DISCOUNT: Get 5% off Waveform antenna and signal booster products with this link: www.waveform.com/natertater or just use code "NATERTATER" at checkout. www.waveform.com/products/4x4-mimo-panel-kit
I wanted to say thank you for your videos! I got the MIMO 4x4 hooked up to my Arcadyan gateway, with the panel mounted in the attic. With the current position I'm testing with, my signal jumped from Very Good to Excellent, with varying cell metrics, but overall RSRQ -2, RSRP -79, SINR 9 / 10, Band n41 on 5G. Test speeds vary, but up to 1.2Gbps download, 600 upload. I'm about 0.35 miles from the tower that sits on top of a building, with some tree and treetops on the way, not a clear line of sight. Very pleased so far, will keep testing! MIMO is not mounted in the permanent location just yet.
@@NaterTater I should say, however, that 1.2Gbps is the peak I have seen in speed tests, not the constant speed observed. Speed tests using FAST like to average more on 400-600Mbps download, and 140-200Mbps upload, with upload peaking to 600Mbps which I have found to be very impressive.
Wait! Your 2x2 video you said to use M and M1 terminals and then put the removed connectors to the empty 4 & 5 terminals. This video you state different combinations for 2x2. Please tell me the correct terminals for the 2x2 and if I should still use the blank terminals 4&5 like mentioned?
@@NaterTater this reply sounds like I should just sell the 2x2 and get the 4x4 as that is cut and dry with its connections for best performance? Or at least that’s what’s WF just told me.
Just setup my new Arcadyan last night. Got between 190 to 325 Mbps. This morning at 9:00 AM I got 500 Mbps !!! Wow, better than I ever thought I would get. I hope it stays that good.
Thanks for the comparison between both antennas. I have the waveform 2x2 and it did improve my 5g signal but the LTE did not improve much. The antenna is mounted outdoors on a pole next to the house. Tower is 2.5 miles. In the winter I was getting N41 with speeds from 50 to 100. Now that all the trees are growing leaves, the N41 band is not strong so I am only getting N71. N41 does not travel through tress like the N71 does. Lower frequencies travel better through obstacles like trees. My speeds are down to a range between 7 and 50 for down load. Up load is way better on N71. Up to 30. I have noticed that reducing noise makes a difference. I am experimenting with different antenna heights and adding a wire grid around the antenna but without blocking the face to reduce noise. The wire grid is grounded. So far I see good results. Noise SINR went from 9 to 14 which improved my speed by 45% with the same power of -89 but noise reduced. Looking forward to the Nokia and 4x4 antenna. If you go out side you should a good improvement on power and speed.
@sal romo Did you ever get the 4x4 Panel? Just got that after not seeing great results from the 2x2 panel and 2x2 LP. How did you set up the wire grid? Sounds like it was the wire grid which made the biggest improvement ?
I would use Two 2x2 antennas and put my gateway in the same room with the antennas so I could use just a few feet of cable. I would then run Ethernet in.
I was using the 2x2 with the trash can router and my speeds went from ~10mbps to ~70mbps. The jump was insane! But then T-Mobile had a blackout in my area for almost a whole day just a week ago, and ever since then the 2x2 antenna no longer works and I'm back to using the standard on-board antennas. Just placed an order for the 4x4 earlier today, hoping even better speeds
I had a similar issue. I'm also having an issue with ports 1 and 2. I have a 2x2 on port 3 and 4 and added another 2x2 on port 1and 2 and there was no improvement. After testing I realize ports 1 and 2 don't work. I've tried 4 different gateways with the same results. Curious to see what you get.
@@srobeck77 yeah, it's been really great actually. For a short period of a couple months this past winter, the router would disconnect from the towers for some reason, but I think they were upgrading the towers then. For the past few months, my speeds have been anywhere between 150 - 200 MBPS. Typically around 180, with dips down into 120 in the early evening due to people traveling home from work.
@@dalechambers4787 replied to someone else, but the antenna's been great so far. Had to route the new large cable that it comes with directly through the wall for best results though. And for a short period of a couple months this past winter, the router would disconnect from the towers for some reason, but I think they were upgrading the towers then. For the past few months, my speeds have been anywhere between 150 - 200 MBPS. Typically around 180, with dips down into 120 in the early evening due to people traveling home from work.
Using the internal antennas I would get 225/18 on band B2 and n41. I bought a 2x2 and just threw it in a window. Using M and D. My speed did not change, and at times was lower. Then changed to M and M1. Speeds were 225/30. Then changed to M1 and M2 - making sure M’s integrated antenna was pointing toward the tower. Now getting 575/80. Still interested in purchasing the 4x4 - as I’d like to not worry about the integrated antenna direction.
Starting to add Waveform 4x4 (omnidirectional) soon. Starting speed is 10-20 mbs up and 1-8 mbs down……far from tower no regular cellular service in this area. Will update after install. 😁
There's not enough videos like this... I'm about to view your other videos, in hope to find the test you mention right at the end, where you've tested the antena outdoors... Fingers crossed its there!
thanks, here's the outdoor test: th-cam.com/video/IEvWOywIh1Q/w-d-xo.html note you can checkout my playlists with just t-mobile home internet videos or just waveform videos on my channel th-cam.com/users/NaterTaterplaylists
@@NaterTater Thanks, yup I've been having a browse of your videos, and it's helped me a little. I'm in the UK, with 3 for 5G, and have an NR5103E. I'm struggling to get a good signal without an external antenna, and I'm trying to figure out what kind I need to get. I can see in the admin page that my bands, are B1, B3, N78, and N78 (Yup N78 is there twice) I can also see that my UL Bandwidth Mhz is 10M, and 100M. and the DL Bandwidth Mhz is, 10M, 15M, 100M, and 40M. I'm not sure if these values would help determine the best kind of Antenna for me? I also wish I had a way to find out how to select the best cell tower, I have a few too choose from... I think I'm close to maybe 3? I see the hub tells me the Cell ID is 868680 and Physical Cell ID is 334.... but I cant find a website that will accurately tell me exactly where these are located? Sorry for the book, but is there any advice you can offer me on this information. Thanks for replying btw... Likes the videos I watched, and I've subbed with bell!!!
Wait! Your 2x2 video you said to use M and M1 terminals and then put the removed connectors to the empty 4 & 5 terminals. This video you state different combinations for 2x2. Please tell me the correct terminals for the 2x2 and if I should still use the blank terminals 4&5 like mentioned?
The external method is great and T-Mobile should put jacks on the unit for this. They could get more customers. I have T-mobile for my cell but the signal is only 1 or 2 bars at best. Currently the 5 G service is not available in my area.
I have ordered the Waveform 4x4 for my T-Mobile Home Internet. I have the Nokia (trash can) model. Your video mentioned hook up either two or four of the connections. How do I decide two or four? I hit a tower straight north of my house, ordinarily. However, when there is a problem with that tower I would be switched to a tower east of my home. If I hook all four and point to my main tower, will I have a problem if I am switched temporarily to a tower that my antenna is not aimed at. Or would a 2x2 with two of the wi-fi antennas left connected be a better solution? Thanks
Do you recommend any cell booster that won’t break the bank that doesn’t require taking the arcaydian apart? My TMHI Router is currently outside bc I live in a metal building but still get a weak signal but tower is only 2 miles away. I’m currently getting 50-80 down and 1 up “mbps”
He did a video a couple of weeks ago using cell boosters. Check his catalog. If I remember correctly, boosters did not perform as well as non-amplified antennas.
Very informative content. Thanks a bunch. I’m about to hit the road full time in an RV (remote boondocking primarily). I have decided to get T mobile home internet to supplement my Starlink setup. Although it’s technically supposed to be in a fixed location, tons of fellow RVers say they don’t enforce moving around. It seems like it makes sense for me to get the 4x4 MIMO antenna after watching this video, would you agree ? Do you think it will make a huge difference if the Antenna is mounted on the roof of my RV or if it’s just inside? I don’t think I will often be near 5G towers, also the 4x4 makes sense for me to not have to worry about always configuring it in the right direction. Thank you!
T-mobile openly allows you to go mobile with the TMHI now. A 4x4 will certainly help with signal and outside the RV would be better. Of note though is is it does have to be aimed. Waveform does offer kits designed for mobile use with omno-directional antenna. Might be worth reaching out to them to see what they recommend and if they can make a kit specific for your needs. You can still use the natertater discount if you tell them.
@@NaterTater thanks so much for the response. Going to get in touch with them and see what they might be able to help me out with. I’m Wondering how one of their Mimo’s would compare to something like a Weboost cell booster.
Got my tmobile internet thanks to your videos and i've been around a steady 300-400 down and around 50-60 up everytime I test it. Ping is not too much of a problem in games it is relatively higher I plan on buying an antenna to hopefully see if I can get more improvements
I wish I could do some type of antenna setup for the Verizon cube. I’m on my 2nd cube 1st 1 failed wouldn’t return to 5G after falling back to LTE. I have it about 20ft in the air in an open warehouse type building. Opening and closing the garage doors makes a HUGE difference on performance throughout the day.
Bought the Waveform 4X4 on your recommendation..it has increased my speeds by 30%- 40%. But, I have a question that maybe you can answer. I see on eBay that there are a few KVD21's for sale. What good are they since each KVD21 has its own admin PW and WiFi PW that would be associated with the individual SIM?
They aren't much good to most people. But they are not tied to that SIM card. You could take the SIM out of your KVD21 and put it in one from ebay and it'd work. You could also potentially use a 3rd party sim with the gateway.
Is there any better way to locate where my local tower is by driving around in my car with the unit on and using the app to look at the Advanced Signal tab? Is there any website that has this info or is the towers to new to have it yet?
Sorta. You would only hook up 2 cables though so it would be a waste unless you already own the 4x4. It wont help over a 2x2. Also you need to ensure your router supports the bands you want on those ports. I hope not an inseego fx2000e.
I have had mine for about a year and I have terrible speeds I at most ever see around 6mbs down 10 up. I have tried everything I can I've been watching your videos alot and I'm concerned that because how bad my connection is that adding an antenna may be a lost cause. Unfortunately the only provider that used to cover my area doesn't cover us anymore. Any ideas
Been debating for months now I moved in the middle of nowhere and pick up 2 bars of 4g lol and it barley does anything. I ordered the 4x4 and we will see what happens
Thank you for this video, I think im going to be purchasing the 2x2 (for the trashcan). Its possible to get n41 around my area because I have had it for weeks on end, but all of a sudden no matter where i put my gateway i cant get on the faster band. Ive heard nothing but good things about these antennas
One of the software updates slowed it down a while back and made almost everyone connect to N71 instead of N41. Hard reset your gateway and set it all up again, just remember exactly what your ssid and password are so everything connects back easily. Also a tip, delete the T-Mobile internet app and redownload it when you hard reset otherwise you may have issues completing the setup. I happen to have a T-Mobile tower directly in front of my house that’s a street and a half over on top of a church. Hard resetting got me back to N41… it occasionally switches to N71 but if I just do the app restart it will 95% of the time bring back N41.
Great video! I was wondering how this would do with a Mofi-5500? I just received these 4x4 antennas today. My current setup with the Mofi is a parabolic grid antenna and a proxicast Omni directional antenna. Thoughts? Thank you sir! Also, I’m using the T-Mobile gateway SIM card in the Mofi.
Interested to see what your results were with the 4x4 outside with the KVD21. I'm setting this up at home and trying to decide if I want to ugly up the outside of my home with antennas. I'll be doing a OTA tv antenna at the same time, so thanks for your videos on that topic as well.
I sure hope the 2x2 pad makes a difference for me. I have a mofi 4500 or I would have chosen 4x4 pad. My main thing is I just want it to hold better signal consistency overall. I had been using 2x wilson directional yagi antennas but too much tree coverage and it picked up too much interference, and no LoS either
Great informational video. One question I have is if you cancel the T-Mobile home internet service you have to return the T-Mobile device or pay up to $370 for the device. If the device has been opened or tampered with will you be charged the $370 fee?
I have the Nokia gateway. I have no external antenna connected, using B66 and n71. n41 is not available here. Tower is 2.5 miles away, non-line-of-sight, trees. I'm getting an average of 50 Mbps down and 25 Mbps up. Just curious, have you done anything with the MTU settings on your PC/router? I've reset the MTU in my PC from 1500 to 1420 and it has helped increase the speed. I realize for the video, using your phone, the MTU can't be changed in the phone. The 4x4 mimo panel looks promising. Thanks for the video.
I noticed that the first 2 times you ran speed test underneath T-Mobile it said 123 Southfield Mi but the 3rd and 4th times you ran it it said T-Mobile Detroit Mi. Just wondering if the difference is meaningful. Thanks
Good point. Test servers can have an influence on the numbers but it's normally not significant for the local ones. I do notice that speedtest will sometimes pick different servers when you change bands and I think thats due to the tmobile network routing being different. So you might appear to be in a different location and thus it picks a "closer" server.
Yes. Pick your correct gateway and the antenna install video here Waveform Cellular Antennas for T-Mobile and Verizon Home Internet: th-cam.com/play/PL8d9FovK2dNS1HuMabIm8hspYa7nlXpPP.html
Hi Nate! Thanks for the great videos, I’m learning a lot. I am currently using the T-Mobile Arcadian gateway. My speeds are good but my signal strength is poor. Should installing a external antenna 4X4 MIMO help with signal strength? TIA
Hey! Just got my tmobile gateway last night! Im having nat issues on my xbox and inability to port forward. Tmobile said its in the works with their engineering but im pretty crushed. Will hooking up my own router allow forwarding/nat opening? And if so what router do you recommend?
@@rexklessones use my link in the video description, waveform.refr.cc/natertater to get your coupon code then go to www.waveform.com/products/2x2-mimo-panel-kit
Hey Tater, can you do a video on the most powerful setup for the most remote areas? Like an 8x8 mimo if that exists? My speeds range from .08 down/.08 up to .5 down/.4 up. Sometimes on a glorious day I'll get 1 down and .4 up!! Not much. I'm afraid a setup like this might give underwhelming results given the circumstance.
@nater tater I got a Bolton long ranger and it's not my area of expertise with antennas what exactly do I need for the hook ups cords wise so I don't buy something I can't use, I have the Grey model t mobile home internet. Also do u think it could work in a uninsulated attic with the signal coming thru the roof cause I have a tree that would be blocking some of the signal regardless if I put it on the roof or not
Question... Just received mimo 4x4 antenna bought with your affiliate link... Finally connected the SMA to the ports inside (a son of a biscuit) how did you figure the leads exiting the router when put back together?
Interested in the nokia set up. My ping is 65 on b41 with 275-300 down and upload is between 2-10 and b71 is around 50 down and 20 up. Trying to decide which antenna to get. Thanks for all the testing and info you are providing!
I live like 1/2 Mile from my tower ( and can see it from my house). I've played around and found a pretty decent spot and get good speeds during the day ( 100-200 Mbps). However during 5pm - 12 am the internet is very slow, only getting like 30 Mbps. I'm assuming it's bc of tower congestion. Would an improved and stronger connection to the tower help with this issue?
I have T mobile home internet ( been two months now ) So happy to be able to fire Xfinity. So far my download speeds are consistent 95MB down and 98MB up which is way better than what I had with cable. I can see the tower my internet is using and My signal is always in the " Excellent" range. My question is, if I upgrade the antenna even though my signal is good now, would I expect to see some speed increases due to signal quality? I'm perfectly happy as is but if I can get even more speed than it may be worth it. I appreciate your hard work you put into your videos.
You can get a sense check by driving closer to the tower with your gateway powered up in your car and see if your speeds greatly improve. If so an antenna would help. Based on your 95/98Mbps speed I am going to assume you are getting deprioritized and thus an antenna wont help as much.
@@NaterTater Thats a great idea driving closer to the tower for testing. Like I said though, I'm fine with 98 MB down since I don't do online gaming anyway. Weird how upload is consistently faster than download. With Concast I was getting 80MB down and 6MB up. Thank you for all you do..
Out of interest have you tested adding an external antenna to the T-Mobile (Nokia gateway) that only get 4G lte and adding the external antenna you then “boost” and get a 5G signal??? Eg your just out of 5g range adding the external antenna gets you a 5g signal???
I live in northern Minnesota on a lake before the leave came speed was 35 to 40 now 7 to 12 and I have a metal roof thinking of outside antenna? well it help ??
do antenna help with jitters. i already have good upload and download with no antennas. 5 bars. if the jitters would go down a small amount it would be worth it to me.
I have the 4X4 MIMO with the LP antennas. You mentioned that vertical and horizontal separation can be an issue. I may have missed the video but do you have a suggestion on how far they should be separated both vertically and horizontally? As usual, a great video.
At least two wavelengths, you should shoot for 5 or 6 though. What band you will be on is important. The lowest tmobile band, b71, is ~50cm per wavelength. That is the longest one you could be using, which would be 1m separation, and better if you can go 3m
If you're deciding between the 4x4 and 2x2 MIMO, the choice depends on your mobile hotspot. If your device has 2 antenna ports, opt for the 2x2 MIMO. Conversely, if it has 4 antenna ports, go with the 4x4 MIMO. Hope this helps!
Nate, do you know if the cables need to be arranged in a particular order for the Nokia gateway as well? When I had the 2x2 panel antenna up, I’d always get Band 66/n71. Now that I have the 4x4 panel antenna, I only get Band 71.
With the 2x2 it matters but the 4x4 is less sensitive since all port get the "same" antenna. You could always try a different arrangement though. The thing to change would be if its a +45 or -45 antenna port.
I just switched to t mobile home internet, I get 2 bars with consistent downloads of 150-170. The only time I experience slower speeds is when it rains. Should I get a 2x2 or a 4x4?
My opinion after testing both is if you're going through the hassle of taking apart the gateway, running cables, finding the best location, and mounting the antenna, you should go ahead and go with the 4x4.
I noticed you put this 4x4 in your attic and I’d really like to do the same since these cables are huge and drilling through brick walls isn’t desirable unless necessary but the thing is we have a metal roof. You’d laugh if I quoted my DL speed because it’s consistently between 400-500 mbps but my UL is rarely above 10. Both of these are acceptable but there seems to be a lot of “noise” and complete loss of signal at least once a day or every other day. When I say loss of signal I mean everything stops and I find the notification on my T-Mobile device telling me to restart. I’m hoping this antennae will stabilize my signal. Having cameras or devices drop off the system isn’t going to work.
If you know the answer, please explain this to me. I just purchased the Waveform 4x4 panel antenna. I connected all 4 ports according to the instructions. There were clear improvements. Signal to Noise Ratio (SINR) went from 5 (w/built-in antenna) to 14, and Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) went from -106 dbm to -99 dbm. However, the upload speed was still slow in the evenings, 4-7 mbps. The antenna was placed indoor, facing the direction of the tower through a window without line of sight. Here is the rub. This evening, as I took the antenna and the TMO 5G box around the house, in an attemp to find better signal, the u.fl connectors of the D and M2 ports fell off. So only the M and M1 ports were connected to port 1 and port 2 of the antenna. Yet, when I checked the signal quality, SINR went from 14 to 21, RSRP went from -99 dbm to -90 dbm. And a speed test also confirmed that the upload speed went from 4-7 mbps to 22 mbps (the download speed was about the same: 170 mbps). The external antenna was still indoor at the same location as before, and the TMO box was still connected to N41 without change. So with D and M2 port disconnected, I got much better reception? I have a master degree in electrical engineering, but I am no RF expert. Can someone offer an explanation?
Hi Nater Tater I just recently discovered your channel because I’m having problems with my internet speeds..I live in a pretty secluded area surrounded by trees, when I have my T-Mobile gateway outside I get speeds from 20-30 megs but inside I only get 2-5, I’m wandering if the waveform will help with my speeds, I really hope to know something before I make the purchase it would help a lot. Thank you!
hey, Absolutely! You're a prime example for a good use of an external antenna. Get that antenna placed outside pointed at your tower and you'll likely get way more than 20-30 Mbps.
Which TM app are you using?? My app doesn't have any of those metrics that I can see........... Also I notice for the MIMO 2 you used M and D ports on the router, but in the other video you made, you recommended M and M1. Is M and D better??
@@NaterTater Right, there is an app for billing and an app for home internet, and I'm referring to the home internet app........... maybe I'm just not digging enough in the home internet app. It sux, but I'm at work so I can't bring up the home internet app. I watch you videos at work so when I'm home I can concentrate on putting to practice what I see in the videos.......... :D
@@NaterTater Yup! I just had to dig a little deeper to find the metrics....... my 5G tab had nothing, so I'm only getting 4G from our tower at the moment......
That depends. If you have 5 bars on a "bad" band and there is a better band available but as a weaker signal then an outside antenna might be able to pickup the good band and vastly improve your speed. Another case is that the "bars" dont take into account signal to noise and if you have poor SNR then that can greatly affect speed even with 5 bars. So the short answer is it depends. What are your cell metrics?
Can you possibly please confirm that ports l1 and l2 work. I'm on my 4th trash can tmobil gateway. Even with a waveform antenna I'm only getting less than 10 down at times. I've tried to add a second antenna and out of the 4 I've tried non have connected to the internet on ports l1 and l2 alone. At first I though the second antenna wasn't helping but when I started testing l3 and l4 was all receiving signal. I'm on my 4th one and all have had this issue.
@@NaterTater When I first got Tmobil internet I saw your videos about adding an external antenna. I bought a waveform antenna and it took me from 5 to about 10 down. Then I bought a second antenna and added it to l1 and l2 and there was no difference. I started testing and realized l1 and l2 would not recieve a connection. I thought my gateway was defective and returned it for another one. Same thing on it so I gave up. That one stopped working and tech support ended up sending me another one and I was excited to add the second antenna to it but same thing once again. The weird thing is it shows 2 bars on L1 and l2 but it won't establish a connection. I've seen several people say either pair of ports work the same so I'm really confused. Tmobil has no clue what I'm even talking about.
It's a toss up. People have had issues and perfect performance with both. The nokia tends to be faster but more buggy/error prone. The nokia is easier to add external antennas to.
@@NaterTater so for external antenna the Nokia is the best. The reason I ask is I am having problems with the Nokia and was thinking of ask t-mobile to replace it with the other one. But if Nokia is better. I just hang on an save up for the 4x4 MIMO
@@yarg2015 my advice is if you are planning to get the 4x4 then keep the nokia. Test it out with the 4x4, if its still not working the way you want/need then ask for the Arcadyan. Once you switch to the Arcadyan it'll be hard to switch back to Nokia.
Hello I live in Phoenix Arizona and ordered 4x4 Mimo antenna. I thought I could install but can not. Does anyone know who I can reach out to or point me in the right direction. Willing to pay for installation.
Hey Nate, question for you. Have you ever experimented with using a USB C power adapter with a little more juice than the stock power supply? I'm assuming the external waveform antenna I'm using is using more power than the small internal antennas inside the unit. I gave it a shot and saw a bump of about 50 mbps down on top of my normal speeds and about 5 mbps faster for upload
@@NaterTater yeah I assumed the unit is designed to only receive or utilize certain power requirements. With that being said since the external antenna does draw more power outside of the default power requirements, I'm not sure. It could just be a coincidence but overall my speeds have been consistently better the last couple of days and I have never seen 300 mbps down until I made that change. All that being said definitely could just be a coincidence
I hooked up the 4x4 mimo antenna and my upload and download went up around 6x. Bars went from 2 to 4. I havr direct line of sight. But my latency is still really bad, goes from 20 to 250, and makes gaming terrible(actually not possible). What would you suggest? Rsrp is good to excellent, as is rsrq, sinr is bad though (roughly around 10). Traceroute says most the high ping/latency is on the later hops. And it's only the first hop EVERYTIME which I found strange. Any suggestions?
Sounds strange maybe the tower or your unit? Mine is rock solid always the same with or without my antenna hooked it’s always around 50 ping…I’ve never seen any ping change only speed. Do you use a fan with your unit maybe over heating issues?
Quick question Out the door in front of my shop my IPhone 12 get 140-150 mps down Installed a 2x2 on a netgear nighthawk M6 via Ts9 antenna connections M6 shows full bars But I only get 20mbs down…what gives Thanks
Hi Nate, I finally got my 2x2 on my gateway and am testing locations. Quick question, and sorry if you covered this in your video, but I am seeing "excellent" signal and a major increase in upload speeds but worse download. I'm using the Arcadyan on ports M and D as I mainly get B66 and N71 here. Any idea what would cause upload to increase but not download?
What bands were you getting before? If it was n41 then that would explain it. n71 is typically worse download but better upload than n41. You could reaim or try M and M1 for n41.
I plan to check cell metrics as well, curious if one parameter leads to higher upload. After moving the antenna around I found I can connect to N41 but that actually showed worse download speeds. I'll have to mess around with it.
@@NaterTater yeah I was just gonna say I moved the antenna a bit and picked up N41. So I guess my best bet is to switch the M port to M1? Thanks for your help!
I have really good signal, usually RSRP of 88-90, RSRQ of about -8 to -12, SINR of 14-18 on B71 LTE but no 5G. My T-Mobile phone had 5G SA when I had it (I just switched back to Verizon phone service) but the Arcadian doesn't use 5G SA. Is there a way to boost a secondary signal in order to get another band to improve my speeds? I live in a very rural area so even with the inconsistent speeds (varies from 1 to 25 Mbps) TMHI is my best option for the money but I'd love to make it a little fast and consistent. Thanks for the content, it's really interesting.
I've watched all your videos about improving signal which were helpful in getting what I have. Your video on using Cellmapper helped me figure out the tower I'm using only has bands 12 and 71 and it too far away for 12 to reach me. Band 66 is available and 6 miles away but it's on the other side of a large hill so I don't think I have any hope of any kind of extended 5G but I'll keep playing around with things in hopes of at least reducing my ping.
Hello Thanks for the video. So what about if I am wanting to use (2)units of 2x2 antennas? Will it matter what ports they go to or will it be technically the same as using a regular 4x4? Thanks in advance
Hey Nate, Love your videos. I bought the 4x4 through your link and tried to set it up. Thought the hard part would be taking the KVD21 a part but had no problem with that my problem was with getting the connectors to fasten to the board. I tried for hours and could not get any to snap on. I tried to put the installed ones back on as well and they would not go back on either. I ordered 1 off eBay should come this week but I think I might be afraid to try the connectors again as I may brick another gateway. Is it possible to solder the connectors to the board? If yes might be able to salvage it if not will get an extra from ebay that I can destroy once other one I bought comes. Need to get ear plugs from my wife and daughter yelling about no internet and I need to make sure I dont' do this again without a backup ready. I am also thinking I need to order 4 new wires from Waveform incase these bent with me trying to get them fastened. We live in the boonies and I just was hoping the 4x4 would do the trick...
This is a great review. I have almost identical N41 signal metrics as you when you were upstairs with Arcadian gateway antennas. When on N41 speeds are usually 80 to 120 but I will drop off to N71 suddenly and speeds will go to single digits. I am in metro Denver and when it switches to N71 WI-Fi calling and streaming basically stop. I usually lock on to a tower about 2 miles SW of me but I have other towers within three miles NW, NE, and SE. My goal is to replace Comcast due to cost. It looks like the 4x4 would be my best choice. It looks like most in rural areas it works great, but I would like to see comments on how it works in heavily congested metro areas.
Thanks for watching. The 4x4 will help you stay connected to the n41 and might also allow you to aim it to the other towers to see if they offer better/more consistent speed.
Is there a way to force 5G NR over LTE? I’m currently boosting Band 71 with a Wilson 710i booster and it keeps putting me on 71 LTE vs 71 NR because the RSRP is lower with LTE. I just ordered a 4X4 MIMO to connect to my T-Mobile Home Internet Router (trash can version) to compare and am wondering if there’s a setting to turn off/deprioritize LTE for 5G NR even if RSRP is superior with LTE.
Nearly all of T-mobile's network is 5G NSA which requires a LTE anchor for 5G. If 5G n71 is showing up in the cell metrics as secondary that means it is using 5G.
@@NaterTater Thanks for the quick response. My issue is that the RSRP is better with n71 LTE but data is much faster with n71 NR. I’m seeking faster data, and want it to connect to n71 NR, but because the RSRP is better with n71 LTE - it connects to that instead.
Nice video Nate curious what's your avg speeds and specs in peak times and slow times with Verizons 5g? Also do you have any issues with IPv6 passthrough with Verizons gateway with your Asus router? Maybe one day TMobile will update their firmware 🤞
Verizon is consistent. I turned off their IP passthrough (IPv4) since it was creating some weird disconnect every few days. T-mobile's network doesnt allow ipv4 pass-through so needs more than firmware.
I just installed the 2x2 to test it actually increased my ping by 10? But my speed did increase around 30-50mbps, but it’s almost like my tower gets overwhelmed at times. Does Tmobile slow your speeds? Looks like mine does at times
I find I get much better numbers if I put my phone into airplane mode and turn on wifi for testing the router. I also noticed that you seem to always use T-mobile to T-mobile. I use the automatic selection on speedtest and then manually select that one to run all my testing which is always better then T-mobile to T-mobile. My numbers are always Downloads mid 350's and Uploads of 35-50. Cellmapper shows only very distant 5G in the Waterford, Mi area for some reason although UC always shows on my phone.
I am having some not so good results with this 4x4 antenna. Prior to install i would get 2 bars and my speeds were 60/5. After the install using the order that waveform recommends I get still get 2 bars but speeds drop to 15/1. Am I doing something wrong?
Thank you for this video @Nater Tater. This really gives me a good idea of what I could expect. The loaded ping and unloaded ping definitely still seem high which bothers me (router might be able to fix that) but again thanks for showing us your results.
@@NaterTater This might not be possible, but have you considered doing a side by side comparison of gaming on no antenna vs 2x2 vs 4x4? I think it might draw some views since it is a real world application that users are having problems with. For example, I myself get consistent ping spikes on a PS5 hardwired connection. I tried buying my own router to see if it would help but I have had 0 luck. I mainly play FPS shooters that make this problem very obvious (lots of stuttering). Thanks again.
yes, that was my best. Note waveform suggest a slightly different order and I did test that but got very similar results so I left mine as is.. see waveform-content.imgix.net/4x4_mimo_log_panel_combo_labelsv2.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=960&fit=max
@NaterTater Thank you so much! I can try both and have ur channel updated... BTW, my gateway had an issue of dropping 5G signal. And I think it happens when both ethernet ports are connected. Have you ever had similar issue?
Okay.. I tried many different things. I called wavefoam to get more information. Long story short, if u want to get powerful N41 signal, M and M1 matters. They have to be crossed, so if M goes to +45, then M1 has to go -45. Meaning ur order(D,M,M1,M2) or Wavefoam order(M,M1,M2,D) are equally optimal to boost N41 signal. One more thing... I also tried 4X4 mimo from Proxicast. Obviously, their signal boost is weaker as it's smaller indoor antenna, but eventually they offer about same speed. For me, I don't think neither of the device offered faster speed. Though, both improved ping significantly, which was critical for online meeting and shared screen.
DISCOUNT: Get 5% off Waveform antenna and signal booster products with this link: www.waveform.com/natertater or just use code "NATERTATER" at checkout. www.waveform.com/products/4x4-mimo-panel-kit
I'm using the 2x2 and my speeds went from 65 mbps down and 1-2 mbps up. Now I get 180-220 mbps down and about 15-20 mbps up. Huge improvement!!
Which ports do you use for 2x2? D and M or M and M1?
@@litewavve I am using ports M1 and M and i am getting around 300 down and 80 up on the N71
How did it improved? You used 4x4 mimo or the router or both?
?
Using 2 Proxicasts will improve it even more. Probably get around 800+
I wanted to say thank you for your videos! I got the MIMO 4x4 hooked up to my Arcadyan gateway, with the panel mounted in the attic. With the current position I'm testing with, my signal jumped from Very Good to Excellent, with varying cell metrics, but overall RSRQ -2, RSRP -79, SINR 9 / 10, Band n41 on 5G. Test speeds vary, but up to 1.2Gbps download, 600 upload. I'm about 0.35 miles from the tower that sits on top of a building, with some tree and treetops on the way, not a clear line of sight. Very pleased so far, will keep testing! MIMO is not mounted in the permanent location just yet.
I think you're the first person I've heard over 1 Gbps down on TMHI! Awesome
@@NaterTater I should say, however, that 1.2Gbps is the peak I have seen in speed tests, not the constant speed observed. Speed tests using FAST like to average more on 400-600Mbps download, and 140-200Mbps upload, with upload peaking to 600Mbps which I have found to be very impressive.
Wait! Your 2x2 video you said to use M and M1 terminals and then put the removed connectors to the empty 4 & 5 terminals. This video you state different combinations for 2x2. Please tell me the correct terminals for the 2x2 and if I should still use the blank terminals 4&5 like mentioned?
@@usasupra23 m and m1 or m and d tend to be the best performance. You should test both if you want to make sure you get the best signal. Same for 4&5.
@@NaterTater this reply sounds like I should just sell the 2x2 and get the 4x4 as that is cut and dry with its connections for best performance? Or at least that’s what’s WF just told me.
Just setup my new Arcadyan last night. Got between 190 to 325 Mbps. This morning at 9:00 AM I got 500 Mbps !!! Wow, better than I ever thought I would get. I hope it stays that good.
Awesome!
Finally hit send on the 4x4 MIMO Antenna Kit, and I'll be within good range of 5G Ultra on TMH.
Great stuff, Nate. Used your code, too!
awesome! let us know how it goes
One thing that I learned with my 4x4: trees matter! If there's a close tree between the 4x4 and the tower, it will have an impact.
Yes and that true too for a 2x2 and even the stock gateway
Thanks for the comparison between both antennas. I have the waveform 2x2 and it did improve my 5g signal but the LTE did not improve much. The antenna is mounted outdoors on a pole next to the house. Tower is 2.5 miles. In the winter I was getting N41 with speeds from 50 to 100. Now that all the trees are growing leaves, the N41 band is not strong so I am only getting N71.
N41 does not travel through tress like the N71 does. Lower frequencies travel better through obstacles like trees. My speeds are down to a range between 7 and 50 for down load. Up load is way better on N71. Up to 30. I have noticed that reducing noise makes a difference. I am experimenting with different antenna heights and adding a wire grid around the antenna but without blocking the face to reduce noise. The wire grid is grounded. So far I see good results. Noise SINR went from 9 to 14 which improved my speed by 45% with the same power of -89 but noise reduced. Looking forward to the Nokia and 4x4 antenna. If you go out side you should a good improvement on power and speed.
Agreed
th-cam.com/video/IEvWOywIh1Q/w-d-xo.html its outside now!
@sal romo
Did you ever get the 4x4 Panel? Just got that after not seeing great results from the 2x2 panel and 2x2 LP. How did you set up the wire grid? Sounds like it was the wire grid which made the biggest improvement ?
I would use Two 2x2 antennas and put my gateway in the same room with the antennas so I could use just a few feet of cable. I would then run Ethernet in.
I was using the 2x2 with the trash can router and my speeds went from ~10mbps to ~70mbps. The jump was insane! But then T-Mobile had a blackout in my area for almost a whole day just a week ago, and ever since then the 2x2 antenna no longer works and I'm back to using the standard on-board antennas. Just placed an order for the 4x4 earlier today, hoping even better speeds
My can was useless for 2 months while they did "upgrades" to towers. Made them give me unlimited on my phone so I could tether it to puter
I had a similar issue. I'm also having an issue with ports 1 and 2. I have a 2x2 on port 3 and 4 and added another 2x2 on port 1and 2 and there was no improvement. After testing I realize ports 1 and 2 don't work. I've tried 4 different gateways with the same results. Curious to see what you get.
U forgot to update, so was the 4x4 better?
@@srobeck77 yeah, it's been really great actually. For a short period of a couple months this past winter, the router would disconnect from the towers for some reason, but I think they were upgrading the towers then. For the past few months, my speeds have been anywhere between 150 - 200 MBPS. Typically around 180, with dips down into 120 in the early evening due to people traveling home from work.
@@dalechambers4787 replied to someone else, but the antenna's been great so far. Had to route the new large cable that it comes with directly through the wall for best results though. And for a short period of a couple months this past winter, the router would disconnect from the towers for some reason, but I think they were upgrading the towers then. For the past few months, my speeds have been anywhere between 150 - 200 MBPS. Typically around 180, with dips down into 120 in the early evening due to people traveling home from work.
Using the internal antennas I would get 225/18 on band B2 and n41.
I bought a 2x2 and just threw it in a window. Using M and D. My speed did not change, and at times was lower. Then changed to M and M1. Speeds were 225/30.
Then changed to M1 and M2 - making sure M’s integrated antenna was pointing toward the tower. Now getting 575/80.
Still interested in purchasing the 4x4 - as I’d like to not worry about the integrated antenna direction.
Two 2x2's are better than one 4x4.
Starting to add Waveform 4x4 (omnidirectional) soon. Starting speed is 10-20 mbs up and 1-8 mbs down……far from tower no regular cellular service in this area. Will update after install. 😁
There's not enough videos like this... I'm about to view your other videos, in hope to find the test you mention right at the end, where you've tested the antena outdoors...
Fingers crossed its there!
thanks, here's the outdoor test: th-cam.com/video/IEvWOywIh1Q/w-d-xo.html note you can checkout my playlists with just t-mobile home internet videos or just waveform videos on my channel th-cam.com/users/NaterTaterplaylists
@@NaterTater Thanks, yup I've been having a browse of your videos, and it's helped me a little.
I'm in the UK, with 3 for 5G, and have an NR5103E.
I'm struggling to get a good signal without an external antenna, and I'm trying to figure out what kind I need to get.
I can see in the admin page that my bands, are B1, B3, N78, and N78 (Yup N78 is there twice)
I can also see that my UL Bandwidth Mhz is 10M, and 100M. and the DL Bandwidth Mhz is, 10M, 15M, 100M, and 40M.
I'm not sure if these values would help determine the best kind of Antenna for me?
I also wish I had a way to find out how to select the best cell tower, I have a few too choose from... I think I'm close to maybe 3?
I see the hub tells me the Cell ID is 868680 and Physical Cell ID is 334.... but I cant find a website that will accurately tell me exactly where these are located?
Sorry for the book, but is there any advice you can offer me on this information. Thanks for replying btw... Likes the videos I watched, and I've subbed with bell!!!
Wait! Your 2x2 video you said to use M and M1 terminals and then put the removed connectors to the empty 4 & 5 terminals. This video you state different combinations for 2x2. Please tell me the correct terminals for the 2x2 and if I should still use the blank terminals 4&5 like mentioned?
The external method is great and T-Mobile should put jacks on the unit for this. They could get more customers. I have T-mobile for my cell but the signal is only 1 or 2 bars at best.
Currently the 5 G service is not available in my area.
I have ordered the Waveform 4x4 for my T-Mobile Home Internet. I have the Nokia (trash can) model. Your video mentioned hook up either two or four of the connections. How do I decide two or four? I hit a tower straight north of my house, ordinarily. However, when there is a problem with that tower I would be switched to a tower east of my home. If I hook all four and point to my main tower, will I have a problem if I am switched temporarily to a tower that my antenna is not aimed at. Or would a 2x2 with two of the wi-fi antennas left connected be a better solution? Thanks
Do you recommend any cell booster that won’t break the bank that doesn’t require taking the arcaydian apart? My TMHI Router is currently outside bc I live in a metal building but still get a weak signal but tower is only 2 miles away. I’m currently getting 50-80 down and 1 up “mbps”
He did a video a couple of weeks ago using cell boosters. Check his catalog. If I remember correctly, boosters did not perform as well as non-amplified antennas.
They all are pricey but boosters can help your speeds but typically not as much as a external antenna. th-cam.com/video/bboYE4qcfDM/w-d-xo.html
I wonder what would happen if you run a cellular signal booster to the 4x4 antenna then to the gateway?
Very informative content. Thanks a bunch. I’m about to hit the road full time in an RV (remote boondocking primarily). I have decided to get T mobile home internet to supplement my Starlink setup. Although it’s technically supposed to be in a fixed location, tons of fellow RVers say they don’t enforce moving around. It seems like it makes sense for me to get the 4x4 MIMO antenna after watching this video, would you agree ? Do you think it will make a huge difference if the Antenna is mounted on the roof of my RV or if it’s just inside? I don’t think I will often be near 5G towers, also the 4x4 makes sense for me to not have to worry about always configuring it in the right direction. Thank you!
T-mobile openly allows you to go mobile with the TMHI now. A 4x4 will certainly help with signal and outside the RV would be better. Of note though is is it does have to be aimed. Waveform does offer kits designed for mobile use with omno-directional antenna. Might be worth reaching out to them to see what they recommend and if they can make a kit specific for your needs. You can still use the natertater discount if you tell them.
@@NaterTater thanks so much for the response. Going to get in touch with them and see what they might be able to help me out with. I’m Wondering how one of their Mimo’s would compare to something like a Weboost cell booster.
Got my tmobile internet thanks to your videos and i've been around a steady 300-400 down and around 50-60 up everytime I test it. Ping is not too much of a problem in games it is relatively higher I plan on buying an antenna to hopefully see if I can get more improvements
Awesome!
I wish I could do some type of antenna setup for the Verizon cube. I’m on my 2nd cube 1st 1 failed wouldn’t return to 5G after falling back to LTE. I have it about 20ft in the air in an open warehouse type building. Opening and closing the garage doors makes a HUGE difference on performance throughout the day.
You could do a booster but they dont boost c-band 5g th-cam.com/video/bboYE4qcfDM/w-d-xo.html
Great information! Earned my sub, thanks for all your efforts!
🙂
Thanks for the video.
So what are the 2 'unused' antennas for?
they're not used by T-mobile but the hardware has capability to use them.
Bought the Waveform 4X4 on your recommendation..it has increased my speeds by 30%- 40%. But, I have a question that maybe you can answer. I see on eBay that there are a few KVD21's for sale. What good are they since each KVD21 has its own admin PW and WiFi PW that would be associated with the individual SIM?
They aren't much good to most people. But they are not tied to that SIM card. You could take the SIM out of your KVD21 and put it in one from ebay and it'd work. You could also potentially use a 3rd party sim with the gateway.
Is there any better way to locate where my local tower is by driving around in my car with the unit on and using the app to look at the Advanced Signal tab? Is there any website that has this info or is the towers to new to have it yet?
Yes! See this video and others in my tmobile playlist th-cam.com/video/SyC48XDjTt0/w-d-xo.html
Hi, I have a 5G reuter with 2 antenna entrance, can I use the 4 antenna and if I can how I will connect them on the 2 antenna entrance?
Sorta. You would only hook up 2 cables though so it would be a waste unless you already own the 4x4. It wont help over a 2x2. Also you need to ensure your router supports the bands you want on those ports. I hope not an inseego fx2000e.
@@NaterTater thanks!
I have had mine for about a year and I have terrible speeds I at most ever see around 6mbs down 10 up. I have tried everything I can I've been watching your videos alot and I'm concerned that because how bad my connection is that adding an antenna may be a lost cause. Unfortunately the only provider that used to cover my area doesn't cover us anymore. Any ideas
Do we know what antenna ports 4 and 5 do?
I've noticed some changes to signal with them when using the 2x2. Overall they dont seem to do much though.
Do you tune the antenna to the B2 band and then the N41 I cannot get the SINR noise ratio above 4
Been debating for months now I moved in the middle of nowhere and pick up 2 bars of 4g lol and it barley does anything. I ordered the 4x4 and we will see what happens
I broke the antenna connector
Thank you for this video, I think im going to be purchasing the 2x2 (for the trashcan). Its possible to get n41 around my area because I have had it for weeks on end, but all of a sudden no matter where i put my gateway i cant get on the faster band. Ive heard nothing but good things about these antennas
One of the software updates slowed it down a while back and made almost everyone connect to N71 instead of N41. Hard reset your gateway and set it all up again, just remember exactly what your ssid and password are so everything connects back easily. Also a tip, delete the T-Mobile internet app and redownload it when you hard reset otherwise you may have issues completing the setup. I happen to have a T-Mobile tower directly in front of my house that’s a street and a half over on top of a church. Hard resetting got me back to N41… it occasionally switches to N71 but if I just do the app restart it will 95% of the time bring back N41.
Great video! I was wondering how this would do with a Mofi-5500? I just received these 4x4 antennas today. My current setup with the Mofi is a parabolic grid antenna and a proxicast Omni directional antenna. Thoughts? Thank you sir! Also, I’m using the T-Mobile gateway SIM card in the Mofi.
Here's the answer! th-cam.com/video/f1exFQNxeY0/w-d-xo.html
Always interesting and informative videos. Thanks for your hard work.
You're welcome, glad you're enjoying them.
Interested to see what your results were with the 4x4 outside with the KVD21. I'm setting this up at home and trying to decide if I want to ugly up the outside of my home with antennas. I'll be doing a OTA tv antenna at the same time, so thanks for your videos on that topic as well.
th-cam.com/video/IEvWOywIh1Q/w-d-xo.html
Wouldn't it be better to have the signal repeater outside the house rather than inside?
Yes, that's next!
I sure hope the 2x2 pad makes a difference for me. I have a mofi 4500 or I would have chosen 4x4 pad. My main thing is I just want it to hold better signal consistency overall. I had been using 2x wilson directional yagi antennas but too much tree coverage and it picked up too much interference, and no LoS either
Do you have any videos on the griddy?
I don't
Great informational video. One question I have is if you cancel the T-Mobile home internet service you have to return the T-Mobile device or pay up to $370 for the device. If the device has been opened or tampered with will you be charged the $370 fee?
The terms of service say you cant modify or damage the gateway. This does neither and is reversible.
6.4.22 Great video Nate. To bad there are no external plug ins for the external 4x4 antenna. Maybe in the future.
I think I need a 4 X 4. Looking forward to the outdoor testing!!!
Thanks, me too!
I have the Nokia gateway. I have no external antenna connected, using B66 and n71. n41 is not available here. Tower is 2.5 miles away, non-line-of-sight, trees. I'm getting an average of 50 Mbps down and 25 Mbps up. Just curious, have you done anything with the MTU settings on your PC/router? I've reset the MTU in my PC from 1500 to 1420 and it has helped increase the speed. I realize for the video, using your phone, the MTU can't be changed in the phone. The 4x4 mimo panel looks promising. Thanks for the video.
I have changed MTU in the past and the default 1500 was the best.
Exactly what I was looking for - great vid. Subscribed 👍
Awesome, thank you!
I noticed that the first 2 times you ran speed test underneath T-Mobile it said 123 Southfield Mi but the 3rd and 4th times you ran it it said T-Mobile Detroit Mi. Just wondering if the difference is meaningful. Thanks
Good point. Test servers can have an influence on the numbers but it's normally not significant for the local ones. I do notice that speedtest will sometimes pick different servers when you change bands and I think thats due to the tmobile network routing being different. So you might appear to be in a different location and thus it picks a "closer" server.
@@NaterTater I too have T-Mobile and I'm near Canada and sometimes speed test picks a server over there and the results are usually terrible.
What do I do if I broke one of the U.FL connectors on the bored?
I just received the 4x4 panel antenna. Does it matter which ports on the antenna get attached to which ports on the router?
Yes. Pick your correct gateway and the antenna install video here Waveform Cellular Antennas for T-Mobile and Verizon Home Internet: th-cam.com/play/PL8d9FovK2dNS1HuMabIm8hspYa7nlXpPP.html
Hi Nate! Thanks for the great videos, I’m learning a lot. I am currently using the T-Mobile Arcadian gateway. My speeds are good but my signal strength is poor. Should installing a external antenna 4X4 MIMO help with signal strength? TIA
Yes indeed and speeds will go up
Great content Nate 👍
Wecome back! Atleast to the comments. 🙂
If I use a cell booster would that help to get better Internet or do you have to plug-in to the back of the device with all them cords and stuff
Booster can help: th-cam.com/video/bboYE4qcfDM/w-d-xo.html
Thanks you so much .. that help!! I went from 30up 30down TO 100 up 50 down thank you thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hey! Just got my tmobile gateway last night! Im having nat issues on my xbox and inability to port forward. Tmobile said its in the works with their engineering but im pretty crushed. Will hooking up my own router allow forwarding/nat opening? And if so what router do you recommend?
unfortunately, it will not. The only way around the problem, today, is with a VPN router.
With tmobile you can't change to open nat or port forward other than using specific VPN service for that. th-cam.com/video/6Cui_GW57Yw/w-d-xo.html
@@NaterTater hey I have the grey trashcan style t mobile and got the 2x2 antenna otw which of the 4 antenna leads will I get the best results?
Does this work with the net gear night hawk hot spot box?
Yes. The M1 has two TS9 commectors on the back that this 2x2 would plug into. Waveform sells a kit for it.
What kit would that be?
@@rexklessones use my link in the video description, waveform.refr.cc/natertater to get your coupon code then go to www.waveform.com/products/2x2-mimo-panel-kit
Thank you!
I started with a 2x2. What are your thoughts on adding another 2x2 rather than replacing the 2x2 with a 4x4?
You can do that. Will just have to play with placement of the 2nd one.
Hey Tater, can you do a video on the most powerful setup for the most remote areas? Like an 8x8 mimo if that exists? My speeds range from .08 down/.08 up to .5 down/.4 up. Sometimes on a glorious day I'll get 1 down and .4 up!! Not much. I'm afraid a setup like this might give underwhelming results given the circumstance.
Here's the best setup to date: th-cam.com/video/3belU1bmEh0/w-d-xo.html
@@NaterTater Thanks. Watching now!
@nater tater I got a Bolton long ranger and it's not my area of expertise with antennas what exactly do I need for the hook ups cords wise so I don't buy something I can't use, I have the Grey model t mobile home internet. Also do u think it could work in a uninsulated attic with the signal coming thru the roof cause I have a tree that would be blocking some of the signal regardless if I put it on the roof or not
Question... Just received mimo 4x4 antenna bought with your affiliate link... Finally connected the SMA to the ports inside (a son of a biscuit) how did you figure the leads exiting the router when put back together?
Label them or just dont put it back together.
Interested in the nokia set up. My ping is 65 on b41 with 275-300 down and upload is between 2-10 and b71 is around 50 down and 20 up. Trying to decide which antenna to get. Thanks for all the testing and info you are providing!
I live like 1/2 Mile from my tower ( and can see it from my house). I've played around and found a pretty decent spot and get good speeds during the day ( 100-200 Mbps). However during 5pm - 12 am the internet is very slow, only getting like 30 Mbps. I'm assuming it's bc of tower congestion. Would an improved and stronger connection to the tower help with this issue?
Just did a speed test And my download is like 12 and upload is 41. Doesn't make sense. Also I used to be on n41 but now I'm on n71.
That does sound like tower congestion. An external antenna wont help much in that case unfortunately.
@@NaterTater I see. I may end up switching back to my older Internet. I was paying more but would get more consistent speeds and better latency
Try switching gateway off then back on quickly you will probably get n41 back
you used try the mikrotik chateau 5g ax with your t -mobile sim and 4x4 mimo antenna.
I have T mobile home internet ( been two months now ) So happy to be able to fire Xfinity. So far my download speeds are consistent 95MB down and 98MB up which is way better than what I had with cable. I can see the tower my internet is using and My signal is always in the " Excellent" range. My question is, if I upgrade the antenna even though my signal is good now, would I expect to see some speed increases due to signal quality? I'm perfectly happy as is but if I can get even more speed than it may be worth it. I appreciate your hard work you put into your videos.
You can get a sense check by driving closer to the tower with your gateway powered up in your car and see if your speeds greatly improve. If so an antenna would help. Based on your 95/98Mbps speed I am going to assume you are getting deprioritized and thus an antenna wont help as much.
@@NaterTater Thats a great idea driving closer to the tower for testing. Like I said though, I'm fine with 98 MB down since I don't do online gaming anyway. Weird how upload is consistently faster than download. With Concast I was getting 80MB down and 6MB up. Thank you for all you do..
Out of interest have you tested adding an external antenna to the T-Mobile (Nokia gateway) that only get 4G lte and adding the external antenna you then “boost” and get a 5G signal??? Eg your just out of 5g range adding the external antenna gets you a 5g signal???
Yes that certainly can occur depending on your specific signals available.
If you are already getting good speeds (12 ping. 631 down, 36 up) do you think the antennae's will do much? Maybe more consistency when livestreaming?
Could improve upload and consistency if those values fluctuate but seems like great performance as is.
I live in northern Minnesota on a lake before the leave came speed was 35 to 40 now 7 to 12 and I have a metal roof thinking of outside antenna? well it help ??
Yes, especially if you can mount it high like on/above roof.
do antenna help with jitters. i already have good upload and download with no antennas. 5 bars. if the jitters would go down a small amount it would be worth it to me.
yes, a cleaner signal can reduce your jitter. Antennas really help with SINR which gives you a cleaner signal.
What t mobile hot spot is better black or gray?
Depends but not large differences and they all stink compared to 3rd party ones.
I have the 4X4 MIMO with the LP antennas. You mentioned that vertical and horizontal separation can be an issue. I may have missed the video but do you have a suggestion on how far they should be separated both vertically and horizontally? As usual, a great video.
At least two wavelengths, you should shoot for 5 or 6 though. What band you will be on is important. The lowest tmobile band, b71, is ~50cm per wavelength. That is the longest one you could be using, which would be 1m separation, and better if you can go 3m
Is there a pigtail schematic mimo 4 x4 & the Nokia ?
The nokia might be indifferent to the pigtail order but I havent tested to confirm that yet.
I think it's great but not for Most people and price is ahhgh but you have good info Mr. Nate Tater
If you're deciding between the 4x4 and 2x2 MIMO, the choice depends on your mobile hotspot. If your device has 2 antenna ports, opt for the 2x2 MIMO. Conversely, if it has 4 antenna ports, go with the 4x4 MIMO. Hope this helps!
Dude awesome video
Thanks
Im getting 200 down and 30 up every day. Will the antenna be worth buying of increase the speeds ?
That depends on how much faster you get with the external antenna and how much you value that speed increase.
Nate, do you know if the cables need to be arranged in a particular order for the Nokia gateway as well? When I had the 2x2 panel antenna up, I’d always get Band 66/n71. Now that I have the 4x4 panel antenna, I only get Band 71.
With the 2x2 it matters but the 4x4 is less sensitive since all port get the "same" antenna. You could always try a different arrangement though. The thing to change would be if its a +45 or -45 antenna port.
@@NaterTater Awesome, makes perfect sense. Thanks for all you do, Nate!
I just switched to t mobile home internet, I get 2 bars with consistent downloads of 150-170.
The only time I experience slower speeds is when it rains.
Should I get a 2x2 or a 4x4?
My opinion after testing both is if you're going through the hassle of taking apart the gateway, running cables, finding the best location, and mounting the antenna, you should go ahead and go with the 4x4.
I noticed you put this 4x4 in your attic and I’d really like to do the same since these cables are huge and drilling through brick walls isn’t desirable unless necessary but the thing is we have a metal roof. You’d laugh if I quoted my DL speed because it’s consistently between 400-500 mbps but my UL is rarely above 10. Both of these are acceptable but there seems to be a lot of “noise” and complete loss of signal at least once a day or every other day. When I say loss of signal I mean everything stops and I find the notification on my T-Mobile device telling me to restart. I’m hoping this antennae will stabilize my signal. Having cameras or devices drop off the system isn’t going to work.
If you know the answer, please explain this to me. I just purchased the Waveform 4x4 panel antenna. I connected all 4 ports according to the instructions. There were clear improvements. Signal to Noise Ratio (SINR) went from 5 (w/built-in antenna) to 14, and Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) went from -106 dbm to -99 dbm. However, the upload speed was still slow in the evenings, 4-7 mbps. The antenna was placed indoor, facing the direction of the tower through a window without line of sight. Here is the rub. This evening, as I took the antenna and the TMO 5G box around the house, in an attemp to find better signal, the u.fl connectors of the D and M2 ports fell off. So only the M and M1 ports were connected to port 1 and port 2 of the antenna. Yet, when I checked the signal quality, SINR went from 14 to 21, RSRP went from -99 dbm to -90 dbm. And a speed test also confirmed that the upload speed went from 4-7 mbps to 22 mbps (the download speed was about the same: 170 mbps). The external antenna was still indoor at the same location as before, and the TMO box was still connected to N41 without change. So with D and M2 port disconnected, I got much better reception?
I have a master degree in electrical engineering, but I am no RF expert. Can someone offer an explanation?
did you use Waveform's instructions for antenna order or mine?
@@NaterTater Waveform's manual.
Hi Nater Tater I just recently discovered your channel because I’m having problems with my internet speeds..I live in a pretty secluded area surrounded by trees, when I have my T-Mobile gateway outside I get speeds from 20-30 megs but inside I only get 2-5, I’m wandering if the waveform will help with my speeds, I really hope to know something before I make the purchase it would help a lot. Thank you!
hey, Absolutely! You're a prime example for a good use of an external antenna. Get that antenna placed outside pointed at your tower and you'll likely get way more than 20-30 Mbps.
@@NaterTater thank you! Your contents amazing, informative, and really helpful!
hi man !!! i have a zyxel CAT12 with only 2ports for external antenna.... can i put a 4x4 mimo antenna if ia have only 2ports???
No
Which TM app are you using?? My app doesn't have any of those metrics that I can see...........
Also I notice for the MIMO 2 you used M and D ports on the router, but in the other video you made, you recommended M and M1. Is M and D better??
Tmobile home internet app (not the reg TM app)
@@NaterTater Right, there is an app for billing and an app for home internet, and I'm referring to the home internet app........... maybe I'm just not digging enough in the home internet app. It sux, but I'm at work so I can't bring up the home internet app. I watch you videos at work so when I'm home I can concentrate on putting to practice what I see in the videos.......... :D
@@NaterTater Yup! I just had to dig a little deeper to find the metrics....... my 5G tab had nothing, so I'm only getting 4G from our tower at the moment......
@@NaterTater What is the b66 band?? Like I said, my 5G tab in the metrics is blank.
@@jefflbi its a 4G LTE band. Its a good 4G band. www.t-mobile.com/support/coverage/t-mobile-network#frequencies
if i have 5 bars without external antenna, will the antenna still improve my speed?
That depends. If you have 5 bars on a "bad" band and there is a better band available but as a weaker signal then an outside antenna might be able to pickup the good band and vastly improve your speed. Another case is that the "bars" dont take into account signal to noise and if you have poor SNR then that can greatly affect speed even with 5 bars. So the short answer is it depends. What are your cell metrics?
Can you possibly please confirm that ports l1 and l2 work. I'm on my 4th trash can tmobil gateway. Even with a waveform antenna I'm only getting less than 10 down at times. I've tried to add a second antenna and out of the 4 I've tried non have connected to the internet on ports l1 and l2 alone. At first I though the second antenna wasn't helping but when I started testing l3 and l4 was all receiving signal. I'm on my 4th one and all have had this issue.
If you have a 2x2 antenna use ports l3 and l4 and leave l1 and l2 stock.
@@NaterTater When I first got Tmobil internet I saw your videos about adding an external antenna. I bought a waveform antenna and it took me from 5 to about 10 down. Then I bought a second antenna and added it to l1 and l2 and there was no difference. I started testing and realized l1 and l2 would not recieve a connection. I thought my gateway was defective and returned it for another one. Same thing on it so I gave up. That one stopped working and tech support ended up sending me another one and I was excited to add the second antenna to it but same thing once again. The weird thing is it shows 2 bars on L1 and l2 but it won't establish a connection. I've seen several people say either pair of ports work the same so I'm really confused. Tmobil has no clue what I'm even talking about.
@Nater which router do you think is better from T-Mobile?
It's a toss up. People have had issues and perfect performance with both. The nokia tends to be faster but more buggy/error prone. The nokia is easier to add external antennas to.
@@NaterTater so for external antenna the Nokia is the best.
The reason I ask is I am having problems with the Nokia and was thinking of ask t-mobile to replace it with the other one. But if Nokia is better. I just hang on an save up for the 4x4 MIMO
@@yarg2015 my advice is if you are planning to get the 4x4 then keep the nokia. Test it out with the 4x4, if its still not working the way you want/need then ask for the Arcadyan. Once you switch to the Arcadyan it'll be hard to switch back to Nokia.
@@NaterTater thank you very much
Hello I live in Phoenix Arizona and ordered 4x4 Mimo antenna. I thought I could install but can not. Does anyone know who I can reach out to or point me in the right direction. Willing to pay for installation.
Hey Nate, question for you. Have you ever experimented with using a USB C power adapter with a little more juice than the stock power supply? I'm assuming the external waveform antenna I'm using is using more power than the small internal antennas inside the unit. I gave it a shot and saw a bump of about 50 mbps down on top of my normal speeds and about 5 mbps faster for upload
Interesting. I wouldnt expect that but i may test it out!
@@NaterTater yeah I assumed the unit is designed to only receive or utilize certain power requirements. With that being said since the external antenna does draw more power outside of the default power requirements, I'm not sure. It could just be a coincidence but overall my speeds have been consistently better the last couple of days and I have never seen 300 mbps down until I made that change. All that being said definitely could just be a coincidence
How did you add a little more power and how much?
I hooked up the 4x4 mimo antenna and my upload and download went up around 6x. Bars went from 2 to 4. I havr direct line of sight. But my latency is still really bad, goes from 20 to 250, and makes gaming terrible(actually not possible). What would you suggest? Rsrp is good to excellent, as is rsrq, sinr is bad though (roughly around 10). Traceroute says most the high ping/latency is on the later hops. And it's only the first hop EVERYTIME which I found strange. Any suggestions?
Sounds strange maybe the tower or your unit? Mine is rock solid always the same with or without my antenna hooked it’s always around 50 ping…I’ve never seen any ping change only speed. Do you use a fan with your unit maybe over heating issues?
Great video once again thank you
You're welcome!
Quick question
Out the door in front of my shop my IPhone 12 get 140-150 mps down
Installed a 2x2 on a netgear nighthawk M6 via Ts9 antenna connections
M6 shows full bars
But I only get 20mbs down…what gives
Thanks
What carrier and plan?
Att
Unlimited
Hi Nate, I finally got my 2x2 on my gateway and am testing locations. Quick question, and sorry if you covered this in your video, but I am seeing "excellent" signal and a major increase in upload speeds but worse download. I'm using the Arcadyan on ports M and D as I mainly get B66 and N71 here. Any idea what would cause upload to increase but not download?
What bands were you getting before? If it was n41 then that would explain it. n71 is typically worse download but better upload than n41. You could reaim or try M and M1 for n41.
I plan to check cell metrics as well, curious if one parameter leads to higher upload. After moving the antenna around I found I can connect to N41 but that actually showed worse download speeds. I'll have to mess around with it.
@@NaterTater yeah I was just gonna say I moved the antenna a bit and picked up N41. So I guess my best bet is to switch the M port to M1? Thanks for your help!
Or switch D to M1 sorry
@@goldmund22 M and M1
2 Proxicasts cellular antenna kits will get ultra speeds. Depending on how close the tower you are looking at around 800+ Mbps
I have really good signal, usually RSRP of 88-90, RSRQ of about -8 to -12, SINR of 14-18 on B71 LTE but no 5G. My T-Mobile phone had 5G SA when I had it (I just switched back to Verizon phone service) but the Arcadian doesn't use 5G SA. Is there a way to boost a secondary signal in order to get another band to improve my speeds? I live in a very rural area so even with the inconsistent speeds (varies from 1 to 25 Mbps) TMHI is my best option for the money but I'd love to make it a little fast and consistent.
Thanks for the content, it's really interesting.
check out this video for tips to get the best signal: th-cam.com/video/SyC48XDjTt0/w-d-xo.html I also have many others with details.
I've watched all your videos about improving signal which were helpful in getting what I have. Your video on using Cellmapper helped me figure out the tower I'm using only has bands 12 and 71 and it too far away for 12 to reach me. Band 66 is available and 6 miles away but it's on the other side of a large hill so I don't think I have any hope of any kind of extended 5G but I'll keep playing around with things in hopes of at least reducing my ping.
Hello
Thanks for the video. So what about if I am wanting to use (2)units of 2x2 antennas? Will it matter what ports they go to or will it be technically the same as using a regular 4x4? Thanks in advance
Should be the same as 4x4 (note +45 and -45 are "pairs" or 2x2
Hey Nate, Love your videos. I bought the 4x4 through your link and tried to set it up. Thought the hard part would be taking the KVD21 a part but had no problem with that my problem was with getting the connectors to fasten to the board. I tried for hours and could not get any to snap on. I tried to put the installed ones back on as well and they would not go back on either. I ordered 1 off eBay should come this week but I think I might be afraid to try the connectors again as I may brick another gateway. Is it possible to solder the connectors to the board? If yes might be able to salvage it if not will get an extra from ebay that I can destroy once other one I bought comes. Need to get ear plugs from my wife and daughter yelling about no internet and I need to make sure I dont' do this again without a backup ready. I am also thinking I need to order 4 new wires from Waveform incase these bent with me trying to get them fastened. We live in the boonies and I just was hoping the 4x4 would do the trick...
They must be lined up and pressed on flat, cannot be at an angle. It doesnt take high effort (light/med) once they are lined up correctly.
This is a great review. I have almost identical N41 signal metrics as you when you were upstairs with Arcadian gateway antennas. When on N41 speeds are usually 80 to 120 but I will drop off to N71 suddenly and speeds will go to single digits. I am in metro Denver and when it switches to N71 WI-Fi calling and streaming basically stop. I usually lock on to a tower about 2 miles SW of me but I have other towers within three miles NW, NE, and SE. My goal is to replace Comcast due to cost. It looks like the 4x4 would be my best choice.
It looks like most in rural areas it works great, but I would like to see comments on how it works in heavily congested metro areas.
Thanks for watching. The 4x4 will help you stay connected to the n41 and might also allow you to aim it to the other towers to see if they offer better/more consistent speed.
@@NaterTater hello sir, i have been trying to reach out to you with a question. i have a post on this video thread above. thanks
Just bought my 2X2 today. Nervous about taking the arcaydian apart lol
You can do it! It's putting it back together that the hard part...lol
I’m very interested in your next video with the 4X4 in the attic.
The 4x4 was in the attic for this video. Moving it outside next.
Is there a way to force 5G NR over LTE? I’m currently boosting Band 71 with a Wilson 710i booster and it keeps putting me on 71 LTE vs 71 NR because the RSRP is lower with LTE. I just ordered a 4X4 MIMO to connect to my T-Mobile Home Internet Router (trash can version) to compare and am wondering if there’s a setting to turn off/deprioritize LTE for 5G NR even if RSRP is superior with LTE.
Nearly all of T-mobile's network is 5G NSA which requires a LTE anchor for 5G. If 5G n71 is showing up in the cell metrics as secondary that means it is using 5G.
@@NaterTater Thanks for the quick response. My issue is that the RSRP is better with n71 LTE but data is much faster with n71 NR. I’m seeking faster data, and want it to connect to n71 NR, but because the RSRP is better with n71 LTE - it connects to that instead.
@@copernicusbarnhouse perhaps you mean b71 which is LTE? n71 is a 5G band. See here for some info th-cam.com/video/SyC48XDjTt0/w-d-xo.html
Defently agree with you about setting up the antenna outside I'm really tempered to get a antenna but my broke ass can't afford a waveform
Should be grounded ??
They sell optional lightening arrestors with ground strap if desired.
Nice video Nate curious what's your avg speeds and specs in peak times and slow times with Verizons 5g? Also do you have any issues with IPv6 passthrough with Verizons gateway with your Asus router? Maybe one day TMobile will update their firmware 🤞
Verizon is consistent. I turned off their IP passthrough (IPv4) since it was creating some weird disconnect every few days. T-mobile's network doesnt allow ipv4 pass-through so needs more than firmware.
@@NaterTater ooh it's more how their network is set-up? Interesting and sounds like Verizon's still working out the bugs with IPv6
@@cheefadareafer yea t-mobile uses CGNAT on their network.
I just installed the 2x2 to test it actually increased my ping by 10? But my speed did increase around 30-50mbps, but it’s almost like my tower gets overwhelmed at times. Does Tmobile slow your speeds? Looks like mine does at times
Yes, they deprioritize TMHI when the tower is congested.
I find I get much better numbers if I put my phone into airplane mode and turn on wifi for testing the router. I also noticed that you seem to always use T-mobile to T-mobile. I use the automatic selection on speedtest and then manually select that one to run all my testing which is always better then T-mobile to T-mobile. My numbers are always Downloads mid 350's and Uploads of 35-50. Cellmapper shows only very distant 5G in the Waterford, Mi area for some reason although UC always shows on my phone.
I use automatic selection but i've also used different servers to verify. Cell mapper is not up to date especially for 5G NR.
I am having some not so good results with this 4x4 antenna. Prior to install i would get 2 bars and my speeds were 60/5. After the install using the order that waveform recommends I get still get 2 bars but speeds drop to 15/1. Am I doing something wrong?
Where is your antenna located and how did you aim it?
@@NaterTater I tried multiple locations but right now its under the peak of my roof. Currently its aimed towards the tower.
Thank you for this video @Nater Tater. This really gives me a good idea of what I could expect. The loaded ping and unloaded ping definitely still seem high which bothers me (router might be able to fix that) but again thanks for showing us your results.
I agree. For what its worth the speedtest app shows much higher loaded ping than others like fast.com. it's more like 200ms loaded on fast.com.
@@NaterTater This might not be possible, but have you considered doing a side by side comparison of gaming on no antenna vs 2x2 vs 4x4? I think it might draw some views since it is a real world application that users are having problems with.
For example, I myself get consistent ping spikes on a PS5 hardwired connection. I tried buying my own router to see if it would help but I have had 0 luck. I mainly play FPS shooters that make this problem very obvious (lots of stuttering).
Thanks again.
Is the order of D, M, M1, M2 still valid?
yes, that was my best. Note waveform suggest a slightly different order and I did test that but got very similar results so I left mine as is.. see waveform-content.imgix.net/4x4_mimo_log_panel_combo_labelsv2.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=960&fit=max
@NaterTater Thank you so much! I can try both and have ur channel updated... BTW, my gateway had an issue of dropping 5G signal. And I think it happens when both ethernet ports are connected. Have you ever had similar issue?
@michaelrim2174 i've heard of people complain of that before actually but I've never experienced it.
Okay.. I tried many different things. I called wavefoam to get more information. Long story short, if u want to get powerful N41 signal, M and M1 matters. They have to be crossed, so if M goes to +45, then M1 has to go -45. Meaning ur order(D,M,M1,M2) or Wavefoam order(M,M1,M2,D) are equally optimal to boost N41 signal.
One more thing... I also tried 4X4 mimo from Proxicast. Obviously, their signal boost is weaker as it's smaller indoor antenna, but eventually they offer about same speed. For me, I don't think neither of the device offered faster speed. Though, both improved ping significantly, which was critical for online meeting and shared screen.