Howdy!
I am running a Transit Max 5G and currently have a dual element panel antenna on a mast for a better signal. Which of the antenna connection would I be best to have it connected to?
Right now I have it on main 1 and 2, and my other antenna (roof mount 7-in-1) still connected to aux 1 and 2. I know I can’t take advantage of MIMO with the two element antenna, but it what I have at the moment! If there is a benefit I can order another panel antenna, but I am outside Yellowstone now, I don’t think they have Prime 2 Day to get me on quickly…
Thanks!
Hi James,
could you let me know the SKU of your MAX Transit 5G so I could give you a more precise answer. Also, did I understand correctly that 2x Transit SMA connectors are connected to directional antenna and the another 2x SMA to the omnidirectional antenna?
5G modems typically have two antennas which work in TX/RX mode and then the other two are RX only. So in theory even with 2x antennas you should be able to get MIMO 5G. This is in case in your area there are 5G basestations.
If yes, then do you know what bands or frequencies are used for 5G in your area? I ask this since older antenna models typically work up to 2.7GHz, while 5G bands may operate >3.4GHz.
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Hi Giedrius,
The SKU is MAX-TST-5GD-T-PRM
There isn’t coverage in 5G currently, and the radio is going between band 12 and band 14.
Hi James,
since you mentioned Main 1/2 and Aux 1/2 antenna connectors I suppose the connectors on your products look like this (ignore those RED circles):
To get 5G MIMO operation you should connect the direction antennas to ports (Main 1A, Aux 1A). These two ports are TX/RX capable. The remaining ports Main 2B and Aux 2B for this product are RX only (diversity). For your case to operate in LTE bands 12 and 14, please connect to Main 1A and Aux 1B.
Please keep in mind that this configuration, described above, is valid for this product only and this particular SKU.
For newer models we have started new naming and we simply name antenna ports as A, B, C and D. The issue is that every cellular modem vendor has a bit different configuration, thus not to confuse end users we changed the naming as well.
Lastly, probably you already know Peplink has antenna series as well. The directional antenna you are looking for will be ready roughly in August (2x2) and September/October (4x4). The antennas we design cover almost all LTE/5G bands (the exception is with 400MHz bands which are quite rare). I mention this, since if you don’t want any headache and want antenna which is future band proof (LTE or 5G) then you might considering trying Peplink antennas as well.
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Thank you, that was a big help! I moved to main 1 and aux 1 and picked up a few more meg of throughput. I will probably upgrade to a 4x4 panel antenna in the future as 5G gets more and more available.
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