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Using 5.8ghz antenna to increase 5G cellular signal? Same thing?
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bigjoncoop:
I have T-Mobile 5G home internet but I live in a area where the signal is very weak. If I move the Gateway even 1in it will lose the 5D connection and go down to LTE and is unusable.
T-Mobile is now offering a new Gateway with a external 4x4 MIMO antenna. And there is a lot of information from the DIY community, how to connect a external MIMO antenna to the normal gateways that don't have external antenna connectors...
***MAIN QUESTION***
I'm curious if it's possible to use normal 5.8ghz antennas in order to pickup 5G cellular? I have a bunch of old 5.8ghz dipole, omni, and patch antennas I used to use for video transmission for RC FPV....
Is 5G cellular the same as 5.8ghz? If so I was thinking of using two omnidirectional antennas and two patch antennas mounted outside and connected to my T-Mobile 5G Gateway. I would obviously aim the 2 patch antennas towards the closest tower...
I know that obvious answer would be to just get the new T-Mobile provided Gateway with external antennas, but where is the fun in that... 😜 or I could purchase a 4x4 MIMO antenna but there at least $80 or way more... and I already have a boatload of 5.8ghz antennas laying around...
Thx
Halcyon:
5G and 5 GHz Wi-Fi/5.x GHz RF are NOT the same thing.
5G in cellular terms only means "5th Generation". It has nothing to do with the frequency. Cellular frequencies vary by country and even down to individual towns and cities.
You would need to find what band(s) your nearest tower (for your carrier) transmits and receives on and then build your infrastructure accordingly. Not sure how easy that is in the US, but in Australia, all towers, carriers and frequencies are publicly available via https://www.rfnsa.com.au
To give you an example, 5G cellular in Australia are mostly on the 3500 MHz band, with some carriers also operating 5G services on on 700-850 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100-2300 MHz and 26 GHz. 2G is no longer a thing here and the last of the 3G services will be switched off by September this year. At that stage, frequencies previously used will be re-purposed for 4G/LTE and 5G services.
NiHaoMike:
Try making a parabolic reflector out of aluminum foil and positioning it so that the built in antennas are at the focus point.
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