Question

Do you have 1609 gateway firmware update yet and how is it working for you?

  • 14 September 2021
  • 32 replies
  • 6967 views
T
Userlevel 5
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It’s September 14, 2021, and the awaited 1.2101.00.1609 gateway firmware update was finally pushed out to me automatically. You can see if you have it yet in the GUI. Select “Overview” and It is called “Software Version” below the gateway icon to the right.

You can see the GUI for your gateway by typing 192.168.12.1 in the address window of a browser. If you haven’t gotten the new 1609 version pushed out to you yet, you will see the old version 0178 still. Please note that Tmobile does these gateway upgrades automatically, pushing them out over weeks, so you may not get yours for a few weeks yet.

According to the  T-mo Report of a month ago, here is what is in the update:

The update claims to fix two known VPN issues, one with Cisco AnyConnect and one with GlobalProtect. More importantly, the update claims to improve the poor 5G signal experience. Apparently, this fixes situations where a 5G signal is poor and the LTE signal would be a better connection.

If you think that means if you have a poor 5G signal, and this update will make the signal stronger, like you’ll be getting more bars or something, please re-read the statement. That is NOT what it is saying. It says that for people with a better 4G speed than 5G at their house, this software update is supposed to help their gateway connect to the 4G (Primary only) band, instead of their gateway getting stuck on what is for them a very slow 5G band combination (Primary and Secondary).This is probably a situation involving only about 5% or less of Tmobile customers. Before this fix, people in that situation would have to revert to the old 4G white rectangular modem/router if they wanted faster speeds.

I’ve been on Tmobile home internet for three months and I believe this is the first gateway firmware update since April. For me, no noticeable differences so far. If anyone gets the update and notices any changes in their service, good or bad -- faster speeds, fewer disconnections, whatever -- please mention them in this thread.

Lastly, if someone who doesn’t have the update feels there is a compelling reason for them to get it, like they are one of these people with faster 4G LTE speeds than 5G in their location, they can call up and request it be pushed out to them while they wait online. I didn’t do that because I do not have either of those two VPN issues, and 5G is many times faster than 4G at my house.

There could be other improvements in the update that we don’t know about.

32 replies

P
Userlevel 1
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What about the Open NAT and UPnP issues? Unable to use T-Mobile home internet ( NOK 5G21 Gry Gateway) with Xbox gaming. I had to keep my previous ISP and am now paying two monthly bills because I am trying to give T-Mobile a chance. Really frustrating that T-Mobile is selling home internet with this even being an issue. How could the engineers not have been aware of this problem before the service was even marketed and why is a solution taking so long? I’ve seen comments relating to this going back 6+ months. Is this problem REALLY being worked on? My gateway was delivered with software version -1609 already on it.

0
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Ever since I got it my 3 bar 5G signal drops and never comes back until reboot. Further I live in a Ultra 5G coverage area and at one point was getting 500+ down. Now my max download in the best spot in my home direct line of site to tower .5 miles away is 75ish. Worse is when the 5G signal goes away my download is still 75ish so this proves that my can never ever uses the 5G anymore it just sticks to 4G.

So for me so far not impressed. I had high hopes for the can internet. I really wanted to get rid of Comcast and I have cancelled them. 75ish just about holds the household with my mother in law streaming all day and my wife and I on zoom calls. But as I suspected now that we have canceled Comcast is sending us deal offers. Now they are offering me 200 down for only $29 locked for 2 years I have my own modem so that is much less than the can and over double the speed. The only issue is the pending Comcast data cap that is to come now next Jan. We were going over but not ever month so maybe I can live with it. I Have been a TM cell customer 21 years very happy but the internet quite a different story.

So in ref to:

According to the  T-mo Report of a month ago, here is what is in the update:

The update claims to fix two known VPN issues, one with Cisco AnyConnect and one with GlobalProtect. More importantly, the update claims to improve the poor 5G signal experience. Apparently, this fixes situations where a 5G signal is poor and the LTE signal would be a better connection.

 

My 5G signal experience was disimproved it now drops after a few hours and never returns till reboot and seems to not be used anyways.

But it says LTE was improved so maybe now my can thinks LTE is best and drops the 5G to improve my experience (yea right).

 

T
Userlevel 5
Badge +4

My 5G signal experience was disimproved it now drops after a few hours and never returns till reboot and seems to not be used anyways.

Since these updates occur automatically, I’m not sure if it is possible -- probably not -- for you to call up and request the old gateway firmware version be pushed out to you, to see if that gets you back to your 500+ speeds.

I myself have had the experience of it dynamically switching to the 4G-only band and dropping my speed to less than 30, whereas my 5G speeds, on B2/n41 or B66/n41, now rarely go below 100 and average about 190. However, that speed drop onto the 4G has happened only about 4 times in three months, and I was able to restart the gateway and get back to 5G immediately. I found a better location for my gateway, at a certain rotation and elevation where I now never get the slow speed.

I watched a video of a YouTube vlogger about this new 1609 update, and there was a comment by someone which mentioned your exact problem. Unless it was you, there is another person with this problem. It’s also possible it is something else and the gateway update is only a coincidence. Are you absolutely sure your problem coincided with getting the update? The only reason I know that I got the update overnight is that I had checked in the GUI for the last few days, since I’m expecting it and wanted to know when I got it.

Also, although it almost certain that a speed drop from 500+ to 75 is being switched to the 4G-only band, you should verify that in the GUI and note the specific band, and the band combination you are usually on with 5G. If you call up and talk with a service rep, being as specific as possible will help them understand your particular problem.

Of course, just getting 500+ means you are on 5G, and with the n41 mid-frequency signal, but getting 75 doesn’t always mean 4G. It could mean you are connecting to another tower with an n71 5G. I read a post with a person who had that problem, of getting n71 most of the time, with a very slow speed compared to the n41 they got some of the time.

B

I got the update at 4am today.

I had the option of 2 towers that are located 10 degrees apart. The n41 tower is about 1000 ft closer with a good line of site. The n71 tower is pretty obstructed and I had problems picking it up before the update. 

I preferred the n41 because of better up and down speeds and I could stay locked on to it. Now I am locked on to the n71 with its lousy speeds and constant shifting to even lower speed bands. The n41 doesnt show up with direction adjustments or reboots. I am hoping its just a temporary maintenance issue on my “good” tower.

R
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Got the 1609 update and can confirm that it fixed the GlobalProtect VPN issue.

W

Got the new update. Service has crawled ever since. Was connected to band 2 and N71 getting 60- 100 mbs. But now it constantly wants to connect to band 25 and now my speed has dropped to 0.68- 3mbs.. I've tried everything, resetting, moving modem to other location in the home. Even called tech support. 

Z

Got the new update. Service has crawled ever since. Was connected to band 2 and N71 getting 60- 100 mbs. But now it constantly wants to connect to band 25 and now my speed has dropped to 0.68- 3mbs.. I've tried everything, resetting, moving modem to other location in the home. Even called tech support. 

This is exactly the same here. We were doing well and all of the sudden we are crawling...if that. :(

I don’t know if rebooting will help, but that’s next.

K
Userlevel 1
Badge +1

I received the update sometime in the last week, I can confirm that my VPN connection through Cisco any connect now works consistently. I have no change in up/ download speeds. 120-190 down and 30-50 up. B2 and N71 on the tower connection. Once in a great while B66, but I haven’t seen that in a month. I’m going on two months with this service. I’m satisfied so far, it meets our needs at a great price. Also I noticed my ping times went 80-100 to 25-30, mostly 25. 

T
Userlevel 5
Badge +4

Got the new update. Service has crawled ever since. Was connected to band 2 and N71 getting 60- 100 mbs. But now it constantly wants to connect to band 25 and now my speed has dropped to 0.68- 3mbs.. I've tried everything, resetting, moving modem to other location in the home. Even called tech support. 


When you called tech support, did you ask them if it is possible for them to push out the previous firmware version to you? I do not know if this is possible, but it is certainly something I would want to try if I were in your situation and they could do that.

One reason I posted this thread was that I wanted the more tech-inclined or tech-interested people that have the time and inclination, to be watching for when they receive the 1609 update and differences it makes.

Otherwise what happens in these situations is that people with any sort of problems that crop up want to associate it with the update, even though the problem may have occurred days before they got the new update.

That said, your problem sounds like something that could be associated with the update. 

W

No matter what I do. It constantly wants band 25.. it's normally lower than what I'm showing. When I was on band 2 and N71 , service ran great. But now this is what I get..

 

D

I think I lost my secondary signal because of the new update.  Anyone has the same problem?  This is already my second T-mobile gateway that gives me the same problem.

T

I have an improved 5 g signal and thus faster speeds on band n71. My speeds jumped 25 to 30 mbps.

I still have only 3 bars of signal but my RSRP improved from -99 to -94 dbm.

C
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It shows 3 bars of 5G, I am getting fantastic n71 signal quality, and since the update the device has stabilized. 

 

I average over 250Mb download and 50 to 100 up. About 1 mile from tower. I LOVE it . Our whole family does. 

 

However.... There is always a BUT. The device should of came with external SMA connectors for external antennas, period. I am modifying my own device for my pole mounted Yagis.  

 

Also. Remove the BATTERY! It overheats and causes the 5G modem to shutdown when under heavy use. Firmware didn't fix that I tried it before and after. That gateway doesn't need a battery, this is home internet.

 

The product is great already and getting better. Last issue I have is poor optional  advanced menu for the device. It's vanilla as it comes. Coming from GoldenOrb, this is 5G for dummies and that's good and bad.

 

Best advice of all is to immediately disable the SSID broadcast and buy a nice WIFI6 system that has some good reviews.

I don't care what TMobile says their built in wifi 6 is hot garbage .There are about 15 SSIDs to disable so be prepared to sit for a while . You also may have to disable them multiple times to get it to shut it off.

 

These wifi broadcasted bands really don't jive well with a smart home setup. Massive amount of interference between bands and devices that need to chat with one another .

 

Shut it off, then buy a nice TP Link Deco system, eero (great devices trash software), Google WIFI6 , or any other WiFi 6 mesh home network! 

 

They are plug and play and you will thank me later. 

 

Last little thing. 5Gmodems get 🔥🔥🔥 hot!

What were they thinking not building in a active cooling fan and proper heatsink?! I've torn this thing down and it could of been much better than it is without added cost. 

Replace the battery with a fan and bingo you got a solid performer for years.

 

Also if anyone wants help modding their modem so it actually performs like it is supposed to I am here to help and give guidance. Doing mods is at your own risk but honestly they are simple and easy to do. 

 

B

Received my gateway this week. I live in a 5G Ultra Capacity area, speeds

 average 400-700 down and 50-85 up. Not bad to be honest. I haven’t played online with my PS5 yet. 

C

I had to call customer support to get an upgrade to 1609 firmware a few days ago here in the Washington, DC area because I was getting a reoccurrence of the Global Protect VPN problem (a downgrade to 168 had worked last month). For the last day or so, I’ve been getting consistently “good” speeds (around here w/all the buildings, that means at least 100-150 down, 5-10 up), but I attribute that to the 5G Ultra Capacity upgrades that T-Mo has been doing to the entire network because even the speeds for a primary only connection have improved. I still have to regularly reboot to get both primary & secondary signals.

J

This upgrade helps with the Cisco VPN issue.  I had been using an old firmware for the past few months, things broke again over the weekend.  The tech pushed this new release and it is good, my sessions with VNC and Exceed turbo are working and not freezing.  

I wish my signal was a little better, dropped from 3 to 2 bars, averaging about 75 on the download speed. 

0
Userlevel 5
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This upgrade helps with the Cisco VPN issue.  I had been using an old firmware for the past few months, things broke again over the weekend.  The tech pushed this new release and it is good, my sessions with VNC and Exceed turbo are working and not freezing.  

I wish my signal was a little better, dropped from 3 to 2 bars, averaging about 75 on the download speed. 

 

 

D

I just set up the Internet Gateway 2 days ago. It came with Firmware version .1609. I have to connect to my work via Cisco AnyConnect and it partially works. Can access Outlook email, the Cisco IP phone works just fine. I cannot access the internet though, neither via IE or Chrome. Called support and they suggested rolling the firmware version back to an older one.

I refused this in that I don’t want to get it to work then when an auto push update comes, having to go through the support process each and ever time to revert. Asked if they can set me up to not receive updates, and the tech could not answer that, so opted out.

Unless they provide an update that allows the Cisco AnyConnect to work fully, will have to cancel. It’s unfortunate in that I am getting double the speed (400+ dl & 15+ul) than I received from Spectrum which cost twice as much.

0
Userlevel 5
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Same FW no issues with Cisco Any Connect everything works.

Probably a config issue on your VPN check the options.

T
Userlevel 5
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It has been a month now since I got the 1609 update, and it’s time to report what changed for me. I no longer get disconnected. I haven’t been disconnected even once since the update a month ago. Before the update, I got a disconnect about every other day. It would always reconnect after restarting the gateway. It was a minor problem for me in an otherwise great experience with this service. I read a comment of one other person, not on this board, who got disconnected a few times every day and the 1609 update also helped him, no more disconnections. I understand that for the vast majority of users with this disconnection problem, the update probably did nothing. 

S

Had the 1609 update for a while.  Gateway used to connect to bands B66 and n41 at 100 to 200MB.  After the update the gateway connects to bands B2 and n41 at 200 to 300MB.  So it appears the 1609 firmware picks bands that provide higher data rates. 

I removed the battery and have the gateway plugged into a digital timer that turns it off and on nightly.  I did this after it dropped out several times on the 0178 update.  This resolved the drop outs.  I haven’t noticed any drop outs on the 1609 update in this configuration.

T
Userlevel 5
Badge +4

Had the 1609 update for a while.  Gateway used to connect to bands B66 and n41 at 100 to 200MB.  After the update the gateway connects to bands B2 and n41 at 200 to 300MB.  So it appears the 1609 firmware picks bands that provide higher data rates.

I get the same two band combinations as you with similar speed differences, only my top speed is 100 higher. After the 1609 update, I still connect “naturally” (without doing anything) to the slower combination about 80% of the time, but I can get the faster B2/n41 all the time just by restarting the gateway in the morning, being sure to pause 5 seconds with it off for it to drop the slower band, and then it will usually remain connected for the rest of the day on the fast combination.

It’s good to hear that someone got your benefit out of the update though, because a few of the first responses at the time of the update were that it did the opposite -- a few people were unable to get a fast combination they used to get after the update.

0
Userlevel 5
Badge +5

Had the 1609 update for a while.  Gateway used to connect to bands B66 and n41 at 100 to 200MB.  After the update the gateway connects to bands B2 and n41 at 200 to 300MB.  So it appears the 1609 firmware picks bands that provide higher data rates.

I get the same two band combinations as you with similar speed differences, only my top speed is 100 higher. After the 1609 update, I still connect “naturally” (without doing anything) to the slower combination about 80% of the time, but I can get the faster B2/n41 all the time just by restarting the gateway in the morning, being sure to pause 5 seconds with it off for it to drop the slower band, and then it will usually remain connected for the rest of the day on the fast combination.

It’s good to hear that someone got your benefit out of the update though, because a few of the first responses at the time of the update were that it did the opposite -- a few people were unable to get a fast combination they used to get after the update.

I have done quite a bit if studying these gateways. In general the logic is flawed but what it is doing is in your example grabbing the n41 being the better band but most likely (you don't post any of your signal reading) something is not that great with the n41 maybe low SNR. So the gateway decided to switch and try a more stable band in the area.

My home has a B66 .5 to the W, a n71 2 miles to the NW, and a new n41 3 miles to the SW. I have many post and have invested countless time in this unit. If I were to put the can in the S window to get the n41 and the B66 it would just like you after reboot and for a while then move over to the n71 and crap speeds. I installed an outside antenna pointed at the n41 now my signal from the n41 is fantastic, B66 is much better even though ant is not pointed in that direction and it stays locked day after day like a rock.

I easy get 650 down and 125 up it was worth every penny to buy the ext ant.

S

Had the 1609 update for a while.  Gateway used to connect to bands B66 and n41 at 100 to 200MB.  After the update the gateway connects to bands B2 and n41 at 200 to 300MB.  So it appears the 1609 firmware picks bands that provide higher data rates.

I get the same two band combinations as you with similar speed differences, only my top speed is 100 higher. After the 1609 update, I still connect “naturally” (without doing anything) to the slower combination about 80% of the time, but I can get the faster B2/n41 all the time just by restarting the gateway in the morning, being sure to pause 5 seconds with it off for it to drop the slower band, and then it will usually remain connected for the rest of the day on the fast combination.

It’s good to hear that someone got your benefit out of the update though, because a few of the first responses at the time of the update were that it did the opposite -- a few people were unable to get a fast combination they used to get after the update.

I have done quite a bit if studying these gateways. In general the logic is flawed but what it is doing is in your example grabbing the n41 being the better band but most likely (you don't post any of your signal reading) something is not that great with the n41 maybe low SNR. So the gateway decided to switch and try a more stable band in the area.

My home has a B66 .5 to the W, a n71 2 miles to the NW, and a new n41 3 miles to the SW. I have many post and have invested countless time in this unit. If I were to put the can in the S window to get the n41 and the B66 it would just like you after reboot and for a while then move over to the n71 and crap speeds. I installed an outside antenna pointed at the n41 now my signal from the n41 is fantastic, B66 is much better even though ant is not pointed in that direction and it stays locked day after day like a rock.

I easy get 650 down and 125 up it was worth every penny to buy the ext ant.

What external antenna do you have?

0
Userlevel 5
Badge +5

Had the 1609 update for a while.  Gateway used to connect to bands B66 and n41 at 100 to 200MB.  After the update the gateway connects to bands B2 and n41 at 200 to 300MB.  So it appears the 1609 firmware picks bands that provide higher data rates.

I get the same two band combinations as you with similar speed differences, only my top speed is 100 higher. After the 1609 update, I still connect “naturally” (without doing anything) to the slower combination about 80% of the time, but I can get the faster B2/n41 all the time just by restarting the gateway in the morning, being sure to pause 5 seconds with it off for it to drop the slower band, and then it will usually remain connected for the rest of the day on the fast combination.

It’s good to hear that someone got your benefit out of the update though, because a few of the first responses at the time of the update were that it did the opposite -- a few people were unable to get a fast combination they used to get after the update.

I have done quite a bit if studying these gateways. In general the logic is flawed but what it is doing is in your example grabbing the n41 being the better band but most likely (you don't post any of your signal reading) something is not that great with the n41 maybe low SNR. So the gateway decided to switch and try a more stable band in the area.

My home has a B66 .5 to the W, a n71 2 miles to the NW, and a new n41 3 miles to the SW. I have many post and have invested countless time in this unit. If I were to put the can in the S window to get the n41 and the B66 it would just like you after reboot and for a while then move over to the n71 and crap speeds. I installed an outside antenna pointed at the n41 now my signal from the n41 is fantastic, B66 is much better even though ant is not pointed in that direction and it stays locked day after day like a rock.

I easy get 650 down and 125 up it was worth every penny to buy the ext ant.

What external antenna do you have?

The waveform is the only one that is good. I have purchased some others from Amazon and taken apart and tested only the waveform one is worth it, https://www.waveform.com/a/b/guides/hotspots/t-mobile-5g-gateway

I have the panel one since I do not have line of sight.

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