Hi there, thanks @David-TP for the welcome!

 

Hopefully @David-TP, this post gives some answers to your questions!

 

Connectivity Challenges and Testing Results

 

I'm using Telia as my carrier in Finland and have been testing their 5G SIM card in both my Deco router and my iPhone. I've noticed that the Speedtest results on my iPhone fluctuate depending on my location within the house or garden. Interestingly, the Deco, even relying solely on its internal antennas and positioned optimally indoors, consistently outperforms my iPhone's 5G connection. I'm confident I'm within Telia's 5G coverage area, as confirmed by their website and the Deco app itself.

 

Insights from iPhone and Deco

 

Since iPhone doesn't directly display cell signal information, I utilized the Field Test Mode to gather some data (screenshot attached). This test was conducted indoors, where the 5G signal is weaker. I've also included screenshots from the Deco app (using QUENG and QCAINFO at commands), showcasing the status with 5G selected as the primary network and when it's restricted to 4G only. Forcing the Deco into 4G-only mode didn't significantly impact speed or ping; the results were comparable to 5G mode, although there were noticeable upload speed improvements with 5G. As mentioned previously, attempts to use external antennas resulted in the connection failing to detect any 4G or 5G access.

 

Antenna Setup and Previous Configuration

 

Following Telia's advice, I've kept the panel antenna oriented in the same direction as it was when I used a 4G SIM card in my previous setup. The results and testing are described in detail in my previous post. I know the exact location of the relevant cell tower and other nearby ones. While the Cellmapper app provides some information about cell tower locations, network and bands, it's crowd-sourced and may not be entirely accurate. This has helped me a bit to find more data from the signals.  Bands LTE B20 and NRG5 N28 seems to be the right ones when using Deco's internal antennas. I'm optimistic that the new directional yagi antennas will significantly improve the connection. As mentioned in my original post, I've already tested these new antennas with two different sets of coaxial antenna cables, pointing them towards various cell towers.

 

Performance Impact of External Antennas

 

I reviewed my Speedtest history from a few months ago when I was using the previous setup with Huawei modem, 4G access and external panel antenna.. The connection was better particularly in terms of upload ping and speed. With the external antennas and Huawei modem, the upload ping (Speedtest-app measurement) was consistently about 10 times lower than what I'm currently experiencing with the Deco and no external antennas. External antennas are known to enhance upload speeds, which is crucial for me since I need reliable uploads for activities like Teams meetings. The current inability to utilize external antennas with the Deco is significantly impacting upload quality, which is my primary concern.

 

Conclusion

 

In summary, both 4G and 5G performance at my location is suboptimal without external antennas. Observing my neighbors' rooftops, I believe they might be encountering similar connectivity issues. My previous setup with the Huawei modem,4G, and external antennas delivered satisfactory results. The Deco's current limitation of not supporting external antennas is a major drawback.

 

• I'm hoping @David-TP you or someone in the community who has encountered a similar issue can offer advice on how to get the external antennas working with the Deco BE65-5G.
• If there are any specific settings or configurations I should check, please let me know.

thanks Papsiboy

Either this Deco BE65-5G device has also been made to work with external antennas or is this work still pending from product support engineers?