Cradlepoint offers cellular gateways and "wideband adapters" that are intended to provide a cellular internet connection to a router.
Higher-end enterprise mobile gear Cradlepoint (and competitor Peplink) have long appealed to RVers and boaters with the most demanding mobile internet needs, particularly for those with an IT background who are not intimidated by managing a more complex device.
However, in recent years, Cradlepoint moved away from the consumer market and is exclusively focused on enterprise customers.
In September 2024, Cradlepoint was officially rebranded to "Ericsson Enterprise Wireless" although the name Cradlepoint still seems to be in use with most vendors.
ALERT - NetCloud Subscription Required:
In 2019 Cradlepoint announced a new policy that tightly integrated its hardware with its NetCloud subscription service. A NetCloud subscription is now required to manage even basic router features and is not realistically optional. Everyone considering purchasing a Cradlepoint router should keep this requirement in mind.
Product Variations
Cradlepoint offers a few cellular gateways and adapters - here are the ones of most interest to nomads, RVers, and boaters:
- W1850 5G Wideband Adapter - An indoor 5G/LTE Cat-20 adapter designed to provide connectivity for branch offices.
- L950 LTE Adapter - A basic adapter with an integrated Cat-7 Modem.
- CBA 850 Cellular Adapter (retired) - A simple case and electronics designed to house one of Cradlepoints MC400 modem modules.
L950
The Cradlepoint L950 is a POE-powered adapter with a Cat-7 integrated modem. It's primarily intended to provide redundancy and failover for other networks.
Specifications
- Model: L950
- Router Specs:
- # of Connected Devices: N/A
- Wi-Fi Router: N/A
- USB Tethering Support: Yes - 1x USB Port, tethering not confirmed
- Ethernet Ports: 2x Gigabit Ethernet
- Cellular Modem Specs:
- Cellular Modem: Single 4G
- Supported Networks and Bands: AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile
- LTE Bands: 2, 4, 5, 7, 12, 13, 14, 25, 26, 41, 42, 43, 48, 66, 71
- 4G/3G: Not specified
- MIMO Support: 2x2
- LTE Performance Category: Category 7 (Max Theoretical Speed: 300 Mbps Down / 150 Mbps Up)
- LTE-Advanced Carrier Aggregation: 2x Download, 2x Upload
- Cellular Antennas: 2x SMA male
- SIM Slots: 2x Nano-SIM
- Dimensions: 5.7 x 5.7 x 1.2 inches
- Other Ports: None
- Power Source: POE Only - 802.3af PSE Type 1 (15W)
- Outdoor Rated: No
- Special Features: Data Usage Tracking, Auto Failover, Load Balancing, Integrated GPS
- Retail Price: $801, includes one year of NetCloud
W1850
The W1850 is designed for branch offices that require 5G performance. It does not include any Wi-Fi networking, though it does have 2x 2.5 Gigabit ports for LAN and WAN connections. The adapter also has a fast processor and internal speeds that allow a throughput of up to 2 Gbps.
Specifications
- Model: W1850
- Router Specs:
- # of Connected Devices: Not Specified
- Wi-Fi Router: N/A
- USB Tethering Support: Yes - 1x USB Port, tethering not confirmed
- Ethernet Ports: 2x 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet (WAN/LAN)
- Cellular Modem Specs:
- Cellular Modem: Single 5G / LTE Cat-20
- Modem Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon X55
- Supported Networks and Bands: Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint (Auto Switching)
- 5G Sub-6 Bands: n1, n2, n3, n5, n28, n41, n66, n71, n77, n78, n79
- LTE Bands: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 46, 48, 66, 71
- 4G/3G: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 19
- 2G: No
- MIMO Support: 4x4
- Max Theoretical 5G Performance: 4 Gbps Down / 700 Mbps Up
- LTE Performance Category: Cat-20 (Max Theoretical Speed: 2 Gbps Down / 150 Mbps Up)
- LTE-Advanced Carrier Aggregation: 7x Download, 2x Upload
- 5G Carrier Aggregation: Mid-Band & Low-Band 5G cannot be combined.
- Cellular Antennas: 4x SMA Antenna Ports (paddle antennas included)
- SIM Slots: 2x Nano (4FF) SIM slots
- Dimensions: 6.5 x 6.5 x 1.5 inches
- Other Ports:
- RJ-45 (Console)
- 12v Power
- Power Source: AC Adapter or PoE
- Outdoor Rated: No
- Special Features: Data Usage Tracking, Auto Failover, Load Balancing
- Retail Price: $1299-1899
CBA 850
The Cradlepoint ARC CBA850 is a cellular Gateway modem that can provide a cellular internet connection to any traditional router - just like one would use a cable or DSL modem.
One advantage of the CBA850 is that it uses a proprietary MC400 module modem slot, allowing end-users the ability to easily upgrade the device. Although Cradlepoint has 5G modem modules for the MC400, the best module that can be used with the CBA850 is the LTE Cat-18 module.
Specifications
- Model: CBA850
- Router Specs:
- # of Connected Devices: Not Specified
- Wi-Fi Router: N/A
- USB Tethering Support: Yes - 1x USB Port, tethering not confirmed
- Ethernet Ports: 2x Gigabit Ethernet (One for device management, one WAN with POE)
- Cellular Modem Specs:
- Cellular Modem: Single 4G
- Supported Networks and Bands: Certified for all carriers, depending on modem option.
- MC400-1200M-B Modem: Category 18
- LTE Bands: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12(17), 13, 14, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 32, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 46, 48, 66, 71
- 4G/3G: WCDMA/DC-HSPA+, Bands 1, 2, 4, 5(19), 8
- MIMO Support: 2x2 and 4x4
- LTE Performance Category: Category 18 (Max Theoretical Speed: 1,200 Mbps Down / 150 Mbps Up)
- LTE-Advanced Carrier Aggregation: 5x Download, 3x Upload
- Cellular Antennas: 4x SMA male
- MC400-1200M Modem: Category 18 - AT&T and Verizon
- LTE Bands: 2, 4, 5, 12, 13, 14, 29, 30, 46, 48, 66
- 4G/3G: WCDMA/DC-HSPA+, Bands 1, 2, 4, 5(19), 8
- MIMO Support: 2x2 and 4x4
- LTE Performance Category: Category 18 (Max Theoretical Speed: 1,200 Mbps Down / 150 Mbps Up)
- LTE-Advanced Carrier Aggregation: 5x Download, 3x Upload
- Cellular Antennas: 4x SMA male
- MC400-600M-C-AT Modem: Category 12 AT&T Firstnet version
- LTE Bands: 2, 4, 5, 12, 14, 29, 30, 46, 66
- 4G/3G: WCDMA/DC-HSPA+
- MIMO Support: 2x2
- LTE Performance Category: Category 12 (Max Theoretical Speed: 600 Mbps Down / 150 Mbps Up)
- LTE-Advanced Carrier Aggregation: 3x Download, 2x Upload
- Cellular Antennas: 2x SMA male
- MC400LP6 Modem: Category 6 Four Carrier version
- LTE Bands: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 20, 25, 26, 29, 30, 41
- 4G/3G: WCDMA/DC-HSPA+
- MIMO Support: 2x2
- LTE Performance Category: Category 6 (Max Theoretical Speed: 300Mbps Down / 50 Mbps Up)
- LTE-Advanced Carrier Aggregation: 2x Download
- Cellular Antennas: 2x SMA male
- MC400LP4 Modem: Category 4 Verizon/AT&T version
- LTE Bands: 2, 4, 5, 13, 17
- 4G/3G: HSPA+
- MIMO Support: 2x2
- LTE Performance Category: Category 4 (Max Theoretical Speed: 150Mbps Down / 50 Mbps Up)
- LTE-Advanced Carrier Aggregation: No
- Cellular Antennas: 2x SMA male
- MC400LPE-AT Modem: Category 4 AT&T specific version
- LTE Bands: 2, 4, 5, 13, 17, 25
- 4G/3G: HSPA+/UMTS, GSM/GPRS/EDGE, CDMA EVDO
- MIMO Support: 2x2
- LTE Performance Category: Category 4 (Max Theoretical Speed: 150Mbps Down / 50 Mbps Up)
- LTE-Advanced Carrier Aggregation: No
- Cellular Antennas: 2x SMA male
- MC400LPE-GN Modem: Category 4 Generic Version – for use on T-Mobile and US Cellular in the U.S. and Rogers, Bell, & TELUS in Canada
- LTE Bands: 2, 4, 5, 13, 17, 25
- 4G/3G: HSPA+/UMTS, GSM/GPRS/EDGE, CDMA EVDO
- MIMO Support: 2x2
- LTE Performance Category: Category 4 (Max Theoretical Speed: 150Mbps Down / 50 Mbps Up)
- LTE-Advanced Carrier Aggregation: No
- Cellular Antennas: 2x SMA male
- MC400LPE-SP Modem: Category 4 Sprint Version
- LTE Bands: 2, 4, 5, 13, 17, 25
- 4G/3G: HSPA+/UMTS, GSM/GPRS/EDGE, CDMA EVDO
- MIMO Support: 2x2
- LTE Performance Category: Category 4 (Max Theoretical Speed: 150Mbps Down / 50 Mbps Up)
- LTE-Advanced Carrier Aggregation: No
- Cellular Antennas: 2x SMA male
- MC400-1200M-B Modem: Category 18
- SIM Slots: 2x Mini-SIM
- Dimensions: 4.8 × 4.8 × 1.7 inches
- Other Ports:
- RJ-45 (Console)
- GPS Antenna Port(SMA)
- 12v Power
- Power Source: 12 V DC / 1.5 A power adapter.
- Outdoor Rated: No
- Special Features: Data Usage Tracking, Auto Failover, Load Balancing, Integrated GPS
- Retail Price: $609-839 (w/o antennas), includes 1 year of NetCloud Manager
News, Videos & Status
We do not have any Cradelpoint adapters for testing.
Related News Stories
Alternatives to Consider
For other popular mobile routers on the market we are tracking - here are our featured options:
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Routers can serve as a central conductor of your local area network in your RV and boat. Mobile routers are different from residential routers in that they typically support multiple internet sources like cellular and Wi-Fi, can be powered off of 12v or AC and support external antenna for better receiving signal.
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