Netgear AC790S 4G LTE Cat6 Mobile Hotspot Review

Netgear AC790s LTE hotspot was presented in September 2014 and has since been introduced by Telstra to its product range in Australia. Comparing with other mobile LTE routers, the main difference is the large battery with touchscreen display and support for LTE-Advanced Cat6. In Europe area, the Netgear AC790s is not yet available, and it is doubtful that we will get the device in near future because the successor with LTE CAT9 is already waiting in the wings. Actually, the predecessor of AC790s model is the Netgear AC785s, which was very good. Luckily, we have seen the Netgear AC790s closely at MWC.


Netgear AC790s, which was exhibited at the exhibition booth of Netgear, was provided with a small branding by Australian operators Telstra. Till now, Telstra is the only provider with whom the Netgear AC790s is available. But the rest of the devices are no branding and with original Netgear, for example the software. The unit is operated by a large colorful touch screen, although a web interface is still available, but not required for operation. The touch screen is not as fast as you would expect from a smartphone, but for a mobile hotspot, it is sufficient in any case completely.


Much more important than the touch screen is the integrated modem in AC790s. This could support LTE (Cat6) with peak download speed up to 300 Mbit/s for the downlink and 50 Mbit/s for uplink. Of course the device is also backward compatible with 3G and 2G along with various data accelerator. The connection to the computer is via WiFi 802.11 ac, ie to 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. It is possible to enhance the speed and the signal strength with an external antenna(Buy Netgear AC790S antenna from here: http://www.4gltemall.com/4g-antenna-two-ts-9-connector.html ). There are two connectors for the external antenna and they are protected with a sliding mechanism from dust and dirt. On the other side, it’s the power button.


A very interesting accessories for the Netgear AC790s hotspot is available, the DC112A SmartCradle. It is a docking station that not only strengthen the router signal through USB  and thus charging the battery, but also has other functions. Thus, the wireless signal is amplified and there is a Gigabit LAN port on the back of DC112A. In addition, the mobile radio is improved signal over the external antenna connections.

Huawei CarFi Hilink E8377 4G Hotspot for Car

Penetration of WiFi in vehicle infotainment system is set to become an important trend. To address this trend and tap the large potentials and opportunities, the company Huawei has cooperated with France network provider Orange to provide a wireless solution for vehicle passengers to connect 4G networks when moving. The device is named Huawei CarFi E8377 and is designed to cover up to 10 users.

The Huawei CarFi E8377 device, in compact size, gets 12 volt power from vehicle, which is designed specifically for use in these environments, either for personal use or for family members to provide connectivity while traveling, or for fleets of taxis and passenger vehicles.

 

Huawei emphasize that the essence of CARFI is the simplicity of use, because once connected to power in the vehicle, user just need press the single button for ignition and commissioning. The CarFi E8377 has a card slot to insert the SIM card from operator.

 

User can download the appropriate application for iOS and Android to manage the device, so you can modify the parameters of the wireless network name SSID and security key. Those who do not want to be complicate have these screen printed data on-device so that they can implement it without having to install any application. However, the application allows user to know the devices are connected, consumption data and other set of interesting parameters. The Huawei CARFI ensures LTE Category 4 connectivity with speeds up to 150 Mbps in the best conditions.

 

Huawei CarFi will automatically turn off when no WiFi-compatible device is identified, and can still be used to charge other electronic devices even when turned off as long as car is in use. Huawei CarFi does not contain a battery which provides protection against overheating in hot climates, and has a built-in self-regulating temperature protection function that automatically lowers the temperature of the device when necessary.

Michael Faure, director of residential mobile marketing for Orange Spain stated that it is an interesting product because more than 90 percent of tablets sold are sold with Wifi connectivity mode without 4G options. So Huawei CarFi would provide reliable wireless support for these tablets. And for more vehicles, the wireless network may be a perfect solution for the passengers, Huawei E8377 carFi is slim and easily meet the network requirement.

 

And the USB port in the Huawei E8377 would provide the channel to charge other electronics such as smartphone, tablets. With an elegant and refined look, Huawei CarFi features detailed craftsmanship incorporating superior-grade wood and carbon fiber materials for increased durability during everyday use. It comes in three color variations, fashion elite black and warm family wood, and dynamic speed red, to complement the interior of most vehicles. It’s a perfect solution for vehicle!

TP-Link M7350 4G Mobile WiFi Hotspot Review

TP-Link has launched its first LTE mobile hotspot M7350 in the Cebit 2015. Since the predecessor M5360 showed a good performance with UMTS modem in the test, we have the successor M7350 for performance test. The TP-Link M7350 could achieve speeds of up to 150 Mbit/s in the downlink over LTE Cat4 and the Internet connection is via WLAN at 2.4 and 5 GHz. The battery has capacity of 255 mAh and user can easily replace it.


The package reveals all technical data and the design of the TP-Link M7350. There is also a great reference about the three-year warranty from manufacturer TP-Link. If you open the package, you can find the hotspot M7350 next to a battery with a capacity of 2550 mAh, a micro USB cable, a power supply and a Quick Start Guide. As a special feature, there are two SIM card adapters included, one from nano-SIM to Mini SIM and the other one from the Micro SIM to Mini-SIM. The adapters solve the big problem about the SIM format. All those who have a smaller SIM card or the mini-SIM format could use their SIM card with the TP-Link M7350.

TP-link M7350 Battery

Whether with or without adapter, the SIM card is inserted underneath the battery; and a MicroSD memory card is optional to use in the M7350. The battery cover is stuck and needs to open some force, but most users will keep changing the battery rather than changing it. The body of the TP-Link M7350 is held largely in matt black plastic and looks very spectacular. The front along with the small OLED display is partially covered with a clear plastic. This cover scratched amazingly fast in contrast to the rest of the case.


TP-Link M7350 can use LTE in the frequency ranges to 800/900/1800/2100/2600 MHz. Thus it can be used not only in Europe but also in many other areas worldwide. The maximum speed over LTE is 150 Mbit/s for the downlink and 50 Mbit/s for the uplink (LTE Category 4). In the test, M7350 could work with a SIM card from Vodafone and reach up to 130 Mbit/s. And the reception quality is good, even at the location far from the base station. We remember that we had tested Huawei E5786, and the result looks very similar. As you know, Huawei E5786 is with the latest wireless technology.

If the LTE network is not available, user can use the UMTS ang GSM network through TP-Link M7350. When connected with DC-HSPA+ in the UMTS network, M7350 could reach up to 42.2 Mbit/s for the downlink and 5.76 Mbit/s for the uplink. The most common frequency ranges around 900 to 2100 MHz are supported. In the test I have a telecom card up to 26 Mbit/s can be achieved via UMTS, and I was about one kilometer away from the base station and the device had a good signal reception.

The WLAN module in the TP-Link M7350 transmits both 2.4 GHz and at 5 GHz. The range is naturally limited in comparison to an ordinary wireless router for stationary use, but perfectly adequate for most usage scenarios. So you can still enjoy surfing through two “normal thick” walls and about 5 meters (in the 2.4 GHz band).

 

On the body side of the M7350, there is a menu button, which can be used in conjunction with the power button on the front to operate the equipment. A few important functions can be controlled so easily without the web interface. So you can see for example Wi-Fi SSID and password on the display to connect devices with the TP-Link M7350 quickly and easily. The second menu item in the device allows the choice of wireless frequency band (2.4 GHz or 5 GHz) and the third is for you to enable or disable the roaming mode. Particularly interesting is the ability to set the network mode directly on the device (eg “LTE only” or “UMTS only “). This can be useful in some regions when the hotspot constantly switches between the mobile technologies.

TP-link M7350

 

The web interface allows all advanced settings options. It can be reached via http://tplinkmifi.net and is very quick and easy to use. The design is clear and the functions are easily accessible. Overall, the functions are not as extensive as the web interface of a Netgear AC785s, but all the important settings are available.
The TP-Link M7350 battery could last continuous use for about 6-7 hours and can be recharged via microUSB connector. In practice, the WLAN switches off automatically when it’s not in use for about 15 minutes. Thus, the unit saves energy. If you want to surf again, you must briefly press the power button only once.

 

The M7350 TP-Link is a good mobile LTE hotspot. In the test, it was stable and provided good rates. The equipment is dual-band Wi-Fi with a well-read display and a fast web interface. Overall, the TP-Link Router M7350 is a recommendable 4G pocket WiFi!

HTC Desire 826W 4G LTE Smartphone Review

As the HTC ‘s first smartphone released for mid-class market in 2015, HTC Desire 826 plays a very important role for HTC. The 64 bits architecture also seems to presage HTC will enter 64 bits era in 2015.

In the past few years, HTC always give people a tepid impression, and this is due to the lack of clarity about HTC’s market position. Then as the first smartphone released by HTC in 2015, will HTC show its development direction to in this year? Maybe we can find the answer from today’s review.

First, let’s look at the design. The machine’s design style has changed from previous models. Desire 826 body gives a very simple sense in white color.

The front body of HTC Desire 826 is very simple, where 5.5 inches of 1080P screen takes up the majority, but somewhat unfortunately, after power on the smartphone, we can see there is slightly wider border on the screen. We believe if the border could be narrowed, HTC Desire 826 will be even more beautiful.

 

 

The Desire 826 is inserted a 13 million pixels front camera, while the left side of the camera is the sensor base. Do you find something wrong with it? Yes, the handset was gone, which can be said that the highlights of this Desire 826 smartphone. HTC handset is hiden in the BoomSound around forehead area, and HTC makes the BoomSound  very subtle, only by careful observation we can see the BoomSound dual speakers are located in front of the phone forehead, chin area at the junction of the screen.

 

The front at the below side uses the same design like forehead area: the BoomSound speaker is hidden. At the same time we have to say is, the three chin design which HTC will always be criticized is on Desire 826 phone, if this point is to be improved, I believe that more space will be available within the screen.

 

The Desire 826 body is using the integrated design and is irremovable. The poly-carbonate material provides a very solid feel, while at the back edge portion, it applies the arc transition, so that people will not feel so grip to go straight, the overall feel is very good.

 

The back of Desire 826 has a 13 million pixel camera, noise-canceling microphone and a single LED fill light, while in the lower part, you can only see the HTC logo there. The simple design lets Desire 826 even more refreshing. According to personal preferences, such a design is won our heart.

 

The middle frame applies of skin-friendly design with skin-friendly material, when user is holding the phone; they will not worry too much about the phone slipping out of the hands. At the same time, the light brown color also makes the phone looks moist on the overall temperament.

 

 

The MicroUSB interface is at the bottom of the body while a acceptable 3.5mm headphone jack is on topside. The volume and power buttons are located on the right side of the body, the power button is very reasonable position for a palm, for example, in the normal right-hand grip, the thumb can easily reach the power button, while using a metal power button also Lets your fingers can easily recognize the power button.

 

At the left side of the body, two nanoSIM slot and microSD card slot are hidden under the tap. It is worth mentioning that the HTC Desire 826W in our hand is in open version for dual-network TDD & FDD (China Mobile and China Unicom) to achieve full network support. It should be noted that there are two slots for Desire 826 two nano SIM , users must plug out the slot and put the Nano sim on it, and then plug into the phone.

 

Appearance Summary: Overall, we give praise on the design of HTC Desire 826. HTC has always been doing well in a unique product design. This is very commendable because it’s difficult to make a difference in the Android smartphone market, this product thinking is very worthy to learn, but if without the “three chin,” it may be more perfect.

 

ZTE Presented MF970 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot

ZTE has presented a new 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot MF970 with ZTE MF285 LTE Router at the Mobile World Congress 2015. The special feature of ZTE MF970 is like Huawei E5786: it supports the LTE Advanced Cat6 with up to 300mbps speed for the downlink and has WiFi ac in the 2.4GHz and 5GHz range. We had seen the ZTE MF970 at the booth. You can see some features in this article.

The demo at the booth is at white color. There is a 1.4 inch TFT LCD screen which gives the user an overview of the WiFi signal strength, speed and device battery status. Beside the screen, it shows the name “ZTE UFi”. On the top side, there are two connectors for external antenna. At the below side, there is a slot for SIM card. And the power button is also there. On the back cover, we can see the device model, IMEI number, serial number, SSID and password.

 

ZTE MF970 is one of the few mobile LTE routers that support LTE Category 6, thus they could achieve the peak data rates up to 300Mbps in the downlink and 50mbps in the uplink. Of course, user must make sure a suitable LTE mobile network availability and a corresponding data plan. As we know, the LTE-Advanced Cat6 networks are available for many network providers in Europe and Asia. ZTE MF970 could support FDD-LTE Band 1/2/3/7/8/20/28/12/17 and TD-LTE Band 38/40. In addition to LTE cat6, MF970 also supports UMTS and GSM networks. ZTE MF970 4G Hotspot is based on the chipset Qualcomm MDM9230, which is reliable brand.

 

ZTE MF970 also has a fast WLAN module for a mobile hotspot. It supports WLAN 802.11 ac which transmits both in the 2.4GHz and 5GHz. According to ZTE, the maximum connected users could reach to 14 devices via WLAN. The MF970 has a strong battery of 2300mAh, the battery could enable the operating time of approximately 8 hours. But the battery is irremovable, user must use re-charge it if power off.

 

At the current market, there are already few LTE Category 6 mobile hotspots available, such as Huawei E5786, Netgear Aircard 790s. They are very popular in many countries. We will write new articles to show what the difference between them is and which one is better between them. So user will choose preferred the model.

 

 

Huawei Hilink CarFi E8377 4G WiFi Hotspot

We had introduced the Huawei E8278 USB WiFi dongle last year, which could work as a mobile WiFi hotspot but looks like a USB Dongle. However, it seems E8278 is not a perfect solution for users because many cars don’t have a USB port for Huawei E8178. The good news is that Huawei reveals a new model Huawei E8377, also named Huawei CarFi.

Many people want access Internet in the car, but integrated hotspot solutions are usually reserved for luxury-class models. Huawei has recognized this problem and is now launching the new mobile LTE router HiLink Carfì for the 12V cigarette lighter connector on the market. The small CarFi could support up to 10 devices wirelessly via Wi-Fi and up to 150 Mbit/s high-speed could be achieved when surfing internet via LTE. With dimensions of 59 x 49 millimeters, the Huawei HiLink Carfì Hotspot is compact and easy to take without occupying much space in car.
Once you have inserted the micro-SIM card and plugged Huawei HiLink Carfì into the cigarette lighter port, the hotspot can power on for operation. The management of Huawei Hilink CarFi could be done from web interface in the browser or on the Huawei HiLink app. Then the CarFi could work like other Huawei mobile hotspots such as Huawei E5377.

The maximum speed in the LTE network is around 150 Mbit/s for downlink and 50 Mbit/s for uplink with the category 4. The frequency ranges around 800/900/1800/2100/2600 MHz are supported. If the Internet connection outside the LTE network coverage is lost, the HiLink Carfì can also use the older wireless technologies UMTS and GSM. In the UMTS network, the downlink speed with up to 42.2 Mbit/s is possible in the frequency ranges 900/2100 MHz.
The Huawei HiLink Carfì router has an automatic shut-off function. If the device is not used for 2 hours, it turns off automatically and must be restarted by pressing the power button on the front. The time to shut-off could be personalized in the web interface. If you want to use the router without power supply in the car, you can use the built-in battery. According to Huawei official saying, the capacity of the capacity is 1900 mAh. The built wireless antenna in many cars cannot be used with Huawei HiLink Carfì. On the other hand, The hotspot solutions from Audi, BMW, Mercedes and so. on use the external antenna for the car and therefore have significantly improved reception properties.