January 2016 – Page 2 of 2

Netgear AirCard AC790 LTE Cat6 Hotspot

The Netgear AirCard AC790 Hotspot with LTE Advanced Cat6 was presented last year to the MWC, now the LTE mobile Hotspot is available in many countries. The Aircard 790S has a large touch screen on the front and the operating time is up to 11 hours, which means a very good quality for competition.

What’s more, up to 15 devices can be supported simultaneously by Dual Band WLAN 802.11ac with an Internet connection. Unfortunately, the large range of functions is also reflected in the price. Here now you can get the unlocked Netgear AC790 LTE Advanced Cat6 mobile hotspot from www.4gltemall.com .

Netgear AirCard 790s LTE Hotspot has equipped with a cellular modem from Qualcomm, which can operate equivalent LTE category 6 (“LTE Advanced “) at speeds of up to 300 Mbit/s in the downlink and up to 50 Mbit/s in the uplink. So far, only a few other mobile routers offer this speed, such as Huawei E5786 and Alcatel Y900.

The AC790s supports the following LTE frequency bands: B1, B3, B7, B8, B20, B38, B40 (2100, 1800, 2600, 900, 800, 2600 and 2300 megahertz). Carrier aggregation, which is necessary for LTE Advanced bundling of frequency ranges, is supported for a total of seven combinations, both intra-band and inter-band, for example, 1800+ 2600 or 2600 + 2600 megahertz.

In addition, the Netgear AirCard 790s LTE router supports UMTS including data accelerator DC-HSPA+ for speeds of up to 42.2 Mbit/s in the downlink in 3G network. Also GSM with EDGE is supported. To connect to the computer, WLAN is available on both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, and up to 15 devices can be simultaneously connected to the Aircard AC790s.

The biggest feature of the Netgear AC790 is undoubtedly the 2.4-inch touchscreen with color display on the front. Thus, the router is the first LTE Cat6 mobile hotspot, which can be configured and operated completely without web interface. Although there were already many mobile router with the display feature, but the display acted far more likely to display important information such as battery status and network availability.

With dimensions of 110 x 68 x 15.44 mm and weighing around 136 grams with battery, Netgear AC790 is not particularly compact and light, yet the device should fit easily into your pocket or in a small backpack pocket. The 3,000 mAh strong battery not only allows an operating time of up to 11 hours, but also has a power bank function, ie you can recharge other devices such as smartphones as needed. The right charging cable is included. The Netgear Aircard 790s has two connectors for external antenna, the connector type is TS-9, you can use below the antenna to improve the signal strength if necessary:

You can buy the external antenna for netgear aircard 790s here: http://www.4gltemall.com/4g-antenna-two-ts-9-connector.html

The Netgear AirCard AC790s Hotspot is available now at online store www.4gltemall.com . The Aircard 790s is SIM card unlocked, which means you can use it the device worldwide without any limit. The user must get a valid sim card from local network provider to connect.

Huawei E5186 – First LTE Cat6 Router for A1

The first LTE Cat6 router Huawei E5186 arrived available for A1. Thanks to the introduction of LTE Carrier Aggregation at the end of June 2015, so that bandwidth of up to 300 Mbit/s can be achieved. Thus, the Huawei E5186 router with appropriate tariff is ideal for work/surfing/games at home. The model number is huawei E5186s-22a, as we know, there is brother model Huawei E5186s-61a, which is for Australian market. If you are interested in the performance of this router, it’s necessary to see this test below.

In an unspectacular packaging, we find the E5186 router, a power cable, a LAN cable and a Quick Start Guide. In the brief instructions, we will discuss on the importance of the lamp, the connections and the installation of the SIM card. The Huawei E5186 router size is not smalle, dimensions are 194 x 177 x 64mm and lack of battery for stationary use.

On the front, we find LEDs that indicate the current operating status. The air vents are designed on the top and bottom. When working, the router is not hot, thanks to passive cooling, there is also no noise.

On the back we find a whole range of connections. In addition to the power connector, there is a USB port (for a network printer and USB Storage), 2 telephone lines and 4x Gigabit LAN ports. Behind the white panel, there is also the possibility to connect an antenna for better reception. If you want external antenna for Huawei E5186, we will recommend two antennas for your consideration. The micro-SIM card is inserted on the right side of body.

It’s simple to operate the E5186 LTE CPE: After insertion of SIM card and activation of the Power switch in the router, it would be connected with the mobile network after about 30 seconds. The Huawei E5186 router itself, brings the configuration of the connection automatically, manual input is unnecessary. And then other terminals can connect the WiFi and surf after the router connected with network. Those who then want to change the wireless network password or other settings, can do that on the router interface. The makes a very neat impression and you find yourself good at it rightly.

Huawei E5186 router offers the classic configuration via browser while there is another way to do the settings: The Huawei Mobile WiFi app. The app can be installed to the mobile phones or tablets by means of a clear user interface and wireless network settings.

Here, you can see the Huawei E5186 router technical features: It offers all common standards with WiFi 802.11b/g/n/ac at 2.4GHz / 5GHz Dual Band and supports up to 64 devices. The range of the wireless network is about 250 meters (without obstacles), the possible bandwidth is up to 1.1 Gbit/s. This is the WiFi standard 802.11ac including simultaneous use of 5 and 2.4 GHz bands. In order to exploit the full speed, you need a corresponding network environment.

The Huawei E5186 4G/LTE router supports mentioned LTE Cat6, and thus enabling download speed of up to 300Mbit/s. Of course, it also supports all other standards, so LTE Cat4, HSDPA (Dual Cell) and EDGE or GRPS. The range was great in the practical test: I have measured 80 Mbit/s with LTE Carrier Aggregation without that latency. Surfing speed was particularly impressive. Since LTE provides really good value!

The reception of Huawei E5186 can also be improved with an external antenna if necessary. The antenna connector is SMA socket, here we have two external antenna for Huawei E5816. They both work well in real test:

Antenna one for Huawei E5186:

You can buy the antenna from here:

http://www.4gltemall.com/huawei-b593-4g-antenna.html

Antenna two for Huawei E5186:

You can buy this antenna from here:

http://www.4gltemall.com/4g-antenna-two-sma-connector.html

Conclusion

For those who need fast Internet at home or a more remote region, we can recommend the Huawei E5186 router: it is ready to go, offers a number of setting options and a very stable and fast wireless internet. As a result, the E5186 LTE router is not only suitable for working or surfing, but also to play. But this also depends on the network coverage. The LTE Cat6 are already covered in more and more cities over the world and LTE latencies are generally low. We suppose the Huawei E5186 is a future proof LTE Wireless router, it’s worthy to buy!

If you ask whether there is similar LTE Cat6 router, there is still Huawei router to recommend. The model number is Huawei E5175. It’s a brother model like E5786, but not well-known.

A1 Net Cube Huawei E5180 Cube Test

Huawei E5180 Router, also better known as A1 Net Cube, has a completely new design like a cube. Today, let us have a look at the most beautiful LTE router on the market. First of all, this is from the Chinese Manufacturer Huawei. Whether the LTE cube E5180 with the beautiful appearance also has other advantages, we will have a review in this test.

I have rarely seen such a router: Most such devices would not necessarily have such a beauty shape. The box is kept in a very simple and pleasant design. The decorative LED is at the top. The LED top could aslo turn on and off the E5180 cube by pressing the Huawei logo. This simple design element makes this router very user-friendly. By a long press on the Huawei logo, user can turn off the cube.

In the package, we will find a LAN cable, power supply and a Quick Start Guide. The Huawei E5180 Wi-Fi router itself still has the following features: Two LED indicators on the front – they inform us of the WLAN and the network status.

On the back we find a network WAN port, the power connection and a telephone connection port. No more LAN or USB ports can be found. And there is no external antenna connector. The micro-SIM card is inserted into a slot at the bottom of the E5180 cube. There we also find the reset button.

The operation of Huawei Cube E5180 is very simple: Simply insert the SIM card and get started. The settings for the network will automatically configure normally. We find the SSID and wireless password on the bottom of the router. Connect your device to the SSID and then you can surf freely.

The A1 Net Cube Huawei E5180 Router uses all major network standards: GSM, UMTS (HSDPA Dual Cell) and LTE. However, LTE Carrier Aggregation, also called LTE Cat6, is not supported. But this should not be a problem because LTE Cat4 bandwidths of up to 150 Mbit/s support; for most users that is fast enough. In practice, I have achieved the download speed up to 85Mbit/s and upload speed to about 43 Mbit/s.

One of the most important purchasing criteria for a router is the network capability. The Huawei E5180 offers the current standards with the 802.11b/g/n, but only in the 2.4 GHz range, the area around 5 GHz is not supported. The wireless coverage range is 250 meters according to Huawei, in practice I had good reception in my whole house (old building). Up to 32 clients could access the WiFi network for surfing. A small disadvantage is the speed: The Ethernet LAN connection only allows a maximum of 100 Mbit/s.

A1 Net Cube Huawei E5180 Technical data at a glance

LTE: Cat 4 until max. download up to 150 Mbit/s, up to max. 50 Mbit/s upload
UMTS: DC-HSPA+, up to max. 42.2 Mbit/s for down, up to max. 5.76 Mbit/s upload
GSM: EDGE, GPRS
connections: 1x Ethernet LAN connection 100 MBit/s, 1x RJ-11 for telephone
WLAN: Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n, 2.4 GHz for up to 32 Equipment and 4 SSIDs; 250 meter range

The web interface looks very tidy and clear. On the home page, the most important information such as the link status and network strength are displayed. In addition, SMS can be sent and interface settings are made around the network. The connection type can be changed by a few clicks, you can switch the network in 2G, 3G or 4G. Basically, the built-in router antenna seems to do a good job, with the A1 Net Cube I had better reception than at the same location with the phone.

The Huawei E5180 Cube router can also configure via App. Through the Huawei Mobile WiFi app, SMS can be sent, to make network settings and statistics can be accessed. The Chinese manufacturer Huawei saves us much time for unnecessary and complicated barriers to entry. Thus the Huawei E5180 router is recommended quite clear for those of us who do not want to stay long with the service or the study of manuals themselves.

Those who want more LAN ports, a USB port, gigabit LAN or advanced networking configuration options, the A1 Net Cube may not meet your requirements. Another Huawei E5186 4G LTE router is recommended.

Alcatel Y900 One Touch 4G+ LTE Cat6 Hotspot

Alcatel has unveiled a compact LTE Cat6 hotspot– the Alcatel One Touch Link 4G+ Y900 at MWC in February 2015. Now, the machine is finally available in stores after 9 months. As we had introduced before, the similar model Huawei E5786 has similar feature as Alcatel Y900. However, there is no display and connections for an external antenna in the Y900. In this article, you could see the full review about our test for Alcatel One Touch Link 4G+.

The Alcatel Link Y900 comes in a small cardboard box. In the box, there is a power supply for charging Alcatel Y900. The unit is supplied only with a USB cable, which can then be converted in conjunction with a standard USB power adapter for full charger. Alternatively, the router could also charge through the USB port from a computer or notebook.

The first impression of the Alcatel Y900: the router is equipped with 89 x 62 x 11.5 millimeters and a weight of only 88 grams including the battery. The build quality is good, the back cover on the battery is secure and can be removed quickly in order to insert the SIM card and optional memory card. Alcatel One Touch Link 4G+ Y900 has two colors: dark gray or white.

The operation is carried out via a web interface in the browser, as it is known by virtually every other router models. Alternatively, there is also an application for iOS and Android, so you can control the Y900 hotspot over an app. This works reliably, because the software is easy to understand and react quickly. A special praise has earned by Alcatel for the design, app and web interface look fresh and the functions can be easily distinguished from each other by different colors. This new software is already available from Alcatel Y858 for several months.

In the Web interface, you can see statistics such as online time and data volume consumed for use. In the settings, the wireless connection can be configured to change the password or modify the wireless network name. Also the settings for cellular connection can be done; usually, this is not necessary since the Alcatel Y900 automatically recognizes the network provider based on the inserted SIM card and the configuration performs automatically.

The Alcatel Y900 4G+ is based on a modern chipset with support for LTE category 6, so that up to 300 MBit/s in the downlink and up to 50 Mbit/s can be achieved in the uplink. Of course, the Alcatel Y900 is also backwards compatible with UMTS (up to 42.2 Mbit/s) and GSM including EDGE. In the test at 1800 and 2600 MHz (Carrier Aggregation was active), I reached up to 180 MBit/s in the downlink, which is at least already times faster than LTE Cat4 (up to 150 Mbit/s).

The reception and transmission performance of the Alcatel Y900 is good. But if you are at location of low signal strength, you’d probably want an external antenna. Unfortunately, there are no connections for such an external antenna, probably due to cost.

The Alcatel Y900 runs WLAN 802.11a/b/g/n/ac at 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. Up to 32 users can be connected to the router simultaneously, which already has a huge advantage in comparison with other mobile hotspots, because in other devices, a maximum of 8 to 15 users can be provided an Internet connection at the same time. The competitor Huawei E5786 has the function to work as a wireless extender but the Alcatel Y900 can not offer this. Even with the safety, the manufacturer Alcatel provides the Y900 hotspot from the factory without wireless encryption, so you should establish immediately a password so that no strangers can go online via the router.

The battery has a capacity of about 1,800 mAh and thus provides a runtime of about 5 hours. This is not particularly good, but the battery is removable, you can easily add a second or third battery and thus extend the duration accordingly. According to Alcatel, there is a version available with even a 3,600 mAh capacity. However, it seems not yet been available and of course you need a new cover for the back because the battery with 3600 mAh is likely to be considerably thicker than the original.

The Alcatel One Touch Link 4G+ Y900 is one of the fastest mobile LTE hotspots that are available at present. It provides a fast modem, fast WLAN and fast USB 3.0.The design with the large-area LED displays is simple and yet succeeded. Connectors for an external antenna is missing unfortunately. But if you simply looking for a fast and future-proof mobile LTE hotspot, Alcatel Y900 would never make you disappointed.

As an alternative, we would also recommend Netgear AC790S and the Huawei E5786. Both units feature an LTE Advanced Cat6 modem, a strong battery, terminals for an external antenna and a display, but a little bit more expensive than the tested here Alcatel Y900.