Dell precision 7740 SnapDragon DIY upgrade?

Folks,

I bought a dell 7740 november last year. I tried to have the snapdragon verizion card installed during manufacturing assenbly but it was not in inventory at the Time. Now, I would like to add it and get an opinnion on just how well the Snadragon card performs. It seems the Qualcomm Snapdragon X20 LTE-A(DW5821e)for Verizon actually fits other models from other years. is after market or second hand an option?

K∏

 

It's just a generic LTE card that fits into a particular slot size. Depending on the socket your MOBO has you might be able to supercede it with a 5G modem instead for the ultimate untethered speed. These are some of the 5G options I came across while considering the truly mobile experience. Kind of depends on which networks you want to be on though when looking at them. mmWave is available on more than VZW. I would look for the most compatible network channels on the card if you end up wanting to switch to another provider with better coverage you have the option by simply switching out the SIM and moving on from VZW. While Legacy VZW is decent enough their "Visible" service where I'm located kind of sucks and the highest speed I've seen is in the 20mbps area with the lowest around 1mbps on a 5G phone. When I was working on their network though legacy true "red" service was hitting 100mbps+ easily but then again I was usually testing within their offices pre/post network changes I was performing. It might be that the Visible "MVNO" is tagged at a lower speed since it's 50% less $ per month. I never had the issue though with T-Mobile based network access across several different resellers like Goggle Fi.

Quectel RG510Q 5G NR sub-6GHz and mmWave module
Quectel RM510Q 5G NR sub-6GHz and mmWave module
Sierra Wireless AirPrime 5G module (M.2 form factor)
Telit FM980 5G Module
Telit FM980m 5G Module
Fibocom FB101 5G Module
Fibocom FB150 5G Module
ZTE 5G RF module (series)
SIMCOM SIM8300-M2 5G Sub-6Ghz and mmWave Module
SIMCOM SIM8300 5G NR Sub-6GHz & mmWave Module
SIMCOM SIM8200G-M2 5G NR Module
SIMCOM SIM8200EA-M2 5G NR Sub-6GHz Module
SIMCOM SIM8200G 5G NR Sub-6G Module
LongSung EX510 5G/LTE-FDD/LTE-TDD/HSPA+ Module
LongSung EX520 5G NR M.2 Module
LongSung EX610 5G NR Module

Amazon showing 4G/LTE cards @ $15+ ( Link)

5G modules ~$500+ depending on speed requirements / network compatibility

Having worked for a couple of providers and knowing the internals of the networks if you're close to a site you should see 100mbps or higher. It's worthwhile if you're always on your laptop w/o the ability or desire to tether to your phone to have access to the bigger screen. I went w/ Visible for the true 100% no data cap for $40/mo and still testing it out but it's working alright unless you find a dead zone where VZW doesn't penetrate very well. I found in the past T-Mobile had better penetration with a lower band signal for higher bandwidth in spotty locations. I'm stull testing out Visible though and don't have a final verdict on them and if I keep them for 3 months it only costs me $5 for the testing with their $25 first month and $100 back after 2 full months payments. The idea behind switching to them was upgrading my car Nav to a 10.25" screen w/ online capabilities that were being phased out on the native system which was also only 3G speeds which was basic enough for navigation and limited online activity. I've been able to tether the new system to my phone and provide nav through G-Maos / Amazon music streaming and other stuff w/o a hitch so far even with the lower speeds provided by Visible.

Ultimately it depends on what you're going to use the card / network for while mobile. If it's not speed / latency sensitive LTE should be fine. When I was using G-Fi (T--Mobile) my speeds/latency were pretty good but I've noticed Visible to be a bit more latent when testing.