Do I need 3 separate 2x2 MIMO antennas or can I use a 4x4 and 2x2 MIMO antennas?

You can either use 3x 2x2 antennas (2 for 4G and 1 for 5G) or use 1x 2x2 and 1x 4x4 antenna (2x2 for 5G and 4x4 for 4G). Its advisable to ensure the 5G connection is isolated to its own antenna as the 5G cell may not be located on the same 4G mast. This will allow you to independently align both the 4G and 5G antennas separately according to their signal readings.

Can I use a modified 5G router with just 1 2x2 MIMO antenna?

Yes, you can use 1x 2x2 MIMO antenna on the 2x 4G low band antenna connections to get you up and running (5G will not work). You can later add the second and third antennas for 5G and Carrier Aggregation performance increases.

There are two types of 5G connectivity that are used for routers and masts to negotiate a 5G link: NSA (none stand-alone) NSA means the router and the mast must negotiate a 4G link before it can negotiate and use 5G. Once negotiated it will still require a link with 4G despite using 5G. Basically the operator attached a 5G radio to an existing 4G mast so its not pure 5G like SA (cheaper for carriers to install).

FAQs Archive - Page 4 of 5

Q: Can I use SISO (non MIMO) antennas this device?

Yes you can use SISO antennas. One SISO antenna per port.

Q: Many 4x4 and 2x2 MIMO antennas support both 5G and 4G, can both be used simultaneously?

It's not advised to split a 2x2 MIMO antenna over the 4G and 5G ports as this will cause frequency clashes. You can split a 4x4 antenna over 4G and 5G as each 2x2 pairs are isolated within the antenna.

Q: The modification user manual shows various options, but it is not clear to me what the minimum requirements are.

For minimal 4G – 1x 2x2 MIMO antenna connected into the 2x 4G low band connections. For minimal 5G- 2x 2x2 MIMO antennas 1x antenna connected into the 2x 4G low band connections and 1x antenna connected into the 2x 5G connections. For full performance - 3x 2x2 MIMO antennas 1x antenna connected into the 2x 4G low band connections, 1x antenna connected into the 2x 4G high band connections and 1x antenna connected into the 2x 5G connections.