Gateway

It uses an app only because apparently using an app is much simpler than a web browser interface.  

Unfortunately, the app is the only way to make simple changes to the gateway. I'd suggest you go to YouTube and watch a few of the Nater Tater videos about the Arcadyan KVD21 5G gateway and some of the things that can be done at the command line to make changes to it that are not available in the app.

I think there is universal agreement among users on this forum that it would be better if there was a robust web interface for the gateway, similar to what we're used to with other routers and modems. For me, I wish there was an easy way to connect an external antenna to improve reception. You'll see on YouTube with Nater Tater that there is a way to disassemble the gateway and hook up an external antenna, but it is hardly for the faint-of-heart.

The type of Internet that is being offered by T-Mobile is called “Fixed Wireless Internet” or FYI. It is not a tiered system, like, say, Xfinity, and operates on the “best available” system of bandwidth, depending on the tower you connect to. T-Mobile (and Verizon) are trying to best utilize their investment in towers offering both 4G LTE and 5G for dedicated Internet. Their goal is to make this type of connectivity as plug-n’-play as possible, hence the limitations on what you can do with the gateway.

I am one of the fortunate people who subscribed to T-Mobile Internet with their “$25 for life” offer this past December. While I don't think the quality of their Internet is as robust as Xfinity, the difference in price is very dramatic, and I'm gambling that over time FWI will become the distribution system of choice for Internet. It works surprisingly well in my environment, and for me, the limitations are outweighed by price, performance and no data caps.