What is the difference between the Teltonika and NightHawk 4G Modems?

In this video I just want to do a quick summary between a Teltonika type router and a Nighthawk M2, 5 or 6 modem.
Focusing on the type of product and the type of technology that they could support.
There are wo distinct differences. If you look at the two products one is industrial grade - the RUT360, but all the Teltonika products are industrial grade. And the Nighthawk M - series is consumer grade. With consumer grade products we are used to having to reset them every now and again. Industrial grade products need to be reliably running 24/7.
Consumer grade products are brought to market quicker, sometimes with known “bugs” - then they get updates as needed. Industrial grade products are slower to market, but when they come, they are 100% ready and reliable. They of course still get updates too, as needed.
Another key difference is that the Nighthawk has its own battery, which is awesome for a lot of users. You can charge and take with you wherever you go, and you don't have to worry about where to plug in your device.
On a Teltonika, or an industrial router, you do need a power supply somewhere. However, it is awesome to note that these devices are designed to work from anything from 9 to 30 volt, and some models have an even bigger voltage range. So, if you have a compact battery, you can still take this with you.
There are only internal Wi-Fi antennas on a Nighthawk. There's nothing you can do about it to make it any different. However, with a Teltonika device, it comes without any antennas connected or embedded to it. So, when you buy it, you get proper dipole antennas in the box. These are better than internal antennas because you know where your antenna is radiating. That's a massive plus of using a device that has external and completely customizable antennas available.
A lot of these devices e.g., Nighthawk, the Huawei B-818 and many of the new 5G have two external antenna ports, yet they say it's a four-by-four MIMO. If you only get two antenna ports going out, you don't know what is routed to the outside and what is kept on the inside. And there's no general rule that I could say it's always going to be this, or it's always going to be that. It's a little bit of guessing. I will explain more in the video.
Edited by Holly Winter
tinyurl.com/hollywinterfilm
#4gmodem #Caravan #Nighthawk #Teltonika

[@davehill7207]

Great video We have a nighthawk mr5100 modem with twin external RFI cellular antennas plugged into it mounted on the cab of the truck. We have a data system operating 24/7 and this system works very well against known low or no coverage spots we knew about already. We’ve upgraded to a teltonika RUT950 as it now interfaces with a Starlink system that obviously gives us 24/7 connectivity unless the Starlink is down or we are in an area with shading or overhead coverage that interrupts the satt signal. It also increases the data ports to 3 instead of the 1 on the Netgear, however we have taken out the Starlink router which is 240volt and replaced it with the teltonika which runs on 24volt but also has an inverter to supply the Starlink antenna with 48volts The teltonika is in place to fail over any outages providing we have cellular coverage. Your video confirmed and reinforced what we already knew or picked up along the way to get the robust system we have now. We have to eventually upgrade to a 5G modem as the areas we work in outer nsw and qld are starting to get 5G Thank you for the video very well spoken

[@RFShop]

Dave, I am humbled by your detailed feedback, and off-course it’s awesome to get field feedback from what we know and aim to share on our channel !!

[@SimonLukell]

This explains beautifully why I've had great results with an external directional antenna for my M2 on some sites and zero improvement on other sites (same signal metrics with or without the external antenna connected). Thank you!

[@RFShop]

Thanks Simon. I think I'm going to open a few modems / routers in the coming months to illustrate this in more graphic details as well

[@extremeacc101]

Absolutely tops mate. Thanks for the very informative video once again. Shared David. 👍👍

[@RFShop]

Much appreciated :)

[@petrkovac9553]

this points you making are great, i was looking for smth truly informative and important info, David you just talking whats important, there are many more videos, but none of them i find near close informative/knowledgable as yours, thanks

[@RFShop]

Thank you, I'm humbled and appreciate the feedback :)

[@razvanduta3563]

Excellent video, good pointing to how the devices are using both internal and external antennas. Yet to test the Nightgawk M6 with a proper external antenna. I have a feeling will be returning it to Telstra.

[@RFShop]

Thanks...much appreciated :)

[@dhadumia]

Crisp and comprehensive!

[@RFShop]

Thank you :)

[@podarok_ua]

Thank you for the good explanation. I bought initially a consumer-grade, USB stick, but realized it is unreliable, even the antenna looks like an invisible hole somewhere under a rubber small unopenable thing. Will see how Teltonika behaves.

[@RFShop]

Thanks for the feedback. Please feel free to let me know how you go once you have used the Teltonika device

[@podarok_ua]

@@RFShop I've installed TRB140 as LTE/3G backup + WireGuard to external VPS at DigitalOcean. I'm impressed by Teltonika RutOS - great piece of software on top of OpenWRT

[@craigclarke1628]

I have a Teltonika with dual SIM which is excellent for remote travel as it has a Telstra and an Optus SIM. This means I get the best coverage and can also use both networks without making any changes while traveling.

[@RFShop]

Thanks Craig...those models are indeed awesome.

[@brucemackay1206]

I have the same but not sure how to set it up to auto switch over to Optus when necessary.

[@craigclarke1628]

@@brucemackay1206 Try either RF Shop or Sunburn Computing. Note that the Teltonika is designed so that it can be set up remotely.

[@brucemackay1206]

@@craigclarke1628 Thanks Craig. Who set yours up?

[@pauliusruginis5264]

@@brucemackay1206 the best way to exploit two sims would be to use the SIM switch functionality, and I would recommend using switch sim on low signal option

[@user-ei3oz9xe9m]

installed the 5G teltonika on my caravan and the reception is great from Adelaide up through Bourke to Northern Qld and back. full tv and mobile phone up to 40km from a tower

[@RFShop]

Great....thanks for letting us know

[@ecoterrorist1402]

thanks nice, completely agree about the commercial/domestic thing, had the usual problems with a m1 requiring a reboot daily. to solve this, i now have the following configuration that works beautifully, firstly the m1 router, set-up as pass-though only to LAN, no WiFi. then Raspberrypi with openwrt, doing DCHP, Firewall etc dumb routers "Access Point", with open wrt some great little wifi Opel gl router with wifi/lan, or an old router "BT Home Hub 5.0 Type A" that can have openwrt setup as a dumb one, i have both the setup been running over a yr now with no issues, and will update only when 22.03 openwrt is out of beta.

[@RFShop]

Yes, sounds like an awesome setup. If that works I would indeed not change it...but imagine trying to convince typical users (not the technical type) to setup something complicated :)

[@ecoterrorist1402]

@@RFShop one thing you didn't add & could be the main difference is Heat, most domestic is plastic, commercial is normal metal. is the lag better on a 5G network 4g is about 80mS avg. i know with land lines it's about 40mS

[@RFShop]

@@ecoterrorist1402 that is a very important point and you are correct...completely missed it. I burned my fingers (pun intended) in my previous job when we had a nice see-thru plastic container for a new PCB to display at a trade-show, but the thermal properties of the plastic caused so much trouble during the expo it was not funny. However, as soon as we started using our extruded metal enclosures and some simple heat pads to connect components to the outer chassis it "magically" worked better.

[@lemo87a]

So the external antenna ports on a Nighhawk M5 are 'hardwired' to a specific band, even though you can manually select the band electronically through the app? Am I understanding that correctly?

[@RFShop]

I'm not sure how the antenna routing / wiring works but by all accounts it looks to be that way, yes

[@tempestv8]

Does the Teltonika RU360 come with a power supply at all? If so, is it 240v A/C adaptor? What if you want to put it in a caravan or RV? Is there a suitable 12 volt cigarette lighter style or some other solution for powering this unit with 12 volt batteries?

[@RFShop]

Hi. Yes, the Teltonika routers by themselves come with 240v AC supply. In our kits (for example) we include the 12v cigarette lighter plugs as well...which come in addition to the normal 240v supply

[@joostvantongeren198]

Hi Craig, Thanks for the video. I am going to camp with RV and drive through europe and marrocco. Need to work 3 days a week, so I need stable internet. I am doing some videocalls and dont need super fast internet to do the job. Would a Teltonika RUT240 with Poynting MIMO-3-V2-12 Camper antenne be good enough to do this? And would it be possible for a me to install the Teltonika. To configure a Nighthawk would be easier I suppose. For me one of the most important things is that the device catches internet at places where my smarthphone wont. Thanks a lot! Joost

[@RFShop]

Hoi Joost! The RUT240 will indeed work quite well. I don’t think you can get much simpler / easier than the RUT240 so I woukd recoomend the router and MIMO-3-12. Met vriendelijke groet, David

[@leighwilson6376]

Been looking for a good channel about caravan internet in remote places. Subscribed!! Watched a few vids and found it very helpful. But still thinking if a nighthawk or teltonika whould be best. In your opinion what would be the best one to buy if you were travelling australia and what mimo directional antenna??? Thank you

[@RFShop]

Leigh, thanks heaps for subscribing :) We get a lot of customers with NightHawk units, and they are certainly great for many general consumer and portable applications...no doubt. I typically try to point out the key differences, and why I prefer the Teltonika options from a longer-term use and reliability perspective. Off-course, from our perspective product support etc. is also something we (and our competitors) can help with, but with NightHawk you're probably not going to get the same level of after-sales support and not the level of configuration options available for the Teltonika's.

[@pauliusruginis5264]

Hello everyone, If anyone was wondering, RUT360 has 2.4Gz WiFI available on the device, however, the standard can provide the full speeds for most of the time that the router CAT6 modem can provide. Also, I would like to address one point RFShop mentioned, the antennas are most of the time universal, on the Nighthawk and the Teltonika devices (that come included in the box). All of them usually provide full 2G to 4G band frequency coverage, that is the most efficient way to use them, as in low signal environment it would provide the best coverage. If you have any question related to the Teltonika device, I would gladly answer them, let's just say I know more then the usual consumer, wink wink.

[@RFShop]

Kareir, thanks for your contribution to the channel

[@dwightgrant9960]

Can the RUTX50 be used in the Bahamas with a sim carrier in the Bahamas? Like is it unlocked? Also can it be used with a 4G sim card?

[@techalex1992]

Actually, the ordinary huawei b525 router has the option to use only external antennas,and it works well. And now the question is, can i profit from rutx14 and four external antennas. That device is expensive.

[@RFShop]

I use the B525 at home as well. It's a good modem. I do think the RUTX14 should perform faster because it has higher LTE specifications, and the 4x4 antennas can really take the connection much further. However, it does always rely on the signal quality where you are, and whether the network is faster on that location.

[@Mathijsvanderbeek]

A Cat 6 router and Cat 20 router is difficult to compare I think? I am trying to figure out what is the best option for me to work on remote places. A nighthawk M1 with antenna or an other router with antenna. I need at least 2 mbit up (for livestreaming on KZbin). Let me know your thoughts and solutions for this :) and thanks for the nice video!

[@terryholland9155]

how do I hook up a 4x4 Mimo Antenna to a RUT360 if it only has 2 External ports? and can you upgrade the 4G Module to a faster CAT Module in a RUT360?

[@RFShop]

The RUT360 would be what it is. I would currently only use two of the ports from the antenna, and wait for a router that can get the best out of the 4x4 MIMO

[@Tom_Azin]

What would you recommend if one only needs a 4G modem, not the router part as well? The router part is a pfSense box and the wifi is a Unifi system. So just the "4G to ethernet" box and it must work in bridge mode, so that the ISP IP is directly available to the router, no NAT. Would the Teltonika TRB140 be OK for this purpose? Thanks.

[@Wiz_Au]

I'm in exactly the same situation with a PfSense & CrystalEye devices. I just need a 4G modem that can work in a 'bridge' or pass through mode to the 'real' router as a backup (or aggregated) to the other WAN port with Fixed wireless NBN. I have been looking at the RUTX Series. And outdoor/weatherproof would be a bonus.

[@RFShop]

I'll have to take this up with Teltonika just to make sure I get you a very clear response

[@RFShop]

Hi, see my response to the original question. I'll get back with detail

[@daywlkr8]

@@RFShop curious did you ever get a response? Thanks!

[@AdrianSinner97]

i am trying to understand something: Why aren't both SIM lighten up? I tried it each one a side and is working, each one takes it s own operator. But i presumed this is a LOAD BALANCING stuff. Load balancer settings are ON. Just that on one SIM say ONLINE and th eother say Interface Stopped. I try to find info about this, as these should be ONLINE both in the same time..to have the load balancing work. ANy idea?

[@RFShop]

It depends on the model. The only router that has two distinct modems inside is the RUTX12...and that model allows you to use both SIM-cards at the same time. All other dual-SIM modems have access to both SIM-cards, but only one is used at any given time. It's only one or the other...not both. On the RUTX12 you can run both.

[@geryloftis7985]

Can you use 2 antennas on the night hawk?

[@RFShop]

Yes, indeed you can. The NightHawk has two external TS9 antenna ports that can be used for an outdoor antenna.

[@NSWMods]

Thank u Sir Do u Know of any Modems That you can use 2 sims card slots if traveling around Australia Some area Telstra Good But in other area optus is better Good to see a video on that Thank u Again sir

[@RFShop]

For sure...the Teltonika RUT950 is a budget friendly option, and the higher end models starting with the RUTX11 all support dual-SIM capabilities for exactly that reason.

[@NSWMods]

@@RFShop Thank u Sir for your Reply I Take a look at it on your website

[@pauliusruginis5264]

@@NSWMods Hi, if in some case you would need 2 sims active at the same time, RUTX12 would be a great option

[@leeparker5279]

Im wanting yo buy an rutx11 and external antenna for my motorhome what the best to buy antenna wise and the cheapest pmace to buy?

[@RFShop]

Hi Lee. Chasing the cheapest price may not always work in your favour. The best antenna in my opinion would be the Poynting MIMO-3 at this stage. Depends what aspect you want to implement it could be the MIMO-314 or MIMO-3-15 antennas.

[@paulafalevai8193]

What if I don't have 5g in my country it only have 4g. Which one do you recommend?

[@RFShop]

The same antenna and modem in my humble opinion

[@Milldog2023]

hmm, i wonder if i could ask for a recommendation .. So i've dumped Virgin media and gone with a 4G TP MR600 V2. I've now decided that im going back to the Good ole Nokia 3310,But i still need that wifi for sat navs and my fall detection watch. looking at a Mifi for the cars gadgets and for motorbike gadgets. What would you recommend that i could use between all the gadgets Something easy that has options of aerials to be added. Cheers mark.

[@RFShop]

The simplest option might work well? Thinking about the Teltonika RUT240

[@bobroberts8500]

What's your opinion on latronix maestro e-210 series?

[@RFShop]

Hi Rob. We only focus on the solutions we have in-hand. I don't have a good response.

[@bobroberts8500]

@@RFShop OK, let me broaden the question, are used 3g IOT industrial grade routers still valuable & in demand? I have 60 of them and they list online 100 - 200 a piece.

[@RFShop]

@@bobroberts8500 in Australia that’s a tricky question. The 3G networks will be shut down in 12month’s time, so after that there will be no more use for 3G devices. Elsewhere in tge world it would still make a lot of sense though!

[@RFShop]

@@bobroberts8500 the big issue is the shutdown of the 3G network, at least here in Australia. Come June 2024 all 3G devices will no longer connect to the networks. It will be different in other parts of the world.

[@bobroberts8500]

Also do you know anything about ANRITSU 5g boards encased between 2 slabs of form fit extruded aluminum, each about 6mm thick. Lots of screws going into gold banding on the board.

[@kmac499]

Industrial Grade not the latest and greatest, what I call the Brass Bullet.. doesn't have the shiny shiny of a silver bullet but it sure gets the job done..

[@RFShop]

That's a good way to describe it

[@dailybusiness8162]

Perfect, thank you!

[@RFShop]

Thanks !!

[@AliM-lv8wb]

Netgear is super fast regarding Teltonika

[@RFShop]

I agree...but other than testing the speed and comparing datasheets how much real difference does a faster modem make to normal everyday use?

[@teemuvesala9575]

Sure if you compare Netgear to RUT360... try something like TRB500 and it leaves Netgear to dust.