[2023] How to Build Home LTE 4G Router Network Affordably and Conveniently

| Updated on February 29, 2024
LTE 4G Router

Part I: Internet Access Methods

At present, there are 5 ways to access the Internet: dial-up access by telephone line, optical fiber broadband access, passive optical network, wireless network, and power network access. In addition to the wireless network, the other four methods require a broadband line to access the 

home. Many home users do not have such conditions, and the wireless network can easily access the Internet with only two steps powering on the device and inserting a Sim card.

Wireless networks are further divided into 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G networks. 2G and 3G networks cannot meet the needs of home Internet access due to their low speed, while 5G network terminal equipment is expensive, although its speed is fast, and its price is usually 4G CPE equipment. 5-10 times. Another point is that the construction of 5G networks in many countries and regions is not yet mature, and small towns and remote areas have not yet achieved 5G network coverage. To sum up, based on the analysis of convenience and economy, the 4G network is more suitable for families that need to build a network economically and conveniently.

There are two kinds of devices that share the Internet through the 4G network, LTE CPE and LTE MiFi. LTE CPE belongs to the system integration product. It uses the mobile communication system LTE to provide the back-haul transmission channel, and WiFi achieves coverage, which is a device that converts the high-speed 4G signal into a WiFi signal. Similar to MiFi, its AP function and router performance is stronger than MiFi and can be accessed by various mobile terminals such as tablet computers, smartphones, and notebooks at the same time.

After a comprehensive analysis, it is not difficult to see that LTE 4G Router equipment is currently the best choice for us to build our own home network conveniently.

Part II: How to Choose a Suitable LTE CPE?

Next, let’s discuss how to choose the right LTE CPE. We choose from the internet speed, number of access users, coverage, product reliability, stability, and ease of operation, as well as price. SmileMbb LTE CPE devices are representative of various brands. Different CPE devices are designed to meet the Internet access requirements of different occasions and applications, including indoor, outdoor, and industrial CPE routers. Here we will take the SmileMbb LTE indoor CPE XMC1841 model as an example.

Advantages of SmileMbb XMC1841 CPE

XMC1841, developed on the ASR1803e chip based on the software architecture of opencpe, is a cost-effective 4G CPE product. Providing users with wireless and wired Internet access.

High Speed

Its wireless upload 50Mbps and download speeds can reach 150Mbps; the wired speed is 100Mbps.

Low Latency

The internal one-way transmission delay of the user plane is less than 5ms; the transition time of the control plane from the sleep state to the active state is less than 50ms, and the transition time from the resident state to the active state is less than 100ms.

WiFi 4 and Multi-device Connection

The device supports WiFi 4 (802.11n), its maximum theoretical rate can reach 300Mbps, and 32 devices can connect to the wireless network at the same time.

Wide Antenna Coverage

The device has 5dBi high-gain 4 antennas. The antenna is flattened to increase the effective area of transmission. The unobstructed coverage distance can reach 70 meters. The signal can penetrate 3 walls within 15 meters to keep the WiFi connection stable.

Quality Assurance

No.Test itemTest content and specificationTest result
RF test
1LTE RF index testRefer to 3GPP TS-36.521 specification, test more than 3 pcs saRefer to 3GPP TS-36.521 specificationmplesPass
2LTE RF Performance Conformance TestRefer to 3GPP TS-36.521 specification, test more than 3 pcs samplesPass
3WIFI RF index testRefer to WiFi 802.11b/g/n specificationPass
4WIFI RF performance conformance testRefer to the WiFi 802.11b/g/n specification, and test more than 3 pcs samplesPass
5WIFI signal pull distance testThe WiFi signal has an unobstructed transmission distance of 65 meters, and the device’s WiFi connection is stablePass
6WIFI signal through the wall testThe WiFi signal can penetrate 3 walls to block the device, and the WiFi connection of the device is stablePass
7LTE field testThe LTE access network of CPE is normal in urban, suburban, low-speed mobile, high-speed mobile, weak signal, handover areas, and other scenariosPass
Hardware test
1Repeated power-down testPower-off test 5000 times, the CPE runs normallyPass
2Current consumption testThe maximum energy consumption working current of the CPE equipment is less than the output current of the power adapterPass
3Electrostatic testRefer to GB/T 17626.2 specificationPass
Software test
1function testReference software function test reportPass
2Repeated switch testRestart every 2 minutes, and test for 24 hours, the CPE equipment system is normalPass
3Long-term stability test of live networkThe device has been online for more than 100+ days, and there is no network abnormality during the periodPass
4Web Operations Stress TestingWeb GUI automation clicks for more than 2 weeks, during which the system works finePass
5High flow pressure testContinuous high flow pressure test for 2 weeks, during which the system operates normallyPass
6network speed testMeets LTE, WiFi, and LAN transfer speed requirementsPass
7Flash memory continuous read and write testThe flash memory is continuously read and written 50,000 times, and the device system is running normallyPass
8Network Security TestPass Nessus vulnerability scan and nmap port scanPass
Environmental Reliability Test
1low-temperature storageReference IEC 60068-2-1:2007 specificationPass
2low temperature operationReference IEC 60068-2-1:2007 specificationPass
3high temperature storageReference IEC 60038-2-2:2007 specificationPass
4high temperature operationReference IEC 60038-2-2:2007 specificationPass
Structural Reliability Test
1Adhesion testThe adhesion of the surface coating of the sample to the substrate or primer meets the specification requirementsPass
2vertical drop testThe drop height is 1 meter, the drop surface is a marble floor, and the drop test is performed 20 times.Pass
3Roller drop testThe height difference is 1 meter, the contact surface is marble, the rotation speed is 10 seconds/time, and it is flipped and dropped 80 times.Pass
4Connector plugging testThe power cable, USB cable, telephone cable, network cable, and the corresponding interface can be plugged and unplugged 500 times each, with good contact and no damagePass
5SIM card insertion and removal durability testThe SIM card is inserted and removed 500 times, the contact is good, and no damagePass

Part III: SmileMbb XMC1841 CPE Access Guide

Set Up the Hardware

Step1: Insert the SIM card; push it gently inside the slot.

Step2: Plug in the network cable, telephone line, and power supply. Make sure the power light is on.

Step3: When using the wireless Internet function provided by the device, you need to turn on the WiFi function of the user terminal, search for and select the WLAN SSID name on the user terminal, then enter the WLAN password ( see default WLAN SSID name and default WLAN password on the label pasted on the back of the device ).

Cautions: Make sure the CPE is turned off before you insert or remove your SIM card. Otherwise,  the CPE and SIM card may be damaged.

If you want to remove the SIM card, please lightly press the SIM card, and the SIM card will pop out.

Please minimize the obstacles between the device and the user terminals

Set Up CPE

Step 1: Connect the power supply adapter and network cable. The power light is on to indicate that the device is successfully powered on.

Step 2: Configure the computer to automatically obtain IP addresses.

Step 3: open a browser, and enter the CPE gateway address  (http://192.168.0.1). 

Step 4: Enter the username and password in the login interface (See label at the bottom of the device), then click “Login” to enter the web configuration interface.

Step 5: Find the Menu General Settings -> WIFI Settings.

Step 6: set the current SSID and password (modify as needed), then select Save to complete the settings.

Then you can re-connect to the router through the new WLAN SSID name and password.

wlan ssid

Notes

You can click the help indication Help to learn more if you are unclear about any function.If you don’t have a network cable, you can access the gateway by WiFi connection (See the label at the bottom of the device, find the default SSID name and password).

Cautions: The device has been provided with a default configuration at the factory for users to use it directly. This setting is optional.





Jeremy L. Price

Education

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