5G Home Broadband router keep selecting a mast far away from my home

[metoo6000]

Hello,

I got a 5G Home Broadband one month ago, and I had an excellent reception for the first week - DN over 500 Mbps, UP over 70Mbps. But, the speed started dropping significantly (DN: ~ 100 Mbps, UP: ~5 Mbps) and frequently disconnected more than five times per day. So, I have to restart manually; otherwise, I should wait more than 10 minutes to reconnect. I contacted the Three tech team more than four times but couldn't solve the issue.  

Now, I realise that the router is connecting to some masts around 4 miles away even though there is a mast within 0.2 miles near my home. I understand we can't select a specific mast, but I wonder why my router always connects to the far-away ones. These masts, including the one closest to me, have Band 1,3,20,28. So, I also manually selected the bands 1,3,20 and N78. But my router is still connecting to the far-away ones. 

Does anyone know how to solve this problem?

Thanks in advance. 

[metoo6000 · Accepted solution]

I found a kind of solution from this forum. I changed the setting as below, and now my router sees the cell tower near my home, and the speed returned to excellent. DN: >500 Mbps, UP: 5~90 Mbps. 

• APN: three.ac.uk (ipv4 only)
• Cellular Band: B1, B20, B28, N78 ( Don't use B3, that causes some problem). 

[Graeme85]

Sorry I have similar issues but can’t see where I could make these changes. 
5g coverage in my area is terrible so already use ipv4 only. 

[MichaelP]

Hi @Graeme85 

We're sorry to hear the signal has been letting you down. Have you been able to check this on our Network Status checker to see if there any known issues or planned work in your area? How long has this issue been going on for? 

Thanks,
Michael

[Graeme85]

Unfortunately been for some time. 5G isn’t great in the area we moved here mid July. 
I have changed the settings to 4G only, at the start could get anywhere between 40-70mbps dl but upload no more than 3mbps. 
unfortunately recently I’d be lucky to clear 20mbps dl and majority of the time less than 15 mbps. 
I see people changing some setting to work better but unfortunately on the MC888 I can’t see cellular band. 

Think I’ll need to argue my case and end contract without a fee and switch to actual broadband. Even streaming apps like Disney or Netflix struggle with buffering or basic loading now. 

[MichaelP]

Hello @Graeme85 

Thanks for getting back to us, and we understand that must be frustrating to experience after you moved there in July.

Have you previously reached out to customer services to discuss options for your account due to the drops in speed that you're experiencing?

Thanks,
Michael

[Graeme85]

Tried customer services it’s very repetitive with no better outcome. 

[Graeme85]

Sorry jumping in as I am having constant variable speeds, using speed checker as a diagnosis I see what mast areas I am receiving and the ones that seem to provide better connection speeds. 

how can I change the settings? Got access to ZTE site but nothing seen that may change the situation so far. 

Any guides would be appreciated. 

[JonathanB]

Hi @metoo6000,

Did you use three.co.uk for the APN? Cell bands can be hit and miss as it'll depend on the individual mast what is supported, but it's good to experiment with N78 and a mix of the B bands. I'm checking into the situation and will let you know on our PM conversation if we can find out what's happening with the nearby mast.

Thanks,
Jonathan

[metoo6000]

Hi guys, 

I am sure I was connected to the mast near my home when I first signed the 5G Home Broadband. I checked the mast from the cellmapper.net, and the mast was last seen on 23rd September 2023, which is around when I first saw some notices from the Three Network Status page and my connection speed was significantly reduced and disconnected very often. I called the Three Tech team and asked to check if the mast was live, and they confirmed it was live and 5G capable. But, then, why my router does not connect to that mast? Is there any way I can check if the mast is live?