Hello. I need to replace my RBLHGR combined 4G antenna and modem kit and would be grateful for advice on going about it.
The antenna / modem has been very capable of serving my modest requirements for several years but is starting to be less reliable. This might, ahem, be due to water ingress from when 'someone' cleaned the dish without realising the modem wasn't sealed from below ...
I've tried getting a professional to install a replacement, but none in my area is willing to touch 4G systems for rural broadband. They only offer to set me up with a Starlink system. I'm very happy with my 4G setup and don't want or need satellite broadband and the additional expense.
I'm not at all technically competent, but can manage taking the old antenna off its pole and fixing a new one up (assuming I can just plug the existing CAT5E cable in to the new unit).
I'm also worried about setting up the new hardware correctly. I can put in a SIM card and point the antenna in towards the strongest signal, enter the correct APN etc., but I'm not sure what else the original installer would have set. As far as I can see, I can back up the settings on my existing modem, but my reading of the manual is that these can only be re-applied to the same unit. Would I be likely to run into incorrect setting problems if I left everything except the APN as they are?
Apologies for the basic questions. I've tried getting several local rural broadband companies to do it, but they won't look beyond installing Starlink.
choosing between LTE7 snd LTE18 depends on the kind of contract you have with the SIM ISP and/or on the kind of signal you have at your home, the LTE7 is already double the speed you were happy with with the old device
the configuration of a LTE thingy is simple, and if you export (besides backup) your old device configuration, which you should NOT re-import "full" on the new device, forum members will help you in making it suitable to the new device
pointing correctly the antenna might be the most challenging part, but today with a smartphone it is much easier than it was a few years ago, and you have an already installed antenna to use as reference
probably you have to look for, instead of rural broadband companies, small, independent installers if you dont' want to do it yourself (this also depends on how accessible is the antenna)
Thanks jaclaz! That's very helpful and reassuring.
My contract covers 4G and 5G unlimited data but with a cap of 100Mbps.
The antenna is easy to access and I've already set its direction after switching from one network to another. The signal strength is consistently 'good' and the 'quality' excellent. The mast is about half a mile away but with a few trees in the way.
It sounds like the £150 LTE7 will plenty, though I'd pay the additional £65 for the LTE18 if it offered a significant improvement in terms of reliability:
"The LHG LTE18 kit features a 1.2 Gbps CAT18 LTE modem, which enables carrier aggregation and allows the device to use multiple bands at the same time. That is a huge advantage when there are a lot of LTE users in the area. It provides better responsiveness in a crowded environment and higher efficiency for weaker signal situations in the countryside. If you’re competing for traffic in a place with poor connectivity, the new LHG will give you the upper hand. We have seen internet speed doubling in rural areas after switching to carrier aggregation, so there is no need to wait for cable network expansions"
I'll look into exporting the configuration from my current set up and ask for help when I've done that.
I don't think that with a cap of 100 Mbps the £65 are worth it, and about reliability, there won't be any difference, the advantage of carrier aggregation/multiple bands is noticeable only if there are many users and the tower/mast has not enough capacity to serve all of them.