topic EE SIM in Mikrotik 4g lte in Archived Posts

EE SIM in Mikrotik 4g lte

pipebanfan — Sun, 05 Sep 2021 23:12:07 GMT

I live in a rural area so I bought a Mikrotik 4g LTE antenna.

I had a 4g SIM with 100gb for £35 that worked great for 2 years. That contract ended so I got a new we sim, 120gb for £20. Brought it home, popped it in, worked fine.

A couple of weeks later it stopped working in the LTE antenna.

Tried new antenna SIM in my phone & it worked fine. Put my phone SIM in antenna & antenna worked fine. Switched them back & antenna SIM wouldn't work in antenna.

Went to ee shop & they gave me a new SIM. Came home, popped it in antenna, worked fine for a couple of weeks but has stopped working again.

Guy in the shop mentioned something about ee rebooting something every month that may have knocked it off.

Anyone else experiencing problems with new ee sims in Mikrotik antenna?

Re: EE SIM in Mikrotik 4g lte

EssexBoyEE — Mon, 06 Sep 2021 00:43:12 GMT

When you say Antenna, I assume you mean the Router ?, If so Login to the Router and check or redo the APN Settings for the EE Network.

Re: EE SIM in Mikrotik 4g lte

pipebanfan — Mon, 06 Sep 2021 09:17:42 GMT

APN setting says 'everywhere'

I dont understand how one EE sim works but the other one doesn't.

Could the newer 5g ready sim cards be causing an issue?

Re: EE SIM in Mikrotik 4g lte

mikeliuk — Mon, 06 Sep 2021 09:45:07 GMT

Hi @pipebanfan ,

From the information provided here, the issue seems to follow the Mikrotik device so one play may be to purchase a cheap 4G LTE router to see if the problem disappears.

If the Mikrotik device is still commercially supported, it may be useful to ask the manufacturer if there is a known issue and a known fix (perhaps as simple as a firmware update). Mikrotik community support forums may have useful information if such forums exist. Good luck!

Re: EE SIM in Mikrotik 4g lte

EssexBoyEE — Mon, 06 Sep 2021 12:02:59 GMT

All new Sims for 5G are backwards compatible, it's not the SIM that's 5G, it's the SIM communicating with your Account / Network / Device that Authenticates the 5G.

Is your Phone SIM also EE?

What is the Model number of the Router and where did it come from?

Re: EE SIM in Mikrotik 4g lte

EssexBoyEE — Mon, 06 Sep 2021 12:16:26 GMT

@mikeliuk why are you telling the OP to go out and buy a Cheap LTE Router at this stage before anyone has had a chance to try and help with the OPs current issue.

Re: EE SIM in Mikrotik 4g lte

pipebanfan — Mon, 06 Sep 2021 12:24:05 GMT

Yes my phone sim is EE.

Mikrotik LHG 4G kit
LHG 4G/LTE High gain 21dBi CPE for very remote areas, LTE modem for bands 3, 7, 20, 31, 41n, 42 and 43

product code: RBLHGR&R11e-4G

Bought it on eBay, came from Poland

Re: EE SIM in Mikrotik 4g lte

EssexBoyEE — Mon, 06 Sep 2021 13:35:02 GMT

So this is one of those POE External Routers rather than being Antenna Coax Cable fed, whilst I'm very familiar POE LTE External Routers, mainly Huawei and ZTE, I have no knowledge of Mikrotik or played with or tested one.

The first thing that jumps out to me is the 21dbi Antenna Gain and that it's a CAT4 Only Router, hmm, it's actually extremely difficult to get 21dbi gain without out it being very very directional, meaning the Antenna needs to be pointing exactly where it needs to be, or maybe the The Gain is just a Manufacture marketing claim?

How did you Install and set this up, how did you derive your EE Mast Area Locations etc.

What's the Signal and speed like on your phone compared to the Router etc.

If you login to the Router what info can it give you on Cell ID / eNBiD and Signals RSRP, RSRQ, RSSI and SINR.

Re: EE SIM in Mikrotik 4g lte

mikeliuk — Mon, 06 Sep 2021 13:26:27 GMT

Hi @pipebanfan ,

I had a feeling it might be this Mikrotik device when you described it as an antenna! I've still got it in my Amazon wishlist from the time I had signal problems but I think I judged it was too bulky and inconvenient for my requirements.

If your SIM works in your phone, I feel this device might be overkill. I'm quite happy for you to continue debugging within this device but it's worth bearing in mind that you've said you've even switched the SIM itself so it really sounds like the problem is following the Mikrotik device and nothing else. Good luck with your debugging!

Re: EE SIM in Mikrotik 4g lte

EssexBoyEE — Mon, 06 Sep 2021 13:43:11 GMT

Going back to the SIM swapping, difficult one, could be that the Router just needs a Hard Reboot after each SIM insertion, or the Antenna Direction is between Masts and is handing off which is proving difficult, or your pointing the Antenna at an Reflective Signal from somewhere, but would still be useful to gather Cell ID and Signals.

Re: EE SIM in Mikrotik 4g lte

pipebanfan — Mon, 06 Sep 2021 14:06:46 GMT

I swapped sims in the past and never had to do anything, they just worked. The Antenna direction has never moved since it was installed.

What i cant make sense of is that the two new ee sims I put in the router both initallty worked for 2/3 weeks (without having to even access router settings) then they just stopped working.

Guy in EE shop mentioned something about them rebooting their service once a month & this could be knocking the sims out.

I tried resetting the router & the new sims wouldn't work but my phone sim works just fine everytime i try it. It is probably a fault with the router, I reached out to mikrotik but no reply as yet. I just dont want the hassle of having to go to EE every month and asking for a new sim.

Re: EE SIM in Mikrotik 4g lte

Schockwave — Mon, 06 Sep 2021 14:28:50 GMT

@pipebanfan , if both sims work in your phone, then there is nothing wrong with the SIM cards, and it does not matter whether you are in a 5G or 4G area, as has been mentioned they are backward compatible and will work, so I would suggest that it is the antenna, and possibly, because it originally came from Poland, that could be the cause of the problem, unless someone else has another suggestion.

Re: EE SIM in Mikrotik 4g lte

pipebanfan — Mon, 06 Sep 2021 14:43:40 GMT

You are probably right, the sims are fine. Its just weird to me that the two new sims have crashed in the mikrotik after working for 2/3 weeks but the older ee sims have never gave any bother. Hope Mikrotik have some answers.

Re: EE SIM in Mikrotik 4g lte

EssexBoyEE — Mon, 06 Sep 2021 15:52:15 GMT

It's very unlikely to be a SIM related issue, the reason I asked for Signal and Cell Location is to try and rule out whether your sitting on a Coverage border, working across two Masts in different locations with an Directional Aerial or possibly have other Mechanical or Electrical issue.

One of the problems with Outdoor POE Routers is it's open to the elements, the SIM and the Ethernet Cable is situated within the Router, Outside possibly on a Mast, Pole, Wall Bracket etc, so every time you want to change the SIM you are technically disturbing the Setup or Direction.

With regard to the Outside Elements, the Router needs to be extremely well made to prevent Heat, Dust, Water or Condensation ingress, the weekest link is normally the SIM card Slot and the POE Cable Connection, without knowing the Router how are these protected? If it simply plugs in behind a plastic flap then it's not offering much protection over time compared to a good Rubber Sealed IP Rated protection.

Could it just be that swapping the Sims is just coincidental and is highlighting another issue with the SIM Slot Tray or POE Power Connection to the Router or Ethernet Cable performance again through the connecter plug and socket point.

How long has it been since the Device was Installed.

Re: EE SIM in Mikrotik 4g lte

pipebanfan — Mon, 06 Sep 2021 16:00:36 GMT

The device was installed about a year ago & is in my roofspace so the outside elements are not a factor. Everything worked well for 10 months with the last ee sim I had. My contract ran out so I got a new contract & ee sent me a new sim. It worked well for about 3 weeks then the LTE light on the mikrotik just went out. I got a replacement sim which again worked for about 3 weeks but has stopped working (no lte light).

Re: EE SIM in Mikrotik 4g lte

EssexBoyEE — Mon, 06 Sep 2021 16:10:16 GMT

I can't make any comment on how it's performing inside your Roof space without knowing your Signal Info and which Mast(s) your connected to when it working and the same Info when it's not.

All I can do is make suggestions plus some other points that could be related to Outdoor LTE Routers.

Re: EE SIM in Mikrotik 4g lte

pipebanfan — Mon, 06 Sep 2021 16:14:16 GMT

It was performing great for months & still does when i put my ee phone sim in it. It performed great for 3 weeks then just stopped working with the last 2 sims i got from ee. that is all i know.

Re: EE SIM in Mikrotik 4g lte

Schockwave — Mon, 06 Sep 2021 16:20:08 GMT

@pipebanfan Unless there was a problem with your SIM card, there was no need to discard the original SIM card, as they would still have worked. EE sometimes send out SIM cards to replace the old ones, just in case there is a problem. Not sure why you are having problems after putting in a new replacement SIM card.

Re: EE SIM in Mikrotik 4g lte

mikeliuk — Mon, 06 Sep 2021 16:32:17 GMT

Hi @pipebanfan ,

Apologies if you've already said, I wanted to ask a sanity check question whether the SIM which no longer works in the Mikrotik can work when moved into the mobile?

I got a replacement sim which again worked for about 3 weeks but has stopped working (no lte light).

Did the old SIM which stopped working in the Mikrotik work in your mobile?

There's a question which we don't want to know the answer to and that is whether if you leave your phone SIM long enough in the Mikrotik whether that SIM will also stop working in all devices.

Re: EE SIM in Mikrotik 4g lte

pipebanfan — Mon, 06 Sep 2021 16:37:27 GMT

The sim that stopped working in the Mikrotik does work in my phone.