Question

Hi there

I've noticed that since upgrading to firmware 00.07.04.3, the Carrier Aggregation configuration in my Network Status has changed. It used to aggregate 4 4G LTE bands and 1 5G band with a CA indicator of "Multi".

Now it only maxes at "Triple" with 3 4G LTE bands and even though the network type is labeled as 5G (NSA), the connected bands don't show the 5G band.

Worth noting that I've only recently purchased the RUTX50 so this is my first firmware upgrade from 00.07.03. I noticed that in the changelog for 00.07.03.1, there's a point around "Improved 5G connection evaluation".

Could this be degrading my performance? Should I downgrade the firmware?

Thank you.

Answer 1

Hello,

  

This is only a visual WebUI bug, and it will be addressed with the 7.5 update.

If you'd like to find out what bands your router is connecting to, please log into the command line (SSH / CLI) with the username root and the same password as WebUI, and run this command:

gsmctl -A 'AT+QCAINFO'

It will return information similar to this:

Where PCC indicates a primary band, and SCC indicates secondary bands.

Hope this helps!

  

Best regards,
DaumantasG

Comments

That's very helpful, thank you.

So to clarify, this means that my RUTX50 might be connecting to more than 3 bands (e.g. could be 5 in a "Multi" configuration), but the bug makes it so that only 3 of those are displayed defaulting it to "Triple"?

After fiddling with manual band selection, I selected only B7 for LTE and N78 for 5G (which are from my local cell mast), and I managed to get "Triple" CA with N78 5G showing correctly, along with two B7 bands.

As a secondary question, this configuration seems to be yielding the best metrics for me (RSSI, RSRQ and SINR). I can also connect to B1 and B3 but these typically have a lot of interference so SINR is poor. Would you recommend locking onto B7 B7 N78 or allowing all bands like for example B1 B3 B7 B3 N78 (which is a configuration I used to get before this update)

Thanks.

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So to clarify, this means that my RUTX50 might be connecting to more than 3 bands (e.g. could be 5 in a "Multi" configuration), but the bug makes it so that only 3 of those are displayed defaulting it to "Triple"?

Correct.

As for the bands, the best practice would be to test out both configurations. Generally, the B7 in the LTE spectrum is the one that provides the most throughput. However, when no band lock is used the modem can utilize more bands. The best way to determine which setup is the best for you would be to check these factors:

• Speed
• Latency
• Stability

As they can determine the usability of the mobile network the most. Just take a few days to see how both perform and choose whichever one provides the best performance. However, I have a feeling B1 B3 B7 B3 N78 will provide faster speeds, while B7 B7 n78 will provide lower latency. So if you do any gaming or anything that requires lower latency, I'd go with B7.

  

Best regards,
DaumantasG

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Got it, makes perfect sense. Thanks.

Do you have an ETA for the next firmware update that will address this bug?

Regarding the second question, thanks a lot for your recommendation. I think I will stick to the B7 B7 N78 configuration for now as I have locked onto really good signal with my directional antenna and all key metrics are rated Excellent, and latency is at around 20ms, so I'm very happy. I'm in the UK using a provider called EE, and their B7 is on 2600Mhz with great bandwidth. Topped that with 5G ENDC on N78, I get up to 400Mbps and have observed a minimum of 100Mbps during peak daytime activity. I'd rather sacrifice some extra aggregation for stability!

Thank you for the RUTX50, it's a great product.

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ETA is not available at the moment, but most likely around mid-summer.

And 400Mbps is most likely more than enough for normal use, so I'd stich with that as well.

  

Best regards,
DaumantasG