I would be extremely interested in a 4G / 5G modem capable router, and from gl-inet especially!
4G would need to be at or above CAT16 to be really enticing, consider CAT20.
I’m currently testing several 4G/5G routers including the latest Cudy 5G which I am testing over 5GNSA right now from both Flint and Beryl using Wireguard tunnels.
I think that you should consider at least the X62 or better a later 5G chipset.
The Quectel RM520N-GL is an example of current X62.
The newer X65 chipset is about to drop and will be more futureproof, especially for AT&T service in the US.
I would be love to help beta test, contact me offline if you would like.
Yes expensive but I think the market is there for a more competitively priced cellular router to compete with the Peplink products. I think gl-inet could beat Cudy on software maturity at the very least…
External antennas 4 x Cellular
User hardware swappable modems would be killer
Taking it a step further, for a more fixed cellular router… something for the boat or RV
PCB only option, or outdoor weatherproof and mountable enclosure option
I’m not sure if POE could handle the power that these latest 5G modems needs, I’ve seen 4amp power supplies. Have not looked at POE specs.
Yep RUTX11 is a nice looking router but I think it only has an LTE CAT6 modem…
Category 6 is quite old and does not support the newer bands that many providers are using now.
Agreed but I was mostly pointing to the physical build quality. The software also is second to none but I would obviously welcome more tech and features. Very proud still to have one that I use at home as my second WAN source.
I think GL.Inet should expand and sell external WWAN enclosures with tested m.2 modems and go ahead and promote 4g/5g availability on their whole product lineup while the new products are being developed. The volume may produce better pricing on the integrated 4g/5g models when they are released.
They will also need dual-usb3 ports on their newer models to power the higher-end enclosures/5g cards, which only has SBC’s with multiple USB’s as an option at the moment.
I have a Spitz, but also use an Opal with the same model LTE card in an external enclosure. I normally use a 6 inch usb cable, but on several occasions, have needed to use a 6 foot cable and set the enclosure at the window in direct sunlight, which would make the Spitz, Mudi, Puli and Smartphones overheat. Having external LTE antennas that can be set well away from the router is a nice feature with the external enclosures vs integrated LTE.
Adding an additional wifi chip for exclusive repeater use would also allow for using the wifi hotspot on a 5g phone while getting full-bandwidth to the clients (5g backup WAN for Flint/Slate v2’s are nice too). You can find 5g phones very inexpensively now, so optimizing the hardware in 2023 for every budget ($300/$500 5g WWAN modem or $99+ 5g phone) keeps GL.Inet ahead of the curve for connectivity features.
The software for GL.Inet devices adds so much polish to openwrt that I’ll look at the 2023/2024 models when its time to upgrade WWAN devices.
