SunComm 02 External Antenna Guide

Why External Antennas Are Critical for Improving Data Rates

There's one big misconception about external antennas.

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 actually probably the third most important way that external antennas help.

Here are the three main ways that external antennas help you increase your data rates:

1.They Improve Signal Quality

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.

2.They Allow You To Connect On More Bands

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.

3.They Increase Your Signal Strength

As you might expect, using outdoor directional antennas can help increase the signal strength.

This helps increase data rates, but only up to a point.

If your signal strength (called "RSRP" in LTE networks) is stronger than about -100 dBm, stronger signal won't speed up your connection any further.

Installing External Antennas to the SunComm 02

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).

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-by-Step Guide to Installing External Antennas

Step 1: Disconnect the standard paddle antennas for the cellular antenna ports:

• If you have a 2x2 MIMO Antenna Kit, disconnect the standard paddle antennas for either the even or odd numbered cellular antenna ports.
• If you have a 4x4 MIMO Antenna Kit, disconnect the standard paddle antennas for all of the cellular antenna ports.

Step 2: Connect the external antenna cables to your SunComm 02:

• If you have a 2x2 MIMO Antenna Kit, connect the cables to the ports in Step 1. The order you connect the cables does not matter.
• If you have a 4x4 MIMO Antenna Kit, connect the cables in the order shown below:

If you have a 2x2 MIMO Antenna kit, we highly recommend upgrading to a 4x4 MIMO Antenna Kit to get the most out of your SunComm 02 router.

Congrats! Your SunComm 02 is now connected to your more powerful MIMO External Antennas.

Positioning and Aiming MIMO 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 4x4 MIMO instruction manual to accompany our own 4x4 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:

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!

SunComm 02 Technical Specifications

Supported 4G LTE bands

• 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.

Supported 5G NSA & SA bands

• 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.

Cellular Module

• Modem:
  • Gen 1: Qualcomm Snapdragon X55
  • Gen 2: Qualcomm Snapdragon X62
• CPU: MediaTek MTK7621AT
• MIMO Support: 4x4 with external antennas
• LTE-A Carrier Aggregation:
  • Gen 1: 7x Download, 3x Upload
  • Gen 2: At least 5x Download, 3x Upload
• LTE Category:
  • Gen 1: Cat 16 Downlink, Cat 18 Uplink
  • Gen 2: Cat 19 Downlink, Cat 18 Uplink
• Max Theoretical Speeds:
  • 5G SA: 2.1 Gbps Download, 900 Mbps Upload
  • 5G NSA: 2.5 Gbps Download, 650 Mbps Upload
  • LTE: 1.0 Gbps Download, 200 Mbps Upload

Wi-Fi

• Wi-fi Version: Wifi 6
• Wifi Standards: 802.11ax
• Bands: Simultaneous Dual-Band (2.4GHz / 5GHz)

Ports

• Cellular Antenna Ports: 4x SMA-Female
• Wi-Fi Antenna Ports: 4x RP-SMA-Female
• Ethernet (RJ-45) Ports: 2x 1Gbps LAN, 1x 1Gbps WAN
• SIM Ports: 1x 4FF SIM slot

Other Helpful Resources

SunComm's Product Page for their 02-Series Router

• SunComm 02 5G & WiFi-6 Smart Router System

A Helpful Video of the SunComm 02 by Nater Tater

Special thanks to NaterTater for helping with the creation of this guide!