Unfortunately, where I’m currently staying, the ADSL connection is unreliable, so I’m considering using a mobile connection.
Vodafone and O2 are both 3G-only here. I’m waiting for my EE SIM to arrive for testing. I currently have a Three SIM in my iPad Pro 11 4th generation in the US (it supports 4G/5G with 4×4 MIMO, but I’m not sure how it works).The band on this US model is the same as the UK version. ), I’m using this as a hotspot.
The signal is always 1 bar on 4G and occasionally switches to 5G on 1 bar again. If you close the window, you will get about 6 Mbps download and 0.25 Mbps upload, and if you open the window you will get about 25 Mbps download and 0.5 Mbps upload.
The hotspot mechanism makes the iPad inconvenient, but I want to use it in other ways, so I’m thinking of replacing it with a better dedicated setup.
Unfortunately I’m not in a position to drill holes, so I don’t think it’s possible to get anything outdoors unless you use a flat cable. Besides, I want to keep it cheap for now. So, based on reading this forum, I’m currently looking to purchase either the NR5103EV2 or the NR5103E from the Three brand, but I have a few questions.
1) Is there any reason not to choose the new NR5103EV2 over the NR5103E? I see that the latter only allows 2×2 MIMO external antennas. This is related to the next question.
2) In rural areas, does a 4×4 MIMO antenna have an advantage over a 2×2 MIMO antenna, or is it only relevant in areas with high signal density?
3) Would using a flat cable to pass through a gap in a closed window just reduce the signal significantly, effectively defeating the purpose of using an external antenna anyway?
4) Is there a reason why the NR5103EV2 or NR5103E (or others) is slower than my iPad?
5) Are there other routers that might be a better option? Only some routers have band lock (not sure if it matters for my situation), some routers have I’ve also heard mention of the MC801A and MC888, which have specific bands.
I’m currently thinking of taking the plunge and purchasing the NR5103EV2 with an internal antenna. I feel like a separate setup with an external antenna would quickly become expensive and might not work in my situation.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thank you.
