Home Internet Gateway upgrade for 5G

I just finished a long support phone call with a very helpful and knowledgeable tech named Bart for my LTE Gateway on 02/15/21.

He said that the new 5G gateways are coming out. It sounded like they are going to be available very soon.

bassmatt68 wrote:

I just finished a long support phone call with a very helpful and knowledgeable tech named Bart for my LTE Gateway on 02/15/21.

He said that the new 5G gateways are coming out. It sounded like they are going to be available very soon.

The Nokia 5G Gateways have been shipping since December 2020.  If you have the Askey gateway (white rectangular) then you can request the swap for the Nokia on this webpage:

https://www.t-mobile.com/isp/gateway

Be aware that there are limitations and issues with the Nokia gateway, some may be a deal breaker for you or not.  Research here and on Reddit or the FB group to see before you request a swap.

I have the white 4G box.  The LTE to ethernet works okay but the WiFi is no good - suffers dropouts/disconnects/disappears…

I called several months ago (February) and the T-mobile guy said, no problem we’ll put you on the list for a 5G upgrade….
Never happened.  I made two followup calls, same talk, but no action.

How do I get upgraded to the 5G box?  

bobTeatow wrote:

 

How do I get upgraded to the 5G box?  

https://www.t-mobile.com/isp

Verify first to be sure it is available in your area.  If so, just order it, and deal with returning the LTE box later.

https://www.t-mobile.com/isp/eligibility?app=device-swap

Thanks. I submitted the device-swap request/form.  Pop up says it could still be 6 months! Yikes.
Tmobile coverage map shows I am in a “fair” spot for 5G.
But given that I am close to a cell tower on or near the FL Turnpike in Lake Worth, perhaps better than fair…?

I did upgrade to the 5G nokia Gateway and I regret it. Look at other posts serach nokia gateway. It has an even more minimalistic interface. The gateway itself is really good (Nokia FastMile) but the firmware done by Tmo is subpar.

On the LTE gateway I had more consistent speeds around 50. On the 5G I have 150 at 2am but only 2-8 during daytime. Yes 2!

Additionally my VoIP phone has stopped working. The LTE gateway was letting the SIP signal go through but the NOKIA blocks everything. I tested the VoIP phone over a VPN and it works fine which tells me it's a firewall issue.

I placed a ticket and if this is not resolved I will go back to the LTE gateway. The speed inconsistency alone is good enough reason to switch back.

Thanks for the warnings…
For sure, if it ever shows up, I’ll give it a thorough trial before sending back the white box.
As you may have seen in my posts and others, the white LTE has its own “issues” with WiFi, Voip, etc.

I have my Obi(voip) ethernet wired to one of the ports on the LTE gateway and my  old WiFi router wired to the other.  I disabled the WiFi on the LTE gateway.

Pretty happy this way.  But I'd like more speed.  And I'd like to have the T-mobile gateway and the WiFi router in just one box…  IF it will work well enough.

Your VoIP will just not work with the Nokia. Port 5060 is blocked with no way to fix the issue.

Also the wifi cannot be disabled on the Nokia. One can only reduce the radio signal strength and disable the broadcast. So you won't "see" the wifi but it's still there. Blows your mind. 

As for having them in the same box: I think ultimately it's a bad idea. A lot of radio antennas too close to each other make a lot of noise and generate interference. I think they would be better to make a modem only that can be placed in an attic and leave the router wherever the user kept it to service the home. Just think of it: if you have them all in one you will need a placement of the gateway that is BOTH ideal for the cell signal and be central to your home and that "never" happens LOL.

All-in-one is good for small apartments and for RVs.