Month: September 2017

TP-Link Archer MR200 4G LTE Router Review

With the growing demand for 4G wireless routers, the manufacturer are continuing presenting new LTE routers to the market. As the competitor of Huawei routers, TP-Link offers two new 4G routers this year; we are very interested in the most high-end router named TP-Link Archer MR200. Let us have a close look at its characteristics:

TP-Link Archer MR200 Highlights:

* High-end 3G/4G Routers

* Ideal for use on the road or in rural areas without DSL availability

* Supports the 4G/LTE mobile phone standard with download rates of up to 150Mbit/s

* No configuration required – simply insert the SIM card and put the LTE hotspot into operation

* Simultaneous dual band according to 802.11ac: up to 300 Mbit/s on 2.4 GHz and 433 Mbit/s on 5 GHz

* Freely configurable LAN/WAN port for the alternative connection via cable or fiber optic modem

TP-link Archer MR200 is ideal for use on the road or in rural areas without DSL availability. It supports the LTE/4G mobile communications standard with up to 150 Mbps in the download and 50 Mbps in the upload for uninterrupted video streaming and online gaming. Thanks to a built-in modem, you only need to use a valid 4G/LTE SIM card to set up your own WLAN hotspot for multiple users/devices.

 

Dual-band Connection with 802.11ac

 

Via WLAN, the Archer MR200 provides data rates of up to 733 Mbit/s according to 802.11ac. It works on both the 2.4 GHz and the 5 GHz band and thus ensures incredible WLAN performance. This simultaneous operation gives you the flexibility of two dedicated WLANs to which you can assign various purposes: email, chat, and surf at up to 300Mbps on 2.4GHz and simultaneous online gaming and HD video streaming at up to 433Mbps on 5 GHz.

 

Easy commissioning of a 4G/LTE connection

 

The Archer MR200 has an integrated 4G/LTE modem and an SIM card slot. You just have to plug in an unlocked SIM card and you will have your 4G/LTE hotspot in operation. Setting up a fast and stable mobile connection has never been easier!

 

 

WLAN where you need it

 

The Archer MR200 allows you to quickly and easily set up a 4G/LTE hotspot for multiple devices. This gives you an Internet access wherever you need it – whether in the meeting room, on the building site or in the holiday home.

 

WAN port for more flexibility

 

With its LAN/WAN port, the Archer MR200 offers another option for broadband connection via DSL, cable or fiber. This means that you are more flexible when choosing your Internet service provider, and can have the option of a backup solution. you can connect several PCs to ethernet directly, which is always better for performance.

 

Below are the detail features and specifications for TP-link Archer MR200:

Hardware Features
InteIrface 3 10 / 100Mbps LAN ports
1 10 / 100Mbps LAN / WAN port
1 SIM card slot
Button WPS / Reset
WLAN
Power
Antenna 3 internal for WLAN
2 removable for LTE
External power supply 12V / 1A DC voltage
Dimensions (B * T * H) 202mm * 141mm * 33,6mm
Wireless Functions
WLAN standards 5GHz:  IEEE802.11ac/n/a
2.4GHz:  IEEE802.11b/g/n
Frequency 2.4GHz & 5GHz
Signal rate 300Mbps to 2.4GHz
433Mbps to 5GHz
Receiver sensitivity 5GHz:
11a 54M: -74dBm
11ac HT20: -67dBm
11ac HT40: -64dBm
11ac HT80: -60dBm
11n HT20: -71dBm
11n HT40: -70dBm
2.4GHz:
11g 54M: -76dBm
11n HT20: -73dBm
11n HT40: – 67dBm
Transmission power CE:
max. 20dBm to 2.4GHz
max. 23dBm to 5GHz
WLAN features WLAN on / off
WDS Bridge
WMM
WLAN statistics
WLAN security WEP with 64 / 128Bit
WPA / WPA2
WPA-PSK / WPA2-PSK
Network Type (V2) 4G: FDD-LTE B1 / B3 / B7 / B8 / B20
4G: TD-LTE B38 / B40
3G: DC HSPA+ / HSPA+ / HSPA / UMTS B1 / B8 (2100 / 900MHz)
2G: EDGE / GPRS / GSM Quadband (850/900/1800 / 1900MHz)
Network type 4G: FDD-LTE Cat4 (800/900/1800/2100 / 2600MHz),
TDD-LTE (2300 / 2600MHz)
3G: DC-HSPA+ / HSPA+ / HSPA / UMTS (900 / 2100MHz)
2G (EDGE / GPRS / GSM 850/900/1800 / 1900MHz)
Software Features
Quality of Service Traffickertrolle (IP-QoS)
Modes 3G / 4G router
wireless router
WAN type Dynamic / Static IP address
PPPoE
PPTP (Dual access)
L2TP (Dual access)
Administration Access control
Local administration
Remote maintenance
DHCP Server
Client
DHCP client list Address
reservation
Port Forwarding Virtual server
port triggering
UPnP
DMZ
Dynamic DNS DynDNS
No-IP
VPN passthrough PPTP
L2TP
IPsec
Access control Parental Control
Local Management
Host List
schedule
policy management
Firewall Security DoS protection
SPI firewall
IP address filter / domain name filter
IP / MAC address binding
Logs IPv4
IPv6
Guest network 1 per WLAN band
IPsec VPN Up to 10 IPsec VPN tunnels
OTHERS
Certification CE
FCC
RoHS
Package contents AC750 dualband LTE wireless router MR200 Archer
2 Antennas
RJ45 Ethernet cable
power adapter
Quick Install Guide
Micro and Nano SIM Card Adapter
System requirements Microsoft Windows® 98SE, NT, 2000, XP, Vista, 7, 8 or 10
MacOS®
NetWare®
UNIX®
Linux
Microsoft Internet Explorer 11, Mozilla Firefox 12.0, Google Chrome 20.0, Apple Safari 4.0 or higher
Surroundings Operating temperature: 0 ° C..40 ° C
Storage temperature: -40 ° C..70 ° C
Operating humidity: 10% .. 90%, non-condensing
Storage humidity: 5% .. 90%, non-condensing

 

The TP-link MR200 has undeniable strengths, including the possibility of changing the two LTE antennas for more powerful. It is also possible to turn off the wifi with a button, which allows ecologists to avoid permanent exposure to the waves.  We would take full test of the performance of this TP-link Archer MR200 and present a report for potential users’ reference.

 

Huawei B525s-23a 4G LTE Cat6 Router Review

The manufacturer HUAWEI has launched the router B525-23a in 2017, and now the latest 4G router B525 is already available for some network providers in Europe, Middle East and Asia, which is to replace the same excellent predecessor router Huawei E5186s-22a.

Huawei B525 B525s-23a

The dimensions of Huawei B525 router are 22.6cm long, 16.3cm high and 5.3cm thick. Its weight is 370 grams. These features mean it’s not a portable pocket WiFi router. It supports the 4G+ LTE category 6 on the bands:  1/3/7/8/20/32/38 (800/900/1500/1800/2100/2600MHz, TDD 2600MHz). No 700MHz(Band 28), so check first whether this router is right for your areas before you pick up, i.e. your network providers broadcasts on the above bands, which will make sure you can use this new router normally without any problem.

Huawei B525 B525s-23a

The proposed WIFI is a/b/g/n/ac on dual bands 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz and supports up to 64 devices connected over 250m range. (Warning: these are the data of the manufacturer in optimal conditions; the range of the wifi depends on the thickness of the walls and other parameters.) At the back of the wireless router, there are 4 ports for LAN, of which 1 port is for LAN/WAN. An external 4G/LTE antenna can be connected via the 2 SMA ports. We recommend below two antennas for Huawei B525 for indoor and outdoor use:

Huawei B525 B525s-23a interfaces

An RJ11 port allows you to connect a phone on it to make calls via the inserted SIM card. (Provided you do not force the router only on the 4G so that it can switch to other voice frequencies and that your SIM package is not only in data) A USB 2.0 port connects a hard drive or printer. The SIM card must be in the MICRO SIM format.

It has a multilingual interface that you manage from your computer to configure your network quickly and easily (DHCP, VOIP, FIREWALL, consumption management etc) but is also compatible with the mobile application Huawei Mobile WiFi for a configuration via smartphones or Pads.

Huawei B525 B525s-23a label

 

The Huawei B525s-23a Router 4G has an on/off button which is to turn it off when you do not use it. Likewise, a WPS button (to connect wifi easily) and 5 LEDs will allow you to know the intensity of your 4G reception. This HUAWEI B525s-23a is the latest flagship of the brand’s 4G routing modems. At a relatively affordable price (compared to smatphones for example), you will be able to get rid of a deficient ADSL network and multiply your connection speed.

 Huawei B525 B525s-23a power and WPS button

Regarding what’s the real difference between Huawei B525 router and Huawei E5186 router, we will check later. Actually, they are too similar technically, we don’t know why the new B525 is presented when the Huawei E5186s-22a is good enough for current LTE cat6 networks.

Huawei B618s-22d 4G LTE Router Highlight Features and Specifications

The Huawei B618s-22d is a high performance and ultra-fast router that combines LTE and Gigabit Ethernet connectivity to provide users with flexible and diverse data and voice services. By connecting to a Wi-Fi network or network cable, users can access Internet services and set up a local area network (LAN). LTE Category 11 (4G+) data transmission delivers up to 582 Mbps downstream and can be used by up to 64 users at the same time. The Huawei B618 supports 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz WiFI frequencies, providing maximum wireless data rates up to 1300 Mbps. It is therefore ideal for anyone who uses the Internet on multiple devices. The router is also equipped with Gigabit LAN ports,

Huawei B618 B618s-22d 4G Router

 

If the 3G or 4G signal is too weak at your location, you can amplify the signal by connecting external antennas – Huawei B618 has two LTE (TS9) antenna connectors. In places where there is no 4G network coverage, the router automatically switches back to 3G or 2G. A useful feature is the ability to make a WiFi connection by scanning the QR code. Other features of this 4G LTE-A router:

  • Wireless AC (2.4 and 5 GHz)
  • WiFi for 64 devices at a time
  • 2 LAN ports (of which 1 can be used as WAN)
  • Supports VoLTE, VoIP and CS
  • 2 external antenna connectors (LTE)
  • With the Huawei B618s-22d router you create a fast and stable Wi-Fi network for 64 devices concurrently at every location.

Huawei B618 B618s-22d front logo and indicators

Huawei B618s-22d Highlight Features:

  • Wireless AC: super fast WiFi
  • The Huawei B618 supports Wireless AC at 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, allowing maximum Wi-Fi speed of 1300 Mbps.

 

  • WiFi for 64 devices at a time
  • This 4G LTE-A router can connect 64 devices to the Internet simultaneously. It is perfect for everybody who requires mobile internet on multiple devices. Some examples: internet on a building site, in a temporary office or pop up store.

 

  • 2 Gigabit LAN ports (1 of which can be used as WAN)
  • The Huawei B618 features 2 Gigabit LAN ports, of which 1 can be used as a WAN port. On the LAN ports you can connect 2 devices that do not have a built-in WiFi receiver, such as a PC. The WAN port can be used if you want to use the internet via the landline.

 

  • 2 external antenna connectors
  • If the incoming 3G or 4G signal is limited at your location, you can improve the signal by connecting an external antenna. The Huawei B618 has 2 external antenna connectors (LTE).At locations where no 4G network coverage is available, the Huawei B618 router automatically switches back to a 3G or 2G connection.

Huawei B618 B618s-22d USB LAN WAN Telephone ports

Cube shaped Huawei router

The Huawei B618 router has a cube shape. It looks a bit like the Huawei E5180 Cube, a Huawei router that is already available in many markets.

 

Huawei B618 B618s-22d bottom label

Huawei B618s-22d CAT11 4G LTE-A router Specifications | 600 Mbps | WiFi | 1 LAN | 1 LAN / WAN | VoIP

  • Download speed: up to 600 Mbps (CAT9 / CAT11)
  • Upload speed: up to 50 Mbps
  • 4G: LTE FDD 1/3/7/8/20 (800/900/1800/2100/2600MHz)
  • 3G: HSPA+ 900/2100 MHz
  • Wireless IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 and 5 GHz)
  • Up to 64 connections at a time
  • 2 x 10/100/1000 Mbps LAN ports, including 1 WAN
  • 1 x USB 2.0 connector
  • 2 x external antenna connectors for LTE (TS-9)
  • RJ11 connection Supports VoLTE (customizable function), VoIP and CS
  • WPS button (WiFi protected setup)
  • Reset button
  • Supports IP versions 6 and 4
  • Dimensions: 95 x 95 x 208 mm
  • Weight: 700 grams
  • SIM card slot: micro SIM card
  • Simlock free

 

Additional information

Software:
– Supports ARP network protocol.
– Supports ICMP network layer protocol.
– Supports DNS
Protocol.

– Protocols: DHCP, DNS RELAY and NAT.
– VPN client: L2TP.
– SMS: Writing / sending / receiving (also long SMS)
. CS via UMTS and GSM network.
Voice over LTE (VoLTE) – Possible to make phone calls over LTE network
– Possibility to connect 64 users simultaneously via WiFi
– Gigabit Ethernet: IEEE 802.3 / 802.3u
– Supports IPv4 / IPv6 protocol
– HUAWEI Mobile WiFi App compatible
– Security services provide immediate protection by blocking potential threats and hacking attempts.
– HOTA updates (Huawei Handset Over-the-Air and Online Upgrade) – System updates as soon as the latest version of

Firewall software is available :
– Enable / Disable
– MAC LAN
Filtering – Filtering IP addresses LAN
– URL filtering
– DMZ host
– UPnP protocol
– supports Application Level Gateway ALG)

WLAN:
– broadcast and hide SSID
– WPS 2.0
– encryption: Open, WEP, WPA2-PSK, WPA / WPA2-PSK; AES; TKIP / AES
– possibility to define black and white lists of MAC addresses

Huawei Mate 10 — Upcoming Top Smartphone

It will take a month until Huawei will present the Huawei Mate 10 and the Mate 10 Pro in Munich on October 16, but the discussions about the new top models are already in progress. At the moment, the web is all about the design of the new Mate models.

 

In the middle of the week, a video was put into the web, in which the Mate 10 is to be seen. The short clip, however, consists only of several CAD drawings (CAD: computer-aided design), which were made on the basis of the current reports on the Mate 10. Thus, the approximate look of the upcoming smartphone should have been captured, but some details might be different.

 

We can see a smartphone with a dual camera on the back, but not surrounded by the glass inlay we know from the Huawei Mate 9. In addition, the fingerprint sensor is located on the front, which seems odd. Because at the start of the Huawei P10, Huawei explained that the front sensor would only be used on models with a display diagonal up to about 5.5 inches. All larger devices, such as the Huawei Mate 10 with its 5.9 inch screen, should be equipped with a fingerprint sensor on the back.

 

The display of the rendering images to be seen in the video is surrounded by a comparatively wide border, considering that current top smartphones on the market are nearly borderless. Even the trend ratio of 18: 9 seems not to have been respected in the illustrated model. Would Huawei not equal on the Mate 10, or the video just misplayed a wrong picture?

 

Huawei Mate 10 Pro

The fact that the Mate 10 does not seem to follow the trend could also be due to Huawei’s introduction of the Mate 10 Pro on October 16. This should correspond more to the current developments in the display. Because on previously unconfirmed live pictures, a smartphone with a nearly borderless screen and without fingerprint sensor on the front looks like Mate 10 pro. The space thus saved was invested in the display, which seems to have the well-known high-gloss format of 18: 9 or 17: 9. The display diagonal is to be slightly larger with 6.3 inches than with the Mate 10, the resolution is probably 1080 x 2160 pixels.

 

Whether one of the two new Huawei smartphones will have a curved display like the Huawei Mate 9 Pro, remains to be seen. It is already clear that Huawei’s latest processor generation Kirin 970 will be used in the models. It is the first chip system of the manufacturer with a computing unit for neural networks and thus artificial intelligence. The Kirin 970 is manufactured in a very compact 10 nanometer process and, like the predecessor Kirin 960, has four Cortex A73 cores with a clock rate of up to 2.4 GHz and four A53 cores with up to 1.8 GHz. The graphics performance has been improved and an LTE Cat.18 modem is also included.

Huawei Presents HiSilicon Kirin 970 LTE Cat18 Chipset

Huawei presented a new chipset for smartphones at the IFA with the HiSilicon Kirin 970. The Kirin 970 includes a processor, a graphics unit and a mobile radio modem. Especially in the modem, there is some progress compared to the predecessor – the Kirin 960. The Kirin 970 LTE Cat18 supports up to 1.2 GBit/s in the download. In addition, the dual SIM operation supports LTE on both SIM cards at the same time. The Kirin 970 chipset will be used in the Huawei Mate 10 smartphone, which will be presented in mid-October in Munich.

Modern LTE modem

The HiSilicon Kirin 970 is next to the first modem Qualcomm Snapdragon X20, which supports LTE category 18 of the downlink . Thus, speeds of up to 1.2 gigabits per second are possible in a correspondingly developed mobile radio network.

To achieve such high speeds, different 4.5G/LTE Advanced Pro technologies are combined. The Kirin 970 supports, for example, the 4 × 4 MIMO antenna technology and the 256QAM modulation technology. Furthermore, a frequency spectrum of up to 100 MHz can be bundled thanks to the 5CC CA (= five-factor carrier aggregation ).

There is also news about Dual SIM. So far, no smartphone was able to use both SIM slots on LTE at the same time. One of the two cards was therefore always limited to 2G / 3G usage, which is particularly annoying if only an LTE network is available. The Kirin 970 can now also run parallel in the LTE network on both SIM cards, so you can, for example, use the first SIM card to surf via LTE and use the VoLTE in the LTE network via the second card.

Processor, graphics and AI

The HiSilicon Kirin 970 is produced in the 10nm process and is to enable a better battery life than the previous model. An octa-core CPU and a 12-core GPU are integrated in addition to the described modem. The chipset should be particularly suitable for artificial intelligence applications (AI) and be faster and 50x more efficient than a classic quad-core CPU without a AI component through a combination of on-device AI and Cloud AI 25x.

HMD Global Presents New Nokia 8 Android Smartphone

HMD Global, the company behind the smartphone brand Nokia, has finally presented the first and long-awaited high-end model: the Nokia 8. Like Nokia Top models from the past years, the Nokia 8 comes with camera technology from Carl Zeiss, So that high expectations can be placed on image quality. The Nokia 8 has integrated the current Qualcomm chipset (type Snapdragon 835) and achieves speeds of up to 450 Mbps over the LTE network thanks to LTE Cat9 with 3CA.

 

Monoblock design and lots of performance

 

The Nokia 8 comes in a “monoblock design” with capacitive buttons according to the HMD Global and has been designed in such a way that the device not only looks good and is well in the hand, but also dissipates heat optimally. The display is 5.3 inches in size and has a very high resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels (WQHD). With 700nts, it should also be very bright. The integrated battery is 3090mAh strong and not changeable by the user. It has the Qualcomm QuickCharge 3.0 quick-release feature.

 

The integrated memory is 64 GB in size and can be extended by up to 256 GB via MicroSD memory card. The memory is 4 GB. With the wireless interfaces, the Nokia 8 is very up-to-date, including support of Bluetooth 5.0 and WLAN 802.11ac. The USB Type C interface is especially fast thanks to USB 3.0 and 5Gbps support. Unlike some other high-end smartphones, a 3.5mm headphone jack is also on board.

 

Zeiss camera

 

The Nokia 8 is equipped with a dual camera system with Zeiss optics on the back. Both sensors have a resolution of 13 megapixels, the primary sensor takes up color and is equipped with an optical image stabilization, the secondary sensor takes pictures monochrome. The aperture is f2.0. There is an infrared distance meter as well as a dual-tone LED flash. The camera on the front comes with almost the same data (13 megapixels, f2.0), but has no optical image stabilization. The Nokia 8 has a special feature integrated; here the image of the front and the rear camera is simultaneously recorded. The feature can even be used for streaming networks such as Facebook and YouTube.

 

Software: “Pure Android”

 

HMD Global is working as an operating system to use a current and almost unchanged version of Android. Pre-installed Android 7.1.1, the manufacturer promises monthly security updates. Through the pure Android, the device is supposed to offer a better user experience than comparable high-end models from other manufacturers. This could be an important purchase point for some users, as many other manufacturers such as Samsung and Huawei often criticize the overloaded and advertising apps blocked user interface. Disadvantage of “Pure Android” might be that certain functions are not present through the pre-installed user interface. But it is always an option for Android.

 

Availability

 

The Nokia 8 is to be offered from September 2017 in the colors Polished Blue, Polished Copper, Tempered Blue. In addition to a single SIM version, a dual SIM version of the Nokia 8 is also available, but it can be assumed that HMD Global will market the dual SIM version only via the free trade and not through providers and network operators.