Wireless Joint

Hey everyone -

Our new home does not have access to any kind of internet at reasonable speeds, think only satellite. After doing research I discovered that there is a tower with fiber owned by ATT about 1.3 miles away from my property that is also being used by T-mobile. I don't live there yet to test out the speeds on my cellphone but both provider coverage maps show LTE and even 5G (for T-mobile) in that area.

I think my best option at this point is to set up a new or refurbished Cradlepoint CBA850LP6-NA CAT6 like this one: https://thewirelesshaven.com/shop/routers/cradlep ... furbished/

Am I correct in my understanding that this is a pretty good turnkey solution? - I won't need anything else other than a home router for wifi and a sim card from either t-mobile/ATT or Verizon to start getting home internet. I'll also have to follow the recommended first-use guide to configure the settings correctly.

In addition to the above if I want to really invest in making the reception as strong as possible to maximize speed would it make sense to also set it up in an outdoor enclosure wired to my roof with some sort of receiver pointed in the general direction of the tower? Is that worth the time investment and work? Does anyone recommend any equipment for that?

Ultimately my goal is to have internet working reliably in my home without too much maintenance and am willing to pay for the equipment to make that possible so if anyone thinks I can get a better setup please let me know! Would love to try and get to 100mps ++

Adding on to this post as I’ve continued to do reading...

I plan on wiring the router externally in a enclosure to take advantage of mimo and use these antennas:

https://thewirelesshaven.com/shop/antennas/700-27 ... l-antenna/

I don’t fully understand the +45 -45 part of it though.

The Cradlepoint is a great option as nearly turnkey. It typically comes with a MC7455 modem, but I would make sure. The thing is you will likely want one that can use B66, which I think started around cat12. The 7455 models are cat6. B66 is a big one for Tmobile I think. Of course you can buy a different modem and swap it out, sometimes you have to also buy an adapter, as the newer modems tend to use a different slot/plug type called M.2 Key B, instead of the older style mPCIe.

A cat6 modem like the MC7455 is capable of around 100Mbps, I've done it with my MC7455. If you want more power than that, it is out there. It just depends on what you want and how much you want to tinker and spend.

The external enclosure is a great idea, if you don't get good enough signal. Exterior antennas, also a great idea, but is a waste of money if you get excellent signal without it.

Your best bet is to decide how deep you want to get into the equipment without knowing how much you'll need.

+45 -45 literally just means the antenna plane is tilted 45 degrees off square. You can see in the picture the antenna is aligned so it looks like a diamond, instead of a square; its literally just rotated 45 degrees. The polarity is important, as the wavefarm travels in a generally 180 degree plane, polar opposite if you will. We try and match the signal that is being transmitted from the cell tower, which tends to be at 45 degrees from straight up and down. It's not super important, but it can be very helpful. I'm no antenna scientist, I'm just a guessing layman. Hopefully there is an antenna guru that can chime in.

For the money, I recommend ... https://thewirelesshaven.com/shop/antennas/4g-lte ... 1-45-rj45/ versus the one you linked to. It has two antennas in one, and using 2 is definately better. It also has space inside to house your router. Use a PoE injector to power it over an outdoor rated cat6A, or my favorite Cat7, LAN cable and your golden.

PoE Injector : https://thewirelesshaven.com/shop/power-adapter/p ... -1-5a-72w/ Note: It needs a common PC style power cord, I don't think it comes with one. This one is the best one I've been able to find anywhere.

The CBA850 takes the PoE directly, so no need for a splitter. Splitters can be used to make non PoE devices into PoE like devices. In this case you dont need it, just an injector. I recommend the injectors, but you can use a poe switch if you like, there are the specs for the CBA... https://cradlepoint.com/sites/default/f ... 042018.pdf look for PoE
...and what poe specs mean when they say 802.3af/at/etc ... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_over_Ethernet
look under the chart for

Comparison of PoE parameters

Ask as many questions as you need

Thank you for taking the time to respond with so much useful information.

I plan on ordering once the store opens on tomorrow and have revised my plan slightly to incorporate your feedback.

I'm going to still order the cradle:
https://thewirelesshaven.com/shop/routers/cradlep ... furbished/

but instead of using the mc7455 it comes with, I will also be ordering the EM7565 and swap them out.

https://thewirelesshaven.com/shop/modems/sierra-w ... m-2-modem/

I also plan on ordering the POA injector and the antenna that you recommended with an outdoor enclosure.

...

Is swamping out the mc7455 with the EM7565 as simple as just popping one out and another in, what would be the best way to determine if I need an adaptor?

Also since I'll have an extra mc7455 could I hypothetically buy another (cheaper) router and use it as a second internet connection for office work with that modem etc... I would probably keep it indoor (nothing fancy)... Is that a common situation, would I run into a scenario where the modems will conflict with each other?

Swapping to the EM7565 will require this as well:https://thewirelesshaven.com/shop/pcie-m-2/mini-p ... card-slot/

The card has a different interface on it called m.2 key B, instead of the MC7455's: mPCIe 'form factor'. This adapter actually works, many do not. Also, ignore its SIM card slot, use the slot in you Cradlepoint; unless it doesn't work for some reason.

Also, absolutely you can use the MC7455 in another LTE router for a second connection.

Fun stuff.