Upgraded Peplink Router - Compete with and compliment SL

[dtfeld]

Did a little Speed testing as I took a nice fall cruise. All around lake Lanier I get solid LTE on the Verizon network usually in the 25-40 Mbps download and 10-50 Mbps upload. However, as I worked my way down to the south and east end of the Lake (particularly around AquaLand, Holiday and especially down by Buford dam) I was getting a good bit of 5G connection with speeds in the 200-250 Mbps down and 50-65 upload.

Not bad speeds cruising along at 20kts.

 

[dtfeld]

I attribute a lot of this improvement to the newer modems being able to access the new low frequency cellular bands, particuarily B66 and B71.

 

[Skybolt]

Dave that is awesome! Really great speeds and connectivity for sure! If I had anything close to that I would have stuck with cellular, but no signal for me. Which antenna are you using?

 

[dtfeld]

Dave that is awesome! Really great speeds and connectivity for sure! If I had anything close to that I would have stuck with cellular, but no signal for me. Which antenna are you using?

This is with the Mobility 42G. It mounted right were the old Glomex TV antenna was and looks like a smaller version of that. I really like the look and performance. While the MK2 did an OK job, it was just getting long in the tooth, and this just makes everything better.

 

[dtfeld]

Dave that is awesome! Really great speeds and connectivity for sure! If I had anything close to that I would have stuck with cellular, but no signal for me. Which antenna are you using?

You might be very limited by your Mini, it cant access the newer low frequency bands the carriers are using. The new Mini HW3 with the CAT7 modem fixes this, and is less than a Starlink setup. I would take a look at your location on cellmapper.net, but looking at Kent Island area, there is a LOT of B66 for Verizon/ATT and B71 for T-mobile.

 

[Skybolt]

You might be very limited by your Mini, it cant access the newer low frequency bands the carriers are using. The new Mini HW3 with the CAT7 modem fixes this, and is less than a Starlink setup. I would take a look at your location on cellmapper.net, but looking at Kent Island area, there is a LOT of B66 for Verizon/ATT and B71 for T-mobile.

Yes for the Kent Narrows area there is a lot of signal and never any issue with iNet speed. It's moving around the bay it disappears. There are a lot of very rural area's that are fantastic boating, but no cell signal at all in those area's.

 

[dtfeld]

I'm surprised you cant get something usable...there's a lot of signal, but accessing it would take some extra effort/upgrades to the modem and the antenna (this is where the Peplink 40G would likely be very beneficial).

But I can see the Starlink appeal!

 

[Skybolt]

I'm surprised you cant get something usable...there's a lot of signal, but accessing it would take some extra effort/upgrades to the modem and the antenna (this is where the Peplink 40G would likely be very beneficial).

But I can see the Starlink appeal!

Right, so new 5g unit and 40g antenna over a month ago would be over $2K. I am sure that would have worked in most area's but there are two area's I go a lot that have zero cell signal and I mean zero. Those area's are great for watching sports while chillin' but no signal. So that is why I jumped on the SL wagon, $600 and 100% coverage, definitely not perfect though, so far no real complaints. Still keeping this thread in mind should SL go in a different direction like it may do. But cellular is constantly changing as well. And the new 5G unit will most likely only last ~3years before they kill it due to new frequencies and faster speeds. Tick Tock, Tick Tock ...

 

[dtfeld]

Right, so new 5g unit and 40g antenna over a month ago would be over $2K. I am sure that would have worked in most area's but there are two area's I go a lot that have zero cell signal and I mean zero. Those area's are great for watching sports while chillin' but no signal. So that is why I jumped on the SL wagon, $600 and 100% coverage, definitely not perfect though, so far no real complaints. Still keeping this thread in mind should SL go in a different direction like it may do. But cellular is constantly changing as well. And the new 5G unit will most likely only last ~3years before they kill it due to new frequencies and faster speeds. Tick Tock, Tick Tock ...

Ya think 3 years!!! Ha! Thing is already outdated!!!

I've read where they expect the 4G stuff to be around and pretty stable for at least 10 years, and the performance is good enough for what we do. The 5G is a just in case, but will likely be beneficial for a while. If you can get one pre owned, it takes a little of the sting out.

 

[dtfeld]

I was thinking the new Mini HW3 with a CAT 7 modem at $450, use your current antenna.

 

[Skybolt]

Ya think 3 years!!! Ha! Thing is already outdated!!!

I've read where they expect the 4G stuff to be around and pretty stable for at least 10 years, and the performance is good enough for what we do. The 5G is a just in case, but will likely be beneficial for a while. If you can get one pre owned, it takes a little of the sting out.

4G will be around, but the 5G channels I think you will get 3 years out of them until they switch again, wasn't speaking to the hardware. That's outdated as soon as it comes out. I was going to add the 40g antenna to try and get better reception and possibly reception where there isn't any now. But then SL came into view so we shall see. If I were to get new hardware it would have to support 5G UW/UC and 5ghz wifi.

 

[dtfeld]

For the boat, the low freq 4G is much more important, as it’s range is much better (a couple miles). Pretty good for a boat with the right router and antenna. But certainly not as good as Starlink. Hopefully they get something worked out for operations on the move.

The 5G is we’re it gets interesting and not very settled. The 5G frequencies are in the GHz and not very effective at long range. BUT, they are talking about “overlaying” 4G spectrum with 5G spectrum to get the best of both. Can’t say I understand it, but the current modems don’t and won’t support this. So yeah, it’s down the road.

5mhz and Wi-Fi 6 are here in these devices.

 

[PhilipEstrada]

Your insights into upgrading to the Peplink MAX BR1 Pro 5G are really interesting. While Starlink might not be the perfect fit for every scenario, it's awesome to see alternatives like Peplink stepping up, especially for those of us who spend more time inland.
The advancements in cellular modem/router technology sound promising, especially for boaters like yourself who rely on connectivity near land. It's cool to hear how you're staying on top of the latest options to ensure you have reliable internet access wherever you go.
And hey, if you ever run into any connectivity issues, whether it's a cox panoramic wifi blinking orange or anything else, there are resources like routerctrl.com that can offer troubleshooting tips to get you back online in no time.