My improved 5G setup

Last year, I documented my “perfect” 5G setup. Yesterday, that Quectel modem was sold. So, what prompted the change, and how am I online now?

I sold the modem because I found a more effective solution for my needs. My setup now uses OpenWRT on a GL.iNet Flint 2 router, which connects to a Zyxel NR7302 Outdoor 5G modem.

When my fiancée and I merged our households, we decided to bring my existing 5G setup from my second home into our new apartment. This initially meant continuing with my GL.iNet Beryl AX as the main router. This 5G approach remained a sensible financial choice: using a second SIM card from my unlimited mobile contract is significantly more cost-effective than a new wired connection.

Once in the new apartment, the existing Wi-Fi coverage wasn’t ideal for our 99-square-meter space. To improve the overall Wi-Fi signal throughout the flat, I acquired a GL.iNet Flint 2 to serve as the new main router. This allowed me to repurpose the Beryl AX as an 802.11s mesh repeater, strategically positioned in the middle of the flat to extend coverage to the opposite side.

While the signal quality from the original 5G modem was still acceptable indoors, my upload speeds weren’t as fast as they used to be. Then, a few days ago, I upgraded my phone contract, giving me a potential 500 Mbps download speed. To truly take advantage of this increased speed, I started investigating how to improve the modem’s reception.

At my previous location, the 5G tower was in sight, providing perfect speeds. In the new apartment, cell towers are more distant, and I observed my phone’s signal improved only with the windows open. This led me to research outdoor antennas and eventually to the Zyxel NR7302 Outdoor 5G modem. It’s quite affordable because Deutsche Telekom provides it to business customers and many refurbished units are available on eBay. Replacing my indoor modem with this outdoor unit significantly boosted reception, and now I consistently get around 400 Mbps download and, crucially, my upload speed has jumped from approximately 10 Mbps to up to 40 Mbps.

The Zyxel modem is powered by Power over Ethernet via a slim Ethernet cable routed through my office window. I initially tried an even thinner “window cable”, but it couldn’t establish a gigabit connection between the router and modem.

On the home network side, the Flint 2 connects via Ethernet to my work laptop and home servers. To address connection issues during calls with simultaneous uploads, I’ve implemented SQM with cake-autorate on the Flint 2 to mitigate buffer bloat.

I’m satisfied with this setup. The only potential enhancement would be connecting the repeater via Ethernet cables, but there’s no suitable infrastructure. Alternatively, a mesh network capable of utilizing DFS channels would be beneficial. Fortunately, our apartment’s thick walls help protect against interference from neighboring Wi-Fi networks, and 80 MHz of 5 GHz channels provide a fast connection throughout. My office, of course, has the strongest connection. 😁

Interactions & Comments