Does a huawei 65 router make that big difference

[DANNLER]

So i've noticed people always talk about the 65 range huawei routers is best for telkom over 22/23 range. I know the 65 can run the 2300 frequency.

My question is.
Im running oldschool lte uncapped on a b618-22. Will changing to a b618-65 or b525-65 make that big of an impact that its worth changing? Or will it be a waste of money.

Getting on average 35mbs download before throttle

 

[Magandroid]

I actually tested this on a B618-65d last week. When it is set to 2300mhz or 1800mhz the speed lowers to almost half than when it is set to auto. Don't know why though so I just left it on auto. Apparently my nearest Telkom tower is about 1km away.

 

[cavedog]

So i've noticed people always talk about the 65 range huawei routers is best for telkom over 22/23 range. I know the 65 can run the 2300 frequency.

My question is.
Im running oldschool lte uncapped on a b618-22. Will changing to a b618-65 or b525-65 make that big of an impact that its worth changing? Or will it be a waste of money.

Getting on average 35mbs download before throttle

It depends on the tower. Let's quickly look at what Telkom LTE-A runs on. They have 2 sets on carrier aggregation and I think they designed it this way with the spectrum they have and to support as many devices as possible.

Band 1 (2100MHz) 5MHz Downlink Spectrum + Band 3 (1800MHz) 10MHz Downlink Spectrum. Total 15MHz downlink spectrum
Band 40 (2300MHz) 20MHz Spectrum + Band 40 (2300MHz) 20MHz Spectrum. Total 40MHz Down/Up link spectrum

Looking at the above the 2300Mhz which is band 40 has almost 3 times the spectrum which means that when you use a supported router it should in theory have way better speeds but that depends on congestion and how many people are on those bands so it varies.

Now if you compare Huawei B618s-65d vs Huawei B525s-65a then there is pretty much 1 difference that could make a huge difference and that is 4x4 mimo with internal antennas on the B618s-65d. The B525 just has 2x2 mimo.

So lets say your tower gives you the best performance on B1+B3 combo then your current router B618s-22d is better than the B525s-65a purely because you have 4x4 mimo on that router. If the 2300MHz band is faster then you are losing out on speed but there is no way to know until you actually test it unfortunately.

I always recommend the Huawei B618s-65d with internal antenna use. I do not recommend using external antennas on the B618 no matter what model UNLESS slow speeds are caused by poor signal because with the B618 once you plug in external antennas the mimo drop to 2x2 mimo and then the B618 and B525 is exactly the same no difference.

People always think that external antennas will make the connection better but that is not always true. If signal is not the cause of slow speeds then adding an external antenna makes it worse. If signal is the cause of the slow speeds the an external will help speed it up but will sacrifice 4x4 mimo to do so.

 

[DANNLER]

It depends on the tower. Let's quickly look at what Telkom LTE-A runs on. They have 2 sets on carrier aggregation and I think they designed it this way with the spectrum they have and to support as many devices as possible.

Band 1 (2100MHz) 5MHz Downlink Spectrum + Band 3 (1800MHz) 10MHz Downlink Spectrum. Total 15MHz downlink spectrum
Band 40 (2300MHz) 20MHz Spectrum + Band 40 (2300MHz) 20MHz Spectrum. Total 40MHz Down/Up link spectrum

Looking at the above the 2300Mhz which is band 40 has almost 3 times the spectrum which means that when you use a supported router it should in theory have way better speeds but that depends on congestion and how many people are on those bands so it varies.

Now if you compare Huawei B618s-65d vs Huawei B525s-65a then there is pretty much 1 difference that could make a huge difference and that is 4x4 mimo with internal antennas on the B618s-65d. The B525 just has 2x2 mimo.

So lets say your tower gives you the best performance on B1+B3 combo then your current router B618s-22d is better than the B525s-65a purely because you have 4x4 mimo on that router. If the 2300MHz band is faster then you are losing out on speed but there is no way to know until you actually test it unfortunately.

I always recommend the Huawei B618s-65d with internal antenna use. I do not recommend using external antennas on the B618 no matter what model UNLESS slow speeds are caused by poor signal because with the B618 once you plug in external antennas the mimo drop to 2x2 mimo and then the B618 and B525 is exactly the same no difference.

People always think that external antennas will make the connection better but that is not always true. If signal is not the cause of slow speeds then adding an external antenna makes it worse. If signal is the cause of the slow speeds the an external will help speed it up but will sacrifice 4x4 mimo to do so.

Thanx for detailed reply. Is there a way to see what the best band performance my tower can supply without owning both routers?

 

[I O U]

Thanx for detailed reply. Is there a way to see what the best band performance my tower can supply without owning both routers?

If you have a spare / old Android phone, put either your current LTE uncapped SIM into it (if it's Telkom, as that's the network & tower/s you want to test), or simply get a free prepaid Telkom LTE SIM from one of their shops, load some airtime / convert it to data, then put one or more of these apps, from the article, on the phone ....

This is my understanding of what you're trying to ascertain ?

https://www.signalboosters.com/blog/best-smartphone-apps-to-find-your-cell-signal-strength/

5 Smartphone Apps to Help You Know your Cell Signal Strength with Precision

What are Decibels?

In case you didn't know, mobile signals are measured in decibels (dB) - a logarithmic unit - while signal strength is measured in decibel-milliwatts (dBm). Decibels measure AM/FM radio waves, which are excellent at traveling long distances, but are easily disturbed and can become patchy the more interference exists.


dBm interpretations are a consistent unit of measurement. They aren't one-sided and can't be tampered [Mat1] with by your phone manufacturer or mobile carrier. Every mobile device operates within -50 dBm to -120 dBm frequency.


-50 dBm is considered the full capacity, and -120 dBm is considered your worst-case scenario. Cellular phone signals in the US and Canada need to function inside this scope to work.

The following is a suitable guide to signal strength in decibels:

1. -50 means outstanding signal (your phone is probably almost touching the cell tower)
2. -65 to -50 means you have very good signal
3. -80 to -65 means your signal is good
4. -100 to -80 means your signal is below average
5. -120 to -100 means your signal is weak

 

[DANNLER]

Band 1 (2100MHz) 5MHz Downlink Spectrum + Band 3 (1800MHz) 10MHz Downlink Spectrum. Total 15MHz downlink spectrum
Band 40 (2300MHz) 20MHz Spectrum + Band 40 (2300MHz) 20MHz Spectrum. Total 40MHz Down/Up link spectrum

i omly have b618-22 so how would i be able to test if that band 40 combo will be better if i dont have a-65 to test with. that is my actual question

 

[DANNLER]

1. -50 means outstanding signal (your phone is probably almost touching the cell tower)
2. -65 to -50 means you have very good signal
3. -80 to -65 means your signal is good
4. -100 to -80 means your signal is below average
5. -120 to -100 means your signal is weak

currently on my b618 im gettting -84

 

[dotcat]

with 1800 i get max 40 down - with 2300 the 65d gives me over 100 down with CA - 80-90 without. That's the max at off peak times.

 

[DANNLER]

Does changing your apn make any improvements?

 

[DANNLER]

Im getting this with a b618-22 telkom lte uncapped

 

[dotcat]

B618-22 - with band 1800 and 2100 aggregated.

 

[DANNLER]

what does it mean to have 2100 aggregated? Is it a setting?

 

[dotcat]

what does it mean to have 2100 aggregated? Is it a setting?

Refer to cavedogs post above - nicely explained. (Band 1 (2100MHz) 5MHz Downlink Spectrum + Band 3 (1800MHz) 10MHz Downlink Spectrum. Total 15MHz downlink spectrum) Happens automatically as you begin moving data - tower dependant.