Looking for used Cat 6 4G LTE module

[Portreve]

Bear in mind that there are different frequencies and different channels on those frequencies which are used in different individual countries, as well as groups of countries. While it's true that for the most part there's some overlap, it's possible the best locally-supported frequencies and/or channels are ones the cellular adapter(s) you've tried to use don't support. Do a lot of digging and pay very careful attention to the fine print.

[AZgl1800]

I'm in the USA and 4g LTE is dominant here.

I looked at those routers and just did not feel comfortable with the fiddly crap at all.

I settled on a 4 channel Aggregation LTE modem, the Netgear MR1100
In the dark hours between 0300 and ~0600 when most folks are asleep, it can get close to 40 Mbps down, and ~5Mbps up.

IF, next to a upgraded cell tower, I have heard that it can provide ~100Mbps downloads, although I have never experienced that.

Its' performance is highly dependent on the equipment installed in the cell towers....
Where I am, very rural, I average around 10-14 Mbps down, and 1.5 to 4 Mbps up.

AT&T, my ISP carrier, will not allow us to upload faster than 10% of the download speed at any given time

[AZgl1800]

I wouldn't like to say if it is dependable as the modem Linux software seems to be a bit buggy. Difficult to configure too. Not at all user friendly.

Your router looks very classy in comparison. And very expensive. IF we get inexpensive 5G here and I find a modem/module combo to work with it I will probably upgrade. To be honest this is a toe in the bath water for me, but I like what I see so far.

We get really crappy connections here in the UK. Some cities have 5G now and some places get decent 4G but in my town we get very poor connections. I am surprised you don't get super speed in the USA. The UK is notorious for being slow to implement technology and to charge the earth for it.

on a retiree's income, I could not afford the full price of a new one,
I lucked out and found a used one on eBay for $199 and free shipping.

super speeds in the USA are ONLY in the large, major metro areas where Fibre is available.

the rest of us have to suffer with ADSL, or WiFi from a sub-contractor who spouts the stuff out from a Water Tower and can cover up to about 5 miles, with Yagi Antennas at your house..... the complaints here in Rural America USA are rampant with vile comments about us being worse off than India, or China, or South America....

We have Huge Open areas of 100, and 200 miles of open space between places that provide Fibre Cable.

for me, it is 20 miles to the nearest Fibre connection... and that is Cox Cable.... I have called them again and again asking for them to come help us out..... they give me the same reply, your area is NOT profitable for us, only 2 or 3 customers per cable mile.

[AZgl1800]

5g

Don't expect it outside of the big metro areas, it just can't travel very far, as it is operating in the mmWave regions.

here in the USA, T-Mobile bought up all of the 700mHz frequency bands and are calling it "5g" but it is actually more like a puffed up 4g signal.... the lower frequencies can surf out over the rural areas better giving coverages of 15 to 25 miles IF no obstructions are in the way.... like a large Mole Hill that is a 100 or more feet higher than the "line of sight" signal path.

Verizon is pushing the mmWave frequency bands, hoping that after Covid-19 is behind us, the economy will pick up again
So far, they only have 5 metro areas with 5g.
So much for helping the little guy like me....

I tried Satellite Internet.... the latency was so horrible that my stomach soured immediately and I canceled it.

4g LTE from a cell tower, even at the slower speeds, is far better, because it is "always there".... not the fastest, but better than dialup modems.

[AZgl1800]

One thing that I find odd is that signal strength does not seem to affect speed much if at all. Earlier using my telescopic antenna and the router on a window ledge I was getting 93% signal strength but my download speed was more or less what I have become used to.

I have noticed pretty much the same with my Netgear MR1100
the Diagnostics Page shows "Poor" most of the time, but even when it shows "Fair", I do not see any improvement in speed.
It is a digital signal, not Analog.
So, once it achieves Sync w/o distortion, even if it is stronger, it does not seem to help much.

I have been told, that it depends more on the Equipment that is installed at a given cell tower.
Now this, I can believe....
a year ago, we were using a Single Channel Netgear LB1120 LTE modem.
depending on time of day, it would deliver much what I get on the 4 channel Aggregation LTE modem...
Prime time, lots of Network Congestion..... downloads in the 1-5Mbps range.

0300-0600 hrs, downloads as high as 40 Mbps, averaging 20-25 Mbps

March 2019 we toured the Southeastern states of the USA. From Oklahoma to Florida to South Carolina to Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee and home again. We were gone 5 weeks. That Single Channel LB1120 LTE modem never failed to work, but it gave us speeds of 1-3 Mbps to as much as 25Mbps, and we could see this changing as we drove down the Interstate Highway system.... I had a DC-AC power inverter to power up the Modem and WiFi router.


Study this SpeedTest.Net history page. I purposely selected the times where it shows fast and slow all in one segment of the History. Note that the Fast Speeds are in the pre-dawn hours when most folks are sleeping.
This is with the newer MR1100 LTE modem.... so, even though the modem can use 4 channels simultaneously, if the Cell Tower does not have all 4 bands in operation at the same time, it is a moot situation. It falls back to 4, 3, 2, and even sometimes to 1 channel.

the Prime Time hours after school/work the speeds drop dramatically.
I have the modem configured to display 24 hour time, makes it easier to see the facts of life.

[AZgl1800]

Just tested my 3G again for comparison. If I could get a reliable 40Mbps from it I would dump fibre. I just wonder if an external antenna would boost me to 40mbps.



mintupload2.png

Doubtful.
I have two external antennas.

One of them is a small thing you stick to the Window Pane in the house.
It did not effect the Signal Strength at all..... <= I monitored the actual signal on the modem's Diagnostic page.

the 2nd antenna is a Yagi meant for outdoor use, I hooked it up one time inside the house, just holding it in my hands.
same thing, no improvement in speed.

If, the Yagi were mounted on a pole above the roof top, then it "might help" improve the signal strength.
You have to remember that to double the strength is just "3dB" so a Yagi with ~7dB gain can only improve things by doubling the signal twice "maybe".

So, in my case, the average signal being received is only -122 dBm to start with.... raising that to 118 dBm is not going to make a huge difference. See the screenshot for my Modem.

[AZgl1800]

That's interesting. I have just tried to download a torrent as a test and it never got over 2.5Mbps, probably not the best test. Still better than nothing.

I have never, ever, had a download go faster than 1.8 to 2.5 Mbps regardless of how 'fast' my Internet connection is.

I am totally convinced that all of the servers are throttled to protect them from an 'out of service' condition.

Just last night, I made a long search to figure out why I can get decent download speeds, but NEVER, EVER have a decent upload speed.

found out that AT&T has chosen to install Band 66 on my cell tower ( about 1.5 miles distant )
and Band 66 is an Asymmetric comm link.... e.g., it will allow for very fast downloads with 4 channel Aggregation, but very restricted uploads with Single Channel uploads.... this is with my Netgear MR1100

My previous LTE modem is Single Channel, Netgear LB1120 and it has at times uploaded at 10 Mbps or more in the quiet times of 0300-0600 hours, but not on B66.

[AZgl1800]

That's good news for you then eh. Hope it doesn't inflate the cost. My provider which is the Three network at the moment are supposed to be upgrading their network to use Band L. I don't think my modem module supports it though.

https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/ ... o-4g.html

They call it 4G+ but I will believe it when I see it.

I signed onto the "Blue Premium Unlimited" bandwidth plan....
no limit to how much I download per month,
just irked that I can't upload videos to YouTube until after 0300 hrs in the morning, and then, it is never faster than about 2.5 Mbps

[AZgl1800]

That's good news for you then eh. Hope it doesn't inflate the cost. My provider which is the Three network at the moment are supposed to be upgrading their network to use Band L. I don't think my modem module supports it though.

https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/ ... o-4g.html

They call it 4G+ but I will believe it when I see it.

I signed onto the "Blue Premium Unlimited" bandwidth plan....
no limit to how much I download per month,
just irked that I can't upload videos to YouTube until after 0300 hrs in the morning, and then, it is never faster than about 2.5 Mbps

I'm using a temporary sim, monthly, from Smarty that uses the Three network. They had an offer 100GB for the cost of 50GB so I thought I would test it.

Free texts and calls included and believe me I use it and get my moneys worth. Cost around 20 bucks US.

$20 bux US?

we here in the USA are being ripped off, the average costs for us is $100-$150 a month for lousy service.

I happened to be a customer before my vendor changed up their Business Plan, and the rates went up to $105/month from $85/month...
they put out an offer for current customers that 'if' we signed up for 2 years/renewable that I can have the new plan for $95/month....

I read about Cox Cable customers in Metro areas that have 250 Mbps with unlimited use, for $100/month.... plus their upload rates are unlimited, so they have 250 dn, 250 up.... tain't fair y'all.

those of us who live in the Rural Outback are raped every time we turn around.
Higher gas prices, higher Internet costs, higher grocery prices...

and all of the above is just for the Internet....
my cellphone costs for 2 phones and a LTE modem is $107/month in addition to the above.
I have had the LTE modem for 15 years, only costs $5/month for it to be active, so I keep it....

when I travel away from the house, I take it with me.... speeds are mediocre, ~15Mbps down, and ~10Mbps up...
yup, the upload on it is faster than my main Internet.. the kicker is, it is a 2gB/month plan so have to be frugal with it.

[AZgl1800]

Don't about UK and Europe, but 3g is being turned off in the USA
Only 1x for SMS and 4g LTE are available now.

the promise of 5g is a dream in someone's eye.

[AZgl1800]

Here's some other guy with the 'exact' same problem and he is given the brush-off/workaround of "we cannot replicate your issue". Well I can!

https://forum.sierrawireless.com/t/mc7 ... de/13908

Which doesn't alter the fact that I have been sold a malfunctioning unit, knowingly or not, and thus, in my view, entitles me at the very least to a partial refund.

It is defective equipment by definition.

it was exactly those type of problems that scared me away from the 'build it yourself" approach with that 7455 chip.
when I found the Netgear MR1100 branded as a AT&T or T-Mobile LTE modem, I decided to fork over the dough and get on with life.

in the end, it has now been close to a year since I got the MR1100 and I have "almost forgotten" the stiff price.
but, I was very lucky to find a used on one eBay for just under $200 plus shipping.
I have seen them since at eBay prices above $600

today, they can be found around $390-$450 'buy it now'

most are up for bid though

https://www.searchtempest.com/search?se ... n=combined

[AZgl1800]

happiness is when you can look in the rearview mirror and say 'oh well, at least it works"
I have the 1st LTE modem still yet, will keep it for a backup.
Netgear LB1120 Single channel.

Hauled that one all over the southeastern USA a year ago, and it never missed a beat.
Was very happy to have my "home internet" with me, no matter where we went.
traveled over 5,000 miles on that trip.

[AZgl1800]

I'd like to hit the road myself but am not a driver. That's one fantasy that may never become reality. Like the idea of freedom you know parking where you like, somewhere nice and just living. I think I am something of a Gypsy at heart. I don't enjoy being constrained.

Don't fence me in. A van would be great, a large high top LWB with solar panels on the roof and a wood/coal burning stove installed inside. Fill it with tech and a bunk and call it home. I'd really love to do that.

I am keeping my eye open for some kind of module to fit my router that will enable me to use 5G if and when it comes available to me here.

The MC7455 doesn't offer that but I don't want to go brand new so it needs to be used and likely imported from China. I'm not really sure if that possibility exists as yet though.

If my daughter did not live with me, I think that I would probably live in the RV and move around depending on the climate.
our National Parks have summer jobs for Retirees who will help the tourists find their way around, assist the RV folks who don't know how to manage an RV trailer, blown fuses, water leaks, that sort of thing.

I'm handy with my hands and an old communications tech guy, so I could give a helping hand with folks trying to get a computer working on WiFi networks.... might be a lot of fun..... would have been more fun though if my wife were still living, that was our plan before she became ill and climbed the highway to heaven.

.

[AZgl1800]

Sounds idyllic. An RV is a bit on the high end of the spectrum for my taste. Great if you can afford it though. It's a shame you couldn't live the dream. A van is much more me. I don't need a lot of space.

You need a special category of licence to drive an RV right? You can drive a van up to a certain weight on an ordinary driving licence here or so I believe. Not an expert as I as I say I don't drive.

I think you need one in the US with it being so big. Everyone seems to drive there.

Nice work if you can get it though. All that freedom plus a wage can't be bad.

No, nothing special, just the average Automobile Driver license.
I could drive a Semi truck w/o needing to acquire a special license "as long as" the truck is Placarded "Private Vehicle Use Only, Not for Hire"

Here is the USA, if you don't have a driver's license, then you are forced to live/work in a Major Metro area where you can walk to work and back, or have close access to a Metro Bus route, or call up a Uber/Lyft service.

Move 5 miles out of the Metro area and everything changes fast, we go Rural in a hurry.
For instance, it is a mile to town for me and that only gets me a small Convenience store that sells gasoline and Snacks.
It is 15 miles to the nearest town of any size that has grocery stores and the sub-mini malls with other stores on site.

Go in the other 3 directions and it is 45 miles to a town of significant size to have most of what makes life nice.

I have a 20 year old Chevrolet Suburban which can take me anywhere I need to go, it tows my 26 ft RV quite nicely.

Most of my purchases I do online and let FedEx or UPS or USPS deliver it to my door.

here is my RV hooked up to my 20 yr old truck, the RV is a "Toy Hauler", meaning the rear 8 feet is a mini-garage with fold down ramp, I carry my small motor scooter in there. The space above the garage contains a Full Size bed and wall cabinets.

My scooter in the garage

[AZgl1800]

I'll say one thing for this router and MC7455 it has never disconnected not even briefly not so much as a stutter. I have read about others suffering signal loss. I can only put this down the low signal strength in their locale.

The software/firmware on the router appears unreliable and/or undependable at first sight but has also been stable, with no crashes or errors reported.

The only problem is with the MC7455 firmware not saving one specific command.

If I do end up making 4G my permanent solution, once the 4G signal improves in speed, I think I will use the 4G router as a modem and use my Netgear router connected to that as my access point.

That appears to be the best configuration. Though I have not tested this for speed.

I went over to visit a friend today, who has the home built LTE modem with the MC7455 chip on it.
He hasn't got it up and going yet, but is going to call me when it is done and working.
He currently has a problem with the Simcard to AT&T, for some reason it has been un-registered and he is out of service along with a few other people in my area.

[AZgl1800]

I'll say one thing for this router and MC7455 it has never disconnected not even briefly not so much as a stutter. I have read about others suffering signal loss. I can only put this down the low signal strength in their locale.

The software/firmware on the router appears unreliable and/or undependable at first sight but has also been stable, with no crashes or errors reported.

The only problem is with the MC7455 firmware not saving one specific command.

If I do end up making 4G my permanent solution, once the 4G signal improves in speed, I think I will use the 4G router as a modem and use my Netgear router connected to that as my access point.

That appears to be the best configuration. Though I have not tested this for speed.

I went over to visit a friend today, who has the home built LTE modem with the MC7455 chip on it.
He hasn't got it up and going yet, but is going to call me when it is done and working.
He currently has a problem with the Simcard to AT&T, for some reason it has been un-registered and he is out of service along with a few other people in my area.

It will be interesting to read about his experience. But it looks like he's S.O.L at the moment.

He gave up waiting for the provider to get his Simcard fixed.
Went to a Dollar General store and bought one of those "Tracfone" simcards, then he called up a guy he found on eBay and gave that guy the Simcard's serial number, and the IMEI of the Mofi LTE modem.
5 minutes later, he is back on the internet.

TruTone simcard.jpg (28.34 KiB) Viewed 930 times