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Question of the Day: Will you be subscribing to the new Disney+ R49 streaming package?
princeradebe
Senior Member
When to an Edgars store today, the router retails for R1499 and its the HUAWEI B593s-601
![DSC_0205[1].jpg](https://mybroadband.co.za/forum/data/attachments/255/255887-b4960dd36390d5b5056035cf56bc297e.jpg?hash=tJYN02OQ1b "DSC_0205[1].jpg")
Model.
Model.Good day all.
I'm needing some help here, I signed up for the Telkom uncapped LTE package, got my router, waited for the rica process, this morning I noticed the signal was blue and 4 bars (happy times I thought) connected to it, did a speed test and wasn't more than 4mbps. Attached the paddle antenna's same thing. I'm quite new to this LTE stuff and I don't know of the stats from the router are any good. So I i could get some help from you wise folks that would be great. Thank you!!
I'm needing some help here, I signed up for the Telkom uncapped LTE package, got my router, waited for the rica process, this morning I noticed the signal was blue and 4 bars (happy times I thought) connected to it, did a speed test and wasn't more than 4mbps. Attached the paddle antenna's same thing. I'm quite new to this LTE stuff and I don't know of the stats from the router are any good. So I i could get some help from you wise folks that would be great. Thank you!!
jcheek
Expert Member
Seems Cell C has finally made it to the LTE party in SA - see here - with switch-on happening in the greater Johannesburg-Midrand area, to start with :
Reading between the lines, it looks like Cell C has deployed in the 2.1GHz band, presumably with FDD-mode LTE ?
If so, that'll mean that the (otherwise) "all-purpose" B593s-601 won't be able to work with Cell C LTE, unfortunately ... 2.1GHz is not one of the bands that the 's-601 covers.
Reading between the lines, it looks like Cell C has deployed in the 2.1GHz band, presumably with FDD-mode LTE ?
If so, that'll mean that the (otherwise) "all-purpose" B593s-601 won't be able to work with Cell C LTE, unfortunately ... 2.1GHz is not one of the bands that the 's-601 covers.
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DO a couple of speedtests to different servers, try UK and US as well. Also try different times of the day. May just be a bit of congestion at the time you tried.
http://speedtest.mybroadband.co.za/
Which area are you in btw?
deweyzeph
Honorary Master
You need to log into the router admin interface and check that the antenna settings are set to "External". By default the setting is set to use the internal antennas, even if you have the paddle antennas attached.
Thanks for the reply. Ill give it a try. Im in the south of Jo'burg, Ormonde to be exact.
Thanks for this. Never thought about that. I'll check and let you know.
Did you go for the SmartInternet Unlimited package? If so, their ad says limited to 4Mbps... (http://www.telkom.co.za/today/summer/) (http://www.telkom.co.za/today/shop/product/smart-internet-plans/)
Hey man, I def didn't signup for that. I signed up for one of the futurehood promotions.
http://www.telkom.co.za/today/unlimited-broadband/
jcheek
Expert Member
The default setting is usually "Auto", but you can always confirm the actual antenna settings in use on the router's "Home" tab. See this post for details.
If you're like most of us, you'll find that the internal patch antennas usually outperform the flat whips anyway, so it probably wouldn't make much difference.
jun_tao, your signal stats are not great, but they're also not the worst we've seen either!
Have a look at this post to get an idea of more or less where you are now. Based on your figures, I'd guess you should/could be getting somewhere between 10 and 20Mbps.
My main suggestion would be to shin up on your roof with B593 and laptop to see if you can get much signal improvement. That will give a good indication of whether an external antenna (indoor or outdoor) will help. See here for some ideas.
Even with the best antenna arrangements and signal, there can be other reasons why certain stations don't perform as well as others at any given time. If you're more energetic, and once you know where your local Telkom LTE stations are, you can try "prospecting" for them as described here.
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Thanks for this. Yeah, when I attach the paddles the stats do get worse. Right now it doesn't even break 3mb.
I'll have a quick read up.
Thanks again.
Edit: @jcheek thanks again for all those posts. Right now, I'm on my roof, the B593 is pretty much where I'd like the antenna to be(on my chimney). Currently my stats have improved from what i can gather from your in details posts of the signal stats.
My speeds have improved download is just under 4, upload is over 6. But still way way off from what I was expecting.
I think I'm quite close to the tower. According to google maps 563m away as the crow flies.
Ill drive right my the tower and do the tests again tomorrow.
Thanks again.
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Hey All,
Happy Heritage day!!
I'm one confused guy. As you know in my previous posts the speedtests don't go over more them 3mb.
So I thought what the hell I might as well try download something via sabnzbd. Too my surprise I was getting 1mb
then I tried a 4K video while downloading, no buffering the grey bar was miles a head of the red section.
I looked at the downlink rate on the router and it was over 11mb.
Is there a download limit on a speedtest? I've tried diff location, servers, devices all the same.
Thanks all for your patience.
Happy Heritage day!!
I'm one confused guy. As you know in my previous posts the speedtests don't go over more them 3mb.
So I thought what the hell I might as well try download something via sabnzbd. Too my surprise I was getting 1mb
then I tried a 4K video while downloading, no buffering the grey bar was miles a head of the red section.
I looked at the downlink rate on the router and it was over 11mb.
Is there a download limit on a speedtest? I've tried diff location, servers, devices all the same.
Thanks all for your patience.
jcheek
Expert Member
Hey jun_tao - my pleasure, man; glad they helped you.
Great diagnostics you've done there - well done!
I'm not sure whether the signal stats you posted are with the B593 on the roof, or when you tested right at the tower, but either way, an RSSI/RSRP/RSRQ of -45/-71/-6 is about as good as it gets. Whatever the test you were doing there, you totally removed signal parameter as a constraint. The rest is up to Telkom and other factors. I agree that your downlink speed is really disappointing - with those kinds of signals you would expect to see well over 20Mbps.
Regarding the "other factors", some things to check:
1. How are you connecting to your B593 - wired ethernet or Wi-Fi ? Wired connection is preferred (for testing at least).
2. Are you testing with a reasonably modern/fast laptop so that laptop speed isn't a constraint (howzit TeeJayBee!) ?
If all that is OK, then I'd say the constraint is elsewhere, either the station itself or the backhaul to it. If so, see if you can find any other nearby Telkom stations and repeat your "prospecting" there ?
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Hey @jcheek thanks for the reply. Hope you had a good day.
Those stats were on my roof, I can actually see the tower that Telkom says that LTE is available from be it through a tree branch.
It was one of the "new" towers they release on the 7th for their LTE promotion.
1. I was using a cable to connect the router.
2. I was using my MBP to do the testing (man I was holding it tight when I was going up & down the ladder)
Just my luck, its like a carrot in front of the donkey. I noticed another tower (don't know if its Telkom) by witspos mail centre, I'll do another test and let you know. Sneeky did suggest I PM the Telkom guy on mybb so I've done that as well. They have responded well for me, but that was for ADSL, so hopefully they can work a miracle.
You're a man among men!!
jcheek
Expert Member
All good then.
I assume "MBP" is a Macbook Pro (I could make a cheeky remark but I don't wanna risk upsetting Azimuth lol).
As for holding it tight, yeah, I know the feeling!
Yeah, then I'd say you're seeing a station problem. Go ahead and PM @Telkom, yes - tower issues certainly do arise and Telkom on MyBB do try and get them sorted, yes. (There was a similar case here for example - that thread started off as "slow DNS" but the scope widened later to general station issues).
It will certainly help your case if you can demonstrate better results with similar signal strengths at a different station.
Well this thread is very much a team effort, but thanks!
Gotta say though, it really helps when people (like you) are willing to help themselves get helped!
Good luck!
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HAHA, yes its a Macbook Pro.
Reading the post of the tower problem gives me some faith.
I must say I've learnt so much about antenna's, signal stats, and all that just by reading all the posts. I knew nothing about this last week.
This is a quest for a little faster internet, I cant get higher than 4mb on the adsl. So I'll do anything in my power that I can do. Also its quite fun learning all this. But it does make it a whole lot easier with guys like you on the forum to help out.
Gotta say I'm a little envious when ppl post pics of their LTE and its plus 40mb.
But hopefully I'll have some light at the end of the tunnel.
Thanks man!
Subversion
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Aug 16, 2005
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Hey sorry for the late reply!
Thank you very much to you and the others who replied with advice on where to get it.
Can't believe you can buy these from Edgars, how bizarre. Is it most Edgars? I guess they do have that random mobile component!
jcheek
Expert Member
For what it's worth, Standard Bank customers can now get a B593 at a somewhat discounted price too - see here:
Not as good as the Telkom Direct or Edgars pricing, however it does seem to include door-to-door delivery.
Comparing the (very sketchy) description above with the model summaries in Azimuth's OP, I would guess that this is probably a B593u-12 device, not a B593s-601.
If that's true, it won't be compatible with Telkom's TDD 2300MHz network (at odds with the "will work on all networks in SA" statement), but it would be okay for Vodacom, MTN and Neotel LTE (all FDD 1800MHz) and possibly Cell C (2100MHz).
Not as good as the Telkom Direct or Edgars pricing, however it does seem to include door-to-door delivery.
Comparing the (very sketchy) description above with the model summaries in Azimuth's OP, I would guess that this is probably a B593u-12 device, not a B593s-601.
If that's true, it won't be compatible with Telkom's TDD 2300MHz network (at odds with the "will work on all networks in SA" statement), but it would be okay for Vodacom, MTN and Neotel LTE (all FDD 1800MHz) and possibly Cell C (2100MHz).
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