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Forum Discussion
LTE MODEM/ROUTER LBR20 external antenna connectors
I've recently purchased an Orbi LBR20 LTE Modem/Router and am totally confused about the two external antenna connectors. About half of the references I've found talk about optimizing the unit's wifi ...
I have been having some issues with disconnection lately and read somewhere that I needed an SMA antenna so I got on good old amazon and ordered these
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08CTHGGQ8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I hooked both of them up and they made my signal worse. I didn't notice a major difference with one antenna in either port but I didn't have a lot of time to mess with it and actually check speeds for a few days thats on my list for today i'm going to try and keep track. I'm not sure what this MIMO stuff means or SMA, so I guess I'll just keep experimenting.
UPDATE
I speed tested with both antennas in, one in, and none and got the best speeds with NONE. 36mbps upload and 3 download without any antennas (usually fastest in the morning, speeds will slow down as the day goes on). My upload speeds on port 1 with the antenna were 10dl and 3 ul. My unit wouldn't even work with something screwed into the second port- so don't waste your money on anything like these. Find something with MIMO and make sure you can return it- I think that's what i'm going to do.
Suesgirl, thank you for the reply. I've purchased something similar to your two discrete antennas, but it's in the form of an integrated pair (kind of like the old TV "rabbit ears") at the end of a cable with two connectors that plug into the SME ports on the ORBI. I've seen a small difference in signal strength, maybe 4dB. Two things you should be aware of; 1) In order for the ORBI's MIMO function to work, you need both antennas to be plugged in and 2) the antennas need to be cross polarized, that is, at right angles to each other, for best MIMO performance. Also, the plane of the "V" thus formed should be perpendicular to the line between the MINO antenna and the cell tower you're connected to. Since you don't know where that may be (unless you have a mobile app like "Network Cell Info" installed on a device like your smart phone) you'll need to play with direction and location of the antenna. With MIMO, it's not always all about raw signal strength. From the down and up speeds you're getting I'd guess you live in a fairly decent signal area. Here's a link to a useful You Tube video explaining some of this: MIMO vs Boosters: Do Cellular Boosters Provide the Best Signal & Data Performance? - YouTube
Thanks for sharing!!