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MikroTik

MikroTik 5G SA Cell Lock: Support & Limits

Lock a supported modem to a measured 5G SA cell, query or clear the lock, and avoid applying it to an NSA connection.

The AT+QNWLOCK="common/5g" command locks a supported modem to a 5G SA cell. It does not lock the NR cell of a 5G NSA connection. For NSA, keep network-mode=lte,5g and use the separate LTE-anchor procedure if needed.

SA only; not recommended for commercial use. The current MikroTik manual retains that warning for this command. AT+QNWLOCK="common/5g" does not lock 5G NSA cells. Use this as a controlled lab/diagnostic procedure on a documented compatible modem with another management path.

Confirm support before trying it

The manual’s QNWLOCK group includes Chateau 5G, Chateau 5G R16, Chateau 5G R17 ax and ATL 5G R16 among its 5G-capable devices. Confirm your exact modem and firmware; this is not a generic instruction for all 5G routers. Check SA service and SIM provisioning with the operator. The modem must be in full functionality: the LTE interface must not be disabled.

RouterOS 7
/interface/lte/print detail
/interface/lte/show-capabilities lte1
/interface/lte/monitor lte1 once

Fill in the target cell’s four values

Field after common/5gMeaningCheck
PCINR physical cell identity0 is the documented disable value
Frequency/channelNR channel number for the target cellNot the frequency in MHz
SCSSubcarrier spacing, kHzManual specifies 15 for FR1 FDD, 30 for FR1 TDD
BandNR band number78 means n78, not LTE B78

The manual labels the frequency field “earfcn” even in its 5G example. Treat it as the modem’s NR channel-number input and obtain it from current serving-cell data or operator information; do not insert an LTE EARFCN or convert MHz by guesswork.

Apply, query and remove

Example values: PCI 142, NR channel 640000, n78 and SCS 30 kHz. Substitute the measured target cell and a band supported by the modem.

RouterOS 7 · documented 5G SA QNWLOCK modem
/interface/lte/at-chat lte1 input="AT+QNWLOCK=\"common/5g\",142,640000,30,78"
RouterOS 7 · query SA lock
/interface/lte/at-chat lte1 input="AT+QNWLOCK=\"common/5g\""
RouterOS 7 · remove SA lock
/interface/lte/at-chat lte1 input="AT+QNWLOCK=\"common/5g\",0"

After applying the lock, use /interface/lte/monitor lte1 once to confirm SA and the target cell, then test traffic. Reboot or modem reset clears this lock; the network may also redirect the connection.

If your service is NSA

Keep LTE and 5G allowed in network-mode. On a supported modem you may experiment with an LTE anchor lock using common/4g, but that does not select a particular NR cell. The network controls the accompanying NR service. Forcing 5g alone changes the test to SA-only and can remove service entirely.

References