Background:
Deployment in a rural area, with Verizon and T-Mobile both aggregating at most two LTE bands.
Question:
Given that the carrier will aggregate at most two bands, would one expect different connection performance of a CAT-12 v. a CAT-6 modem/router (e.g. flex modules for a B20X)?
Cheers,
Z.
Hi. Sometimes “yes” and sometimes “no.” It really depends on the carriers’ configuration of their systems, signal metrics, etc. Personally, I think the Cat12 modem is “worth” the extra $$ and will become more valuable over time.
In a situation where FirstNet (in the USA) is available to the user the decision is particularly easy.
For T-Mobile, you’ll want the CAT18 module for band71 support. Module will also perform better with 4x antennas. Or get the 5G USB MAX adapter for the 20x and save the module slot for whatever comes next. 
Thanks for your thoughts on the choice of modem. W.r.t the MAX Adaptor I expect the limiting factor will be the capacity of the USB port rather than the cellular bandwidth.
However, the context of my question is somewhat different, and is essentially whether test results from a CAT-12 device in a two-band environment is reliable as a guide to the speed that a CAT-6 device will achieve with the same two bands.
Cheers,
Z
Hello @zegor_mjol,
Our understanding is that if your Cat12 can only connect to two bands, it will perform equivalently to a Cat6 connecting to two bands.
The advantage of the Cat12 is that it may make an additional connection to one of the available two bands and give you some more access to the available capacity of the carrier.
Our experience is a lot of this is carrier cell tower dependant; we operate both Cat6 & Cat12 equipment, and sometimes it behaves like Cat4 (connects to a single band). We also have customers with Cat18 units though the backhaul of the carrier’s tower is the limitation in capacity.
Happy to Help,
Marcus
That would be my expectation as well, just doing a sanity check with wiser heads.
I understand that there are a number of parameters that determine the overall capacity of a connection (and a frustrating lot they can be, to an experimental science geek). This particular context is to reduce the number of samples to be made (i.e., to expect that results from a CAT-+++ be indicative of the same experiment run on (say) a CAT-6 when the same bands, at the same location, at the same time are being utilized).
Sampling efficiency is the core issue, in other words.
Cheers,
Z
Agreed. We have a number of situations where Cat 6 and Cat 12 modems are “acting” like Cat 4. “The carrier is in charge.” 