good evening, I'm new around here.

I ordered a Chateau LTE 18 (RBD53G-5HacD2HnD-TC & EG18-EA)
As I found conflicting information around the net, I wanted to know if this product allows up to 5 CA or only up to 3 CA (as I have read in some parts)
If this last rumor were true, I wonder the sense of marketing a product that at the CA level works like the Chateau LTE 18.
Thanks for any replies.

I guess you'll have to wait for definitive answer until Chateau LTE18 gets officially launched.

Why is the LTE18 is not on the Mikrotik website?

info from Quectel EM18-G:
LTE-FDD: B1 / B2 / B3 / B4 / B5 / B7 / B8 / B12 / B13 / B14 / B17 / B18 / B19 / B20 / B25 / B26 / B28 / B29 / B30 / B32 / B66
LTE-TDD: B38 / 39 / B40 / B41 / B42 / B43 / B46 (LAA) / B48 (CBRS)
DL CA
7xCA @ 2 x 2 MIMO with 5 inter-band
5xCA @ 4 x 4 MIMO with 3 inter-band
DL 256QAM support
UL 2 × CA 2 intra-band
UL 64QAM support
WCDMA B1 / B2 / B3 / B5 / B8

This product have not official introduction at MUM and mikrotik.com/hardware - means we not have updated documents.
You should check what bands have got your ISP, or just setup band by band and found them.
When you connect to the same eNB then probably all of them should connect as CA.
Run the Cell Monitor, he show you other Cells not connected.

Does the Chateau LTE12 use a PCI-e card?

If yes - could that card be fit in a LtAP Kit? And why isn't the LTE12 or LTE18 cards sold seperately?
Is there a limit over the USB -> PCI-e link? in the LTAP? https://i.mt.lv/cdn/product_files/LtAP-2HnD_200548.png

Does the Chateau LTE12 use a PCI-e card?

If yes - could that card be fit in a LtAP Kit? And why isn't the LTE12 or LTE18 cards sold seperately?
Is there a limit over the USB -> PCI-e link? in the LTAP? https://i.mt.lv/cdn/product_files/LtAP-2HnD_200548.png

You can search at this forum and found post that Chateau have got LGA soldered at PCB = no any socket and no any way to change the lte module bcs SoC is soldered !.
Photo from inside of Chateau you can found here:

• viewtopic.php?f=13&t=162363#p800316
• https://mikrotikon.pl/mikrotik-chateau- ... uteros-v7/
• https://cdr.pl/p7306,mikrotik-rbd53g-5h ... e-kat.html

and many other places

hAP ac³ not have soldered Soc and any slot.
We all wait for new SXTR / LHGR / LDFR with 1GbE & M.2 Slot

I hope that give you answer at your questions.
BR
Marcin (SiB) Przysowa

Sorry for the lengthy gap for response but I came upon this as I am currently researching Lte equipment to review.

It appears that as the supplier of choice for Mikrotik lte is Quectel and looking at their site it appears the only do their Cat18 chip in an LGA format at the moment. Their Cat12 and Cat16 chips appear to be available in M.2 format, but I am not sure when they became available or wether they are available in quantity or at what price.

Other than those the next jump seems to be straight to 5G, with no Cat18 available in anything other than LGA.

Bit annoying really having Cat6 available as my carrier in UK is Three which atm is Cat7 and my distance to the mast means I might achieve >50Mbps upload (in the right conditions).

SGtv

Bit annoying really having Cat6 available as my carrier in UK is Three which atm is Cat7 and my distance to the mast means I might achieve >50Mbps upload (in the right conditions).

yes, we use m.2 <> mPCIe adapters to use some Quectel cat.16/18 and 5g modules but until your module is not hot, it's work and we wait for a proper device from mikrotik with m.2 slot.
We know that line of new PCB exist and we wait for anonse 5G compability... maybe next MUM... e.g. PCB of Chateau and hAP ac³ have: