Carriers broadcast their networks on several Bands, or ranges of frequencies. They offer different bands in different areas depending on signal, tower, and population density. The different bands offer differing speeds and coverage ranges. The bands with the highest frequencies offer the highest speeds, but smaller coverage areas. Below is a table of the most common bands/frequencies used in the US. In short, the higher the frequency and output power on that frequency the faster the speeds. Understand that even if your on the highest frequency with the highest power, that doesn't always mean its the best one to be connected to. Wireless frequency Interference does play a role here, so if you are really far from a tower or have your LTE modem behind walls/ metal/ stone/ brick, you likely would have better performance on a lower frequency in which can penetrate that material more effectively. See more about signal here
| Carrier | 4G LTE Bands | Frequencies (MHz) |
|---|---|---|
| AT&T (Blue) | 2, 4, 5, 12, 14, 30, 66 | 1900, 1700 AWS, 850 CLR , 700 AC/PS, 2300 , 1700/2100 Ext AWS |
| T-Mobile (Pink) | 2, 4, 12, 66, 71** | 1900, 1700 def, 700 a, 1700/2100 Ext AWS, 600 (5G Freq) |
| Verizon (Red) | 2, 4, 5, 13, 14, 66 | 1900, 1700 AWS, 700 C, 1700/2100 Ext AWS |
Locking the Beam X71 to a Frequency Band
Aside from finding a place in your home with the best network signal (for the carrier your using), setting your Beam X71 Router "Band lock" function is the second best thing to do to ensure a more reliable and stable connection. In the below steps you'll test each of the available frequency bands by selecting a band, pressing the Apply button, rebooting your router, then once the device reboots, you will then do a speed test at www.nperf.com or speedof.me to determine the speed of the currently selected band. You will repeat this step on each of the available bands (see above list of your carrier bands) and then once you know the speeds of each one, you can lock it onto the one that performs the best.
Note: The strongest band (Best RSRP reading) is not always the fastest (this is read on the RSRP and is read in -XXX dBm. The higher the number the worse the signal is, and the lower the number, the better it is). A good RSRP is better than -105 dBm while a bad RSRP is over -105 dBm.
- Log into the Beam X71 web browser dashboard by opening up your favorite web browser and typing in the following IP into your URL bar (DO NOT TYPE the IP INTO A SEARCH ENGINE FIELD) 192.168.188.1 .The default log-in credentials are as follows: Username: admin and Password: admin
- In the left-hand menu, Select "Network Setting" then select: "Band Lock"
- Click on the "ON/ OFF" slider to ensure it Reads: Band Lock Switch ON. You will then see the available frequency band selections below (Note: Not all of the listed options will have a working network connection, as not all listed frequencies are used by your carrier and even then, may not be used on the tower your connecting to)
Select a band option (try B2 or B4 first) you want to lock onto (see above list of potential options correlating to the network carrier in which your using) and click Apply.
Next, Select "Device Management" (left hand menu pane)and click on Reboot Device
Wait 3 minutes (yes, 3 whole minutes) for the Beam X71 to come back online and create a lock on the frequency you selected. After the 3 minutes, re-type 192.168.188.1 into your web browser's URL bar to re-load the BeamX71 dashboard.
Next, verify that you have a connection using the frequency in which you've locked into by selecting "Basic Info", then click on "Network Info". You should see a page which similar to the example picture below. Ultimately you should see each field with information and most importantly see "Dialed" next to Dialed status.
IF you are connected, take note of the RSRP (Signal reading) and the Band in which your connected to (Found next to "Frequency" and should be what you've selected on the Bandlock page.
Next, browse to a speed test website such as www.nperf.com or speedof.me . Click the large "Start Test" button to perform the speed test and take note of the upload and download speeds. Repeat this test several times with about a minute or 2 in between to get a good idea of consistency. For reference, in order to seamlessly stream an 720 p HD video, an internet connection capable of at least of 3 Mbps download speed is recommended and for 1080p HD you'd want around 8 Mbps for download speed.
Repeat steps 1-9 for each available band in your area and for the network carrier you are trying to use and once you've found one that your happy with (good signal and best speeds) repeat steps 1-9 for the Band in which you'd like to lock the device to.
Most users report getting the best performance on the the one of following bands (broken down by carrier)
AT&T - B2, B4, B14 or B66
T-Mobile - B2, B4, B66 or B71
Verizon - B4, B14, or B66
If no frequency band performs to your expectations or needs, feel free to contact our team and we can try another service option (different carrier plan and/ or different LTE router)