Hello!
I see in the store that I could purchase a Quectel EP06-E LTE module but I live in North America so I believe I need the EP06-A. Does the EP06-A work with the GL-MiFi and if so, how can I purchase an EP06-A module?
Looking forward to 5G, will the Quectel RM500Q module be supported with the GL-MiFi device? If it is supported now, how can I purchase an RM500Q module? If not now, can you provide any details about when 5G will be supported with a GL.iNet device?
Thanks!
Mike
The RM500Q will not work. It’s an M.2 format card. GL-MiFi needs an older mini-PCie card. Any EP06 will work out of the box without additional software. I use an EP06-E module, the A is the same card just for different LTE bands.
Thank you for the information!
I will look around for an EP06-A card I can use here in the US.
Do you know if GL.iNet will be releasing a MiFi product that works with the newer M.2 format cards?
Thanks again!
There are adapter “shims” you can get to put an m.2 into a mini-pcie slot. Your mileage may vary though, I certainly wouldn’t expect support.
That doesn’t work because the protocol is USB for the connection, just the socket being used is mini-PCIe.
I see, that is correct. Nevermind my advice.
I was not really wanting to cram an M.2 device into a PCIe slot. Really want I wanted to know was if there was an option for 5G with the GL.iNet line of products. Quectel makes a 5G modem but it’s M.2 format. Right now the Netgear Nighthawk MR5000 is the AT&T 5G MiFi and if you can find one its really expensive. I was hoping for an alternative from GL.iNet… 
Thanks!
Mike
What do you mean the protocol is USB? Do you mean the M.2 cards is using USB protocol that GL-MIFI won’t support?
I was hoping to swap EM7511 in with a PCIe adapter? So, it won’t work? I know for sure if I use a M.2 to USB adapter it would work. However, that would make things bulky.
I mean the mPCI-e cards from Quectel and others are using a specific pin layout, with USB as the main connection used for the actual communication, they are not using PCI. It might be possible to use some kind of adapter to put the pins in the right place, but that is only if the new cards didn’t also change the protocol for communication too, qmi being used in the Mifi.
Here is the Quectel mPCI-e pinout:
So? M.2 includes USB too, as well as PCIe and SATA, so you just need a physical adapter.
Hence you can get products like:
this to house your M.2 modem (and SIM) for connection to a standard USB host, or:
this, if you have an M.2 modem and want to use it in a mini PCIe router (the OP’s issue). The interface is still USB, all the way from the modem to the router.
More here.
That doesn’t fit inside the Mifi.
The M.2 to Mini-PCIe adapters with sim slot does work for the GL-MiFi, as I am testing EM20-G now with ROOter firmware for MBIM protocol and yes you will only be limited to USB2 speeds. Those new 5G M.2 Modules basing from their longer length will not fit anymore though, not to mention being limited with the MiFi’s connection capabilities (150M Wifi / 100M LAN).
How is your testing going? Are you somewhere (in the world) where you have access to Cat 20 base stations, with 7 band aggregation and all that lovely goodness?
How are you finding the thermals and power consumption, especially with less than ideal signal quality on the uplink?
Nice, I didn’t open up the GL-MIFI case properly. Now I have to use draw strings to tie it together.
Did you say you’re using ROOter firmware instead of GL-iNet’s firmware?
Is that because the GL-MiFi uses AT commands and QMI to communicate to the EM20, and ROOter is using MBIM to communicate?
Did you have to revert the EM20 firmware to use ttyUSB2 instead of ttyUSB1?
Do you think GL-iNet will ever enable the GL-MiFi to work with the EM20?
Thank you so much for doing this.
Been a long time, I already sold my EM20, only using GL-MiFi with original EP-06 for backups and internet device replaced with a SIMCOM 5G module connected to a Raspberry Pi 4b with a 18650 battery for portability, easier to configure drivers in ARM linux.
Before I used Rooter and they added MBIM support for the EM20 on the GL-MiFi and you can communicate AT commands from the ttyUSB2 port. Never got the EM20 to work in either MBIM and QMI on GL-iNet firmware. Not very knowledgeable with building drivers but you can probably create a same firmware with EM20 drivers.
What is the model and how much?
I got the simcom sim8200ea for sub-6 5G a couple of months ago, ~$300-ish. Slightly more than the Huawei 5g mobile.
It surely won’t fit inside the GL-MiFi or even the Mudi. Have it connected to my RPi 4 via a m.2 adapter to its usb 3 port. It’s plug and play on qmi on linux arm with > 4.19 kernel.
I remember reading they recently released a smaller one with less antenna port and smaller form factor that can fit in gl mifi.
That’s pretty smart, Janver22.
I just wanted the EM20-G for the amount of band availability and the excellent SNR/Signal Quality you get with a 4x4 MIMO LTE modem. I don’t care about the faster speeds with CA or 5G, I just want better 4G service in low-coverage areas or while traveling.
I also have an EM12-G and an EM160R-GL that I can try in my GL-MiFi devices. I have the appropriate MiniPCIe to M.2 adapter board with a SIM carrier on it.
