move Home Internet SIM to personal router with external antenna

I just took my data only sim out of my TM nokia home internet gateway. I put it in a netgear M1 mobile router. I know its old but i wanted to use it for camping. Its small and has battery. LTE would be ok with me. For some reason 5g popped up in wifi connections! It hooked up to tower and my devices but said data has been disconnected and had no internet…..

i also put the sim in a extra note 20 to see if it would work as a hotspot but had the same results.

hooked up to the tower and devices but said no data……

Looked on the internet and found it was possible. Maybe back in the day or with a different company?

maybe TM changed something due to all the RV & truckers?

i was told i could simply take my gateway traveling with me. It would work with TM towers anywhere.

guess i will try it since i now have solar power LOL

but it is big and bulky.

15gb hotspot dont last very long when streaming netflix on roku tv LOL 

For anyone who might be reading this 9 months later…. the white router has 4 external small form factor coax antennae ports (assuming 2 for wireless and 2 for wifi).

I haven't used them, but I noticed them and, unfortunately, also noticed the mickey mouse UI. Would be nice to be able to change the internal network ip cidr, disable wireless completely and use passwords with spaces, among other things. Seems like a feature across T-Mobile's UX to not understand that spaces actually increase entropy (it's 2023, not 1998). I worked around this by just hooking up my previous router.

Other than those personal gripes, so far so good relative to cable (surprised at how well it handles gaming and heavy file xfers). I'm still in the trial period so hopefully it's not all downhill from here!

bocaboy2591 wrote:

I don't think that will work since the SIM is hardcoded to the device (gateway) as well as the location. I'd be surprised if you got this to work, but if you do, please let us know!

Where did you learn about these hardcodings? Because, my experience is somewhat different.

Before you purchase a different router/gateway, make sure that you confirm the band compatibility for the EXTERNAL antenna.   Our company purchased the Inseego 5G Wavemaker FX2000 router that IS compatible with multiple cellular providers, with Tmobile being one of them.  The Inseego is compatible with most of Tmobile's broadcast bands, but only with the INTERNAL antennas.   The external antennas only support 3 bands, and NONE of them are used by Tmobile.   

Just thought that information would be helpful.   I am also trying to find a gateway/router that utilizes and external antenna that IS compatible with Tmobile bands.   Any help would be appreciated. 

jasonsele wrote:

I'm working on this right now. Here is what I have figured out so far. I am not able to swap my SIM from the T-Mobile home internet gateway to my own device. It does not work. I also contacted T-Mobile support and they will not register a different device for you. However, you can get T-Mobile business internet and they will allow you to use your own device. It's $50/mo for unlimited Business instead of $30/mo for Home. You'll need a business account to do that. What I have been using for over 4 years is a T-Mobile ipad data plan. That SIM is $20/mo as an addon to my existing T-Mobile phone service and I moved it to my router and it works fine. It gets throttled when you go over 50GB but you can bypass the throttling by setting the TTL to Linux2-65 on your router. You'll need a router like an Insty Connect or MoFi that has the option to set the TTL and there are videos that explain how that works. I was hoping I could switch from $20/mo to $30/mo and have true unlimited data but you just can't do it with your own device unless you go with the business account for $50/mo. 

What's the brand and model of your router? I just tried using my extra regular SIM on a Tenda N300 router and it does not work. It will connect to the tower, but no internet to be seen.

Actually, you CAN use your t-mobile home internet SIM in a non t-mobile modem/router combo. Device blocking has nothing g to do with the SIM card and everything to do with the IMEI number of the device.

You can buy an after market modem/router combo that allows you (via firmware) to use the same IMEI number as your t-mobile modem. Just put your SIM in and you're all set. T-mobile will be none the wiser.

An added bonus is that these modems have LOTS of features such as band locking. Also antenna ports that make it easy to connect an external antenna.

As an example, check out the Cheetah Wi-Fi 6 Industrial LTE 5G NR Wireless Modem

jasonsele wrote:

A follow-up. I confirmed that you cannot use a home internet SIM in a different router. T-Mobile will not allow it. It can be done with a business account.

Something similar going on at Reddit.

https://www.reddit.com/r/tmobileisp/comments/14dbz1o/new_x62_modem_in_3rd_party_gateway_during_peak

A follow-up. I confirmed that you cannot use a home internet SIM in a different router. T-Mobile will not allow it. It can be done with a business account. I went to a T-Mobile store and one other item I discovered is that if you have 2 lines you can add a third line for a Magenta Tablet plan. It is $20/mo for unlimited data after the discounts and autopay. I also compared the home internet speed with the speed of this new line and they are virtually identical. So if you add the magenta tablet plan you can put the SIM in your router and accomplish the same as the $30/mo home internet option. I'll play with this to confirm it does not throttle. They told me it is a true unlimited plan at the store so we will see.

An EE buddy of mine "speculated" that the reason the routers may not have antenna ports is because the FCC sets transmission power limits, and an external antenna may put you over the legal limit.  Sounds plausible, but I don't really know.

I'm working on this right now. Here is what I have figured out so far. I am not able to swap my SIM from the T-Mobile home internet gateway to my own device. It does not work. I also contacted T-Mobile support and they will not register a different device for you. However, you can get T-Mobile business internet and they will allow you to use your own device. It's $50/mo for unlimited Business instead of $30/mo for Home. You'll need a business account to do that. What I have been using for over 4 years is a T-Mobile ipad data plan. That SIM is $20/mo as an addon to my existing T-Mobile phone service and I moved it to my router and it works fine. It gets throttled when you go over 50GB but you can bypass the throttling by setting the TTL to Linux2-65 on your router. You'll need a router like an Insty Connect or MoFi that has the option to set the TTL and there are videos that explain how that works. I was hoping I could switch from $20/mo to $30/mo and have true unlimited data but you just can't do it with your own device unless you go with the business account for $50/mo.