Forum Discussion
External Antenna Ports
Is there a new model of the Home Internet Gateway that includes the option of adding external cellular antennas? I see all these videos that show opening the gateway up and soldering in your own connections but we can't be the only ones that noticed the poor performance of the internal antennas. I know that being outside with the gateway makes the difference between getting a good signal outside and a poor signal outside and the signal to noise ratio improves too. I just don't want to put my gateway on the outside covered deck just to get a decent signal. I'm not sure what the temps and humidity will do to the unit over time. I've done the cell tower mapping and I know where my cell tower is located.
That's a good question. I've seen other posts of people adding their own antenna's but there's not a model T-Mobile that's got a antenna option that's directly offered.
The external antenna can be added to the gateway, however, it requires the consumer to disassemble and modify the gateway. The modification is not permanent but if damage is done T-Mobile will charge you for the equipment as part of the agreement.
There are a couple of ways to go about this, but the first thing you will have to do is purchase a minimum of (2) IPX/U.FL to SMA Female straight adapters. Then disassemble the gateway, gently disconnect 2 or 4 of the internal antennas depending on how many external antennas you are adding. Fish the adapters through the gateway base and gently snap the adapters in place. You must attach at least 2 for this to work properly. Reassemble the gateway, locate the nearest tower, mount and attach the antenna in a relatively high location pointing towards the tower (some adjustment may be needed after you have conducted the initial speed test). Connect the coax to the pigtails that were installed and start running speed tests and doing adjustments.
Keep in mind that the X-Polarized antennas are more forgiving than the yagi antennas when it comes to dialing in the location of the tower. All of the necessary parts can be purchased from Amazon. Check your local tower information to see if it is worth investing in a 5G antenna, most rural consumers can see a major difference with just a 4G antenna. The 4G runs about $90 the 5G runs about $200, so do the research on multiple sites before making a decision. It is also a good thing to remember that you may not gain signal strength, but you will increase the efficiency, which will give you faster speeds. as for myself I did not see a noticeable gain in download (120Mbps to 150Mbps), but my upload more than doubled (4Mbps to 20Mbps). All of these speeds are much faster than my old DSL line, so I am very happy with the performance.
Also it would be a good idea to purchase a USB powered computer fan to set the gateway on. There are no internal fans and when using a lot of data over WiFi it will get hot and slow speeds as well. This is a cheap quick fix that I recommend everyone that has this service does.
Be careful, and don't do anything you cant undo. IPX/U.FL to SMA Female straight adapters 4G/LTE Directional X-Polarized 2X2 MIMO Antenna 5G Directional X-Polarized 2X2 MIMO Antenna 2X2 Directional MIMO Yagi antenna That's a good question. I've seen other posts of people adding their own antenna's but there's not a model T-Mobile that's got a antenna option that's directly offered.
I can't image that they didn't know this would be an issue, it is not like I am in a rural area. I wonder what the spec were when they bought these from Nokia.
From the very start of our service to this day 1 1/2 years ago our T-Mobile gateway has never worked as promised by T-Mobile. I've logged over 120 hours with various representatives & techs during this time from Tampa to the Philippines.
We have had their cell service for over 22 years. I did not expect them to have such disregard for their customer base with the internet service. This week alone I have been trying, AGAIN to have them be accountable as we have paid the full monthly amount, but have received non-existent service. We mostly always have to reboot the gateway & instead of enjoying a relaxed time of viewing, we are constantly frustrated. Not just from their awful reception, but from the long time being ignored of any solution. We live in the metro-Orlando area of Florida.
My respect for their attitude has been demolished by; their guarantees with no backbone. Being elderly & disabled, the stress I'm constantly under has caused me to have physical heart-sick complications. I thought the new square gateway had to have an external antenna hook-up. We are having to consider breaking their gateway to attach an antenna in order to get the service we have been promised.
Their reckoning is coming. You can not mistreat your customer base & not expect karma to return a successful outcome.
They will pay as a new technological advancement is developed by others. Then they will see their customer base leave in droves.
May I suggest as one who has had satisfactory cell service with them for the many years I noted above…
Do not go for their lackluster internet gateway service. You'll despise the day that you do. I've been subject 3 times to threats from the T-Mobile internet with one last night with one supervisor offering me a $100.00 bribe to make me satisfied. This after 1 1/2 years of full payments for a faulty internet system they still refuse to fix.
I have considered myself an optimist @ heart, yet T-Mobile internet customer technical support has made me a pessimist when it comes to their honoring their stated commitment. They do not care if your system does not function as they deceitfully promise to do in their advertisements while still taking your monthly payments.
I've said enough & this statement may bring around my dismissal from their service as it's easier to deny this Truth than to service your customers as you have stated you would. A number of you have had similar experiences.
I hope this reply stays up long enough to be seen by others whom they may take advantage of as well.
May the Peace of G-d both guard & guide your hearts.
Robert... Shalom 🇺🇸
External antennas never used to be a problem (many devices had removable antenna or a port for external. Of course, that was back in the analog/2G days. Interference/noise floor can disrupt a lot with 4G LTE/5G signal. FCC has regulations on many external antenna boosters, and often require sign off from a carrier.
TBH, one of the things lacking on the current gateways are
- carrier aggregation on 5G
- n25 (Sagemcomm spec shows … n24?)
Where I am, its n41 / n71. Daily reset brings back n41 over n71. Speeds are still good regardless - better outdoors.
Almost a ‘wish list’ item would be a weatherproof device - I can add +100Mbps by putting my device outside the window.
ThorTheDestroyer wrote:
I can't image that they didn't know this would be an issue, it is not like I am in a rural area. I wonder what the spec were when they bought these from Nokia.
It is an insanse choice for an option that is clearly geared towards rural and suburban users. The blocking of 3rd party devices, like the Mofi modem/routers, is also baffling.
I also have called about slow wireless Internet and they always say they 'are working on it.' Simple external antenna connections would solve the problem.I'm a nine year customer and expect better treatment from T-Mobile.I certainly don't want to risk $300 by disassembling their router.Has anyone ever received a reply to one of these comments or are we talking to a bot?
It may be that an external antenna would exceed the FCC transmission power limits and that is why they are not offered as “standard”.
ThorTheDestroyer wrote:
Is there a new model of the Home Internet Gateway that includes the option of adding external cellular antennas?
There appears to be a new model coming, that has external antenna ports.
Sercomm TMOG4SE
The TMOG4SE bumps the cellular antenna count up to 9, and also adds another huge feature a lot of people have been asking for: external antenna support. The device is equipped with 4 SMA connectors that allow external antennas to be attached. It also seems like these external antennas will work with all supported bands, instead of only a subset like some modems.
This issue could be a bit tricky from a regulation standpoint. The units that are sold need to be compliant with FCC regulations. If people start adding external antennas, it isn't clear they would be compliant with permitted radiated power requirements. On the other hand, it may be hard to police. In a rural area, there is likely no one around to check or complain. But in urban areas, if a bunch of people start adding external antennas, it may end up causing noticeable problems. I would guess the solution is to allow receive-only antennas, and maybe the newest cellular modems are configured that way.
