Each week on EVDOinfo.com (one of 4Ginfo's "sister sites"), we post tips and tricks that help mobile broadband users get the most out of their service and products. This week's tip will also help lots of our 4Ginfo readers, so we're sharing it here, too!
Avoid Interference Between WiMAX Modems & WiFi Routers
Since 3Gstore.com recently began selling CLEAR 4G WiMAX products and services, this week's tip is geared towards folks who are using a Sprint or CLEAR 4G (or 3G/4G) device in a Cradlepoint router. Despite the fact that Cradlepoint officially supports CLEAR and Sprint 4G modems, some users were reporting performance issues when using their modems in Cradlepoint routers - a drop in signal strength upon inserting the modem, and a slowdown in performance.
After doing some testing, our tech support experts were able to identify the problem, and luckily, it's a simple one: we found that in some cases the WiFi signal broadcast by the Cradlepoint router will interfere with the WiMAX signal that the Sprint & CLEAR devices use if they are too close to each other. Since WiMAX uses the 2.5-2.7Ghz frequency and WiFi uses the 2.4Ghz frequency, you may experience interference if there isn't sufficient separation between the 4G modem & the WiFi router. This is obviously a common problem, since most users are accustomed to attaching their modems directly to their routers, but there is a very easy way to solve it: simply use a USB extension cable between your 4G modem and your router!
We highly recommend that anyone using a 4G or 3G/4G modem in a router use a USB extension cable like the 118" (3 meters) cable sold by 3Gstore to provide sufficient separation which will reduce interference and provide optimal results from your modem.
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