A Resolution Worth Keeping

Happy New Year!  It’s 2023 and we are looking forward to another great year of serving and shipping 5Gstore products to our customers.  Although 2022 had its fair share of shipping struggles (mainly the price of gas), our primary shipper, FedEx, was able to keep the packages moving and even enabled a few new advances. 

One of those advances is PPOD, or Picture Proof of Delivery.  This has rolled out in many areas within the country and will continue to do so throughout the year. Essentially, FedEx is taking pictures at the time of drop off so that any home delivery without a required signature will have visual proof of the delivery.  It’s the goal to have this for all deliveries, business or residential, that do not have a regular pick up or drop off schedule.  

Another exciting change, which kicked off in 2022, is that FedEx has set a goal of having a completely electrical vehicle deployment by 2040. Last year the company was able to start this journey in California. The result was putting over 100 vehicles on the road.  Not only is this good for the environment, but the goal is to cut down the customer cost of fuel and the surcharges that come along with shipping currently. This is a definite win/win.  

Although shipping seems to be a 365 day a year event, the fine workers at shipping companies need their holidays too.  Below is the 2023 Holiday Shipping Schedule.   

  • 4/8 and 4/9-  Easter Weekend
  • 5/27, 5/28, and 5/29 (Monday)- Memorial Day Weekend
  • 7/1 and 7/2- 4th of July Weekend
  • 7/4 (Tuesday)- 4th of July Day
  • 9/2, 9/3, and 9/4 (Monday)- Labor Day Weekend
  • 11/11- Veterans Day
  • 11/23 (Thursday) Thanksgiving Day
  • 11/25 and 11/26-  Thanksgiving Weekend
  • 12/16 and 12/17- Observed Holiday
  • 12/23, 12/24, and 12/25 (Monday)- Christmas Weekend and Day
  • 12/30, 12/31, and 1/1/24 (Monday)- New Years Weekend and Day. 

When shipping around the holidays be aware that Ground Services are occasionally closed. Planning ahead can make a big difference.  Many businesses who rely on shipping, will follow this when deciding what day to observe holidays for themselves. 

If you have any questions about shipping or when your order may arrive, please contact our team via phone, email, or chat!

By 5G , , , ,

Is 5G Still Causing Issues for the FAA?

The ongoing debate over whether 5G causes issues with airplane equipment continues to be discussed and has reached another compromise. While cellular carriers want airlines to have to bring their equipment up-to-date, an aviation body argues that the current restrictions be made permanent.

The Problem

As satellite TV began to take a dive in the number of users, several frequencies were freed up for alternative use. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) controls who gets to use what frequencies. They ultimately decided that these frequencies were suitable for 5G use so the rights to use them were auctioned off. Verizon and AT&T jumped on the chance to expand their 5G networks and acquired what is called 5G C-Band. 

Meanwhile, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), was apparently unaware of this auction. They discovered there was a risk of 5G C-band spectrum interfering with radio altimeters. This is the tool that essentially allows the airplane pilot to determine the altitude of the plane. It is always helpful to the pilot, but even more so in conditions of poor visibility. 

Surprisingly, the FAA had been talking about their concerns surrounding the potential risks of C-band interference since 2015. However, the agency didn’t directly communicate these to the FCC until it was too late.

Moving Forward

After several arguments between the two agencies, it’s still unclear as to whether the radio altimeters are truly at risk – there has been limited evidence. Still, delays were put in place to push out deployment, as well as restrictions at and around certain airports.  

An agreement was also made that gave the aviation industry until July 2023 to check their older aircraft. They would update radio altimeters as needed. Since that agreement, the deadline has again been pushed back, this time to February 2024. 

This past October, the aviation industry said that the temporary restrictions weren’t doing anyone any harm. They added that the costs of fixing the issue was expensive. So, it was argued that the power limitations be made permanent. The FAA rejected this. Instead, they decided to give airlines more time. Arstechnica reported the following: 

Today, the FAA proposed a deadline of February 1, 2024, to replace or retrofit faulty altimeters, which are used by airplanes to measure altitude.

Out of 7,993 airplanes on the US registry, the FAA said it “estimates that approximately 180 airplanes would require radio altimeter replacement and 820 airplanes would require the addition of radio altimeter filters to comply with the proposed modification requirement.” The total estimated cost of compliance is $26 million […]

“Some radio altimeters may already demonstrate tolerance to the 5G C-Band emissions without modification,” the FAA said. “Some may need to install filters between the radio altimeter and antenna to increase a radio altimeter’s tolerance. For others, the addition of a filter will not be sufficient to address interference susceptibility; therefore, the radio altimeter will need to be replaced with an upgraded radio altimeter.”

Another suggestion was also rejected by the FAA. The problem was only that affected radio altimeters reported a fault, but still functioned properly. So, they suggested that pilots simply be advised not to be concerned by the alerts at known problem spots. The FAA stated that this risked air crews becoming desensitized to system warnings, which “can lead to a catastrophic event.”

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How Can Peplink’s SpeedFusion Technology Improve Starlink Performance?

Starlink is a satellite internet service developed and operated by SpaceX, a private American aerospace manufacturer and space transport services company founded by Elon Musk. The service aims to provide high-speed internet access to remote or underserved areas around the world by using a constellation of low Earth orbit satellites. 

The company has launched several batches of satellites into orbit since 2019, with the goal of eventually having thousands of satellites in its constellation. Their aim is to provide internet speeds of around 100 megabits per second (Mbps) with latency of around 20 milliseconds. This is significantly faster than current satellite internet services, which can have latency in the hundreds of milliseconds and speeds of around 25 Mbps. However, just like with cellular connections, throughput and latency are not guaranteed. 

So, you may be wondering, how might you make your Starlink connection more reliable? Enter Peplink SpeedFusion Connect (SFC). Peplink is a company that specializes in developing networking solutions for businesses and organizations. They offer a range of products, including routers and other networking devices, that can help connect computers, devices, and networks together. Their SpeedFusion technology runs just like a VPN tunnel. It is used to combine multiple Internet connections together to create a single, fast, and reliable connection for use with a Peplink router. 

The goal of SpeedFusion is to provide a way for users to improve the performance and reliability of their Internet connection by using multiple connections from different providers, such as broadband, cellular, and satellite. SpeedFusion can be used to load balance traffic across multiple connections, seamlessly failover to a secondary connection in the event of an outage, and bond connections for more bandwidth, all while providing improved security and privacy through the use of encryption.

Seeing that cellular and satellite connections can be sporadic and unreliable on their own, Peplink technology helps them to behave more like wired services. Congestion on the network and latency spikes are the biggest factors to consider with wireless services. Ways to mitigate these issues include increasing the number of WAN connections that you are using. Though, even if you are only using two WANs, there are still ways that the Peplink SpeedFusion can be configured to improve performance. 

Here are some tips: 

  • Avoid bonding multiple Starlink connections together as this could create more issues with performance.
  • Important part of the SFC connection is how to get it connected and how to route your traffic
    • The default configuration is already optimized for best performance, but it is a matter of making changes to the WAN connection priority. This is what controls whether the SFC tunnel runs with just Hot Failover between connections, or bonds them.
    • With connections in different priorities, you have Hot Failover. With connections all in priority 1, you have bonding. This is what allows you to have connections active simultaneously so that bandwidth can be bonded and real time/ mission critical traffic can be routed over this connection. 
  • If you would like to have the benefits of both Hot Failover and bonding, simply create sub tunnels (i.e. one for Hot Failover and one for Dynamic Weighted Bonding).
Sub-Tunnel #1: Hot Failover
Sub-Tunnel #2: Dynamic Weighted Bonding
  • To get the traffic routed as needed, this is where the outbound policy comes into play. This can be done at the local admin page or through InControl 2.
    • The big difference is that SaaS is only possible via InControl 2. 
    • Add more redundancy by using the priority algorithm and prioritize your tunnels
    • Use your Dynamic Weighted Bonding tunnel to protect your real time traffic. Route regular traffic over single WAN with hot failover tunnel.
    • Local configuration is the same as on InControl 2, but does NOT support SaaS or regional based routing. 
Default Outbound Policy Rule for Regular Traffic
Custom Outbound Policy Rule for Mission Critical Traffic
Viewing Outbound Policy Configuration from the Local Web Admin
  • Use WAN smoothing over Dynamic Weighted Bonding when seeing high packet loss. Otherwise Dynamic Weighted Bonding can be more helpful without increasing your data usage.
  • Firmware: Upgrade to version 8.3.0 to use TCP Ramp up. This improves the handling of Upload/ Download TCP traffic, which is important because Starlink uses TCP acceleration. This also helps with congested LTE networks. It is the initial duplication of traffic and allows for more bandwidth. 
  • If Starlink goes up and down, elongate the health check interval.
  • MTU for Starlink is 1500.

Have more questions about using Starlink and Peplink together? Reach out to our team via phone, email, or chat!

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What are the 2022 Top Products at 5Gstore.com?

The scoring of 5Gstore’s top products comes from a combination of their popularity as well as the number of customer reviews they received and the average rating customers gave the product. Many of this year’s winners, like the IP Switch (both the single outlet and dual outlet versions) and Cradlepoint IBR600C are perennial favorites and have appeared on our “Top Products” lists for years. Others, like the Inseego Skyus 160 and the Poynting XPOL-0002-V3-11 are new to the list this year.

If you ordered any of these products (or any others!) from 5Gstore, don’t forget that you can log in at 5Gstore.com and write a review of your own. We post all reviews – good and bad – and always appreciate the feedback!

We’d like to congratulate all of the manufacturers of our 2022 top products! So, without further ado, here they are…

RankProductReviews
15Gstore Remote Power IP Switches
(Dual Outlet & Single Outlet)

Allows you to remotely monitor and reboot one to two pieces of equipment via smartphone app or cloud.

“This handy IP switch solved all my problems of a remotely controlled camera going off-line by allowing a reboot–thanks so much!!!” — on the Single Outlet

“For those that are out of town and monitoring things remotely at home or vacation location this switch can really help. Good improvements in the latest model.” — on the Dual Outlet

Read more reviews
2Peplink MAX BR1 Mini (HW3) Routers

Affordable router with embedded LTE (cat 4 or cat 7 LTE Advanced) for home, travel, and small business.
“These PepWaves work well for our business.”

“We purchased this product before and this is an addition to our fleet. Great modem with many features.”

Read more reviews

3Peplink MAX BR1 Pro 5G

Ruggedized router with embedded 5G/ LTE Cat 20 modem and WiFi 6 for power users.		“Faster speed with unlimited AT&T plan 100Gbps than Unlimitedville with AT&T – not sure what plan they use.”

Read more reviews
4Peplink Balance 20X

Best in value SD-WAN router with embedded Cat 4 LTE modem and expandable 5G or LTE modem options.		“A business class router with great security features that is within the reach of home owners looking for a better solution than what is typically marketed towards general consumers.”

Read more reviews
5Cradlepoint IBR600C

Compact, semi-ruggedized small business/ IoT router with embedded Cat 4 LTE modem.		“Works as advertised. Fast shipping. Great service and follow-up. Thanks 5G.”

Read more reviews
6Sierra Wireless AirLink RV50X

Industrial, low power consumption Cat 4 LTE router for IoT/ IIoT applications.		“Great.”

“Compact and versatile cellular modem.”

Read more reviews
7Panorama B4BE-6-60-5SP

Low profile, bracket mount omnidirectional antenna for wide frequency LTE/ 5G support.		“My company uses cell technology to monitor our equipment at FM radio translators and sometimes we’ll run into one of two problems- the building is too well shielded for good cell reception, or there’s something inside the building creating a bit of interference which prevents connection. I installed a set and now have five bars and perfect reception.”

Read more reviews
8MobileMark LTM-502

5-in-1 through-roof mount antenna for LTE/ 5G, WiFi, and GPS.		“The antenna helps maintain a steady signal in areas that would be dead zones.”

Read more reviews
9Poynting XPOL-0002-V3-11

2×2 MiMO Directional, building mount antenna for LTE/ 5G.		“This antenna Improved the signal-to-noise ratio remarkably and doubled the bandwidth of my MAX BR1 MINI (with CAT4 LTE) device on Verizon as compared with the antenna’s included with the MAX BR1 .

The construction of the antenna is solid and appears very durable. The accompanying mounting bracket is well-made and appears to be made of rust-resistant metal. The instruction sheet includes excellent diagrams of the included accessories and makes assembly a breeze. What’s more the instruction sheet is written in proper, easy-to-understand English.”

Read more reviews
10Inseego Skyus 160

Small, rugged router with battery backup and embedded Cat 6 LTE modem; perfect for any application. 		“It’s a good product.”

Read more reviews

Are you interested in learning more about these products? Please reach out to our team by phone, email, or chat!

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How Can a Cellular Failover Help My Business?

Cellular routers are a type of networking device that allows you to connect to the internet using a cellular network rather than a traditional wired connection like cable or DSL. They are often used as a backup or failover option for businesses and organizations that need a reliable internet connection as frequently as possible. This would be because they may not have access to a stable wired connection, and cannot afford much downtime.

There are several benefits to using a cellular router for failover:

  • Reliability: Cellular networks are generally more reliable than wired connections, especially in areas where the wired infrastructure can be damaged or not yet installed.
  • Flexibility: Cellular routers can be used in any location with a cellular signal, making them a great option for businesses that need to be able to connect from any location
  • Cost-effective: In many cases, cellular data plans are more cost-effective than traditional wired internet plans. While prices can vary, wired services like cable or fiber can generally cost around $100 to $300. In comparison, many cellular data plans are around $25 to $100. 
  • Easy setup: Cellular routers are easy to set up and don’t require any special infrastructure or installation. They can be up and running in less than a day. 

WHAT IS FAILOVER?

Failover is a mechanism that allows a device to automatically switch to another network connection when its primary connection, such as a wired or wireless internet connection, becomes unavailable. This ensures that the device can continue to function and access the internet even if the primary connection is lost or disrupted. The goal of failover is to minimize disruption and maintain the availability of the system as much as possible.

Failover systems can be configured in a variety of ways. It can either be a totally automatic switch between WAN connections, or more of a manual switch between networks. Routers that provide automatic failover will support multiple WAN connections rather than just one. They will have some sort of automatic check in place to verify if the Internet connection is up or down. These checks allow the router to detect the outage of a connection and then switch to another available WAN connection that it has also verified is up or online. Aside from a possible difference in bandwidth, it’s likely you won’t notice the failure with these routers. 

Manual failover is going to be similar to using a single primary WAN connection through any router. Once a user detects the connection is down, they will need to manually switch their connection from the router that has failed, to one that is online. While this is not ideal for all users, it can certainly be more affordable. 

There are also multi-WAN, failover routers that support different manners in which failover operates. Normally, when a higher priority WAN connection is established, the backup connections are in an active, but passive state. While they are ready to connect, they do not actually establish a connection until the higher priority fails. This is also known as a cold standby state. 

The backup connections can also be in a completely active state where they are connected at the same time as the higher priority WAN. Traffic may or may not be routed over the backup while the primary WAN is connected – unless you’re using load balancing. This is what we typically call a hot standby state. The backup is already connected to the Internet and therefore the failover switch is much faster. 

Overall, failover systems are an important component of a robust and reliable network. They help to ensure that the system can continue to function even in the event of a failure.

USING A CELLULAR BACKUP

There are several situations in which cellular failover, in particular, can be useful. If a device is connected to a wireless network and the wireless signal becomes weak or unstable, the device can switch to a cellular connection to maintain a stable internet connection. Cellular failover can also be helpful in areas where wired internet is not available. Or, in cases where the primary internet connection is lost due to a line fault, power outage or other issue.

Cellular failover is often used in business settings, where a stable and reliable internet connection is critical for productivity. It can also be useful for individuals who rely on internet connectivity for important tasks, such as email or online transactions.

In order to use cellular failover, a device must be equipped with a cellular modem and have a cellular data plan in place. This is where the 5Gstore team can assist. We’ll determine which cellular failover router is best for your need. You can then pair it with one of our failover data plans. 

There are many different router solutions you can consider. Some cellular routers are just that. They have a cellular modem built in and allow for local connections via Ethernet and WiFi. They do not support any wired WAN connections and therefore cannot support an automated failover process. For example, the Inseego FX2000e or Inseego Skyus 160. These routers can stand alone. You may also put them into a passthrough mode and connect them to your existing router. For example, you would unplug your primary WAN once it has failed, and replace it with the cellular router’s connection). 

Other routers, like the Peplink Balance 20X, not only support a built-in cellular modem. They also have an Ethernet WAN port where you can connect your primary wired WAN. This will support an automated failover process since both the cellular and Ethernet WAN connections live in the same router. 

SELECTING THE APPROPRIATE ROUTER

The 5Gstore sales team can help to guide you towards the best solution for your needs. However, you’ll need to do a little research yourself as well. Some things to ask yourself include how and where you will be using the router. Are there specific devices that must have close to 24/7 connectivity? Are there devices that can survive without a connection temporarily? 

Keep in mind that there are a few key factors to consider when selecting a cellular failover router:

  • Carrier coverage: Make sure the router is compatible with a carrier that has good coverage in your area. It’s also a good idea to check the carrier’s data plans, their reliability and customer support.
  • Network speeds: Consider the speeds offered by the router and carrier, as well as the router’s ability to handle multiple devices. This is particularly important if you’ll be using the router for business purposes or if you have a lot of devices that need to connect to the internet.
  • Security: Look for a router with robust security features, such as a firewall, VPN support, and encryption. You can rest assured that any router you purchase from the 5Gstore will have all of these features. 
  • Ease of use: Consider the user interface and management tools of the router. You’ll want a router that is easy to set up and manage, particularly if you’re not technically savvy. While the user interfaces differ from one manufacturer to another, our team is trained to provide support for any of the products you purchase. 
  • Cost: Determine your budget and look for a router that offers the features you need at a price you can afford.
  • Brand reputation: Do some research on the brand and read reviews from other users to get a sense of the router’s reliability and customer support.

By considering these factors, you can find a cellular failover router that meets your needs. A solution which provides reliable internet connectivity when your primary internet connection goes down. 

For further information and assistance, please reach out to our team by phone, email, or chat!

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Why You Should Not Upgrade to Sierra Wireless Software MGOS 4.4.2

Sierra Wireless has just released an important announcement. Due to an instability in the radio module firmware released in MGOS 4.4.2 they are requesting that no additional MG90 MGOS 4.4.2 upgrades be performed until further notice:

  • MGOS 4.4.2 has been removed from The Source and from the public repo so MGOS 4.4.2 cannot be installed on any additional AMMs.
  • They are not able to remove MGOS 4.4.2 from hosted AMMs as there are already MG90s using this firmware. Removing this package could impact these MG90s inadvertently.
  • For customers that have upgraded to MGOS 4.4.2 and are experiencing radio issues, please contact support for further assistance.
  • For customers that have upgraded to MGOS 4.4.2 and are not experiencing radio issues, Sierra Wireless will provide further direction shortly.

They apologize to everyone affected by this radio instability. It’s through an abundance of caution that they are asking customers to cease any upgrades to MGOS 4.4.2 until further notice. An update on the radio instability will be provided when they have identified a path forward.

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Cellular Industry Lingo – What do those terms mean?

The cellular industry and all the jargon surrounding it can be rather confusing at times. There’s also so many cellular products to choose from that it can be difficult to determine what features you need. In effort to help you better understand, we’ve outlined some important terms and how they relate to the way cellular technology works. 

LTE Categories

You may have heard the term “Cat” before when it comes to Ethernet cables (e.g. Cat 5, Cat 6), but what about when someone is talking about cellular? “Cat” refers to the category of a 4G LTE modem (5G does NOT use categories). 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution) is a cellular technology in which both voice and data service can operate.

Categories are used to define the performance specs of the LTE device. They range from 1 to 22 and differ with regards to the frequency band support as well as the upload and download speeds they are capable of running. For example, Cat 1 modems can download at up to 10 Mbps (megabits), while Cat 22 modems are going to receive download speeds of up to 2.5 Gbps (gigabits).

What is MiMO?

Some other differences between LTE categories is the number of antenna connections they use. Categories 1 through 4 are all going to have a main and diversity/ auxiliary port. This is called a MiMO connection (2×2 specifically). MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) is a technology used in wireless communication systems to improve the capacity and performance of the communication link. MIMO systems use multiple antennas at both the transmitter and the receiver to transmit and receive multiple data streams simultaneously over the same frequency band. 

In the case of 2×2 (Cat 1-4) or 4×4 MIMO (Cat 6 and higher), there are two or four antennas at both the transmitter and the receiver, which allows for the transmission of two or four data streams in parallel. This can significantly increase the capacity and performance of the communication link, especially in environments with high levels of interference or noise.

Cat 1, up to Cat 4 support a limited number of frequency bands. They can only connect to one frequency band at a time. This is why some users can get away with having only one antenna attached to the main port of these modems – there’s enough usable signal and bandwidth with just one. 

In comparison, devices using category 6 or higher – known as LTE Advanced modems – can connect to 2 or more frequency bands at the same time. They will also support more frequency bands and utilize carrier aggregation, as it is typically called. This allows LTE Advanced modems to pull in more signal and bandwidth when there are multiple frequency bands available in the area. 

Carrier Aggregation

Carrier aggregation is a technique used in wireless communications that allows a mobile device or wireless modem to combine or “aggregate” multiple wireless channels or carriers into a single, wider channel in order to increase the data transfer rates and overall capacity of the connection. It is often used in the context of 4G (LTE) and 5G cellular networks.

Here’s how carrier aggregation works:

  • A mobile device or wireless modem is equipped with a multi-channel receiver that can receive and transmit data on multiple frequency bands or carriers.
  • The device is connected to the cellular network through a base station, which is equipped with multiple antennas that transmit and receive data on different carriers or frequency bands.
  • The device and the base station communicate with each other to determine the best combination of carriers or frequency bands that can be aggregated to form a single, wider channel.
  • Once the carriers are aggregated, the device and the base station can communicate with each other using the combined channel, resulting in increased data transfer rates and overall capacity.
  • Carrier aggregation is an important technique for improving the performance of wireless networks, especially in areas where there is a high demand for data and the available spectrum is limited. It allows mobile operators to offer faster and more reliable data services to their customers, and it can help to improve the coverage and capacity of cellular networks.

Interested in learning more about cellular? Reach out to us via phone, email, or chat!

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When is Sierra Wireless AirLink 4.0 Available?

Sierra Wireless has just announced the General Availability of AirLink® OS 4.0 for XR90, XR80 and RX55 AirLink® routers.

This is a major release which includes new features and enhancements including:

  • Support for RX55 and RX55 Wi-Fi Plus variants
  • 3rd party Captive Portal support for integration with CoovaChilli based Wi-Fi service providers
  • Wi-Fi Geolocation to automatically identify Wi-Fi country codes, offering regulatory compliance with reduced configuration
  • Network diagnostic tools (ping, traceroute, iPerf and IP capture) available via ALMS for remote troubleshooting
  • Support for Container registries to remotely deploy container applications (Beta feature)
  • GRE tunnels and NHRP support to enable simple DMVPN configurations for private networks
  • Enriched telemetry with flexible reporting and MQTT format options
  • Improved configuration and templating for fleet-wide SIM, multi-APN and radio module firmware management
  • Dashboard enhancements to display multiple APNs, VPNs and WAN status for quick view of router and network status

In addition, this release also includes general stability improvements and addresses a range of field-reported issues. It is recommended that all customers upgrade their XR and RX routers to AirLink® OS 4.0.

For more information, please refer to the release notes or contact our team via phone, email, or chat!

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What is the Difference Between Dual SIM and Dual Modem Solutions?

If you’re in the market for a cellular solution for your primary or backup/ failover uses, you might find the number of options overwhelming. There are several factors that go into selecting the appropriate router for any application. One important thing to consider is whether you need a solution with dual SIM card slots or dual modems. Read on to find out more about the differences and how to determine which solution is right for you. 

Dual SIM Modems

This is a single modem that accommodates two total SIM card slots. Since there is only one modem, only one SIM card can be connected to at a time. When two SIM cards are present, and the first SIM card fails to connect, the secondary SIM will take over. Once the first SIM can reconnect, it switches the connection back to this first SIM. Note that the router cannot detect poor performance and failover based on that. If the SIM can connect, it will stay connected until its network connection fails. 

Users with metered data plans may insert SIM cards from the same carrier. Once the first SIM reaches its data limit, a configuration rule tells the router to switch to the secondary SIM card. This rule also tells the router when the data plan has been renewed for the month and switches back to the primary SIM. 

Not only will the modem auto switch between SIM cards, but users have the option to manually switch between the SIM card connections. This is especially helpful in cases where users travel. Having the ability to switch between different carriers allows the user to determine which connection is best for their usage. 

Keep in mind that with only one modem, there is some time lag between the SIMs switching. This process can take a few minutes to complete. If your application cannot afford any downtime, this solution is not the best.

Dual Modem Routers

As it sounds, dual modem routers have two modems, which may each have dual SIM card slots as well. Each modem can be connected at the same time, while also supporting failover to their secondary SIM card slots. This solution has little to no downtime because the modems are already connected to their networks. 

Load balancing is possible with dual modems and along with QoS (Quality of Service) rules you can provide more bandwidth to your most important devices and applications. Alternatively, you may take advantage of SD-WAN functionality. For example, using Peplink’s SpeedFusion technology. Like load balancing, all connections are active simultaneously. The difference is that all connections are combined into one and therefore provide more throughput for your devices. 

So, if you’re looking for nearly 100% uptime, using a dual modem router as a backup for your primary wired Internet connection can give you that. It can also provide you increased bandwidth for those important connections on your network. 

Interested in learning more about which solution is best for your specific needs? Contact our team Monday through Friday, 9am to 6pm CST by phone, email, or chat!

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How Does T-Mobile’s 5G Coverage Compare?

[T-Mobile] BELLEVUE, Washington (Dec. 12, 2022)— Consider the mic dropped. T-Mobile (NASDAQ: TMUS) — America’s 5G leader — announced today that it has expanded 5G coverage and capacity, now reaching 323 million people with Extended Range 5G and 260 million people with Ultra Capacity 5G. With the achievement, T-Mobile reaches its mid-band 5G year-end goal weeks ahead of schedule and moves closer to its target of covering 300 million people with Ultra Capacity 5G by the end of 2023. The Un-carrier is also adding a massive boost to its Ultra capacity 5G network with a new nationwide layer of mid-band 5G spectrum: 1900 MHz.

“We’re rapidly executing on our vision to deliver the highest capacity network this country has ever seen,” said Neville Ray, President of Technology at T-Mobile. “We’ve led in 5G coverage from the beginning, delivering a massive 5G footprint that continues to grow. And with Ultra Capacity 5G, it’s undeniable that T-Mobile customers have access to the most powerful 5G network around.”

As coverage expands, T-Mobile is also bringing in additional capacity for even faster speeds. The Un-carrier has now deployed 1900 MHz spectrum — another layer of mid-band 5G (the fast stuff) — nationwide. Using a highway analogy, the new layer of 5G spectrum adds lanes to the road so traffic can zoom. And for those who really want to go fast, the Un-carrier has begun lighting up three-carrier aggregation — combining three channels of mid-band 5G spectrum — which in tests produced peak speeds topping 3 Gbps on T-Mobile’s 5G standalone network. Customers with the Samsung Galaxy S22 are leveraging the capability in parts of the network now. Three-carrier aggregation will expand nationwide, and be accessible by additional devices, in the near future.

T-Mobile is the leader in 5G with the country’s largest, fastest and most reliable 5G network. Customers on other networks who want a better experience can try the country’s most-awarded 5G network now for free. With T-Mobile’s Network Pass, people with unlocked eSIM-compatible phones can experience T-Mobile for three months at no charge with unlimited smartphone data, including 5G. And when they’re ready to make the move to T-Mobile, they can switch in minutes right from their phone with Easy Switch.

By 5G , ,