4G 5G Router Category

What is a 4G 5G Modem Router?

4G/5G router uses the embedded cellular modem and a SIM card to connect to the mobile network and deliver internet connectivity. The 4G/5G cellular routers can work widely once there is fair mobile signal coverage. They offer a flexible cellular internet solution for home, office, IoT, and industrial applications. The 4G/5G routers usually support fallback to lower networks. For example, the 4G router supports a 2G 3G connection, and the 5G router supports a 3G and 4G LTE fallback.

What is the 5G LTE Modem UE Category?

Modem UE category refers to the user equipment for the cellular modem chipsets used in 4G/5G routers. The UE category determines the performance of 4G/5G cellular routers, including download and upload speeds, frequency bandwidth, carrier aggregation, and MIMO technology.

The latest 5G routers support UE categories from Cat 16 to Cat 32, and 4G LTE routers support from Cat 1 to Cat 20. The higher UE category modems provide faster potential speeds and consume more mobile data traffic due to greater bandwidth and advanced cellular capabilities. Choose a higher-grade category modem that future-proofs your router, leading to a better networking experience. However, the actual mobile internet speeds depend on data plan class, cellular carrier network coverage, and mobile signal quality.

OutdoorRouter provides 4G routers in different LTE UE categories of Cat 6, Cat 12, and Cat 16. Each has a diverse speed rate and benefits for various application scenarios. You can choose the 4G 5G UE category modems depending on how fast speed and throughput are required. The comparison chart below shows their speed rates and specifications.

4G LTE and 5G NR UE Category Comparison Chart

UE Category	Maximum Speed Rate		Download MIMO Layers	Carrier Aggregation	Bandwidth	Highest Modulation		3GPP Release
UE Category	Download	Upload	Download MIMO Layers	Carrier Aggregation	Bandwidth	Download	Upload	3GPP Release
5G-NR	3.4 Gbps	900 Mbps	4×4	5x	100 MHz	256 QAM	64 QAM	Rel 16
CAT 16	1Gbps	150 Mbps	3×3	5x	100 MHz	256 QAM	64 QAM	Rel 14
CAT 12	600 Mbps	150 Mbps	2×2	3x	40 MHz	256 QAM	64 QAM	Rel 11~12
CAT 6	300 Mbps	50 Mbps	2×2	2x	40 MHz	64 QAM	16 QAM	Rel 10~12
CAT 4	150 Mbps	50 Mbps	No	No	1.4~20 MHz	64 QAM	16 QAM	Rel 8
CAT 1	10 Mbps	5 Mbps	No	No	1.4~20 MHz	64 QAM	16 QAM	Rel 8

As the 4G and 5G mobile networks are widely deployed worldwide, the cellular data internet becomes sufficient and lowers the price. Without the hassles of setup fees, insert a SIM card into the cellular router, and you can start accessing cutting-edge and fast-speed mobile internet for homes and offices.

Check more technical details about the LTE-Advanced 4G modem routers with the carrier aggregation and MIMO antenna array.