T-Mobile 5G Internet Gateway (Nokia 5G21) External Antenna Guide

Using a MIMO antenna outside your building, pointed at the nearest tower, can help y’all get the fastest 4G LTE and 5G data rates possible.

The T-Mobile 5G Internet Gateway has four internal U.FL ports, which allow for 2 2×2 MIMO antennas or a 4×4 MIMO antenna to be continued to the device.

Accessing the antenna ports does require some disassembly. And we recommend
existence conscientious: if you damage the device then afterwards return it, T-Mobile can accuse yous a damage fee. Our instructions beneath guide you through how to connect and test antennas without dissentious the device.

We recommend two different MIMO antenna options for utilize with the T-Mobile 5G Net Gateway:

All the same, if you have line of sight to the nearest tower, we recommend using a 4×4 MIMO log periodic antenna kit instead. This uses four antennas and enables 4×4 MIMO performance, which tin can often increase your data speeds. The college gain on these antennas can likewise get you lot amend performance, only simply when you lot have a straight shot to the tower.

Well-nigh folks will see the biggest improvement with a 2×2 MIMO antenna kit similar the ones linked higher up. If you’d like to experiment with upgrading to a 4×4 MIMO setup, this can occasionally yield even college data rates.

To benefit from 4×4 MIMO, you’ll need to use two of our MIMO antenna kits together and connect them to all four internal U.FL antenna ports. Then, separate the bodily antenas by about 3 – 6 feet and aim them at the same belfry to get 4×4 speeds.

There’s one
big misconception
most external antennas.

Virtually people think that external antennas primarily assistance you increase your data rates by
increasing the signal force.

But that’due south not the case.

An increase in signal force is really probably the 3rd virtually of import fashion that external antennas help.

Here are
the iii main means
that external antennas assistance you increase your data rates:

Earlier getting started, information technology’s always a skilful thought to run a couple of speed tests indoors from a device connected to your Gateway’due south WiFi. The results will fluctuate a lilliputian, but this is the baseline y’all’re trying to improve.

In one case you’ve tested your baseline net speeds, you’re prepare to install external antennas. The T-Mobile 5G Net Gateway doesn’t have any external antenna ports, but it’due south possible to access the internal ports and install adapters that allow you to connect antennas.

In the side by side section of this guide, we’ll show you how to open up upward your Gateway, connect adapters for external antennas, and close information technology back upward.

Before y’all get started, you lot volition demand the following:

• A small phillips head screwdriver
• A Torx T10 screwdriver
• A thin plastic prying tool (one-time bank cards work fine too)
• Needle-olfactory organ pliers or tweezers
• Two U.FL-male person to Due north-female pigtail adapters (included in our External Antenna kit)
• Some electric tape
• A secure container to keep screws and small parts condom while you work

Important note:

Exist careful not to damage your T-Mobile Home Internet Gateway while disassembling.

Equally role of your agreement with T-Mobile, you “borrow” this equipment from them. When yous end your service, you’ll likely demand to return the gateway to T-Mobile. If there’s damage to the device they are contractually able to accuse you up to $370 in harm fees.

Waveform does not make any guarantees nor accept any responsibility for harm caused to your unit when following these instructions. Delight go along at your own risk.

If you do make up one’s mind to return your unit to T-Mobile, brand sure to reconnect the existing internal antenna connectors before doing and then.

Step-past-Step Guide to Installing Adapters for External Antennas

Footstep 1:
Power off the T-Mobile 5G Cyberspace Gateway and unplug the ability cable.

Step 2:
Unscrew the Phillips head screw securing the SIM card holder and remove the SIM card holder, equally pointed at past the top arrow below.

Stride iii:
Unscrew the ii T10 screws from the bottom cover.

Step 7:
Rotate the gateway to see a serial of black cables continued to the board past modest U.Fl connectors. There are a full of 4 U.FL connectors for use with cellular antennas, 2 on either side of the purple GPS connector. Depending on which MIMO Antenna kit you are installing, two or four of these cables volition be disconnected:

• If y’all have a
  2×2 MIMO Antenna Kit, use a prying tool or pair of tweezers to very carefully disconnect the ii cables to the right of the purple cable.
  Do not change the remaining cables.
• If y’all have a
  4×4 MIMO Antenna Kit, employ a prying tool or pair of tweezers to very advisedly disconnect all four of these cables.

Annotation:
Be very careful. U.Fl connectors tin can be quite fragile. Brand certain y’all’re very gentle to avoid breaking the connector when disconnecting it from the lath.

Once the U.Fl cables for the internal antennas are fully disconnected, gyre them into the open spaces above and below the board, as shown here:

Stride 8:
Route your pigtail adapters through both sets of vent ports on the lesser stand up (the vents are around the circumference and going inside the unit).

Notation:
Endeavour to route the pigtails through the vents that will be shut to the ports on the device to avoid any sharp bends and excessive force on the cables one time re-assembled.

Footstep 10 (optional):
Apply electrical tape to secure your pigtail adapters to the frame. This helps prevent the cables from being tugged on and dissentious the U.Fl connectors.

Step 11:
Reassemble everything in reverse club. Brand sure that your ability button is in the off position earlier reconnecting the battery.

Positioning and aiming MIMO antennas well is crucial to getting the best performance to your T-Mobile 5G Internet Gateway, or indeed any other hotspot.

We’ve actually compiled a detailed 2×2 MIMO instruction manual and 4×4 MIMO pedagogy manual to accompany our own MIMO Antenna Kits, where we become into depth on the all-time means to aim the antennas.

The goal is to find the all-time location and direction for the antenna(south), to maximize data rates to the T-Mobile Gateway. It tin can have a little patience, but can have a huge impact – it’s worth a bit of actress effort!

Connect your MIMO external antennas to your modified T-Mobile 5G Net Gateway via the newly installed pigtail adapters, and become exterior with your “exam-rig”.

With each location and direction you try, run a couple speed tests, and make a notation of the results. Hither are all the locations and directions where we recommend testing your MIMO antenna:

Pro tip:
Don’t only go to the highest point of the roof! While signal is by and large stronger the higher you go, in that location’s also often more than interference. We’ve establish it’due south often ameliorate to mountain the antenna(s) on the side of the building where the structure can shield the antennas from interference.

Once y’all’ve found the position which gets you the highest data rates to the T-Mobile Gateway, that’s where you’ll desire to install the MIMO antenna. Go alee and mountain the antenna, run cables inside, connect everything up, and enjoy superior data rates!