Recommendations for 5G router with voLTE

Hi. It’s time I replaced my rather old 4G home broadband backup router with something a bit more up to date…

Although there’s no 5G coverage at home yet, I also use the router when travelling, so 5G capability would be useful. Current router has an analogue phone port which I do use to take advantage of the included voice minutes when I’m using a phone SIM.

I’d like to avoid the likes of Huawei and ZTE (and other manufacturers with Chinese origin firmware) Trying not to be too paranoid but I do occasionally need to work on commercially sensitive projects and I’d rather not take the risk.

In summary, the buying criteria are.

- Supports 5G
- Analogue phone port which supports voLTE
- Non Chinese origin generic firmware, not carrier specific, with regular updates as necessary
- At least one wired ethernet port
- As plug and play as possible

Any suggestions? I can’t find anything at the moment!

I don’t think you’ll find anything. Not really a demand: except for those products with network operator firmware that I don’t think any support a fixed line telephone port.

If your mobile phone supports using voLTE then setting it to use that it will pick up your "new" router's broadband connection. Or at least should. Mine shows that is what it is using when I visit friends and relatives where my phone has been logged into their wifi.

Edit: I'm not sure your analogue phone would work anyway as surely it would need the broadband supplier to be supplying VOIP on the broadband connection. I don't think you can access the phone minutes of the router's phone SIM in the way you suggest.

Edited by pluralist (Sun 09-Apr-23 16:25:03)

In reply to a post by pluralist:

If your mobile phone supports using voLTE then setting it to use that it will pick up your "new" router's broadband connection. Or at least should. Mine shows that is what it is using when I visit friends and relatives where my phone has been logged into their wifi.

Edit: I'm not sure your analogue phone would work anyway as surely it would need the broadband supplier to be supplying VOIP on the broadband connection. I don't think you can access the phone minutes of the router's phone SIM in the way you suggest.

Do you mean "WiFi Calling" rather than "VoLTE" - they are quite different things?

In reply to a post by pluralist:

If your mobile phone supports using voLTE then setting it to use that it will pick up your "new" router's broadband connection. Or at least should. Mine shows that is what it is using when I visit friends and relatives where my phone has been logged into their wifi.

Sorry Bob, you've mixed Voice over 4G (VoLTE) with Voice over WiFi. Today there are small operators whom have started to offer Voice over WiFi but not yet Voice over 4G, and on some it depends on the handset.

None of the discussion around handsets (iPhone or Android) impacts what is available on a LTE or NR broadband router device. Quite a very different range of technology with entirely different firmware, none use the Android frameworks for example.

Edit: I'm not sure your analogue phone would work anyway as surely it would need the broadband supplier to be supplying VOIP on the broadband connection. I don't think you can access the phone minutes of the router's phone SIM in the way you suggest.

And given the right hardware that would be entirely dependent upon the SIM. There are some 4G (LTE) fixed routers that pretend to be phones with an RJ11 connector on the back that allow you to make phone calls over legacy circuit switched (2G/3G) or packet switched (4G/VoLTE) connections. Internally they convert the analogue handset to digital, and pass that over the SIP connection to the VoLTE service provider. (VoLTE is actually standard VoIP protocols over a controlled network, not the open internet. Same technology to the 'digital voice' service some internet providers are now supplying).

These devices are very rare, and very likely made by Huawei or ZTE and unlikely to support 5G (NR) at the present time, given the limited demand for such products.

The super expensive Netgear M1 range of portable 4G/5G hotspots can be run as a home router, but don't have any voice support. This is a niche market, and fixed line handset voice support is unlikely to be included.

Best to give up the idea, get an Analogue Telephone Adaptor and use some of the data capacity with a separate VoIP supplier. Or just use a mobile phone as a mobile phone.

Edited by jchamier (Sun 09-Apr-23 16:56:24)

Wifi calling is set to "on" in my mobile.

At the premises I mentioned my Three phone and broadband signal is very weak, usually failing to register at all. Because of this my phone has login details for the relevant wifis already remembered.

As well as the usual wifi signal strength indicator, VoLTE appears next to it. If required I am able to phone out via that with no problem. If i turn off wifi calling that indicator disappears and it is rare that I can do anything at all with my phone at these locations.

How I previously described it may be technically incorrect, but it's what I see on the phone when calling via those routers.

In reply to a post by pluralist:

How I previously described it may be technically incorrect, but it's what I see on the phone when calling via those routers.

What you see is a decision some Android manufacturers chose to do, combined with choices your mobile network operator makes (based on the SIM). What you see on a Three SIM is likely to be different for someone on a GiffGaff SIM, and different on an O2 SIM, or a VOXI SIM. Even more confusing if you look at the smaller MVNO like RWE, 1pMobile or others.

The icons also behave differently depending on make, and sometimes software version and patch version. (!!). The "VoLTE" flag shows at all times, even if WiFi calling is in use on my OnePlus, and its pretty pointless to tell people this, but I see a friends (old) Samsung shows the icon only when on mobile connection and it vanishes when on WiFi.

Apple decided this was pointless, as was showing the sub-types of 3G and 4G (3G/H/H+) or (4G/4G+ etc) and so the icons are much simpler on iOS.

Almost no phones provide controls over VoLTE, as switching it off would just result in the phone being returned ("This one doesn't work"). End users CAN control WiFi calling, option in all menus.

I think showing the VoLTE icon just shows Android was designed by computer engineers, not for the masses, causing queries and confusion like this thread.

Very sad in a consumer product. Not something the 1970s Japanese engineers behind the likes of Sony, Panasonic and others that made electronics mass-market would have done.

Edited by jchamier (Sun 09-Apr-23 17:29:34)

In reply to a post by pluralist:

Wifi calling is set to "on" in my mobile.

And is completely irrelevant to VoLTE, which is normally described as "4G Calling" by mobile networks.

There were phones available that have WiFi calling that can't do VoLTE (hopefully very few on sale since 2020).

I can't argue against you any more than I can against pheasant, as both of you are streets ahead of me wrt to the technology.

However I have just described to pheasant what happens, and what shows on my phone (Android OnePlus 8 Pro) at the time. The most frequent site it does so has TalkTalk FTTC with a bog standard TT router.

Note also that the OP is talking about his existing and future mobile broadband routers. I very much doubt if using a phone SIM in that (as I do in mine) gives access to the mobile call minutes of that SIM via his analogue socket in the router.

That is to some extent far more important than a discussion of my setup. If he isn't getting to use the mobile minutes of the in-router SIM he can forget that idea and also leave his analogue handset at home.

Maybe it would help if we knew the OP's current router and mobile broadband supplier .

Just thinking .... In normal use my phone display varies between 4G, 4G+ and 5G, plus of course lower ones at times. These appear above the right-angle triangle of signal strength bars.

It only ever shows VoLTE at the visited sites, and that is to the left of that triangle. IIRC it replaces the mobile phone signal strength vertical arc. What to make of that I'll leave to the two of you, but not only can I make calls but texts also work.

Clearly my connection to the router is wifi. I've never questioned or doubted that. But what is going in and on the other side of the router?

In reply to a post by jchamier:

The "VoLTE" flag shows at all times, even if WiFi calling is in use on my OnePlus.

I bet it vanishes if you turn off wifi calling, as opposed to using it.

It doesn't even appear here at any time.

In reply to a post by pluralist:

However I have just described to pheasant what happens, and what shows on my phone (Android OnePlus 8 Pro) at the time.

But you just effectively changed a thread about mobile broadband routers by talking about your specific OnePlus phone handset and your Three mobile service. It is unclear why?

Note also that the OP is talking about his existing and future mobile broadband routers. I very much doubt if using a phone SIM in that (as I do in mine) gives access to the mobile call minutes of that SIM via his analogue socket in the router.

Why not? There have been routers that do this, the OP was asking for newer technology ones that do this!! Some from Huawei similar to those you’ve had in the past, but required internet firmware rather than the UK operator firmware.

Maybe it would help if we knew the OP's current router and mobile broadband supplier .

Irrelevant to finding out if anyone makes hardware that could do the requirements. The second question would be compatibility, if hardware can be found. But the UK operators generally all support as many devices as possible. (Unlike the USA operators).

It only ever shows VoLTE at the visited sites, and that is to the left of that triangle. IIRC it replaces the mobile phone signal strength vertical arc.

Then that is useless, replacing signal strength is pointless. On Three in Farnborough all the sites show the VoLTE logo, about 2 years ago the network rolled out VoLTE to all their frequencies (B20, 800Mhz, B3, 1800 MHz, and the higher ones). The OnePlus Nord shows the VoLTE logo in the middle of the bar, not replacing the signal strength.

Clearly my connection to the router is wifi. I've never questioned or doubted that. But what is going in and on the other side of the router?

TCP/IP connection to the ISP, over one or more VLANs.

The question the OP asked is if a router can support the mobile providers VoLTE service, which is (as Pheasant can describe) a VLAN separated away from the normal internet access. This reduces any usage/bandwidth issues so phone calls can be made successfully when the internet connection is maxed out for long periods. (Similar setup for the “digital voice” type services on fixed line). Contrast with over-the-top VoIP services (such as Sipgate) or even apps (WhatsApp etc) that make calls over the internet but are not separated.

WiFi Calling is completely different as it provides a route back into the mobile operators voice services over ANY internet connection. Geo-limited to the UK. No attempt at separating traffic to provide a level of service quality. It works over enterprise networks providing UK internet access.

Hence the OP’s original question, and the irrelevance of the WiFi calling and whatever modes your Android (or my iPhone) support.

Will have to try, I’ve let most of my PAYG SIMs expire. O2 PAYG is pretty lacking in features. The icon certainly didn’t replace any signal strength.

Kids wanted an Easter egg hunt. Then I went for a snooze. I see you chaps have been busy 🐣😅

Maybe if I had simply referred to wifi instead of VoLTE in my first post my reply to the OP, that would have solved a whole load of unnecessary argument . That was a simple slip due to what my phone shows when a wifi-calling connection is made. Even when not in use.

My later explanations made that clear.

In reply to a post by jchamier:

But you just effectively changed a thread about mobile broadband routers by talking about your specific OnePlus phone handset and your Three mobile service. It is unclear why?

Surely that was bleeding obvious, given that I agreed I was talking about wifi calling.

In reply to a post by jchamier:

The "VoLTE" flag shows at all times, even if WiFi calling is in use on my OnePlus, and its pretty pointless to tell people this, but I see a friends (old) Samsung shows the icon only when on mobile connection and it vanishes when on WiFi.

That's just as irrelevant as your complaint about my referring to my (badly-written) post about what I see on my phone by the same manufacture . The difference being that your provider apparently causes it to show all the time when wifi calling is turned on. That is referring specifically to your own "specific OnePlus phone handset" and broadband service, and your friend's service..

And now you seem to agree that wifi calling uses the broadband connection from the router. Which is basically the main point I made in my original reply to the OP once the error of mentioning VoLTE was pointed out.

Finally, you seem to have ignored:

In reply to a post by swt1963:

Although there’s no 5G coverage at home yet, I also use the router when travelling, so 5G capability would be useful. Current router has an analogue phone port which I do use to take advantage of the included voice minutes when I’m using a phone SIM.

Clearly referring to the minutes available via the phone SIM in the router. Are you saying that is at all possible? Not using the broadband data of that SIM but rather the xG mobile phone service of the router SIM??

In reply to a post by Pheasant:

Kids wanted an Easter egg hunt. Then I went for a snooze. I see you chaps have been busy 🐣😅

Indeed . All because I erroneously said VoLTE instead of wifi calling. That being because that is the indicator on my phone when wifi calling is enabled when connected to a TalkTalk FTTC router for calls and texts using my Three-SIMed phone.

Hi. My current VoLTE 4G router is Tenda 4G680 , which is a cheap and cheerful Chinese router., so I don’t use it for work purposes. VoLTE works just fine on both Three and EE

On O2 (IIRC - not tested this since 2020) it will fallback to 3G or 2G during the call, which is “unhelpful”

I’ve not tested with Vodafone but as their VoLTE support seems to be limited to a small range of handsets I’d be surprised if it worked.

Edited by swt1963 (Mon 10-Apr-23 03:10:42)

In reply to a post by pluralist:

That was a simple slip due to what my phone shows when a wifi-calling connection is made.

(my bold) in a thread about routers. Think I've done in this thread.

Maybe you should concentrate on the OP, who you can help better than I can.

Getting all "high horse" over an honest mistake by me, made because of what my and your phones display isn't useful to anyone.

Thanks for that info. Knowing your starting point often helps, though in this case it doesn't look like it does.

If we rule out the top end kit mentioned by jchamier, for the reasons he gives, is it really worth trying to use the call minutes available on the SIM in your intended new router?

I'm assuming your mobile phone plan has a limited number of minutes. (Do you ever get near to that limit?). Rather than restrict your choice of mobile router might it be cheaper to increase the minutes in your phone plan? Or maybe even cheaper to pay the excess if you occasionally exceed your existing limit?

On a different track altogether, what kit do you need the backup router for when travelling? Could you just tether to your phone as I often do for my Sim-less iPad? My mobile router stays at home! It is only present as the cheapest way to have unlimited data for security cams cloud access/storage. I ceased my landline completely over four years ago.

Is your phone 5G capable? If not, when are you likely to replace it with one that is? If replacing, what would you do with your current one? If that or your next phone has two SIM slots, just stick a different network PAYG SIM in the second slot. That also protects you against poor coverage somewhere for your main one.

In reply to a post by jchamier:

OnePlus Nord shows the VoLTE logo in the middle of the bar, not replacing the signal strength.

Until (on EE) you connect to a router. Then it changes to Vo WiFi and the broadband signal type disappears.

I expect the same happens if tethered to my 8 Pro but I can't be bothered checking.

In reply to a post by jchamier:

I don’t think you’ll find anything. Not really a demand: except for those products with network operator firmware that I don’t think any support a fixed line telephone port.

Indeed it's the firmware (and network support) that are lacking.

For example the Huawei CPE Pro 2 (PN: H122-373) - a very popular and capable 5G router - has an analogue RJ11 port present but none of the known firmware versions it ships with support it.