I’m using a BR1 Pro 5G (x62) for cellular internet at a fixed location. As you can see, I need an external antenna. The tower is less than 2 miles away, but I do not have direct line-of-sight.
Directional antennas make sense in FWA applications. Enclosures, such as the Antenna Max, make sense to prevent cable loss. If it existed, I would order ANT-MAX-IOT-42G-S-W.
Poynting offers something close with their EPNT-2. It’s a 4x4 MIMO enclosure having two uni-directional antennas with 11 dBi peak gain and two omni-directional antennas with 5 dBi peak gain.
Here is my question:
Which two ports on the BR1 do I connect the two directional elements if I want them Tx/Rx on frequencies between 3400 - 4200 MHz? Which two ports to I connect the omni elements for the low bands?
@Giedrius
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this is the advice from peplink:
"** If 2x antennas are used:
- Antennas should be connected to router ports A and D.
- MIMO 4x4 will not be supported.
- Cellular modem will not be able to use bands B42/43/46/48 of LTE and n48/n70/n77/n78/n79 of NR5G.
-5GN bands:
- LTE: B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B7, B8, B12, B13, B14, B17, B18, B19, B20, B25, B26, B28, B29, B30, B32, B34, B38, B39, B40, B41,
B42, B43, B46, B48, B66, B71
- 5G (NSA & SA): n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n8, n12, n13, n14, n18, n20, n25, n26, n28, n29, n30, n38, n40, n41,
n48, n66, n70, n71, n75, n76, n77, n78, n79
Bands used by US carriers:
AT&T
LTE: 2 / 4 / 5 / 12 / 14 / 17 / 29 ( RX only ) / 30 / 66
5G: n2 / n 5 / n30 / n66 / n77
T-Mobile
LTE: 2 / 4 / 12 / 25 / 26 / 41 / 46 / 48 / 66 / 71
5G: n2 / n25 / n41 / n48 / n66 / n71
Verizon
LTE: 2 / 4 / 5 / 13 / 46 / 48 /66
5G: n2 / n5 / n48 / n66 / n77** "
This is an 4x4 antenna. All four antenna ports will be connected. My question is how best to connect the two omni and the two uni elements. I for sure do not want to give up n77. Actually, my question is how do I put n77 on the directional antenna elements for higher gain, while letting the omnidirectional serve the lower band.
@bryn.loftus’s response still applies connect the directional to A and D.
Hi Steve,
Products with the -5GN SKU do not officially support 2x antenna mode. Additionally, there are no dedicated antennas specifically designed for low or high bands - everything is intermixed. When Carrier Aggregation (CA) is involved, things get even more complex.
If you still insist on using 2x directional + 2x omni antennas, Bryn and Jonathan have suggested the best possible setup: connect the antennas to router ports A and D as this will support most of the bands.
If your primary focus is on n77, you could try connecting to A and C, which should cover bands B42/43/48 and n70/48/77/78/79.
However, please note:
- This configuration is not officially supported.
- We cannot guarantee performance or take responsibility for any issues.
- The A+C combination has not been tested and verified in our lab.
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Hi Steve, I’ve played around with this exact antenna and the BR1 and get wildly different results depending on the combination (4x4). I’ve tasked one of my colleagues to run a full test on this setup as we’ll be using this antenna and the BR1 in the field in the next few months. I’ll share the results, but these tests will be run in Aus, carriers don’t use n77 here for example but I think our testing may be useful to you in any case.
That’s great! Thanks for doing that and sharing with the community. Look forward to seeing the results.
The Antenna Max is tempting me and I would already have one, except for the fact that the Splitter MAX is not yet available. If, in your testing, you find good tesults, it will be a tough decision.
-Steve
