I just upgraded my Max BR1 to the Transit 5g with the cat20 radio in the hopes of getting 5G from T-Mobile. I went to the store to sign up for a plan and the 100GB plan is only for 5G devices, no big deal, I wanted to upgrade to something that can handle FirstNet anyway so I took the plunge.
I put in the T-Mobile card on the 100GB plan and couldn’t get on the network. The carrier kept showing wrong (Verizon, AT&T, never T-Mobile). I called up their tech support and was told the 100GB plan is ONLY supported on four devices, their hotspot (forget the model), a Samsung tablet, and two iPad versions.
I validated the router by pulling my pre-paid T-Mobile SIM from my Max BR1 and it came right online, so it does seem that their network isn’t allowing the router to join.
Is anybody else out there using the T-Mobile 100GB plan on the Transit 5G?
I put in a prepaid t mobile card and that came right up. I’m going to try my Firstnet sim a little later today but that’s currently running my BR1.
I upgraded to the latest recommended build for the Max 5G, there was a especially version not the GA version.
How long have you had your plan?
The guy in the store mentioned they made some changes to the 100 gig plan about two weeks ago, I’m wondering if something in the change is blocking devices. Their support people saw my IMEI on the network, it just wouldn’t join.
New Transit Max 5G, on the right “special” firmware. Sim didn’t work. In 5G/all mode, it would try to connect to AT&T but bounce and restart. In LTE, it would try for a moment on T-mobile, but then bounce to AT&T.
After spending almost 2 hours (wait time, escalations), it got confirmed that their “new” 100GB plan at $60 only work with 4 specific devices for now (iPad Pro, a samsung tablet, their hotspot and another I can’t remember). Only the 100GB plan is in this weird limitation; the 50GB plan doesn’t have that restriction and works well on the Peplink. We repeated the experiment and confirmed from the TOS of the plans… So for now, I got their 50GB plan which will be enough but will be looking for other options.
Well crap, that is the same answer I got. It sounds like they JUST changed the 100GB plan. I was offered to move to the 50GB plan for $50/month so I am deciding what to do here too. At that point I may just keep the pre-paid SIM and put $50 on it when I need to use it since I primarily use my AT&T sim anyway, T was just as a backup in case there wasn’t AT&T coverage, it is the same price, I don’t have to pay when I am not using it, and in my Transit 5G it did connect at 5G on the pre-paid card.
I am hoping this changes soon, Peplink announced today that the Transit 5G is now certified for use on the T-Mobile 5G network, so maybe they’ll open it back up.
Just wanted to add that I received my Max Transit 5G two days ago from Mobile Must Have, went to T-Mobile store today and purchased a 5G 100gb/month @ $50/month post-paid full size SIM, inserted to slot A, turned on device, and joined the network on both my MacBook Pro and iPhone 12 Pro with no problem at all.
After a lot of reading on the forums there were a lot of troubleshooting cases going through my mind…it’s so nice when things just work the first time.
Especially after having just finished building my Nissan Leaf battery diy camper van solar electrical system, talk about troubleshooting…
I purchased this particular Max Transit 5G device and T-mobile to test out the 5G n71 and 4G 71 bands for their long range capabilities. I work in and around national parks so I am excited to see how the experiment goes.
Thanks for the update! I cancelled my plan about two weeks ago, but if it is actually working I may give it a go again! Did you have to specify the IMEI or anything at the store?
Also, nice build! I have a Multiplus and Cerbo in my RV and they have been pretty good. Did you post something in the victron forum about charging a leaf battery? I am guessing things like that are going to become more common as the EV’s start getting replaced or into accidents.
Hey thanks, yeah I posted about modifying the normal 24v chargers to be able to charge to 33v. Still in the process of researching how to optimize my secondary charging systems. 900W Solar works great though.
I literally brought my device into the store with all the necessary information to make sure it got done right with no unknowns or incorrect fields filled out.
I will say though, this device seems to get quite hot while just powered on and mostly passive. I just ordered a temperature device to check the case temp. This anything you’re aware of? Thanks
I may try and take it to the store with me, I’d have to unwire some things and find the antennas it came with, I hardwired to a roof top 7-in-1 antenna
Mine got pretty toasty too, it’s in a closet with some other stuff so I put a small computer fan in the side of the cabinet to move air through.
I also added a big heat sync at the same time and it stays MUCH cooler now
I’m looking at the parsec husky 7-in-1 as opposed to the puma 421 because it has double the gain for the 600mhz bands like n71 / 71. Otherwise they seem nearly identical except the Puma is nearly half the price.
