5G Signal Help.

A

Airmidint

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I get between 80 - 120 Mbps Download , 15 - 25 Mbps Upload and around 10 to 77 ms pings.
I used to get around 250 to 400 Mbps a few months ago.
What I have noticed is that on rain.co.za map it shows Im connected to a tower NE 1.3 Km from me, but my router is pointed to a tower SW 1.2 Km with line of sight.
I have tried different antenna settings, but the auto select give the best results.
Before I get on the roof, what is the optimum for below signals that I must look out for?

Network Type: NSA
Signal Intensity: LTE (-59 dBm)NR (-81 dBm)
Signal Quality: LTE (5 dB)NR (14 dB)
RSSI: -36
PLMN: 65573
Cell ID: 26129409
5G MCS: UL (26)DL (3)
5G BLER: 1.70 %
5G CQI: 7
5G RANK: 1
 
Airmidint said:
I get between 80 - 120 Mbps Download , 15 - 25 Mbps Upload and around 10 to 77 ms pings.
I used to get around 250 to 400 Mbps a few months ago.
What I have noticed is that on rain.co.za map it shows Im connected to a tower NE 1.3 Km from me, but my router is pointed to a tower SW 1.2 Km with line of sight.
I have tried different antenna settings, but the auto select give the best results.
Before I get on the roof, what is the optimum for below signals that I must look out for?

Network Type: NSA
Signal Intensity: LTE (-59 dBm)NR (-81 dBm)
Signal Quality: LTE (5 dB)NR (14 dB)
RSSI: -36
PLMN: 65573
Cell ID: 26129409
5G MCS: UL (26)DL (3)
5G BLER: 1.70 %
5G CQI: 7
5G RANK: 1
Click to expand...

When you say you tried different antenna settings - what are some of the changes you made? Unfortunately locking the router to a specific tower is not something that rain offers at the moment afaik; the tower 1.2km should be giving you better results from a signal intensity and quality and thus the router should latch onto that one
 
Airmidint said:
I get between 80 - 120 Mbps Download , 15 - 25 Mbps Upload and around 10 to 77 ms pings.
I used to get around 250 to 400 Mbps a few months ago.
What I have noticed is that on rain.co.za map it shows Im connected to a tower NE 1.3 Km from me, but my router is pointed to a tower SW 1.2 Km with line of sight.
I have tried different antenna settings, but the auto select give the best results.
Before I get on the roof, what is the optimum for below signals that I must look out for?

Network Type: NSA
Signal Intensity: LTE (-59 dBm)NR (-81 dBm)
Signal Quality: LTE (5 dB)NR (14 dB)
RSSI: -36
PLMN: 65573
Cell ID: 26129409
5G MCS: UL (26)DL (3)
5G BLER: 1.70 %
5G CQI: 7
5G RANK: 1
Click to expand...

is your router indoors or outdoors. get a long ethernet cable and try different spots outdoors.

one of the fixed antenna modes should give you your better results. ive locked mine onto the one i got the best results with.

generally a lesser intensity figure is better (NR)
 
powermzii said:
When you say you tried different antenna settings - what are some of the changes you made? Unfortunately locking the router to a specific tower is not something that rain offers at the moment afaik; the tower 1.2km should be giving you better results from a signal intensity and quality and thus the router should latch onto that one
Click to expand...

The CPE supports 10 antenna combinations. Antenna Combine Index indicates each
combination, and each combination uses four antennas. The indexes of antennas used
in groups 1 to 10 are shown in red in the following figure
1598361540898.png
 
nad_isa said:
is your router indoors or outdoors. get a long ethernet cable and try different spots outdoors.

one of the fixed antenna modes should give you your better results. ive locked mine onto the one i got the best results with.

generally a lesser intensity figure is better (NR)
Click to expand...

The router is outdoors, with clear line of sight to a tower on a hospital roof, the tower it connects to is not line of site, with a lot of trees. I have not yet pointed the router towards that tower. How accurate is the rain map in showing the correct tower, and how would I see on the router what tower am i connected to ?
 
Airmidint said:
The router is outdoors, with clear line of sight to a tower on a hospital roof, the tower it connects to is not line of site, with a lot of trees. I have not yet pointed the router towards that tower. How accurate is the rain map in showing the correct tower, and how would I see on the router what tower am i connected to ?
Click to expand...

from my understanding the dashboard is accurate in showing the tower you are currently connected to.

My suggestion is to try moving it in the towers direction and test. i've found the router to be extremely sensitive to even slight movements.
 
Airmidint said:
The CPE supports 10 antenna combinations. Antenna Combine Index indicates each
combination, and each combination uses four antennas. The indexes of antennas used
in groups 1 to 10 are shown in red in the following figure
View attachment 899308
Click to expand...

This is perfect - just checking that you set it to #4 as that makes it point directionally forward to the tower you want to connect to...?

@rain_networks
 
powermzii said:
This is perfect - just checking that you set it to #4 as that makes it point directionally forward to the tower you want to connect to...?

@rain_networks
Click to expand...
Some feedback.
I set the Antenna combination to #4 with router still pointing to SW clear line of site to Hospital roof.
Speed dropped to +- 80 Mbps but good 8 to 10 ms ping. Rain site still latched to tower NE.
I left this overnight to check if latch move to SW, but did not.
I then changed Antenna combo to #6 that should pick up signal from NE.
Speed picked up to 220 Mbps and 12 to 14 ms ping.
I will point the router to NE this afternoon with combination # 4 and see what happens.
Is it possible that the SW Tower is dead, can someone check ?
 
Airmidint said:
Some feedback.
I set the Antenna combination to #4 with router still pointing to SW clear line of site to Hospital roof.
Speed dropped to +- 80 Mbps but good 8 to 10 ms ping. Rain site still latched to tower NE.
I left this overnight to check if latch move to SW, but did not.
I then changed Antenna combo to #6 that should pick up signal from NE.
Speed picked up to 220 Mbps and 12 to 14 ms ping.
I will point the router to NE this afternoon with combination # 4 and see what happens.
Is it possible that the SW Tower is dead, can someone check ?
Click to expand...

This is good testing - methodical and fact-based. I would then log a network ticket on the rain portal and paste this in - along with any other data you have for them to check.
 
Airmidint said:
Some feedback.
I set the Antenna combination to #4 with router still pointing to SW clear line of site to Hospital roof.
Speed dropped to +- 80 Mbps but good 8 to 10 ms ping. Rain site still latched to tower NE.
I left this overnight to check if latch move to SW, but did not.
I then changed Antenna combo to #6 that should pick up signal from NE.
Speed picked up to 220 Mbps and 12 to 14 ms ping.
I will point the router to NE this afternoon with combination # 4 and see what happens.
Is it possible that the SW Tower is dead, can someone check ?
Click to expand...
My findings was the same as yours. It must be that the Antenna combination is the other way around so 6 is from the front of the router and 4 is from the back. So if its on 4 you must point the back of the router to the towers location
 
Gaz002 said:
My findings was the same as yours. It must be that the Antenna combination is the other way around so 6 is from the front of the router and 4 is from the back. So if its on 4 you must point the back of the router to the towers location
Click to expand...
I think you might be right!
Since I changed to #6 , thinking I would pick up signal better from the NE (Back of my Router) I saw yesterday that I now latch to the tower on the Hospital roof SW (Front of my Router).
Reading the manual again I saw this.
"The CPE supports 10 antenna combinations. Antenna Combine Index indicates each
combination, and each combination uses four antennas. The indexes of antennas used
in groups 1 to 10 are shown in red in the following figure"
I just assumed that the antenna that was green, was facing the tower.
1598594410989.png
 
Airmidint said:
I think you might be right!
Since I changed to #6 , thinking I would pick up signal better from the NE (Back of my Router) I saw yesterday that I now latch to the tower on the Hospital roof SW (Front of my Router).
Reading the manual again I saw this.
"The CPE supports 10 antenna combinations. Antenna Combine Index indicates each
combination, and each combination uses four antennas. The indexes of antennas used
in groups 1 to 10 are shown in red in the following figure"
I just assumed that the antenna that was green, was facing the tower.
View attachment 901038
Click to expand...
Oh wait, that was my assumption as well wow OK so I've been doing it wrong all along
 
cool. i just kind of cycle through all of the options and go through singal stats and speed tests for each one to determine which one is suitable.

for some reason combination 5 is best for me facing the tower.
 
nad_isa said:
cool. i just kind of cycle through all of the options and go through singal stats and speed tests for each one to determine which one is suitable.

for some reason combination 5 is best for me facing the tower.
Click to expand...
This would be my next question, would it be better to direct router to tower and pick up signal on 2 antenna at an angle or to move your router that one of the antennas face the signal squarely?
1598603245074.png1598603269305.png
 
Airmidint said:
This would be my next question, would it be better to direct router to tower and pick up signal on 2 antenna at an angle or to move your router that one of the antennas face the signal squarely?
View attachment 901168View attachment 901172
Click to expand...

intresting, so what you are saying is not only check combinations facing the tower but turning the CPE and then checking?

you giving me a kopseer :X3:
 
Ok, some results.

I set the antenna combination to #6 and pointed router direct line of site to tower (SW)
The best NR I got was -83 and +- 180- 200 Mbps
I then moved router more West, to test if signal is better if picked up from one side.
NR was the same, but speeds was slightly better.
I then changed antenna combinations, and the best results was #10
It now stays latched to the SW tower with good speeds.

Conclusion.
Antenna Combination #6 is forward and not #4
Looks like its better to angle the router so it picks up signal from the side. (in my case, yours might differ.)

Thanks for all the insight.

Network Type: NSA
Signal Intensity: LTE (-57 dBm)NR (-84 dBm)
Signal Quality: LTE (8 dB)NR (12 dB)
RSSI: -30

Download 290 - 350 Mbps
Upload 42 - 56 Mbps
Ping 8 - 15
Jitter 1 - 8
 
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