Looking to get the best possible data rates from your SunComm 02 5G & WiFi-6 Smart Router System?
You’ll want to purchase and connect external MIMO antennas to the device’s four SMA ports.
In this guide, we'll:
Our guide applies to both generations of the SunComm 02, which includes the Gen 1 model with a blue and grey faceplate, and the Gen 2 model with a yellow/gold faceplate.
Using a MIMO antenna outside your building, pointed at the nearest tower, can help you get the fastest LTE data rates possible.
The SunComm 02 has four cellular SMA ports on the back. These allow for a 4x4 MIMO antenna system to be connected to the device.
Which of the two different 4x4 MIMO External Antenna Kit options to use depends primarily on how much time you're willing to spend on aiming.
The easiest antenna choice for the SunComm 02 is our QuadMini Antenna Kit. With up to 5.2 dBi of omnidirectional gain and multiple mounting options, it is designed to be extremely simple to install outdoors or indoors, at home or in an RV.
Upgrade your 5G in minutes with no aiming, and four easy mounting options.
However, if you're willing to spend a little bit of time aiming, our QuadPro Antenna Kit will generally get you the fastest data speeds, thanks to its 9.1 dBi of directional gain. This is particularly important if you're on the edge of coverage, or have very weak signal.
Aim QuadPro at your nearest tower for blazing data, even at the edges of cellular coverage.
Most people think that external antennas primarily help you increase your data rates by increasing the signal strength. But that's not the case.
An increase in signal strength is often less important than other ways that external antennas help.
Here are the three main ways that external antennas help you increase your data rates:
In 4G LTE and 5G networks, signal quality is measured as SINR (Signal to Interference plus Noise Ratio) or sometimes as RSRQ (Reference Signal Received Quality).
Improving signal quality has a huge impact on your data rates.
Higher data rates allow your hotspot to communicate using "higher order modulation schemes." That means they can use the same wireless spectrum to send more data per second.
However, there's one big caveat:
In order to improve your signal quality, you need to both aim and shield your outdoor antenna properly. We talk more about this in the next section.
Routers like the SunComm 02 support an cellular feature called "carrier aggregation."
Carrier aggregation allows the SunComm router to connect on multiple cellular bands simultaneously.
The more bands you're connected to, the greater the bandwidth, and the higher your data rates.
However, many of the higher frequency bands aren't able to penetrate into buildings. Using external antennas allows you to access higher frequency bands, which are often less congested and offer higher speeds than lower frequency bands.
MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) technology uses signals travelling along multiple paths simultaneously, increasing both bandwidth and reliability in wireless connections.
MIMO isolation is the antenna's ability to handle several data streams at once, cleanly and without interference, leading to quicker data speeds and steadier connections
Our external antennas are specifically designed for superior MIMO isolation, and dramatically outperform standard built-in antennas found in most home devices.
This means you'll see a more reliable connection with enhanced bandwidth, ensuring smoother streaming, gaming, and browsing with minimal interruptions.
Before getting started, it's always a good idea to run a couple of speed tests indoors from a device connected to your SunComm 02's WiFi. The results will fluctuate a little, but this is the baseline you're trying to improve.
Once you've tested your baseline internet speeds, you're ready to install external antennas.
In the next section of this guide, we'll show you how to connect adapters for external antennas to your SunComm 02.
Note that your SunComm 02 has eight antenna ports and the location of each port can differ between SunComm 02 models:
The four RP-SMA ports for the Wi-Fi antennas are often grouped as pairs on the left and right side of the device. They are commonly labeled "2.4G" and "5.8G".
The four SMA ports for the cellular antennas are often grouped on the back of the device. They are commonly labeled "4G/5G" or something similar. These the ports will be connecting to your MIMO external antenna(s).
Location of the Wi-Fi (green) and Cellular (blue) antennas for the SunComm 02
If you are unsure which ports on your SunComm 02 refer to your Cellular Antennas, refer to the stickers attached to each antenna, to the text printed below each antenna port, or reach out to us for guidance.
Step 1: Disconnect the standard paddle antennas for all of the cellular antenna ports.
Step 2: Connect the external antenna cables to your SunComm 02 in the order shown below:
Congrats! Your SunComm 02 is now connected to your more powerful MIMO External Antennas.
Correctly positioning and aiming MIMO antennas is crucial to getting the best performance to your SunComm 02, or indeed any other router.
We've actually compiled a detailed QuadPro and QuadMini instruction manual to accompany our own MIMO Antenna Kits, where we go into depth on the best ways to aim the antennas.
The goal is to find the best location and direction for the antenna(s) to maximize data rates to the hotspot. It can take a little patience, but can have a huge impact – it’s worth a bit of extra effort!
Once you've got your external MIMO antennas connected, you're ready to go outside with your "test-rig".
With each location and direction you try, run a couple speed tests, and make a note of the results. Here are all the locations and directions where we recommend testing your MIMO antenna:
Where to test your signal
Pro tip: Don’t just go to the highest point of the roof! While signal is generally stronger the higher you go, there’s also often more interference. We’ve found it’s often better to mount the antenna(s) on the side of the building where the structure can shield the antennas from interference.
Once you've found the position which gets you the highest data rates to the SunComm router, that's where you'll want to install the MIMO antenna. Go ahead and mount the antenna, run cables inside, connect everything up, and enjoy superior data rates!
AT&T: B2, B4, B5, B12, B14, B17, B29, B30, B66
Verizon: B2, B4, B5, B13, B46, B48, B66
T-Mobile: B2, B4, B5, B12, B25, B26, B41, B66, B71
Other: B1, B3, B7, B8, B17, B18, B19, B20, B21, B28, B32, B34, B38, B39, B40, B42, B43
Note: 4x4 MIMO DL is not supported for the "Other" bands, with the exception of bands B42 and B43.
AT&T: n5, n77
Verizon: n2, n5, n40, n66, n77
T-Mobile: n41, n71
Other: n1, n3, n7, n8, n12, n13, n14, n18, n20, n25, n26, n28, n29, n30, n38, n48, n70, n75, n76, n78, n79
Note: 4x4 MIMO DL is supported for bands n1, n2, n3, n7, n25, n38, n40, n41, n48, n66, n77, n78, n79.
Special thanks to NaterTater for helping with the creation of this guide!