A few months ago, we shared some information from FCC listings about two new T-Mobile Home Internet gateways that were in the works. Among other things, these gateways appeared to have external antenna ports along with a matching antenna accessory.
The Arcadyan gateway was released first in August, with the Sercomm following a couple months later in October. Both models are essentially identical in form and function, with the only significant difference being the company that actually puts them together. Weirdly, though, the external antenna accessory seen in the FCC listings wasn’t made available alongside either new gateway, with T-Mobile documentation saying they’d become available at a later date.
Today, that wait is over. If you have the Sercomm TMOG4SE or Arcadyan TMOG4AR, you can now buy T-Mobile’s official antenna accessory for them.
Since T-Mobile is selling the antenna, you have the option of buying it outright for $99.99 or paying $8.34/mo over 12 months. It’s unclear why exactly it took so long for the it to go up for sale, but that won’t stop me from speculating.
From internal documents it was pretty clear that T-Mobile wanted to limit who exactly would be able to get a Home Internet gateway with antenna ports. Customer support was only giving it to new customers or as a replacement for customers who already had the same model. Combine that with the fact that they sourced two manufacturers to build essentially the same product, and it could point to supply issues. Maybe T-Mobile just didn’t have enough initial stock until now. Low manufacturing yield could certainly explain the delay.
Whatever the reason, if you want this antenna, you can head on over to T-Mobile’s website and place an order. If you want to go the financing route, you’ll need an active T-Mobile account with financing capabilities. The one-time payment option should only require a login.
Keep in mind that this antenna only works out-of-the-box with the new Sercomm G4SE and Arcadyan G4AR gateways, since these are the only consumer-tier devices with the matching external antenna ports. If you have a Sagemcom, an older Arcadyan, or the Nokia, you won’t be able to use the antenna without some disassembly, patience, and a few adapters.
It is worth mentioning how well this new antenna works. According to the YouTube channel Nater Tater, the new antenna is heavily limited by it’s cord length. As a result, speeds and signal don’t seem to improve much at all over using the built-in internal antenna on the unit itself. If you snag some third-party cable extensions, it might make more sense.
If you’re looking for something a little more powerful (or compatible), check out Waveform’s antenna offerings. They are not exactly comparable in price to T-Mobile’s, but you do get more for your money, including adapters for all of the T-Mobile Home Internet gateways, installation instructions, and much more in-depth support and troubleshooting options (and a much longer cable length!).
Another plus is that Waveform’s antenna can be purchased even if you’re not a T-Mobile Home Internet customer. They’ve got installation guides for a whole bunch of different gateways, either from carriers or unlocked. You can use code TMOREPORT at checkout and save an extra 5%, too.
The new T-Mobile antenna is available now on the company’s accessories page.
