Cellular wi fi hot spot

[wkearney99]

The Groove configuration can all be done from the Web UI. It's not the most intuitive if you want to have it remember networks other than the last one you told it to connect to, however (getting it to do that is really easy).

Does the Mikrotik android app allow selecting/saving scanned wifi networks?

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mikrotik.android.tikapp

That'd be a great option, just open an app on the phone versus trying to wander through a web interface setup for desktop mode viewing.

 

[SteveK]

No doubt a cell phone as a hot spot can be adequate for many people, depending on your needs regarding internet.
The differences are a few. One is that a cell phone, though it can serve as a hot spot, it is not designed to be a full time hotspot. continuous hotspot duty can wear down the phone battery, cause some over heating, plus can be interrupted by phone calls, texts, and social media notifications. These are all non-issues with a dedicated hotspot.
Secondly, the 5G cellular world is evolving as we speak. If your phone is a year or more old, it will not include all the current 5G bands that say, the Inseego T-mobile 5G hotspot includes that came out in January.
Also the larger device and the multiple internal bands might explain why in some places going north on the AICW, our phones were cutting out, but the Inseego still had a signal.
Unfortunately even the current devices are not yet taking full advantage of mm Wave so I'd bet this will be a changing and evolving 5G landscape for at least another year or more.

So far using the phone as a hotspot for the laptop & tablet has not caused any of the bolded. I do prefer the usb to usb mini cable connection as the laptop then charges cell phone. Remain confused what these other systems improve upon.
As for 5G, that too is limited to newer hardware. But if the 4G is working, what will the 5G improve on.
I get into weak signal areas and then start following these threads looking for a booster.

 

[rslifkin]

Does the Mikrotik android app allow selecting/saving scanned wifi networks?

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mikrotik.android.tikapp

That'd be a great option, just open an app on the phone versus trying to wander through a web interface setup for desktop mode viewing.

No idea, I haven't tried out the app. I've only configured mine through the web UI.

 

[rslifkin]

So far using the phone as a hotspot for the laptop & tablet has not caused any of the bolded. I do prefer the usb to usb mini cable connection as the laptop then charges cell phone. Remain confused what these other systems improve upon.
As for 5G, that too is limited to newer hardware. But if the 4G is working, what will the 5G improve on.
I get into weak signal areas and then start following these threads looking for a booster.

The separate hardware can be kept on all the time, which may be convenient. But on the weak signal thing, the LTE routers and some of the dedicated hotspot devices have bigger / better antennas than a cell phone. And most can have even better ones attached, so you'll get better coverage in areas with poor signal.

 

[FF]

Competition is grand , between the 5G and thousands of sats being put in orbit , hopefully the price will come down ,,,way down!

 

[sledge]

...But if the 4G is working, what will the 5G improve on.

in a word: Speed. Again if 4G works fine for you, there is no need or urgency to change anything.
but in terms of speed, where 4G LTE might provide at best 10 MB/sec, 5G could provide 400 MB/sec and actually when they get the mmW bands up and running, could even climb towards a GB/sec.
This is significant for people that work from their boat or many boat YouTubers who upload and download a lot of content, and even for people that do a lot of video streaming to boat TVs for entertainment.

 

[SteveK]

in a word: Speed. Again if 4G works fine for you, there is no need or urgency to change anything.
but in terms of speed, where 4G LTE might provide at best 10 MB/sec, 5G could provide 400 MB/sec and actually when they get the mmW bands up and running, could even climb towards a GB/sec.
This is significant for people that work from their boat or many boat YouTubers who upload and download a lot of content, and even for people that do a lot of video streaming to boat TVs for entertainment.

Thanks sledge. I will be needing a new phone in a year or two which most likely will be 5G capable. So in the end I will have it.

 

[tpbrady]

One caution about frequencies above 2 GHz, they don't pass through objects well and are generally short range, meaning about 1/2 mile without specialized directional antennas. The one advantage 5G does bring on the lower bands that most boaters will use (600-900 MHz) is eventually the base station equipment will be equipped with 5G technology which will improve its data handling capability (more efficient modems). If you want to read more about 5G, this article in PC magazine is the best and most understandable summary I have found. https://www.pcmag.com/news/what-is-5g

Tom

 

[wkearney99]

The current Max Transit 5G had just come out when I bought mine. No carrier had officially approved it yet and it was $160 more than the CAT 18 4G version, so I just bought the CAT 18. So far, performance has been plenty adequate on T-Mobile.

Rumor has it there's going to be a 5G version of the Max BR units, with a faster CPU and more ports. The BR are only rated for 40mpbs VPN throughput (with no encryption, 20Mbps with it on) whereas the Transit specs say 100Mbps/60Mbps without/with encryption. This would make sense as VPN/encryption tends to require more CPU. A BR wit more CPU

But, as you mention, carrier support is yet another potential delaying factor. In theory it's just the radio that has to pass muster, but some carriers are pickier than others.

If these were just $200 units I'd have no hesitation to get whatever's shipping now and upgrade later. But at $800 I'd prefer to get the right unit from the start.