Vodacom LTE Modem

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GerritK

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Hi All,

I have a Vodafone ZTE K5006 LTE modem.
I am looking for a Wifi router that is compatible with this modem. I currently have a TP Link 3420 router, but this can only handle 3G modems and not the 4G one.
I have tried a new TP Link 3020 4G router, but this also does not support this specific modem.

Any ideas please on which router would be compatible?
 
I am using a MR3420 router with a Huawei E398 4G modem.

Get the latest firmware and look at the additional modem upload files.
 
Can you post some speedtests? I still haven't seen anyone actually using the LTE network! Other than in advertisements etc
 
I can't connect to Vodacom LTE because Jannie says that my money is not good enough.

But on a test with a Huawei E589 on Cell C LTE I got :

Ping = 37ms
D/L = 13Mbps
U/L = 8Mbps

Edit : Model number corrected. It is a mifi modem/router.
 
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Jola said:
I can't connect to Vodacom LTE because Jannie says that my money is not good enough.

But on a test with a Huawei E389 on Cell C LTE I got :

Ping = 37ms
D/L = 13Mbps
U/L = 8Mbps
Click to expand...

No offence, thats quite good, but I get 25mbps on my iPhone 5 on 3G (vodacom) already!
 
Jola said:
I am using a MR3420 router with a Huawei E398 4G modem.

Get the latest firmware and look at the additional modem upload files.
Click to expand...

I have MR3420 as well. But with E172 usb modem on VC 3G.
Does the E398 work on vodacom's LTE network with vodacom sim?
 
maneshk said:
I have MR3420 as well. But with E172 usb modem on VC 3G.
Does the E398 work on vodacom's LTE network with vodacom sim?
Click to expand...
Jola has a prepaid Vodacom SIM card and can't currently connect to Vodacom LTE:
Jola said:
I can't connect to Vodacom LTE because Jannie says that my money is not good enough.
Click to expand...
However, if the router can detect the E398 and connect to Cell-C LTE, I see no reason why it shouldn't work on Vodacom LTE, provided you have a Vodacom post-paid contract SIM and it has been provisioned for LTE.

Edit: I misread the model number in Jola's post. In addition to the above, make sure the E398 supports the LTE frequencies used by Vodacom.
 
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ginggs said:
Jola has a prepaid Vodacom SIM card and can't currently connect to Vodacom LTE:

However, if the router can detect the E398 and connect to Cell-C LTE, I see no reason why it shouldn't work on Vodacom LTE, provided you have a Vodacom post-paid contract SIM and it has been provisioned for LTE.
Click to expand...

I might be mistaken, but I don't think the E398 works on CellC LTE network

EDIT: See here http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread.php?p=9436962
 
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I had the guys in the shop update the firmware, but with no success. I don't think TP Link supports this modem yet.
I have emailed them and requsted support for the modem.
 
GerritK said:
I had the guys in the shop update the firmware, but with no success. I don't think TP Link supports this modem yet.
I have emailed them and requsted support for the modem.
Click to expand...

If you emailed TP-Link, then good luck! They will do very little (if anything) and then tell you to do it yourself with the Sniffer tool. Their service suck.

The guys at Uniterm is much more helpful - see uf you can pm kernel
 
OGroteKoning said:
I might be mistaken, but I don't think the E398 works on CellC LTE network
Click to expand...

It depends on the model, the one thing that is quite confusing about the new LTE modems is that they all come in a variety of models, you must check the number after the model code. There is an E398 that will work with Cell C LTE.

I have an E398 (Telekom model), and it doesn't support LTE 2100MHz, or UMTS 900MHz, so it is no good for any Cell C data.

But I also have an E3267 which supports all the Cell C frequencies.

The Cell C LTE tests were done on a Huawei E589, which is a small mifi modem/router. This device seems to support all the required LTE/UMTS frequencies. But again, be careful, you get it in different models - I have a E589u-12.
 
oliverwww said:
No offence, thats quite good, but I get 25mbps on my iPhone 5 on 3G (vodacom) already!
Click to expand...

I don't get more than 3mbps DL on Vodacom.

And sometimes, when I really need it, it is only 500kbps. And that is with a 42mbps E372 modem.

That is why I want to use Vodacom LTE, even if it only runs at 10mbps. Hell, I would be happy as long as it doesn't go under 2mbps, DL and UL !!!

Note : I live in a heavily congested area, nothing works here, not even ADSL. That is also why I don't believe the BS from the ISP's that they cannot compete with UK prices because of economies of scale !!!
 
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ginggs said:
Jola has a prepaid Vodacom SIM card and can't currently connect to Vodacom LTE:

However, if the router can detect the E398 and connect to Cell-C LTE, I see no reason why it shouldn't work on Vodacom LTE, provided you have a Vodacom post-paid contract SIM and it has been provisioned for LTE.
Click to expand...

I do actually have a contract, but it is Top Up, I refuse to expose myself to an unrestricted contract and the OOB shark !

I have tried, they will not provision the Top Up contract for LTE.

Jannie says it is a system problem, but that sounds like a lame excuse, Vodacom's systems can't be that bad. After all, Cell C can do it, I can access Cell C LTE on a prepaid (but provisioned) sim.

There is Vodacom LTE in my area, I can see it with both the E398 and the E3267, but I cannot connect due to the provisioning issue.
 
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Jola, from your experience, which LTE modem works best with the RT-N66u? Or is the E372/K4605 still the best bet?

EDIT: Saw another post of yours... Seems the answer us E372/K4605
 
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None of my LTE modems will work with the RT-N66U, have not solved that problem !

Still using E372 on the RT-N66U.

I am using a E398 LTE modem on my old TP-Link MR3420, they do have a E398 driver. But not in LTE mode, because of Vodacom's sim provisioning issue. (my E398 does not have the frequencies required for Cell C, and my E3267 (which does have the Cell C frequencies) will not work on any router - I guess that it is too new !

Edit : I am using the latest Merlin firmware on the Asus RT-N66U !
 
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I asked on smallnetbuilder if a sniffer tool exists for the RT-N66u to try build a file to make these modems compatible. Will let you know if I get a favourable answer
 
OGroteKoning said:
I asked on smallnetbuilder if a sniffer tool exists for the RT-N66u to try build a file to make these modems compatible. Will let you know if I get a favourable answer
Click to expand...

Thanks ! Would love to get the E3276 working !
 
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Only if I can get the Dovado Tiny cheap !

Anyone offering ?

I have not seen this model locally.

Oh, and I have checked, it works with both the E398 as well as the E3276 !
 
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Jola said:
I have checked, it works with both the E398 as well as the E3276 !
Click to expand...

I caved in an ordered a Dovado Tiny, on eBay from Germany.

No other router manufacturers seem to support the Huawei E3276, and it is a really fast LTE modem.

Waiting for support from Asus (or anyone else) could take an extended period.

I saw a video where the Dovado Tiny achieved 88mbps DL with the Huawei E3276 - obviously via LTE.

The E3276 can do 150mbps, but the CPU on the Dovado Tiny cannot handle that.

Set up with the Asus RT-N66U in serial with the Dovado Tiny, I could use Cell C LTE as a primary WAN connection, and then have Vodacom HSDPA (or LTE) as a fallback.

Once the ISP's get their acts in order, of course.
 
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