FWA510 vs FWA710 indoor / outdoor

dimitris156

Greetings community, recently i bought my 1st zyxel product Multy M1 to have wifi mesh to my home, and i am keen on buying also a new 5G router.

Currently i am with a mikrotik chateu lte12 4G,(stock antennas/indoor) and looking to upgrade.

I set my eyes on FWA510 and FWA710 which are completely different routers indoor/outdoor.

my only concern is how to judge which one to get? would the outdoor be 100% better than the indoor? is there a way to evaluate that?

below my cellular status of the mikrotik i am not sure if it helps.

and also on a side note, would the FWA710 be able to be used indoors? i know its outdoor router, but there might be a chance i need to mount it indoors temporarily incase i select that one. price difference is not an issue.

Zyxel_Kay

Hi @dimitris156

Thank you for reaching out to the community!

It's great to hear that you're considering upgrading to one of our 5G routers.

To help guide your decision:

1. Primary WAN Usage: Could you clarify whether you intend to use only Cellular WAN or both Cellular and Ethernet WAN? If your setup includes Ethernet WAN, the FWA510 would be the better choice, as the FWA710 supports only Cellular WAN.
2. Cellular Performance: If your priority is achieving the best possible cellular connection, the FWA710 is equipped with built-in high-gain 4G/5G antennas (up to 9 dBi per element), making it highly suitable for areas with weaker signal coverage.
3. Device Features: The FWA510 and FWA710 differ in features. I recommend reviewing the user guide for a detailed comparison of both devices (pages 18-19):
   • FWA510 User Guide
4. Indoor Use of FWA710: Although the FWA710 is designed for outdoor installation, it can temporarily be used indoors. However, for optimal performance, especially with its high-gain antennas, we recommend installing it outdoors and positioning it toward the nearest cellular base station.

Hope this information helps! If you have further questions, feel free to ask.