Unfortunately, the cellular antenna ports used by the Verizon Orbic Speed 5G (R500L5) are hidden behind thermal paste and other electrical components deep within the enclosure.

As a result, we concluded that Verizon has designed the device to be unsuitable for external antennas. We would not recommend attempting to disassemble this device.

Getting Verizon's attention and letting them know how important it is for you to get faster data speeds with external antennas will help convince Verizon that there is a demand for external antennas support with their Verizon Hotspots.

You can let Verizon know why improved data speeds are important to you and why you want their future systems to support 2x2 or 4x4 MIMO external antenna connections by sending a message to their Executive Leadership: https://www.verizon.com/about/our-company/leader/contact/922789

Option #1: Use the Verizon Hotspot SIM Card in a Different 5G Router

Even though the Verizon Orbic Speed 5G (R500L5) doesn't support the use of external antennas, you can still use it's SIM card in a different 5G LTE Router that does.

Since the Verizon Orbic Speed 5G (R500L5) supports a 4x4 MIMO connection, to get the fastest data speeds possible we highly recommend 5G LTE Routers that also support a 4x4 MIMO connection via four external cellular antenna ports.

The top recommendation we offer is our bundle of the Peplink MAX BR1 Pro 5G with our 4x4 Waveform QuadPro antenna kits.

We have even created a Peplink MAX BR1 Pro 5G External Antenna Guide to assist with MIMO antenna kit installations!

For users surrounded by trees, hills, or tall buildings, the best external antenna choice is our Waveform QuadPro antenna kit. While still directional, this antenna doesn’t require line-of-sight to the tower.

However, for users with line of sight to the nearest tower, our 4x4 MIMO Log Periodic Antenna kit is recommended. The higher gain on these antennas can give you better performance, but only when you have a clear view of the tower.

Option #2: Optimize the Verizon Orbic Speed 5G Location

Here are the best steps for optimizing the position of your Verizon Orbic Speed 5G:

1. Look up your nearby towers. This can be time consuming and difficult to get right - we've listed our suggestions in an article on the Best Ways to Locate Nearby Cell Towers
2. Run speed tests with your Verizon Orbic Speed 5G at the windows closest to each nearby tower (If you have multiple floors, perform this process on each floor).
3. Place your Verizon Orbic Speed 5G at the location with the fastest data speeds.

This process is simple but effective if you haven't already optimized the position of your Verizon Orbic Speed 5G, however this method will likely provide only a small improvement to data speeds compared to Option #1.

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:

Pro tip: When placing cellular antennas, 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.

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