FAQs
Here you will find some of our most commonly asked questions. If you can not find the answer you are looking for please contact us.
- All
- 5G FAQs
- Antenna Connection FAQs
- Issues with 5G antenna ports
- Router Modifications
- Why Modify Your Router?
5G is still relatively new and not yet fully implemented. At present there are not any 5G SA masts installed in the United Kingdom. This means you will have 5G NSA.
Yes this will most certainly help you to achieve 5G connectivity.
However it will depend on how far outside the 5G area you are. Using external antennas will dramatically increase the chance of you attaining 5G connectivity.
There are two types of 5G connectivity that are used for routers and masts to negotiate a 5G link:
SA (stand-alone) SA means the mast and router can negotiate a link without needing a 4G connection first, the router must be SA capable and the mast must have its own dedicated 5G infrastructure “SA” not dependant on 4G. (This is more expensive for carriers to install).
If you have a 5G router but don’t have 5G in your area, you can still use the router for 4G. You will also be ready for 5G when its in your area.
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).
Yes, you can use 1x 2×2 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.
For minimal 4G – 1x 2×2 MIMO antenna connected into the 2x 4G low band connections.
For minimal 5G- 2x 2×2 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 2×2 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.
It’s not advised to split a 2×2 MIMO antenna over the 4G and 5G ports as this will cause frequency clashes. You can split a 4×4 antenna over 4G and 5G as each 2×2 pairs are isolated within the antenna.
You can either use 3x 2×2 antennas (2 for 4G and 1 for 5G) or use 1x 2×2 and 1x 4×4 antenna (2×2 for 5G and 4×4 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.
Yes you can use SISO antennas. One SISO antenna per port.
Splitters are not advised as they can cause frequency clashes resulting in poor performance and reduced stability. antennas connection should be isolated to individual router antenna ports.
Yes – Because router modification modifies the internal antennas, these will then be converted for external use allowing you to use external antennas on the newly converted internal antenna ports. The damaged TS9 connectors do not affect the modification.
The mast and router might be using NSA 5G so despite there being 5G in the area the router still needs to connect to the 5G mast via a 4G connection first to negotiate its link for 5G. This isn’t happening because the 4G signal needed first is coming from the internal antennas that may have weak signal and possibly not connecting to the 4G mast that has the 5g ENDC uplink for 5G, therefore your not getting 5G on the T9 external inputs because of this.
Router modification are completed within 1-2 working days of being received.
This modification does not affect the internal Wi-Fi and will continue to function as normal.
Some routers offer 2 external antenna inputs as standard but going from 2×2 MIMO (2 antennas) to 4×4 MIMO (4antennas) means doubling the theoretical maximum data transfer speed. That’s because each antenna supports a separate data stream up to a maximum theoretical limit. The precise limit varies depending on the wireless networking standing your using.
This depends on your router variation, please refer to the router description within our shop. However we have small attachable SMA antennas that can be connected the the external inputs that will be just as good as the original internal antennas if not better. Take a look in our shop at our antenna range.
No, the modification is purely hardware modification and no modifications to the firmware have been conducted. You can also install any future firmware releases without issues.
MIMO stands for “multiple input, multiple output. 4×4 MIMO device has four antennas for four simultaneous data streams, while 2×2 MIMO has two.
Each antenna on a device is used both for receiving data and sending data. The more antennas your device has, the more data it can transfer at once—and that means faster download and upload speeds. – Subject to mast and operator capabilities.
Have a look in our Shop to see if your router model is listed. Don’t worry if your router isn’t listed it just means we haven’t had the opportunity to modify your version yet. Please contact us to discuss the modification of your router.
In order to complete the modification this will require dismantling the router and will void manufacturer’s warranties and therefore are not returnable to the manufacturer.
The modification will give you:
SMA external antenna connections QTY will vary depending on your router model. Refer to the router modification description within the shop for more detailed information.
This allows the router to unleash its full potential, gaining better signals, better signals equates to faster throughput and speeds and more reliability.
Simple, Purchase the modification service from our shop. Dispatch your router to us via the address provided in the purchase receipt and await its return.
MIMO (multiple input, multiple output) is an antenna technology for wireless communications in which multiple antennas are used at both the source (transmitter) and the destination (receiver). The antennas at each end of the communications circuit are combined to minimize errors, optimize data speed and improve the capacity of radio transmissions by enabling data to travel over many signal paths at the same time.
Don’t we all want faster internet? Adding external antennas to the router increases signal and thus increases upload and download speed as well as carrier aggression (multiple frequencies at once).
Using external antennas you can take advantage of Carrier Aggregation.
LTE Advanced Carrier Aggregation, CA, is one of the key techniques used to enable the very high data rates of 4G to be achieved.
By combining more than one carrier together, either in the same or different bands it is possible to increase the bandwidth available and in this way increase the capacity of the link.
Adding external antennas to a modified router allows for improved signal VS the standard internal antennas allowing for better decibel signal gains increasing signal.
Suffering from dropouts, poor latency and slow load times? Using external antennas on a modified router, increases signal and reducing the risk of drop-outs while improving speed, latency, reliability.
