Forum Discussion
Home 5G speeds much slower than 5G cell phone
I've had T-Mobile 5G Home Internet for a couple years now. Speeds have been pretty consistent with upload speed seeing a slight boost a few months ago. I routinely get around 250Mb download and 40-50Mb upload.
My question is, on my Samsung 5G phone, also running on T-Mobile's network, from the exact same spot as where the Home Internet gateway is, I routinely get in excess of 600Mb download and 50-60Mb upload speeds on the phone. Now I assume the antenna quality is different between the two products, and maybe the phone has support for more/different 5G channels, but does that account for such a large discrepancy?
That’s interesting. I think the gateway’s antenna should be better than the phone’s antenna, because there’s a lot more room.
I remember seeing that mobile users are prioritized over home internet users. I don't know how they do it, but it seems to be the case.
That last statement is true. These are set as QoS by device.
While my stats can typically be the same (I’m close to the tower),
- Modems aren’t built for 5 channel CA while some phones are.
- QoS settings
- Directional antenna. One would expect the gateway to have a better antenna, but its also shielded (case + electronics). If you have the white g4AR/SE modem you can use an external antenna for better performance.
I can get from 450-550Mbps typically / 40-90 with the home internet, and off hours hitting 700.
Phone, 500-700 / 20-40Mbps at the same location. On another note, I have hit +2Gbps with a full fiber tower.
That’s interesting. I think the gateway’s antenna should be better than the phone’s antenna, because there’s a lot more room.
I remember seeing that mobile users are prioritized over home internet users. I don't know how they do it, but it seems to be the case.
Just as an interesting note… in the morning, my phone is often connected to B66 LTE (SINR 22) and n71 (SINR 12). It ends up with ~250Mbps/60Mbps. If I reboot, it'll go to B2 (SINR 23) and n41 (SINR 15), and speeds will be +500Mbps/60Mbps.
Check the 'advanced metrics' on your modem. It might be pushing you to a less desirable band
n71 ≈ 15x15 MHz good for ~150Mbps/50Mbps
n41 ≈ 100MHz + 80MHz (not sure if CA is enabled), good for +800Mbps/90Mbps (+1700 with 100+80)
n41 is weaker at 2.5GHz, but will suffer from less overlap than n71 (600MHz), often giving better SINR values.
