adapter 'sled'. People who use main name brand routers tend to change the firmware to something like the openWRT or variants, like r00ter, because they support the LTE modems.
I use a PoE version of the WG3526"P" from thewirelesshaven.com

Get the Highest Gain directional antennas you can afford. Omni-directionals are great if you move around a lot or have zero use or need for aiming your antennas. Yagis and similar antennas are popular, but some of the best antennas seem to come in flat panel and parabolic grid. The Wireless Haven sells fantastic flat panel dual antennas at about 16-18dbi gain. I use a narrow band pair (four total) that I use for B41 only.

https://thewirelesshaven.com/shop/antennas/wifi-a ... 2%b1-45-n/
This is one of the ones I use. It is a 2x MIMO panel.
https://thewirelesshaven.com/shop/antennas/wifi-a ... o-antenna/
This is the other, and I house my router and modem inside, powered via a PoE injector.

My unit has tested at near 400Mbps at best, and regularly gets ~265Mbps. I'm still tweaking it when I can. I knw I can ge more out of the modem, question is can the tower give it to me?

HOLY COW!!! This is my new favorite site! Thank each one of you for replying. I have been on my own for a while now trying to figure this stuff out. I have read through each one of your posts and I am amazed at the knowledge!!! I am going to reply to each one of you. It's just going to take a minute. I didn't expect so much help!! Yall have made my day, week hell even month!!

There is also a VERY active and goldmine level info on the Wireless Joint facebook group

gscheb wrote: ↑Sun Apr 12, 2020 5:24 pm Hello,

The reason your phone is faster is more than likely because you are locked to one band on your device. Phone is connected to more than one band doing Carrier aggregation.

Here is a video about why different devices matter.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxsEEDsgM3c

That is how you will get more speed.
Better signal strength with more Modem power.
Good luck

Thank you for the video. It really helped me out. They explained a few things that made me realize I have my router set up wrong.

optymyze wrote: ↑Sun Apr 12, 2020 6:30 pm If you're like me and really in the sticks. You won't get interband (across bands, say B13 and another band) CA or intraband (two channels in B13 in your and my case) CA. I found having a proper MIMO setup really helped my speeds. I just recieved a lot of antennas in to test and am aggregating results still. But I also only get B13 Verizon and that's it! That's seriously all that's available for me. I'm happy to trade ideas and talk more! My Parabolic Grid arrives tomorrow. So far, I've found the Proxicast MIMO antenna has worked best for me of the antennas I do have. It performs as good as my phone (none of the other antennas did, even when I set them up MIMO). I am now getting 25-30mbps down and 20mbps up with my modem. With the non-proxicast MIMO setups I was getting 15mbps DL whereas my phone was getting 20mbps DL. I realized I was not properly cross-polarizing my own MIMO setups which was causing interference. However, the Proxicast properly cross-polarizes itself correctly since it's in a box as one piece. What speeds are you currently getting on your phone and current antenna setup?

I would definitely enjoy talking talking with you more. I live pretty far out on a dirt road. My parabolic grid antenna does a good job at locking onto a tower. Takes some time adjusting it but it's not near as bad with a meter. I tried to set it up without a meter the first time. I walked inside and purchased a Wilson Pro meter to help align it. My current speeds on my Mofi are anywhere from 6 - 16mbps and my phone is 24 - 30mbps. Like you all I really have is B13. B4 is there but super weak 101dbm. I only have two towers to choose from. Thank you!

Didneywhorl wrote: ↑Sun Apr 12, 2020 7:57 pm More speed is more fun!


A few things....

1. Your phone has a Category 20 LTE modem with a 4x4 mimo antenna setup and full power blasted to the thing. Your mc7455 in your mofi is a category 6 modem and uses a single pair of antenna connectors you have connected to what sounds like a pair of mismatched antennas. The phones are optimized for kickass speeds. But you absolutely can build an LTE router to do so as well, it just takes a few bucks and patience.

2. I think you've got this one, but to clarify .... MIMO (multi input multi output) just means multiple antennas as far as the basics are concerned. The x2 or x4 is number of data streams, the 2x or 4x (or 1x) means the number physical antennas.

3. Using mismatched antennas hasn't turned out too well for many people, and is usually recommended to use matched pairs, or quads in the case of newer cat modems.

4. Not really mentioned but oft confused ... CA or Carrier aggregation is multiple data channels along a single connection, and has zero do to with how many antennae you have.


Ok so now HOW do we get the POWAH!?!?!?!

Easy.

Get the fastest, most powerful modem you can afford. The top picks lately seem to be the Quectel EM20, the Telit LM960, and the Tether your $1,200 phone to a router option.
I have an EM20.

]Get a router that can either take the modem module directly, a favorite here, via a mpcie slot and an m.2 key b adapter or better yet a router that has an m.2 key b slot for LTE modems in it (I only know of the NEXG H721 for the direct slot in it). mPCIe options I'm familiar with: The WG3526, the NEXG H721,and the CBA850. There is also the WE826 (exact same thing as the Mofi4500), but its LAN speeds are limited to 100Mbps and are a waste of time to upgrade to a modem higher than cat 6.
You can also get routers that have a usb3.0 bus and connector and simply tether the modem via a usb to m.2 key b adapter 'sled'. People who use main name brand routers tend to change the firmware to something like the openWRT or variants, like r00ter, because they support the LTE modems.
I use a PoE version of the WG3526"P" from thewirelesshaven.com

Get the Highest Gain directional antennas you can afford. Omni-directionals are great if you move around a lot or have zero use or need for aiming your antennas. Yagis and similar antennas are popular, but some of the best antennas seem to come in flat panel and parabolic grid. The Wireless Haven sells fantastic flat panel dual antennas at about 16-18dbi gain. I use a narrow band pair (four total) that I use for B41 only.

https://thewirelesshaven.com/shop/antennas/wifi-a ... 2%b1-45-n/
This is one of the ones I use. It is a 2x MIMO panel.
https://thewirelesshaven.com/shop/antennas/wifi-a ... o-antenna/
This is the other, and I house my router and modem inside, powered via a PoE injector.

My unit has tested at near 400Mbps at best, and regularly gets ~265Mbps. I'm still tweaking it when I can. I knw I can ge more out of the modem, question is can the tower give it to me?

Now to you sir, thank you for clarifying those points in the first part of your post. Good information! The one thing I can't wrap my mind around is a custom modem!! Thats a thing?!?!?! I would have never guessed! Is this something I can put in my Mofi or do I do a complete build? I've never even seen one. I currently have a periodic grid antenna that claims -26bd gain. Thank you so much for the help and breaking things down for me. I have to Google a bunch of the stuff you talked about but I'm learning the lingo.

Thats a great antenna gain! Is it this.....
https://www.signalboosters.com/bolton-t ... l-antenna/ ?

Prob the best antenna you can buy for a single antenna.

The modems are totally swappable, as long as the routers firmware has support for them. The MOFI4500 is a whitelabeled ZBT WE826 with custom firmware. That unit is maxxed at 100Mbps LAN and honestly is a waste to buy a more powerful modem EXCEPT to try to use the higher power to scavenge more speed up to the routers max via Carrier aggregation and higher power output for antennae.

Sierra Wireless, Quectel, and Telit are the most popular, in that order it seems.
Your router has the Sierra Wireless MC7455, a category 6 modem module with a mPCIe form factor / interface. They use the routers usb bus.

I would definately recommend a second antenna. Mimo is where its at. Make sure you space them properly though, and dont use boosters.

Hello all,
Seen mentioned here and there that people are using parabolic grid antennas. This is something I haven't tried yet. Reason being is afraid how difficult to tune in and don't believe they are a wide band antenna for carrier aggregation.
Wandering if anyone had any info about them to offer?
Where to buy them? If they worked for you or not? etc?
Thanks in advance for any info

Bolton tech is the brand. I posted a link above. If you go to the facebook group, a guy on there named Greg Nitsche has a pair and LOVES the. I think he also has the adjustable transmitter that can tune the frequencies. There are a few others around here that may pop in. I have zero experience with them

Gathering everything yall have said, I'm going to first get a second matching antenna. I will see what that does for me. What do yall think about the panel antennas that already have two antennas in one panel? Any better than what I have?

gscheb wrote: ↑Mon Apr 13, 2020 11:42 am Hello all,
Seen mentioned here and there that people are using parabolic grid antennas. This is something I haven't tried yet. Reason being is afraid how difficult to tune in and don't believe they are a wide band antenna for carrier aggregation.
Wandering if anyone had any info about them to offer?
Where to buy them? If they worked for you or not? etc?
Thanks in advance for any info

The parabolic grids by SimpleWiFi and Bolton are wideband from 700mhz to 6500mhz, and the feedhorn is adjustable to be tuned in more to one or the other frequency. But, they are not MiMO so you'd need another diversity antenna for that. They are available on amazon.

optymyze wrote: ↑Mon Apr 13, 2020 7:24 pm The parabolic grids by SimpleWiFi and Bolton are wideband from 700mhz to 6500mhz, and the feedhorn is adjustable to be tuned in more to one or the other frequency. But, they are not MiMO so you'd need another diversity antenna for that. They are available on amazon.

Can you buy two parabolic antennas and then it will be MIMO?

Anything will be better than your paddle antenna as a secondary haha. But, really the secondary is just that, secondary. It matters, but a lot less once you have the grid (as your primary) pointed at the tower. Speaking of the panel antennas with two inside, I assume you're speaking of one like this Proxicast:
https://www.amazon.com/Proxicast-Cross- ... B01NBSLNJ6

I have that one and it is performing well. It actually performed better than my MIMO setups with two high gain yagi (14dbi each) even though the Proxicast is 8-10dbi. But nothing will be better than your grid as the primary antenna.

Also, I just saw your most recent post here. Yes, you can buy two grids and put them in MIMO for the absolute best setup. However, as John Barth on youtube has found out, having one grid and one log periodic performs just as well as two grids FOR HIM. For you, it may make a difference, but I wouldn't bet on it. Also, you need to place them several feet away from each other or they will interfere with each other. I would recommend you watch all of John Barth's RURAL INTERNET videos as he talks a lot about this sort of stuff. Also, I'm open to all questions. I just got my grid in today so I'll be testing as soon as there is a nice day. Hopefully tomorrow.

Here is John Barth's video touching on the two grids. Of note:
the third antenna you see there in his vids, he is just using for voice through a booster.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7osNROYIO4

Here is a link to a spreadsheet I'm working on aggregating my own antenna results:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1XVf2I ... Kc48y1Xd5H

But, let me clarify... You 100% NEED a secondary antenna to take advantage of your full LTE speed. The secondary antenna often increases signal quality as well, increasing speeds a bit that way too. Also, if you only get Band 13, it is only capable of 2x MIMO so 2 antennas will max your speed, not 4. Some other bands can do 4x4 MIMO.

SD1290R wrote: ↑Mon Apr 13, 2020 7:22 pm Gathering everything yall have said, I'm going to first get a second matching antenna. I will see what that does for me. What do yall think about the panel antennas that already have two antennas in one panel? Any better than what I have?

I use the dual flat panel antennas. They're awesome!

SD1290R wrote: ↑Mon Apr 13, 2020 7:27 pm Can you buy two parabolic antennas and then it will be MIMO?

Yes

I really appreciate everyone's help. I haven't gotten a chance to reply to everyone. I have read every post and taken away multiple well explained points. Some things require a Google search but I'm learning. Another question about the antenna. If I'm using parabolic that has a angle of only 7°, how will CA have the ability to work properly? The antenna is pointing straight at the one tower. It won't be able to bounce to another tower. Now that I type it out I'm thinking if the one tower offers more than one band, my antenna will pick up the other band/bands it has to offer?

Yes they both will be pointing at the same tower. They will just be polarized 90 degrees apart.

I think your understanding of CA needs a bit of clarification. So multi-tower CA can happen but is incredibly rare/ isn't deployed many places from my understanding. CA is mainly referring to gathering multiple blocks of spectrum from the same tower (either intraband B4,B4 for example or interband B4,B2 for example). So, your last thought is correct. The antenna will still get CA when *the tower allows it* if your modem is capable. Important note here: there is nothing you can do to "turn on" carrier aggregation other than make sure your modem is capable and point your antenna at the tower. The tower controls who gets CA and no, it's usually not as simple as just starting up a speed test. BillA has mentioned the most likely way to test it is to start a large download of a file.

Hello again,
Got a question for everyone about

intraband B4,B4 for example

Understand what intraband CA is but don't know how common it is. Asking since I only have two bands available to me 2 & 12 using a Cat 6 modem. Currently using a Quectel EP06 it shows on the website that you can CA 2 & 2 but never have seen this happen?
How often do you see the intraband CA? Specially in the sticks.
Thanks

I personally have never seen it for me YET, but I also am just now getting my setup in proper order. I will update you next week sometime gscheb. I also have the EP06 and am only pulling B13 right now.

optymyze wrote: ↑Mon Apr 13, 2020 7:37 pm Anything will be better than your paddle antenna as a secondary haha. But, really the secondary is just that, secondary. It matters, but a lot less once you have the grid (as your primary) pointed at the tower. Speaking of the panel antennas with two inside, I assume you're speaking of one like this Proxicast:
https://www.amazon.com/Proxicast-Cross- ... B01NBSLNJ6

I have that one and it is performing well. It actually performed better than my MIMO setups with two high gain yagi (14dbi each) even though the Proxicast is 8-10dbi. But nothing will be better than your grid as the primary antenna.

Also, I just saw your most recent post here. Yes, you can buy two grids and put them in MIMO for the absolute best setup. However, as John Barth on youtube has found out, having one grid and one log periodic performs just as well as two grids FOR HIM. For you, it may make a difference, but I wouldn't bet on it. Also, you need to place them several feet away from each other or they will interfere with each other. I would recommend you watch all of John Barth's RURAL INTERNET videos as he talks a lot about this sort of stuff. Also, I'm open to all questions. I just got my grid in today so I'll be testing as soon as there is a nice day. Hopefully tomorrow.

Here is John Barth's video touching on the two grids. Of note:
the third antenna you see there in his vids, he is just using for voice through a booster.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7osNROYIO4

Here is a link to a spreadsheet I'm working on aggregating my own antenna results:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1XVf2I ... Kc48y1Xd5H

Optymyze, thanks so much for linking the spreadsheet. I have a very similar setup (1 grid and 1 log periodic). I was wondering exactly how you cross-polarized. Is the grid antenna vertical, and the log periodic horizontal? Also, how far apart are the antennas? Thanks!

luke37 wrote: ↑Sat Jul 04, 2020 12:51 pm Optymyze, thanks so much for linking the spreadsheet. I have a very similar setup (1 grid and 1 log periodic). I was wondering exactly how you cross-polarized. Is the grid antenna vertical, and the log periodic horizontal? Also, how far apart are the antennas? Thanks!

Same here. Band 13 is strongest but band 4 is much better speeds (less congestion I guess). So trying to find antenna setup to maximize band 4 signal strength and quality. I have one parabolic and two log periodic antennas (I think all the same from John Barth’s video), trying out different combinations and placement. They connect to mofi sim 7 via 30’ LMR 400 cable and using Verizon unlimited plan.

Also wondering if parabolic can be vertical polarization and log can be horizontal (so basically the parabolic right side up and not tilted at 45 degrees at all, and log flipped on its so side, so that they’re 90 degrees from each other), and how far apart from bottom of grid should log be?

Tried adjusting bracket on parabolic so that whole thing and grid were tilted at 45 degrees, but that seemed to throw it off and signal was worse somehow. So thinking maybe given my situation - nestled in between two hills in the woods, no LOS and get the sense that the signal is bouncing around the hills and trees - it’s better for the antenna to be right side up and vertical polarity, I don’t know.

I’m also going to try combination of both log antennas instead of parabolic, just trying to figure out best way to get them angled at 45 degrees, the brackets aren’t designed for it.

lawnmowerman wrote: ↑Sun Jul 05, 2020 1:53 pm Same here. Band 13 is strongest but band 4 is much better speeds (less congestion I guess). So trying to find antenna setup to maximize band 4 signal strength and quality. I have one parabolic and two log periodic antennas (I think all the same from John Barth’s video), trying out different combinations and placement. They connect to mofi sim 7 via 30’ LMR 400 cable and using Verizon unlimited plan.

Also wondering if parabolic can be vertical polarization and log can be horizontal (so basically the parabolic right side up and not tilted at 45 degrees at all, and log flipped on its so side, so that they’re 90 degrees from each other), and how far apart from bottom of grid should log be?

Tried adjusting bracket on parabolic so that whole thing and grid were tilted at 45 degrees, but that seemed to throw it off and signal was worse somehow. So thinking maybe given my situation - nestled in between two hills in the woods, no LOS and get the sense that the signal is bouncing around the hills and trees - it’s better for the antenna to be right side up and vertical polarity, I don’t know.

I’m also going to try combination of both log antennas instead of parabolic, just trying to figure out best way to get them angled at 45 degrees, the brackets aren’t designed for it.

Just to follow up: after a LOT of time on the roof, I was able to get my speeds from 5-10 Mbps to 25-30 Mbps. I have a 26dB Bolton grid antenna on top of my mast angled at 45 degrees. About 4 feet below that I have a 8dB Wilson yagi angled at 135 degrees (resulting in "polarization diversity"). BUT - I believe the key for me was finding the right vertical tilt. Once I found the the best signal by rotating the antennas on a horizontal axis, I tiled them back on a vertical axis, at an upward angle. I believe that with the right combination of the polarization diversity, and horizontal AND vertical positioning, I was finally able to get band 2 and band 12 carrier aggregation. Before adjusting the vertical angle I was only able to get band 12. Hope this helps someone in a similar situation. Also FYI, my best tower is 7 miles away and is bands 2 and 12. Carrier is T-Mobile.

Didneywhorl wrote: ↑Mon Apr 13, 2020 11:18 am Thats a great antenna gain! Is it this.....
https://www.signalboosters.com/bolton-t ... l-antenna/ ?

Prob the best antenna you can buy for a single antenna.

The modems are totally swappable, as long as the routers firmware has support for them. The MOFI4500 is a whitelabeled ZBT WE826 with custom firmware. That unit is maxxed at 100Mbps LAN and honestly is a waste to buy a more powerful modem EXCEPT to try to use the higher power to scavenge more speed up to the routers max via Carrier aggregation and higher power output for antennae.

Sierra Wireless, Quectel, and Telit are the most popular, in that order it seems.
Your router has the Sierra Wireless MC7455, a category 6 modem module with a mPCIe form factor / interface. They use the routers usb bus.

Not doubting you, I'm just confused as to where I may have gone wrong? I bought that same parabolic antenna and it did absolutely nothing? The results were the same as the stock paddle antennas on the MOFI4500 Sim4. I had it paired with a Wilson Wideband directional antenna. I simply swapped the antennas with the Proxicast fixed mount antenna and got the 10 dBi increase they advertised. I used the same MPD Digital LMR400 cables I had on the grid and directional antenna. I sent the parabolic and the Wilson directional back. I MUST have missed something.

Procast: https://www.amazon.com/Proxicast-Cross- ... 225&sr=8-3

Wilson Wideband Directional:https://www.amazon.com/Electronics-Wide ... GXZ9AW50EY

gscheb wrote: ↑Sun Apr 12, 2020 5:24 pm Hello,

The reason your phone is faster is more than likely because you are locked to one band on your device. Phone is connected to more than one band doing Carrier aggregation.

Here is a video about why different devices matter.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxsEEDsgM3c

That is how you will get more speed.
Better signal strength with more Modem power.
Good luck

Watched this video and have come to this conclusion. I have the MOFI4500 Sim4. I have a sim card provided by OTR Mobile which offers an unlimited plan on the T-Mobile network. In my area the only T-Mobile signal I can get is off 1 tower which emits bands 2 and 12 only. 2 is pretty useless, its far less than 1 Mbps down. Since band 12 is the best there is for me (around 5-7 Mbps down), carrier aggregation doesn't really matter correct? Combining with band 2 is rather pointless. My best option would be finding a unit to replace the MOFI that's has a higher "raw" power, I believe is how they put it. Is that correct? I would not necessarily get any more bands, but the relative difference in the units may give me a slight increase. Right now the MOFI being a Cat 6, if replaced with a Cat 18 should have some improvement?

Lamengamin wrote: ↑Mon Sep 21, 2020 5:31 am Watched this video and have come to this conclusion. I have the MOFI4500 Sim4. I have a sim card provided by OTR Mobile which offers an unlimited plan on the T-Mobile network. In my area the only T-Mobile signal I can get is off 1 tower which emits bands 2 and 12 only. 2 is pretty useless, its far less than 1 Mbps down. Since band 12 is the best there is for me (around 5-7 Mbps down), carrier aggregation doesn't really matter correct? Combining with band 2 is rather pointless. My best option would be finding a unit to replace the MOFI that's has a higher "raw" power, I believe is how they put it. Is that correct? I would not necessarily get any more bands, but the relative difference in the units may give me a slight increase. Right now the MOFI being a Cat 6, if replaced with a Cat 18 should have some improvement?

In my opinion no you would not see anything better. Speed is about signal strength combined with amount of Mhz available. There higher category modems combine more bands to give it more speed. If you don't have more bands to get it is not going to help you.
Have T-Mobile here bands on tower 2, 12, 71. Well most modems only have 2 &12. And I have tested all kinds of different modems at my place and yest found a modem that outperforms my Cat 6 modem. Now more bands no more bandwidth to add to that download speed.
Now this doesn't mean all gloom and doom. You can get more speed by looking into your signal strength. This is what I did. For what ever reason where I am at my tower at my location (will still do it at my sisters house same tower) won't do carrier aggregation anymore. So I updated my outdoor antenna to make up for the loss and still doing just fine on only band 2.
By they way since only had band two decided to test out a Cat 4 modem for fun and ran pretty similar to my cat 6 modem since it can only get one band.
So let talk about your signal strength you are getting and don't trust the wifi form the mofi. Plug into the lan ports.

I’m not great at post discussions that explain the physics of radio communication but I do understand these dual 26db antennas are the way to go if you want to improve or maximize internet speeds through the use of different carrier aggregation bands in 4g and 5g capable modems / routers. They are good for other radio communication applications as well but I use them for internet use primarily. There are different philosophies of how to get the best internet speeds but the bottom line is to maximize the limitation use constraints of your equipment. Obviously, antenna signals aren’t going to be technologically maximized with the use of single band connections as opposed to newer multiple carrier aggregation band technologies and acquisition of signal proximity strengths that reduce signal degradation loss. That being said, if you expect internet improved download / upload speeds, you have to remove the bottlenecks commonly found in newer technologically advanced or even antiquated equipment and use the best technologies available if you can afford them, starting with (1.) these high gain 26db antennas, mounted at the highest attainable location and pointed precisely in the direction of (CA) carrier aggregation capable cell phone towers - keep in mind the antennas need to be rigidly stable to keep their fixed “Line of Sight” directed to these cell towers, and these antennas are best mounted to coincide with the polarization phase of the RX / TX from the cell phone towers - my parabolics / feed horns are cocked at 45 degrees because this is how the signals are polarized with signals coming off the local cell towers in my area, (2.) using the shortest - highest grade dB loss coaxial cable, (3.) connected to a multiple (CA) carrier aggregation band modem / router - but keep in mind there are many types out there and they all have limitations in the equipment that will bottleneck your speeds to (usually less) than that stated maximum specification capability - some being dual SIM card operated / some being linked jointly in their technology or more advanced in their carrier aggregation (number of) band and configuration constraint capabilities - along with their higher speed capable 4g / 5g cell tower proximity locations - with some are / some aren’t industrial use rated. Now - speeds of 2gbps and more are possible but the reality is these speeds are highly unlikely for most of us that can’t afford the elaborate equipment costs required to set up these systems and that do not have the local infrastructure technology (advanced 4g/5g) cell towers (particularly in more rural location areas at the time of this post) in the local area of operation, along with the fact these data plans can get expensive for more data download / upload - usage and most people have not yet upgraded from 4g to 5g capable phones or other devices. All those bottlenecks create limitations on internet speed including the limitation further reduced by whether the CA cell bands Rx / Tx converted to WIFI by the router - permit dual / tri band 2.4ghz or 5.0ghz SSID networks that allow faster Rx / Tx mbps speeds through (a.) physical lan port Ethernet connections or (b.) or multiple wireless connected access points with mesh (WiFi 6) technologies to connected devices. Keep in mind again, the closer you are to wireless access points / routers, the signal response is typically going to be better; so more access points (several in an area of operation) are generally better in the area closer to the device or proximity but even these access point / router devices are usually better served when they are located at closer / higher locations to the device communicated to / or being used. If you are connecting such devices in the association with modem access points / routers / GB switches, that equipment is also going to be constrained by that equipment’s physical speed limitations. The idea here is to remove all the bottlenecks to achieve the fastest capable speeds of the equipment. Although CAT5, is good Ethernet cable, I recommend CAT6 or better cable as they usually have better connector / connection attachment and recommend use of good quality coaxial cable / connectors along with weatherizing the fittings from the elements. And, the longer lengths, of coaxial cable creates greater dB line loss. Similarly, longer lengths of Ethernet cable, particularly (PoE) Ethernet cable over 300ft, the signal / frequency is degraded and the signal / internet speed becomes evidently more weak.

I have two separate cellular modem / routers rated as follows: (mofi4500 300mbps capable / Netgear M1 M1100 1.2gbps capable) using single SIM cards (two cellular accounts - both unlimited data plans). I usually use the Netgear setup because it is faster than the mofi4500 300mbps capable getting speeds of 180mbps on average / Netgear M1 M1100 1.2gbps getting so far the highest speed of 960mbps ever and usually about 400mbps on average. I will admit I have unique circumstance, I am a self-taught radio enthusiast and I freely admit I don’t know everything about radio prorogation or new technologies out there but I have mounted two of these antennas - fixed rigidly stable @ 65’ with AGI @ 520’ while the surrounding terrain is generally less than AGI 420’ - connected with two 10’ of high grade lmr400 connected to the mofi4500 modem / router in a weatherproof enclosure (its an industrial grade - rated modem / router) with high heat operation capability - another consideration you need to think about in your application of operation. I have connected LAN ports - 3 relatively short 100’ runs of CAT6 Ethernet cables connected to a GB switch as well as other multiple (3) connected access points to maximize my proximity strength. I generally use the 5.0ghz WiFi SSIDs because it is generally faster than the 2.4ghz WiFi option for connected devices. Keep in mind again, unless you have a high speed modem capable device / phone, you will not receive higher Mbps speeds because the phone or device needs to be rated to receive / transmit those speeds - so depending on the device you use - it will limit the capability of the internet speed for that specific device. I know this is somewhat off topic regarding these antennas but it is important to know - most people with today’s technology will be limited in speed if the bottlenecks are not removed - i find this is the most frequent reason most people are unable to attain higher internet speeds - - because they overlooked some element of connected equipment speed limitations.

I may post pictures of my mounted parabolic antennas and the general setup but it’s raining today and I will do it later. I am also in the process of upgrading surge protectors - shielding for coaxial cable / Ethernet and installing a much better grounding system. I haven’t had this setup very long so before I post pictures, I rather get all the details completed if anyone might have questions I can respond to.

Thanks - dbgainnut

Very thorough dbgainnut. I use one of those Bolton 26db and a big fan, on the verge of adding a second in the same configuration as you have. I have never been able to push a Mofi past 86mbps - probably due to the 100mb backplane on the switch.

I would like to follow up on my prior post 10/15/2020; the cell tower (less than 3 miles away) I was communicating with (given my system setup) suddenly stopped allowing my Netgear MR1100 1.2 gbps to achieve what I considered “super” 400mbps speeds and speeds using the Mofi4500 at 180mbps. This is a relatively new constructed tower site less than a year ago and lately I had noticed a lot of At&T technical people out there at the tower site doing routine maintenance. So I pulled over and basically explained what system I had constructed for my internet service and explained the loss in recent internet speed results. To my surprise, they told me the reason I was getting such high speeds using the Netgear MR1100 was because of the advanced 5ge system (which is nothing more than souped-up 4g that had previously been set unlimited wide open) and that system had been connected to a direct link 1gbps fiber optic server system they were testing. But unfortunately now, they have limited the bandwidth set to serve a number of cell bands which will now not allow me to achieve those excellent speeds. I really don’t know what they did exactly but I just know I haven’t been able to achieve higher speeds than 95mbps now using either modem / router systems. Originally, when I first tested the systems, I was surprised because I had never heard of speeds from lte modem / router systems like I was getting. I even suspected I might be getting false readings but when my testing revealed similar results each time, I was just overjoyed how fast my system was. Like they say - nothing lasts forever. The techs told me 5g technology to my area might come mid next year if I was lucky (live in a rural area) but since these modems are only 4g rated, I don’t see my system getting faster speeds unless I upgrade to newer 5g Lte modem technology which frankly has not made it to the market yet as of this post.