Manually Setting a Cell Tower Lock With Your InvisaGig 5G Cellular Modem

Locking Onto a Cell Tower With the InvisaGig 5G Cellular Modem

Manual Entry Tower Cell Lock on the InvisaGig 5G Modem

How Do We Make Our Modem Lock Onto a Specific Cell Tower, and Why Would We Want To?

Advanced Modem Settings Deciphered: Cell Tower Locking

In this guide, we’ll walk through the process of manually setting a cell tower lock on the InvisaGig. While this is a slightly more advanced topic, the process remains simple and fast—just like the InvisaGig itself!

Understanding Cell Tower Locking

Cell tower locking allows you to force your InvisaGig to connect to a specific tower rather than letting it automatically choose. This can be useful if:

You want to connect to a tower that provides better speeds but isn’t the default choice.
You notice frequent network switching causing instability.
Your device keeps connecting to a weaker tower despite stronger options being available.

We’ll cover both 5G Standalone (SA) and LTE/5G Non-Standalone (NSA) configurations and how to manually select the best option.

Cell Tower Locking With the InvisaGig in 5 Steps

Step 1: Accessing the Connection Configuration

- Log into your InvisaGig device.
- Navigate to Connection Configuration and select Local Tower Search.
- Choose either LTE or 5G Standalone (SA) for scanning available towers.

Note: AT&T and Verizon currently only support Non-Standalone 5G (NSA), meaning the primary connection is LTE, with 5G used as an additional aggregated connection. Only T-Mobile supports full Standalone 5G (SA) in select areas.

Step 2: Running a Tower Scan

- Start a local tower search and wait for results.
- The scan will display a list of available bands, each identified by:
  - Band Number
  - Carrier Name
  - Frequency and PCI (Physical Cell Identifier)
- If you see multiple options, compare them based on:
  - Signal Strength: Higher signal strength usually means a closer or stronger tower.
  - Speeds: Some towers may be farther away but offer faster speeds.
  - PCI Identifiers: Unique values indicating different towers or sectors.
- If the scan doesn’t return expected results, run it multiple times. Network conditions and congestion can affect what appears in each scan.

Step 3: Locking to a Specific Tower

- Automatic Tower Locking (If Tower Shows in Scan)
  1. Find the band and tower you want in the scan results.
  2. Select the corresponding number and press Enter to lock onto it.
  Manual Tower Locking (If Tower Doesn’t Appear in Scan)
  If your preferred tower does not show up in a scan but appears on your Modem Info Page, you can manually enter the details:
  1. Press M for manual entry.
  2. Enter the required parameters in this order:
    - PCI
    - Frequency
    - SCS (Subcarrier Spacing, for 5G SA only)
    - Band
  3. Confirm the entry and allow the system to reconnect.

Tip: You can gather PCI and frequency details from CellMapper.net or similar tools if your modem has never connected to that tower.

Step 4: Verifying the Connection

- Navigate to Modem Info to confirm your connection.
- Check if the Primary Cell matches the tower details you locked to.
- If needed, run a speed test to compare performance.

Step 5: Removing a Tower Lock

- If you need to revert back to automatic tower selection:
  1. Go to the Tower Locking Menu.
  2. Select Remove All Tower Bindings.
  3. Your connection will drop temporarily as the modem resets.
  4. Once reconnected, check Modem Info to verify the unlocked status.

Comparing Different Towers: Why Locking Matters

During testing, different towers may provide vastly different speeds. For example:

Tower A (One 5G Band): 2x faster speeds despite weaker signal.
Tower B (Two Aggregated LTE Bands): Stronger signal, but slower speeds.

This highlights why tower locking can be essential for optimizing your connection.

5G Standalone vs. Non-Standalone: What’s the Difference?

Standalone 5G (SA): Uses only 5G and requires PCI, Frequency, SCS, and Band for locking.
Non-Standalone 5G (NSA) & LTE: Uses LTE as the primary connection and requires only PCI and Frequency for locking.

Switching Between SA and NSA

Navigate to Connection Configuration → Network Mode.
Select:
- 5G Standalone (SA) (Only available on T-Mobile currently).
- LTE & 5G Non-Standalone (NSA) (For AT&T, Verizon, and general LTE users).

Note: Switching between SA and NSA can cause a brief disconnect as the modem rebuilds its connection.

Final Thoughts: Why Use Tower Locking?

The default automatic selection doesn’t always choose the best option. By using InvisaGig’s tower locking features, you can:

✅ Avoid slow connections by choosing the fastest tower.
✅ Prevent unwanted tower switching that causes instability.
✅ Fine-tune your network for optimal speed and performance.

With these tools, you can take full control of your connection and ensure fast, stable, and optimized speeds.