Total Noob Needs Help Please!
Posted: Thu Apr 16, 2020 9:46 am
Sorry for the basic post but I need help. I live in between to small cities and only receive DSL service from my local phone company. I am also at the end of the line so my speeds are 7 down and 1 up (telco says that is the best they can do). I've been reading the forum for the past couple days trying to educate myself after seeing an ad for Unlimitedville and the ability to use LTE. I'm thrilled to death to think that there may be a glimmer of hope that I can get better speeds than 7/1. Since I have no equipment to start with, I want to make sure I am doing this right and spending my money on the right things.
So from what I am understanding, I need:
1. A router
2. A modem
3. Any misc m.2/pcie adapter and pigtails
4. A data plan
Routers... I've been reading a lot of posts from BillA (thanks for your thorough responses to people's questions) and see where he recommends hardware from The Wireless Haven. From what I've read the WG3526 is a better router but comments are saying that it will not be available anytime in the near future. The only one I see on their site is the WE1026. I do however see WG3526's for sale on ebay. Any thoughts on this? If I go with a WG3526 would I need to drill extra holes for two extra antennae for the 4x4 MIMO?
Modem... My budget for this build is $500 so I think I can afford a CAT20 modem. Or would I be better off with a CAT12 and spend the extra money on upgraded antennae? Also in looking at my closest T-Mobile tower it looks like it has B2 and B12 bands. Would this come into play in the modem I choose?
Plan... I would like to give TMO a try since Bill states that they have the fastest speeds (looking at the Simple Mobile green from Walmart). If I find that TMO signal is not good where I live and need to try a different carrier, will my choice of router and modem be a hindrance?
Data Caps / Video Caps... In looking at the "green label" it states for $50 unlimited data. Is this throttled after certain GB? Is there something that can be done to overcome this? Also the video states it is limited to 480p. Same question. I would hate to get this all set up and burn through 60 GB in a week and then be stuck with 3G or worse.
Thanks in advance for not burning me with these noobie questions!
So from what I am understanding, I need:
1. A router
2. A modem
3. Any misc m.2/pcie adapter and pigtails
4. A data plan
Routers... I've been reading a lot of posts from BillA (thanks for your thorough responses to people's questions) and see where he recommends hardware from The Wireless Haven. From what I've read the WG3526 is a better router but comments are saying that it will not be available anytime in the near future. The only one I see on their site is the WE1026. I do however see WG3526's for sale on ebay. Any thoughts on this? If I go with a WG3526 would I need to drill extra holes for two extra antennae for the 4x4 MIMO?
Modem... My budget for this build is $500 so I think I can afford a CAT20 modem. Or would I be better off with a CAT12 and spend the extra money on upgraded antennae? Also in looking at my closest T-Mobile tower it looks like it has B2 and B12 bands. Would this come into play in the modem I choose?
Plan... I would like to give TMO a try since Bill states that they have the fastest speeds (looking at the Simple Mobile green from Walmart). If I find that TMO signal is not good where I live and need to try a different carrier, will my choice of router and modem be a hindrance?
Data Caps / Video Caps... In looking at the "green label" it states for $50 unlimited data. Is this throttled after certain GB? Is there something that can be done to overcome this? Also the video states it is limited to 480p. Same question. I would hate to get this all set up and burn through 60 GB in a week and then be stuck with 3G or worse.
Thanks in advance for not burning me with these noobie questions!