What is Band Locking?
Band Locking is the practice of locking the router to only use one specific cellular frequency.
Does my router support band locking?
While our routers are capable of band locking, we do discourage this practice if you plan to ever leave your current location. Just because the locked band exists at your current location, does not indicate that it will be available even a mile away - each tower broadcasts some of the same, or all different LTE signals.
Does band locking increase speed?
Locking your router to a specific band may increase your speed, though only in an un-congested environment. We do not recommend band locking for speed as this will always change as users connect and disconnect to the tower you are connected to, and the tower will not be able to move your router to a less congested band (if available during congestion).
Why would I band lock?
It is possible that you'll be located between two or more cellular towers broadcasting all different LTE frequencies. If your router is connected to a further tower, this can degrade performance. We typically suggest band locking to an LTE Band that is attached to the nearest tower, and this will keep your router from connecting to other towers. Your router cannot be moved from its current location, as it will not connect to the cellular network if the LTE Band it is locked to is not in the area you move to.
Will Travel Data Help Me Band Lock My Router?
Travel Data will assist customers who feel that this process may help their situation. The process will be conducted over live chat, and requires you to have a separate internet connection (like your existing cell phone) that can be used for the chat portion, as we will need to disconnect and reconnect your router from the network several times to complete the band locking. Customers can expect to spend approximately 30 minutes with our technical support staff working through to find the best available band to use. As this is a time-intensive process for our technical support staff, there is a fee per occurrence*. Please click the link below to view the current rate, and select the LTE Band Locking from the drop-down selector.