As a failback when FTTH is down, I investigate solutions using LTE “4G”. Wireless coverage is not great in my area.
I tried a brand new SXT LTE6, kit, but the signal levels are way too low: the modem can barely connect, but cannot TX/RX.
On the second-hand market, I managed to get a used “LHG LTE6” and a used “LHGG LTE6” (both factory reset).
The STX kit runs RouterOS 7. The LHG and LHGG run RouterOS 6.
My questions are about the possible evolution pathway:
Can I “simply” pick the RouterBoard out of the STX to replace the board in the LHG or LHGG?
Can I upgrade the LHGG/LHG to RouterOS 7 (both seem stuck at 6.49 and won’t upgrade to RouterOS 7)?
At least one LHG/LHGG is equiped with a R11e-LTE6 modem. Is there any advantage in upgrading the device with the mode from the SXT kit?
It should be possible, though you will probably need to update first to 7.12.1 and from it further upgrade, BUT there is no actual reason to do so (and risking a crash and a netinstall) v6 works just fine on such devices.
yes, the LHG should have the R11e-LTE6 modem (cannot say the LHGG) the SXT should have a FG-621EA, they should be the same category/speed (cat or 300 Mbps), some bands are different:
Board transplant: I gave up the idea. The STX board might eventually fit into the LHG/LHGG enclosure, but the port locations differ between the two boards. So it may require heavy adaptation for virtually no gain.
Speaking of gains, I was very surprised to see the modest difference between the SXT and the LHGG. See the table below. In both cases, the modem can connect, but I receive no packet (apparently, my carrier uses bands B1, B3, and B20. The modem regularly switches between them.
I searched for the best antenna orientation and took a few measurements. Here are the typical values I obtain (±1 point):
DEVICE
RSSI
RSRP
RSRQ
SINR
BAND
LHGG
-84dBm
-111~-119dBm
-9~-17dB
-3dB
B20
STX
-84dBm
-110dBm~-119dBm
-19~-11dB
0dB
B20
Except for the RSRQ, the values remain identical for both devices. RSRQ is the only significant improvement. It is very dependant of the antenna orientation. The other parameters seem relatively indifferent to the antenna orientation (or type).
When scanning:
the LHGG finds GSM, 3G, and Enhanced 3G (LTE) transmiters
the STX finds 3G, and Enhanced 3G (LTE) transmiters
It was expected: the R11e0LTE6 is 2G-capable, the other modem is only 3G/4G. BTW, the LHG is equipped with a “R11e-LTE6” (just like the LHGG).
And now?
It is a known fact that the 3G/4G coverage at my location is very poor, to say the least. But smartphones are still able to connect (they switch between "3G" and "H+"). The connection is slow and unreliable, but RX/TX obviously works. It is quite surprising that last-mile solutions can't.
Questions:
Can a directional antenna be more affected by line-of-sight obstacles than a typical smartphone antenna?
I used a different (low-cost) provider for my tests. May that affect the link reliability?
Are there parameters I overlooked and that can explain why a link can be established, but that I am unable to exchange data on that link?
Hi, did you check where the cell tower to which you want to connect is located ?
You can use free app called Cell Mapper for that.
Your smartphone have omnidirectional antenna, so it’s built an designed to receive mobile signal from all directions while Mikrotik antenna you use is directional and it’s important that it’s directed towards the cell tower as best as possible in order to achieve best reception. No clear LOS will impact the performance ofcourse.
LTE signal strengths (RSRP) below around -105dBm are useless. To have decent service and stable one RSRP above -95dBm or so is required.
All of mentioned devices support 3G. But it may take some persuasion to make them connect to 3G cells. Modems might be locked to 4G (many users do it). And even if they are in auto mode, the fact they can connect (although they don't pass traffic) may make them stick to 4G.
And by all means check the direction towards cell towers as @gigabyte091 already suggested.