Mobile v 4g router massive difference

Been using three for BB for since September as my fixed line VDSL is naff (roughly 25mb)

Using the AI cube and 3 deco M5 mesh wireless network.

Speed in generally good, between 50-70mb most of the time. But when testing with a mobile standing in the same spot right next to the AI cube I can get 120mb+ on speedtests.

This was tested with my old OnePlus 3T and my new MI mix 3 5G. Mast is only 2x2 Mimi which I checked with network signal guru.

CA is locked on the AI cube to bands 800&1800.

Obviously tried the ai cube own WiFi just to rule out the decos slowing things down but still can not get close to what mobiles can do.

Any other ideas or is it just a case mobile chip/modems are better?

mobile phones tend to have much newer chips that pretty much all the 4G routers.

Perhaps your phone is connecting to band 32 and band 3? (1500mhz) I think the AI cube can connect to band 32 but only when aggregated to band 20 ( 800mhz) but unable to test that theory myself without the mast supporting it. I think Three are refarming their 3g 2100mhz spectrum as well for 4g. Perhaps your're aggregating to B3 and B1 which the AI cube doesn't support. Or what Jchamier said.

Mast only supports bands 3 and 20

"mobile phones tend to have much newer chips that pretty much all the 4G routers."

I must admit I've noticed my phone (Honor 8x with LTE CAT12 603 Mbps is quicker connected on the same mast, same band at the same time than my B535-232 CAT7 300mbps router, though I wouldn't expect either to reach anywhere near over 100 Mbps in reality.

Is there any real reason for that, in this day and age though?

Why would the mobile provide higher bandwidth?

In reply to a post by buggerlugs:

Why would the mobile provide higher bandwidth?

The "CAT" category is more than just speed. It also affects HOW the mobile device and the mast (base station) interoperate.

Kinda makes even new 4g routers pretty pointless if you can just tether to your 2 year old mobile and it provides a faster, better connection don't it?

Heat/battery life/charging frequency.
Edit: And useless in the house if anyone there when you go out.

Edited by RobertoS (Fri 21-Feb-20 23:05:03)

What I mean is, if you've got a mobile that's a few years old, the likelihood of it providing a better signal and overall web using experience than a mobile router is such that it'd be far better to just leave it plugged in without a battery.

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

Heat/battery life/charging frequency.

Seen this mentioned a few times. When I charge my S8+ it produces zero heat once charged (actually once over 80% and it starts charging slower for the last 20) and will just trickle charge when needed after that. So heat and charging shouldn't be an issue as far as I can tell. It's not going to constantly charge when not needed, phones haven't done that for a long long time.

Edited by Ewok (Sat 22-Feb-20 10:23:40)

In reply to a post by buggerlugs:

What I mean is, if you've got a mobile that's a few years old, the likelihood of it providing a better signal and overall web using experience than a mobile router is such that it'd be far better to just leave it plugged in without a battery.

As with most things that use radio "it depends". Most people in built up areas can get fixed line broadband, which is more reliable and has more capacity. Those in rural areas are often happy to get any type of fast broadband.

Make me think is it possible to use a mobile instead of a 4g router?

Trying to think if it's possible to use an old mobile instead.

In reply to a post by Ewok:

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

Heat/battery life/charging frequency.

Seen this mentioned a few times. When I charge my S8+ it produces zero heat once charged (actually once over 80% and it starts charging slower for the last 20) and will just trickle charge when needed after that. So heat and charging shouldn't be an issue as far as I can tell. It's not going to constantly charge when not needed, phones haven't done that for a long long time.

The heat will be generated by the phone itself when used as a hotspot. Many phones get very hot doing this. The phone battery if plugged in constantly will also (depending on how good the BMS is) generare a small amount of heat as the charger will end up taking it past the optimum voltage to sense it's completely full. It's not the heat that kills the battery in this instance it's the constant over voltage that will degrade the battery severely. The heat of the phone heating the battery up further will also further compound this.

It's just not a good idea to charge batteries up all the time. For decent brand phones (and batteries) the only impact should be a knackered battery. But, most people like to have caution. Look at the Note 7, it was the bulging of the battery ever so slightly that caused the battery to get pierced due to too tight a fit in the case. Yes, this wasn't just a problem when being charged, but as things expand when charging it certainly increased the risk with this model.

I meant the heat caused by it working as a modem, router and WAP to everything else . Also that drains the battery quite rapidly. Why do you think modem/routers have elaborate cooling vents that a phone doesn't?

For a while I varied between having it stand-alone and on charger only when necessary, connected to the USB port on my ASUS router so the phone was only acting as a modem (not tethering), which was the technically best solution but extremely inconvenient, and into a powered USB3 port on my laptop which was reasonably convenient while I was sitting there.

Edit: Maybe when plugged into the router it was the thing to that through the USB, I forget, but the router was definitely supplying everything else.

Edited by RobertoS (Sat 22-Feb-20 11:04:12)

You can plug most phones into a lot of routers with a USB connection and enable tethering in the settings. That means the phone passes the internet down the USB, and you can use a bigger router for better coverage around the home. I've used an iPhone on Vodafone with an GL.iNet AR750 to do this in on a customer site, but I also think many Asus and other makes of home router can do this. (most home routers think its a USB dongle).

https://www.amazon.co.uk/GL-iNet-GL-AR750-300Mbps-pr...

In reply to a post by gary333:

It's just not a good idea to charge batteries up all the time. For decent brand phones (and batteries) the only impact should be a knackered battery. But, most people like to have caution. Look at the Note 7, it was the bulging of the battery ever so slightly that caused the battery to get pierced due to too tight a fit in the case. Yes, this wasn't just a problem when being charged, but as things expand when charging it certainly increased the risk with this model.

Its a very good point, especially for something that would be left unattended and powered.

I believe my Netgear AirCard (Cat 12) and some other devices work without their battery fitted. However many mobile phones do not, as the designers never expected it.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/NETGEAR-AC810-100EUS-Broadb...

And at £250 is the Nighthawk M1 which is "gigabit LTE" compatible, similar to most phones. I don't know if this works without battery.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/NETGEAR-MR1100-100EUS-Night...

Edited by jchamier (Sat 22-Feb-20 10:59:38)

Given current problems with B535/three it's an interesting question. Certainly my mobile (iPhone CS max) is noticeably quicker.

So what's the cheapest mobile that's got all the UK bands (inc. 32) , with 4x4 mimo and 5CA etc ? I'm guessing it's more than mid-range, so you're into prices like the Huawei 5G CPE Pro which does seem to have pretty much everything going -- but for a price (and the B818 is pretty good it seems for 4G). But we're in the £200-£400 range.