There are many customers who call us to ask us how to improve the speed of their 4G Router . Some have opted for large companies such as Movistar and Vodafone with 4G networks of national coverage, but at the moment of truth they do not have the dreamed speed.
Users trust 4G high-speed
internet precisely because it is “high speed” but the reality is different, and
there are several “guilty” factors for this low
speed.
8 Technical Aspects that
influence the speed of your 4G Router.
·
The distance to the BTS or cell
tower . As is logical, the
closer, the better the signal because it will be stronger. With distance,
the signal weakens, becoming weaker when it reaches our 4G router.
·
Direct signal or bounces. When we have the router inside
the house, the signal that arrives is not direct, but has to cross obstacles
and / or comes from rebounds, this causes the energy of that signal to
decrease, it is what is called "Fadding" or fading.
·
Integrated antenna. In most cases, the 4G router
has an internal antenna, built into the case, just like phones. It is
first of all a less sensitive antenna that, besides being indoors, does not
have the best reception.
·
Antenna and wiring. If you have a wired antenna,
you will have to see the type and quality of that antenna, its design, working
frequencies, tests carried out, etc. Likewise, the cable must be the
shorter the better and low-loss, with professional connections and
welds. Use the cable for height, not for horizontal use in order to reach
a window.
·
Band / Frequency of work . Not all
frequencies have the same properties. Typically low frequencies (800 MHz)
can penetrate buildings further, but have lower bandwidths. Be that as it
may, this factor is controlled by the Operator, we must not force the use to
one frequency or another, since in most of the times we can lose signal since
the Operator decides in that area which BTS and in which bands to work .
·
Router brand / model. As in all things, there are
different types of 4G routers, with different qualities, marked by the
electronic components, the software, the design in general, as well as the
quality of the 4G radio module used. Some have more sensitivity and power
than others, as well as different process capacities, categories, etc.
·
A shared resource . Mobile telephony
is a shared resource, that is, many users are connected to that
"antenna" or "telephone tower" (called BTS, Base
Transceiver Station). The antenna has a series of limited " channels" that
it has to distribute among the users according to need and at the same time,
that channel has a limited " bandwidth "
as well. If you connect at 7 in the morning you will have all the speed to
yourself, because the "resource" is not being used yet, but if you
wait until 11 in the morning when people are operational ... you will see that
the speed drops considerably and even fluctuates. Also imagine at night,
when Netflix is being squeezed.
·
The Quality of Service or QoS . Within this
premise of being a shared resource, it must also be said that there is a factor
called QoS, Quality of Service or Quality of Service. This factor is used
in networks to grant a minimum or maximum resource to one user or
another. A minimum of service must be guaranteed for a user, so that, for
example, they can make a voice call with reasonable quality. In this
sense, many operators establish their own criteria, and to give you an idea,
think about a scale of privileges: before that, a client with large accounts
with a chubby monthly bill will have better service than a user of a virtual
operator with a card. 10 euro prepaid, this is just an example.
·
4G
mobile telephony is a great alternative, with very low latencies and high
speeds, but it is still a shared resource and susceptible to the type of 4G
router, antenna and its installation conditions.
4G
antennas to improve the speed of your 4G Router.
Considering the previous points
that affect my 4G connection and impact on the speed of my 4G router, it is
true that having an adequate 4G
antenna , of good quality and
with an optimal installation, contributes to improving the signal strength and
its quality. , which leads directly to:
·
More speed, both uphill and downhill.
·
Less latency.
·
Less retransmissions due to packet loss, which
impacts consumption, etc.
·
Greater stability, producing fewer cuts and
reconnections.
But then, if I have an external
antenna, will I have more speed on my 4G Router?
Theoretically and apparently in
practice, higher speeds should be obtained, as conditions are improved, but, as
it is the operator who manages the limited resource, nobody can guarantee that
this is the case, but it can be said that you have of the best team and that is
always an advantage. What is not debatable is the qualitative improvement
in the connection to the telephone tower, then it will depend on that tower, on
that operator.
In general, and based on the
experience of thousands of installations around the planet, a quality antenna,
abroad always improves that signal and therefore speed.
What antenna should I choose?
As a general rule to improve the speed in a 4G router , an omnidirectional,
multiband and MiMO antenna should be chosen , with about 5-10m of cable that allows an outdoor
installation at the highest possible height avoiding obstacles, such as
the Poynting XPOL -1
If you want to know more, click
on the following link where we talk about the types of 4G antennas.