Question

5G Internet recently became unstable, any thoughts?

  • 23 September 2023
  • 5 replies
  • 499 views
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This is my 6th month on t-mobile 5G Internet. It used to be good for the first 4 or 5 months, but recently the service became unstable, connection on and off, download/upload speed sometimes are very slow, upload speed is sometimes < 1mpbs. Restart the modem sometimes helps. The modem stays where it was when service is good. When I encountered the issue, the signal on the model is “good” .

Any thoughts?

5 replies

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I also have this recent problem- hoping someone else will comment with some helpful insight!

copz1998
Userlevel 5
Badge +8

@hztm a few questions that will help us help you. 

if you have the T-Mobile home internet service, then you must qualify for being in a 5G network area and able to receive a 5G signal from a nearby cell tower. 

That said, let's try to diagnose the cause so that we can resolve your issue. Please answer a few questions that will be helpful in the diagnosing the problem. 

  1. Did you use the Placement Assistant in the T-Mobile Internet app? If not, you can access it from the app Home Screen: tap the More about connection quality link on the Home Screen > Launch placement assistant > OK! Let's do this > you can watch the video if it will help, then “skip video” which will launch the placement assistant > enter your address or share location (if you use “share location” and your address shows up then you are assured to be connected to the network). It will take 30-45 seconds to confirm your location.  Use the “Camera” mode for a direct visual of where your cell tower is located to where your gateway is located in your home. Try to make sure your gateway is located in a high point of your home and clear of any obstructions. Here is a helpful video: https://youtu.be/Q-DmRbQFuo0
  2. What are your metrics - now that you are confident your gateway is located in the best possible location, your metrics will show the quality of your connection. In your T-Mobile Internet app > tap “MORE” at the bottom of the Home Screen > tap “Advanced cellular metrics” > tap “5G” > and let us know your RSRQ, RSRP, SINR and which band you are connected to. You should be on band n41 or n71. Look at the chart posted above in this thread for. the ideal readings. to get the best readings, slightly rotate your gateway about 1/8th of a turn and then check the metrics to see if they change for the better. Repeat until you get the best metrics.  

Let us know the results. I hope this helps. 

I am not a T-Mobile employee, but like helping others.
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@copz1998  Thanks for the reply. I did use Placement Assistant, and my gateway is facing the signal direction shown in the app, and place by the window at my highest floor.  The gateway has been sitting there for about 6 months, and the service was good for the first few months. then It deteriorated in the past few weeks. When it was good, I got over 10 mbps uplink (not superb but enough for my usage), but now I constantly get about 1mbps uplink and sometimes < 1 mbps (which matters to me since I need to do video conferencing at home)

“Advanced cellular metrics” shows that gateway 5G is on band N41, RSRQ = -1, RSRP = -97, SINR = 10.

copz1998
Userlevel 5
Badge +8

@hztm based on your metrics you seem to have some interference with something (mountain, building, etc.) or maybe you would benefit from slightly rotating your gateway and retesting the metrics to see if they improve. The antennas are located at the corners of the gateway. Otherwise I would reset the gateway and start from scratch, as maybe there is some cache that is limiting your signal. 

I hope this helps. 

 

I am not a T-Mobile employee, but like helping others.
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@copz1998 , I tried to reboot gateway multiple times, uplink speed is improvved a little bit, aournd 3 ~ 4 mbps (last night before reboot is < 1mbps), this is when celluar metrics are  N41, RSRQ = 0, RSRP = -98, SINR = 9. Not sure what are the contributing factors. Rotating the gateway didn’t help, I guess its orientation was already optimal.

Thanks for your reply.

 

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