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The Cellular Lock feature allows certain Zyxel devices to restrict their connection to a specific cell tower, which can be beneficial in environments with multiple base stations. However, this feature is supported only on select models like the NR7101 and FWA710.
Please note: - Nebula FWA510 - does not support Cellular Lock
- Nebula NR5101 - does not support Cellular Lock
- Nebula FWA505 - does not support Cellular Lock
(Read more about the available features in the User's Guide or datasheet)
How It Works
By configuring the Cellular Lock, you can specify one or more cells (identified by their RFCN and PCI values) that your device should connect to. If multiple cells are specified, the device selects the one with the strongest signal. There is no priority order among the listed cells.
Important Considerations:
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The lock applies only to the primary connection cell.
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Secondary cells used for Carrier Aggregation (CA) are not restricted by this setting
Configuration Steps
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Access the Web Interface:
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Connect to your device's network.
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Open a web browser and navigate to
http://192.168.1.1. -
Log in with your credentials
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Navigate to Cellular Lock Settings:
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Go to Network Setting > Broadband > Cell Lock
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Identify Available Cells:
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Use the Cell Info tab to view nearby cells and note their RFCN and PCI values.
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Set Preferred Cells:
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In the Cell Lock tab, enter the RFCN and PCI values of the desired cells.
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Click Apply to save the settings.
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For a visual guide, refer to the images in the original article.
How Cellular Lock Works – In Detail
The Cellular Lock feature enables you to specify which cell(s) your Zyxel 5G router should use for its primary connection. However, it's important to understand how this selection behaves in practice:
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Equal Priority Between Locked Cells:
If you configure multiple cells on the Cell Lock page (e.g., RFCN 1275 and RFCN 9560), the device does not treat one as more important than the other. Instead, it will connect to whichever of the configured cells has the stronger signal or better conditions at the moment.For example, RFCN 1275 will not necessarily have higher priority than RFCN 9560.
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Restriction Applies Only to Primary Cell:
The lock setting restricts the initial connection cell (also called the Primary Component Carrier, or PCC). It does not apply to any additional cells used for Carrier Aggregation (CA).For instance, if you lock the device to an LTE cell (e.g., RFCN 9560, PCI 444), your NR7101 will connect to this specific LTE cell as the primary.
However, once connected, the device may still aggregate other secondary cells (SCC) from different towers to enhance throughput — and these are not controlled by the Cellular Lock settings.
For Further Reading
For more technical details and examples, please refer to the User’s Guide of your device, available under Advanced Downloads for 5G devices.
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