Which Router/Modem Combo For AT&T Band 5 w/ CA
Posted: Sun Nov 22, 2020 10:36 am
Hello,
I've been using an old Cradlepoint MBR1400V1 w/ compatible MC200 AT&T modem for a long time now and it does fine but is only able to pull Band 4 LTE (band 5 is not supported on this modem) in my area with no carrier aggregation of course. In this setup I also have a 40 foot tower with Wilson DB Pro LTE antenna set up so full signal is achieved with great DB and SINR in the building this is going in. This typically nets me 5-12mbps down and around the 5-10mbps up depending on network congestion. However in my area there is a superior Band 5 LTE pipe that is being carrier aggregated on newer modems like my Samsung S20 Ultra where the following configuration is consistently established:
Primary - Band 5 LTE BW 10Mhz
Carrier Aggregation 1 - Band 66 BW 10Mhz
Carrier Aggregation 2 - Band 66 BW 5Mhz
Band 5 on it's own without carrier aggregation outperforms Band 4 anyhow. When carrier aggregation is running speeds are significantly higher as well at around 20-30mbps down and and 10mbps+ up.
So my question is I've seen tons of the WE826 models running around but right now what is the best possible setup to attempt to lock in this configuration for my needs. What router and what modem would go best for me? I'm also looking for something that can optionally run VPN services configured at the router level such as PIA, ExpressVPN or NordVPN as well.
Thanks for your help and I hope I've provided enough detail!
I've been using an old Cradlepoint MBR1400V1 w/ compatible MC200 AT&T modem for a long time now and it does fine but is only able to pull Band 4 LTE (band 5 is not supported on this modem) in my area with no carrier aggregation of course. In this setup I also have a 40 foot tower with Wilson DB Pro LTE antenna set up so full signal is achieved with great DB and SINR in the building this is going in. This typically nets me 5-12mbps down and around the 5-10mbps up depending on network congestion. However in my area there is a superior Band 5 LTE pipe that is being carrier aggregated on newer modems like my Samsung S20 Ultra where the following configuration is consistently established:
Primary - Band 5 LTE BW 10Mhz
Carrier Aggregation 1 - Band 66 BW 10Mhz
Carrier Aggregation 2 - Band 66 BW 5Mhz
Band 5 on it's own without carrier aggregation outperforms Band 4 anyhow. When carrier aggregation is running speeds are significantly higher as well at around 20-30mbps down and and 10mbps+ up.
So my question is I've seen tons of the WE826 models running around but right now what is the best possible setup to attempt to lock in this configuration for my needs. What router and what modem would go best for me? I'm also looking for something that can optionally run VPN services configured at the router level such as PIA, ExpressVPN or NordVPN as well.
Thanks for your help and I hope I've provided enough detail!