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LTE connection up-time Orbi LBR20
My router is NOT listed in the models! So I had to just pick one to post.
My router is the Orbi LBR20-1USNAS. It's LTE 3G/4G modem/router, etc.
This may be simple - We've had tons of issues with LTE connectivity. We live in a fringe area for cell reception. The D-Link router we had was constantly dropping LTE connection. Then it started randomly rebooting and locking up - I could see it was dying. I never was fond of it anyway....... guy at US Cellular recommended the Netgear Orbi.
It's definitely faster and even the wifi is stronger.
My question is with LTE connectivity.......... with the D-Link router it would show me system or device up-time AND LTE connection up-time so I could see when the thing was dying as the system uptime would be maybe 30 minutes, an hour, whatever and before that, it showed the LTE or cell data connection uptime was also only a matter of hours, if that, any time I looked.
I assume this Netgear Orbi can do the same thing.
AM I CORRECT in that checking administration, router status, show statistics is showing me how long the LTE connection has been good? At this point, the device uptime is almost 20 hours and the LTE stat shows just minutes behind that number.
I have a 15 day "trial period" and need to see if this router can keep the LTE connection better so need to watch for connection drops.
I see it gets to the -117 to -118 RSRP now and then but doesn't say it's dropped. At that point the D-Link dropped connection.
(I may want to look into external LTE antennas for it as well, can't hurt?)
I really encourage you to find a better place to put the Orbi. In your case, its more important to get a good LTE signal, then make the LAN connections as required. Its better to be away from the TV which can cause interference.
Re an external antenna: You typically can't find an antenna that has the right connector for what you want. Just buy the right antenna, and an adapter cable to match up to the Orbi. A directional antenna will work much better because it is focussed in a single direction and will provide a stronger signal from the tower with less noise from other sources. Choose an antenna that has the highest "dB Gain". The gain strengthens the signal by physical design, which makes it easier for the Orbi to work reliably.
An omni-directional antenna will give maybe 8 to 10 dB gain, whereas a good directional antenna can give you 26 or 28 dB gain. Big difference! Here's an example: Amazon.com: Bolton Technical Long Ranger Antenna | 2021 Parabolic - Over 10 Miles Range | All Cell Bands: 5G, 4G, LTE | WiFi 2.4/5 GHz WiFi 6 | High Gain Cellular/WiFi Antenna up to +28 dB | All Carriers: Home Audio & Theater
When you install it, put it outside and as high as you can possibly get it. Be sure to use ultra low loss coax cable. Find the tower that gives you the strongest signal and just leave it aimed there. You may have to do some experimentation to find the best location with no obstructions. Moving just a few feet can make a big difference if there are obstructions such as tall trees. With an outdoor directional antenna, high in the air, you will find the closest tower, receive a decent signal on a consistent basis, and the other towers won't matter. You won't have to be moving the antenna to different towers.
Doing the above will cost a few dollars, but it will give you fast reliable service.
11 Replies
I found the same thing, this site doesn't have the Orbi LBR20 in the drop down menu. Would be nice if somebody added it to the list of valid products...
In case you haven't already done this, you can also try repositioning the Orbi. Look at the LTE signal strength (which I see you already found) and move it to different locations in the house to get the strongest signal (lowest negative number - IE -60 is better than -70). Try to get it as high in the air as possible, and closest to the side of the house facing the LTE tower. Minimize the number of walls and other obstructions between the Orbi and the tower. Even moving it a very short distance can make a difference in the signal because there could be a wall stud, wire, ducting, lamp post, etc blocking the path. Concrete and metal block signals very well. Glass and wood much less.
Once you find the location with the highest signal, rotate the Orbi to align the internal antenna for the strongest signal. You can also use your phone to wander around looking for the best location in the house and then move the Orbi there.
External antennas will help you immensely. I use one for a different LTE modem I have on my RV and it made a night and day difference. An outdoor antenna, mounted as high as possible, with a wire running inside and plugged into the Orbi is best.
Since most of my network depends on the Ethernet I am somewhat limited on where the Orbi can sit. Right now ithe Orbi is in the NE corner of the house, NE corner of our front room on a stand that sits below the wall-mounted TV.
That's where I have power (filtered power) and Ethernet connection that connects my shop, an access point in the other level - a switch that connects my Tablo, TV, BluRay to the rest of the network sits in the stand under the Orbi.
Ethernet feeds an access point I have in our finished basement to feed WiFi and other things down there, and it feeds another router I have in my steel shop building, my huge network-based backup drive, etc.
I did slide it back on the stand so it's closer to the wall/corner and not directly under the TV and that helped a bit.
The goofy thing is that where we sit, there are no close towers and devices like our phones seem to be connected to a different tower every time I check, likely because none are strong, but at any given time, a different one is strongest. We are surrounded by trees and hills, we're the low point in this section. Yesterday my phone was connected to a tower to the SE, tonight it got the best signal connected to a tower to the north and I didn't even know there was any tower that direction! I've never seen one in that area.
I'm going to try sitting it higher - like maybe on the wall behind the TV or even on the sound bar which is mounted at the top of the TV and if that helps, then get an antenna - which Netgear support agreed should definitely help given our circumstances here.
The kicker is that Netgear themselves doesn't seem to have much for antennas, and those I find, the connections are wrong -and they are directional - a directional antenna is a bad thing here because there's no tower to point an antenna at. I may aim it north for best signal today then find that tower isn't doing well and need to aim it southwest tomorrow.
Anyway, right now it's been sitting at 3 bars and roughly -105 for the last hour. That's pretty good, especially compared to that D-Link we had.
I'll be looking for a MIMO antenna that has the correct connections, is intended to work with Orbi, works with US Cellular and isn't so directional.
Bottom line, so far I'm happy with the router even though it won't let things use UPNP - the D-Link did show things had registered there but this one does not even though it's enabled (not that it works because of the darned double-NAT of cell data services)I really encourage you to find a better place to put the Orbi. In your case, its more important to get a good LTE signal, then make the LAN connections as required. Its better to be away from the TV which can cause interference.
Re an external antenna: You typically can't find an antenna that has the right connector for what you want. Just buy the right antenna, and an adapter cable to match up to the Orbi. A directional antenna will work much better because it is focussed in a single direction and will provide a stronger signal from the tower with less noise from other sources. Choose an antenna that has the highest "dB Gain". The gain strengthens the signal by physical design, which makes it easier for the Orbi to work reliably.
An omni-directional antenna will give maybe 8 to 10 dB gain, whereas a good directional antenna can give you 26 or 28 dB gain. Big difference! Here's an example: Amazon.com: Bolton Technical Long Ranger Antenna | 2021 Parabolic - Over 10 Miles Range | All Cell Bands: 5G, 4G, LTE | WiFi 2.4/5 GHz WiFi 6 | High Gain Cellular/WiFi Antenna up to +28 dB | All Carriers: Home Audio & Theater
When you install it, put it outside and as high as you can possibly get it. Be sure to use ultra low loss coax cable. Find the tower that gives you the strongest signal and just leave it aimed there. You may have to do some experimentation to find the best location with no obstructions. Moving just a few feet can make a big difference if there are obstructions such as tall trees. With an outdoor directional antenna, high in the air, you will find the closest tower, receive a decent signal on a consistent basis, and the other towers won't matter. You won't have to be moving the antenna to different towers.
Doing the above will cost a few dollars, but it will give you fast reliable service.