Need recommendations on a complete 4G LTE system set up for internet access at my new house in the sticks!

[MarkB]

I need recommendations on a complete 4G LTE system set up for internet access at my new house in the sticks! Well, not too far in the sticks but 1/2 mile and $36k from Spectrum cable. The house is wired throughout with coax and Cat6 cabling. There are two coax and two Cat6 cables at the exterior demarc location with an approximate 100-foot run back to the IT closet. I plan to install the router exterior at the demarc location powered by POE to limit my antenna cable to approx 30 ft. The house is a Morton Building with metal siding which creates other challenges. I have a quote from a company for the following:
1 ea. Router, Mikrotik LtAP LTE6 Kit - External Antenna Connectors (SMA) @ $260
1 ea. Telit LM960A18 4x4 MIMO LTE Cat18 PCIe Module (to replace tha CAT6 modem in the Mikrotik)
1 ea. Antenna, Poynting LPDA-092-04 4x4 MIMO Kit (includes 4 ea. LPDA antennas) @$535
Plus universal antenna mount and cables.
I am not familiar with the Mikrotik router but I have seen good reviews for the Telit modem. The antennas seem to be expensive. I have seen a Wideband Parabolic Grid Antenna advertised for only $250.
I can get 25-50mbps on my Samsung S8 standing on the ground at the demarc location over the Verizon network. I would like to achieve 100mbps or better with the house internet.
I am 58 years old and not a computer geek but I know enough to be dangerous.
Can anyone comment on the setup listed, whether it's good, bad, lacking or overkill? Or give recommendations on another system?
Any and all help would be greatly appreciated!

[Viper67857]

What's the dbi on those lpdas? Something like 9-11? I'd get a pair of 15dbi flat panel mimos instead.. Half the price, more gain, only 2 antennas to mount. A simple J-pole will suffice to mount them both.

Modem seems good enough. The router, I haven't heard much about.. Not sure if it'll accept goldenorb or if you'll be stuck with the manufacturer firmware. I'd probably play it safe and source a WG1608 instead. Or even any cheap router with USB3 ports and goldenorb compatibility along with an M.2 USB enclosure.

[Didneywhorl]

That setup doesnt seem bad, if they are installing it. The router price seems decent but your paying for a modem you wont be using in it. The Telit LM960A18 is generally about $280 by itself, shipped.
Mikrotik makes good equipment, but the firmware takes a PHD to understand. Once you figure it out, I hear its great and powerful, but the help on it is scarce.
That antennas I hear are decent, never used it. They will work well if you have an unobstructed clear line of sight to your cell tower. If you dont have clear line of sight, then a flat panel antenna set or parabolic grids would be more forgiving to aim.
Keep in mind, they quoted you for 4 antennas. The $250 parabolic grid is ONE antenna. The Telit LM960A18 works, but REALLY doesnt like using less than all 4 antenna ports. Youll spend over a grand on antennas.
Hopefully thewirelesshaven.com will get their antennas back in stock soon. They sell 15dBi flat panel directional antennas in singles AND 2x2 MIMO panels. They are fantastic.

Are they installing it all for you?

Achieving certain speeds will completely depend on what YOUR cell tower will provide, based on total cell subscriber load on that tower as well as the towers radio equipment and configuration. Assuming your gear can do the speed that is.
You might get 300+Mbps, you might get 5Mbps. Its variable.

[Didneywhorl]

My go to is the WiFiX WG3526p with a cat 12 mosem inside like the Quectel em12g or Sierra Wireless EM7511 or em7565.

[MarkB]

Thanks for the feed back guys. What's the range for the 15dbi Flat panel antennas?
Looks like the WiFiX WG3526p with a cat 12 modem inside like the Quectel em12g or Sierra Wireless EM7511 or em7565 may be my best bet.
Only problem now is sourcing the equipment.

[Didneywhorl]

Thanks for the feed back guys. What's the range for the 15dbi Flat panel antennas?
Looks like the WiFiX WG3526p with a cat 12 modem inside like the Quectel em12g or Sierra Wireless EM7511 or em7565 may be my best bet.
Only problem now is sourcing the equipment.

Range I'm not sure on. I've yet to test it. I've heard of lesser antennas reach over 15 miles.

Hopefully the thewirelesshaven.com store will be back up soon. We are working on it diligently.

[MarkB]

Any suggestions on where to source mimo flat panel antennas?
And other equipment?
Got kids starting to school and got to get internet access up and going!

[R1250GSA]

This response may be too late as the post is over a month old.
If so, how did it work out for you?

T-Mobile 71/n71 600MHz band may help the rural setup.
(not sure if 600 is exclusively NR 5G or if 4G is flowing on it as well)

To future proof the antenna purchase, I am reading that people should consider the 6 to 6 range, being 600 to 6000 for 5G. So many of the antenna start at 700 and end at 2700.

I am a firm believer that 4x4 MiMo is the most important aspect for increased bandwidth.
But you need to have a modem above CAT-12 to support it as I believe CAT-12 and below only use 2 antenna and the support for carrier aggregation is variable by manufacturer.

Also the router board used and chassis must be plumbed to support (4) antenna outputs plus the GPS. This has become very hard to find.
You may not need the maximum speed of the CAT-18 modem, but you definitely would want the 4x4 MiMo and Carrier Aggregation support.

Please be KIND, this is my first post. But I would like to know if my opinion should be altered.

[Dr-BroadBand]

Hay, R1250GSA

Good post you are correct with b71 (600MHz) being better for a rural setup.

B71 is 4G and Bn71 is 5G
B71 is ONLY on T-Mobile not sure about Bn71

[tvecell]

Dumb question: shouldn't the first question be what cell plan is targeted? That might severely limit which modems are going to be accepted on the network, no?

[R1250GSA]

I don’t think it is dumb.
As I have been trying to sort things things out for my own endeavors, it’s the devil in the details.
To make my own design objectives worse, I want flexibility for multiple carriers and the unknown including moving, slapping the setup Into an RV, or bring to a cabin.
So future proofing expensive antennas with the broadest spectrum to 6 to 6 makes sense.
And as you go up the price ladder in modules, they support more and more bands with better CA capabilities.
As far as carrier support, I don’t have enough battle scars as others on this board.
But the officially supported gear list from the big 3 is a bit slim.
As far as bands being provided by actual towers, I would assume that could change at any time.

[Dr-BroadBand]

You are correct, I will do one better, what cell carrier is at your location. Being in the "sticks" may only one have one!
What cell bands are on the tower? Can I get a SIM/Data plan to work? How much data do I need. What is the budget for the project (money & Time)?

See Cell mapper for some clues https://www.cellmapper.net

[Dr-BroadBand]

See For clues for your project

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC95x5N ... IHfuVo6W4Q

https://youtu.be/YqFYEb_X5v4