NETGEAR4G LTE Broadband Modem - Use LTE as Primary Internet Connection (LB1120)

We live in a rural area and because we are so far back from the main road our local cable company would not run service to our almost 200 year-old home. This meant our only internet option was the phone company's DSL service, which has been far from reliable or fast. I purchased the Netgear 4G LTE Modem as a trial replacement for that expensive DSL service that has only able to achieve 11MB down and 1MB up max at best and constantly requires a reboot of the DSL modem to get it working again.Using T-Mobile's 4G LTE service, I was able to get the modem up and running in minutes without any configuration (essentially plugging in the micro SIM card and powering it on), and the signal strength LEDs on the unit indicated 3 out of 5 bars. Putting the router into bridge mode via the router's web interface (comes shipped in router mode), I then connected it to a dual band Wi-Fi router (2.4GHz and 5GHz) and commenced to test it out. Running Speedtest on an iPhone 6s while connected to Wi-Fi, I was able to achieve 51MB down and 18MB up when connected to 5GHz, and about 18MB down and 6MB up on the 2.4GHz connection. Already I was getting better internet speeds than with my current DSL service.My next test was see how it would perform with streaming HD (1080p) video on my Roku 4, since I knew that would consume the most data of all of my usual internet activities. Initially, Netflix and Amazon video would take a really long time to load and when streaming the quality kept dropping to where the picture would get blocky and dark. Even with my slower DSL service this did not happen so I was a bit confused as to the reason for this. After some online research, I learned that with T-Mobile the "Binge-On" video streaming feature (which is enabled by default) allows you to watch all the video you want without counting against your 4G LTE allotment, but the downside is that it only streams at slower 3G speeds. However, you can disable this by enabling HD video in your T-Mobile account (if you have that option with your service). Please note that if you do this and disable the "Binge-On" feature, streaming video will then count against your 4G LTE monthly allowance. Additionally, T-Mobile sees this router as a mobile hotspot so once you reach your monthly Hotspot 4G LTE data allowance, it will drop your hotspot internet speed down to a crawl (512kbs). I learned this quickly after streaming a bunch of HD shows and movies in my Roku 4 and chewed through my 10GB/month mobile hotspot allowance in two days. However, it's interesting to note they do not throttle LTE speeds on your mobile devices, just your Hotspot speed. What this translated to using my current setup was this: after they throttled the hotspot speed, I ran Speedtest on my iPhone while connected to Wi-Fi and was still getting great download and upload speeds (no throttling noticed). Then, when I ran Speedtest on my Mac and PC while connected to the same Wi-Fi, those results were down to an abysmal crawl (like 0.3MB down and 0.1MB up). So connected mobile devices are not affected after the hotspot throttling using this modem with T-Mobile, only PC and computers seem to be impacted. I am thinking of getting a T-Mobile CelSpot (which T-Mobile currently provides for free with a deposit) to see if I can reach 4 or 5 bars on the router to see if that further improves my internet speeds.I have yet to reach that data consumption plateau (>32GB/mo) where T-Mobile states they may "deprioritize" LTE data usage, which means LTE data speeds could drop as other customer's DSL data use is prioritized before mine. However, I will provide an update once I have had more time to test this unit as a viable home cable or DSL internet replacement solution.PROS:Small footprintEasy setupGreat 4G LTE data speedsRouter placement not dependent on cable or phone line locationCONS:Data use counts against your Mobile Hotspot plan (T-Mobile)Best LTE signal may require moving router around your home

I bought this to be a hot spot. I have read virtually all of the reviews on here... and I can’t be even close to the lease tech savvy person, but im definitely not an IT specialist like some other reviewers.However, I think I can save people time if they read my review and easy instructions. I purchased 4 different ‘open simcards’ - Paid for one’s data. It had a signal but the API wasn’t configured correctly. Didn’t work. And I didn’t want to call 800 #.So, I removed an old micro att SIM from an iPad I sold, snapped it in to a make shift adapter I repurposed from my other 3 bunk sims.-I bought a prepaid 3GB data plan for a hotspot, JUST to test. (Entered the sim online to activate) As I’ve been casually tinkering with this for 6 months.Simple instructions. You don’t need a modem to use this. Once your SIM card is activated for data, this becomes your modem. You do need a router it seems. I had several left over, and decided on the airport.-there is a yellow Ethernet cable that comes with this. The only way this worked, after much trial and error, was taking the yellow Ethernet cord, and plugging it in the LAN of this Netgear, and connecting it to the WAN of my airport. This secures the network and always gives me a strong signal. To fully activate and set this up, I had to call ATT to get my PUK code to unlock the sim, because this router auto sets to locked sim mode- which requires a password to use it. Which I appreciated for the added security.I think these are quicker access hacks than being locked into long term contracts with monopolized companies who offer overpriced internet in my area.I am stubborn and hate calling customer service. But if even I can figure this out, it’s doable. You just need power, only what comes in the box and an activated sim from one of the major carriers.