RM520N can use up to 120MHz. I suppose that's referring to both a single band and multiple. I don't know how much bandwidth your N3 occupies, but N78 should be at least 100MHz.
Better ecosystem? According to one research, Quectel seems to have 5 times the IoT market share of Fibocom. Information on Fibocom modules is scarce if I should say so. It could be more of a Qualcomm vs MediaTek thing. I also couldn't find much about T700, certainly not max sub-6 bandwidth.
Very hard to estimate frequencies because they are constantly updating and change between ISPs. This is a comment I found in the web: You need to target N78: N3 is like a B3 that share the spectrum
So, B1+B3+B7+B20+B38+N3+N78 not possible with RM520(x62). What about x65/x75 ?
At least with RM520N I have proof that can aggregate B1+B3+B7+B20+B38+N78 (at least in a Zyxel MC889 equipped with the same x62 chipset).
Many thanks friend!
Regarding the board, I'm afraid you're right. the driver free one available at the end of July seems to be the best option. I feel like trying with Rasp, Banana, Nano etc is going to be more complicated because there are more pieces to join together.
FM190W and RM551 ES are both Snapdragon x75, right?
RM551 ES is engineering sample, but I'm not sure it is worth the risk just to save $20.
FM190W is final sample, not release. Is this safe? Can use the same updates like the release version?
What you would recommend between the twos?
What you think about some module with x65? Not good like x75, but still better than RM520 (x62). Could be a good compromise for price?
Do you think I can aggregate B1+B3+B7+B20+B38+N3+N78 with x65 and above ?
From what I saw, one advantage with x65 and above is mmWave support, but I feel there are many other benefits too.
As of now I'm stuck between DIY vs consumer router. A friend reported me the existence of ZTE MC888A on sale for $200 and this router comes with an x65. I'm not sure how can cost an x65 DIY solution, but I suspect it is going to be much more expensive. I'm sure there are pros and cons, but I'm not sure on what they are. What you think?
Yes, I was aware of the fact that USB connections should be avoided (makes the module much more expensive, they are slower and not properly supported).
There are cheap versions of such modules which are "PCIe only" and these are the ones I prefer.
FM350-GL should be able to aggregate N3+N78, but in such case the number of aggregated LTE bands will become 3 instead of 5 (I'm not sure how on Zyxel 5103 they managed to aggregate 4 LTE bands, see screenshot at the end):
So, I'm going to lose 2 bands.
I'm not even sure it can really aggregate 5 LTE bands.
Not sure about RM520, but in any case I think this is going to become the minimum because it seems to be much better (although I'm not sure really is).
It is advertised capable to provide 4.67Gbps speed which is much higher than RM520, but after I saw "4.67Gbps speed under investigation" from their user manual, I suspect that this is just for marketing purposes and that in reality RM520 is more performant. You may want to wait for expert people for a more fair comparison between the twos. From my side, I became very sceptical about FM350-GL because comes with Mediatek T700 and I saw this chipset aggregating less bands than x62 (on the same tower):
Yes, I was aware of the fact that USB connections should be avoided (makes the module much more expensive, they are slower and not properly supported).
FM350-GL always support usb and pcie. USB mode is just RNDIS and you need to script to get connection and IP. It supports USB3 so still fast enough if your controller and cpu isnt bottleneck.
There are cheap versions of such modules which are "PCIe only" and these are the ones I prefer.
I think you are talking about RM520N-GL which has PCIe only.
FM350-GL should be able to aggregate N3+N78, but in such case the number of aggregated LTE bands will become 3 instead of 5 (I'm not sure how on Zyxel 5103 they managed to aggregate 4 LTE bands, see screenshot at the end):
FM350-GL is older than RM520N-GL. it's older generation of 5G than sdx62 so no surprising.
It is less than half price of RM520N-GL so there are compromises.
I'm not even sure it can really aggregate 5 LTE bands.
No 5CA in my country. But Ive seen 4CA so it's definitely not a lie. They don't have a reason to lie in the datasheet.
I'm not sure how on Zyxel 5103 they managed to aggregate 4 LTE bands, see screenshot at the end
might be firmware limitation on FM350-GL. It cheap enough maybe you can try it yourself. Its less than $40
to make the things simple ......
please don't compare LGA modem with M.2 modem
because LGA x62 modems better than x62 M.2 modem ...... on performance and
mhz CA
So .... better to go with LGA modem where will be no chance to change the remove the modem from board itself if you are looking for a high CA Network .....
Finally :
FM190W is released sample (better than Quectel RM551ES)
There's one possibility that it's a T-Mobile plan that doesn't cover hotspot and tablet usage, which limits speed when the terminal's IMEI isn't registered as a cellphone. FM350 also includes an eSim if that matters.
Do you know if your ISPs are upgrading to SA? ENDC is a feature of NSA. If you plan to keep a quite expensive modem for years, N3 + N78 wouldn't matter much in the long run as you can get N78 + N78 (up to 200MHz total) for much better throughput later. N3 isn't that wide according to this: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_5G_NR_networks
Sorry for my delay guys, but I had no time recently.
FM350-GL is a special case. It is the only one module that is basically sold nearly for free. Yes, controller and CPU are important factors. Unfortunately I saw many people that don't even suspect this.
Yes, exactly. If someone don't need USB connection, it's always a good idea to check if there are "PCIe only" version because the saving could be huge.
Yes, exactly as I was suspecting. What is very bad is that those bands are already supported and would have been easy to implement the combo if the firmware was still under development.
I may say a stupid thing, but I believe that for 5CA they means 5 LTE bands, but they don't mean "whatever they are". This is where RM520N-GL and above seem to be superior: they support more combos.
Yes, this is another risk when we try to estimate aggregations. When we see the same chipset in a router able to aggregate X bands, it doesn't mean that the same chipset in a M.2 module will be able to do the same. There are very good chances, but no guarantee.
RM520N is only $40 more, it doesn't worth unless someone have very limited budget. I still have extra money, so I hope I can find something better than RM520N.
I'm afraid I will go with ZTE MC888A (also known as MC888 ultra) if I can't find any x65 (and above) M.2 modem for a decent price. This comes with an x65 and is just $200. From what I saw it is going to be much more expensive than an X65 DIY solution (it should be the inverse).
This completely surprises me!
Not only (at least in the specific case of ZTE MC888A) is going to be cheaper, but it is also more performant. And from my previous response to @profusely_fester259 seems to be that an LGA modem could support more band aggregations (even if the chipset is the same).
At this point I'm wondering what are the advantages of M.2 modems.
I have not understood what you means. Could you explain better? I want to be sure I know exactly what are the limitations before I buy an LGA modem.
As of now, the only one I'm aware of is the fact that it can't be placed outdoor for better signal and the equivalent LGA modem for outdoor use is twice expensive. However, many modems now (ex: NR5103) exposes external antennas and PoE which allows to place antennas outside. Even when not exposed, seems to be that there are internal hacks to enable outdoor use.
Yes, I want my own router running OpenWrt or PFsense, not the one runnning in the LGA modem (although I saw very good firmwares that does everything one may desire), mostly because, from what I've been told from OpenWrt gurus, a router that does everything is never a good thing and we want separate devices, each one with its own specific job.
If I'm not wrong an LGA router should be easily transformed into a modem only device by disabling routing and all unneeded interfaces. Am I wrong?
I understand. It's a rare case that only applies to T-Mobile (which don't even exist in my country). However is still a rare case not happening with an RM520N. I would never choose FM350 when RM520N is only $40 more.
This is a very good point! It is something that every user should consider before making a purchase (while they wrongly try to find which modem can aggregate more bands in NSA mode, me included!)
This comment really deserve
My ISPs are not yet upgrading to NSA, but soon or later they'll have to do and I think more soon than later.
Of course I prefer to lose now and get more when NSA will be available.
Based on this, I'm correct to deduce that the best chipset for this approach are x65 and above? I suppose they should increase NSA support, right?
5G SA is the future. NSA is a transitional configuration with fancy 5G radios on top of the 4G core. You can aggregate carriers in SA, but I don't know what bands are possible for x65 and newer ones.
Yes, exactly. If someone don't need USB connection, it's always a good idea to check if there are "PCIe only" version because the saving could be huge.
FM350-GL doesn't have pcie only. But it works best over PCIe.
Yes, exactly as I was suspecting. What is very bad is that those bands are already supported and would have been easy to implement the combo if the firmware was still under development.
It supports all bands I need. Also the combos. N78+LTE 5CA is really good already.
Firmware is not only the issue. Hardware limits combos and bands.
This is where RM520N-GL and above seem to be superior: they support more combos.
Isn't necessarily superior. It depends on your network and location. It good for alot of people becos not every country has 5CA and more. It supports 5CA+NSA 1CC. Spending a lot to hit CA you wont always get is not a good idea. Don't think you'll get that more speed. 4pda has thread on FM350-GL they have lots of test there.
Opss, I've made some mistakes with acronyms, but yes, I got the point and I totally agree with you.
I could be wrong, but to me these seem the two possible options that one should consider:
Buy cheap RM520/FM350 modules, but only expect very few benefits from the upcoming 5F SA (FM350 development is already dead and probably will be the same for RM520 at that time)
Invest more money for x65 and above and get all the benefits from the upcoming 5F SA
Can you post your combo? N78+LTE 5CA is really good already as you said, but I suspect it also depends from what are the bands. FM350-GL is based on Mediatek T700 and this chipset (unlike SD) has not been able to aggregate all the 5CA bands provided by my tower (at least in a Zyxel 5103).
Yes, I've heard the same when I saw a comparison of a Mediatek T700 (Zyxel 5103) and a ZTE MC888 (x62) both targeting a tower identical to mine:
On 5103 I've not been able to aggregate all 5CA bands like the ZTE, but honestly, this is something that you should not take care about because it really does not make much difference in speed.
More than NSA, I think that one should focus and see if it is worth to invest extra money on snapdragon x62 and above to get more benefits from the 5G SA future transition. In addition to that, a complete RM520 modem (module, board etc) is going to cost nearly the same of a ZTE MC888A which features a Snapdragon x65. This makes decision harder because I have no idea on what are the pros and cons of the twos.
Let see what have to say @KFO , he seems to know well how the two solutions compare.
As of now, in real world, I really don't see much difference between a $40 FM350 and a $250 FM190W (x75). I feel like I will get the same speed and performance with both. I can only justify expensive snapdragon chipsets if they can really provide great benefits on the upcoming 5G SA mode (in NSA mode they don't seem to offer more than an obsolete and old Mediatek T700).
Guys, in more than one message I mentioned RM520N-GL ($80 included shipping) as a possible and (perhaps) better alternative to FM350-GL. However, I have just discovered that such cheap versions are "Engineering Sample":
