Maximize your cellular usage Optimize your connection for better performance
Maximize your cellular usage Optimize your connection for better performance
I reside in a developing neighborhood where infrastructure, particularly internet access, is still emerging. When I contacted ISPs, they indicated minimal long-term plans for the next few years. Consequently, I rely on a cellular connection. I own two: one primary from a carrier offering strong coverage and a backup (which occasionally faces problems) and another external antenna that delivers high speeds—over 100 Mb/s with minimal latency during the day. In the evenings, especially on weekends, streaming and gaming become unreliable. I came across discussions about load balancers and wondered if adding a third connection could improve stability. Could you recommend a suitable model? Perhaps someone has successfully navigated similar challenges and found an effective solution? Or should I consider switching to Starlink?
the issue with mobile data modems is they usually link to the same tower. when that tower gets busy, you don’t gain more speed because they share the overloaded network. in such cases, alternatives like Starlink might perform better than traditional modems. however, any solution that avoids relying on cell towers is preferable. also, your evening slowdown could stem from neighbors using the same connection. it might be smart to propose a neighborhood effort to fund shared infrastructure—either by contacting your ISP about multiple connections or exploring a DIY fiber option yourself.
Unless you can ensure one mobile carrier uses a distinct backbone and towers from another, relying on a second provider may lead to inconsistent performance. You might want to explore alternative failover solutions beyond 4G/5G. Since you already use cable internet as your main connection, switching to a 5G provider is an option. If you need hardware that handles failover automatically, steer clear of the most affordable TP Link choices unless you're willing to tolerate about 45 seconds during the transition. I’m not very familiar with pfsense routers, but Ubiquiti’s Edgerouter models are worth considering—they allow wizard-based failover setup and later adjustments without command-line interaction, though they require editing text-based configuration files. For guidance, Ubiquiti’s edgeOS documentation and community forums proved helpful.