Alcatel EE70 LTE Cat7 Mobile WiFi Router Review

Alcatel EE70 is a high-quality pocket 4G/3G WiFi router, primarily designed to work in the network of mobile operators Vodafone, Kyivstar and Lifecell for Ukraine, or other operators around the world. Full support for working in 4G/3G networks, at a maximum data transfer rate of up to 300 Mbps using 4G LTE technology and 43.2 Mbps using HSPA/HSPA+ technology. For work, it is necessary to install a SIM card of any GSM operator in the router, an Internet connection will automatically occur, without additional settings. It’s suitable for home use, trips or foreign travel, as well as for use in the countryside as a home access point.

Design and Management

The 4G Alcatel EE70 router is small, compact, lightweight, fits in your trouser or shirt pocket, and you can take it with you everywhere. The Alcatel EE70 router is made in a yellow-black combined case made of high-quality plastic (in the spirit of the company’s latest developments). On the front panel of the case are LED indicators of the device – the signal strength of the cellular network, battery level, WiFi activity and received messages. Settings are managed via the settings web interface. Above is the power button, below are a slot for charging Micro USB format. Under the back cover there is a battery, under it there is a SIM card slot.

Compatibility

The Alcatel 4G Router is very easy to configure and use. You just need to connect it via WiFi to your phone, computer, or laptop, after a few seconds you will be connected to the Internet. OS Support: Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 10, Mac OS X, Linux. The Alcatel EE70 model with a 2150 mAh battery can last up to 8 hours without recharging. The device is charged from the 220V network using the power supply that comes with the kit. It is also possible to charge the router from a car charger or from a computer’s USB port.

Additional features

The Alcatel EE70 has a dual-band (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz) Wi-Fi module 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, which provides a reliable wireless WiFi network within a range of 15 meters, which can connect up to 20 devices at the same time. All types of devices with WiFi module are supported: smartphones, tablets, laptops, set-top boxes, TV, etc.

Below you will see the general specifications of Alcatel EE70 MiFi:

* 4G LTE Mobile WiFi hotspot

* Frequencies: 2G 850/900/1800/1900MHz || 3G 900/1800/2100MHz || 4G 800/1800/2600MHz

* LTE download speed up to 300Mbps, upload speed to 50Mbps

* WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz)

* Technologies: GSM GPRS / EDGE, UMTS, HSDPA, HSPA, HSPA +, DC-HSPA +, LTE

* WiFi support up to 20 wireless devices

* Removable battery of 2150mAh

TP-Link Presents a New 4G+ Cat6 Router Archer MR600

Many people may know the TP-Link Archer MR200 and Archer MR400, which were available in the market for years. They can achieve download speed up to 150Mbps through 4G wireless network. Recently, TP-link presents a new router to meet the demand of faster 4G LTE connection. The new router model is Archer MR600, following the series of MR200 and MR400.

TP-Link Archer MR600 Appearance

 

The Archer MR600 is a 4G Category 6 Router, which could achieve download speed up to 300Mbps. If you had read our blog, you may know we had introduced many 4G+ Cat6 routers from Huawei. On this point, TP-link is walking very slowly on 4G LTE products. The design of TP-link MR600 looks similar to the predecessors, but there is some difference. The Archer MR400 external antenna is non-removable, but now the Archer MR600 could do. And the original antenna with the MR600 could be unscrewed so that users can install outdoor antenna or change the antennas.

TP-Link Archer MR600 Specifications:

The technical specifications of Archer MR600 are very similar to the two predecessors. It supports 4G LTE Frequency bands as below:

* 4G FDD-LTE: B1/B3/B5/B7/B8/B20/B28 (2100/1800/850/2600/900/800/700 MHz)

* 4G TDD-LTE: B38/B40/B41 (2600/2300/2500 MHz)

* 3G DC-HSPA+/HSPA/UMTS: B1/B5/B8 (2100/850/900 MHz)

The feature makes the TP-link MR600 could be used with almost all the network providers in Europe and Aisa. The Archer MR600 has a Micro SIM card slot on the back and will probably come with a format adapter. With support for 4G + Cat6 using Carrier Aggregation technology, you can maximize your 4G network at speeds up to 300 Mbps, plug in your SIM card and stream HD movies without interference or download files in no time. With the Archer MR600, you can connect up to 64 devices at the same time without having to worry about the connection.

Regarding the WLAN features, TP-link MR600 covers the current AC1200 stand:

  • IEEE 802.11a/n/ac 5GHz and IEEE 802.11 b/g/n 2.4GHz
  • Dual-band WiFi 2.4GHz and 5GHz
  • Signal rate: 300Mbps at 2.4GHz, 867Mbps at 5GHz
  • Support encryptions: 64/128-bit WEP, WPA/WPA2, WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK

 

The WiFi can be activated or deactivated with the possibility to activate the scheduler/daily. The Archer MR600 creates a Dual Band WiFi network that can give you speeds up to 867 Mbps. The two 2.4 and 5 GHz bands provide optimized performance and minimize interference when streaming movies, downloading files, or listening to music. Thanks to two removable and advanced antennas and the latest wireless technology, you can enjoy stable connections, high speeds and good coverage.

 

TP-Link Archer MR600 Interfaces

Archer MR600 provides 4 Gigabit Ethernet ports including a LAN/WAN port that will allow you to connect your router to your fixed network provider if necessary. In this configuration, you can designate your WAN connection as the primary connection and define your 3G/4G connection as a backup connection in case of a failover.

TP-Link Archer MR600 functions

The operating system of the MR600 remains in line with other TP-link 4G Routers, therefore we find most of the expected features:

 

  • Operating mode: 3G/4G Router, Wireless Router
  • WAN Type: Dynamic IP, IP Static, PPPoE, PPTP (Dual Access), L2TP (Dual Access)
  • DHCP: Server, Client DHCP list, Address Reservation
  • Quality of service: Bandwidth Control
  • Port forwarding: ALG, Virtual Server, Port Triggering, UPnP, DMZ
  • Dynamic DNS: DynDns, NO-IP
  • VPN Server: PPTN VPN, IPsec VPN, OpenVPN
  • Security: DoS, IPv4 SPI Firewall, IPv6 Firewall, IP and MAC Address Binding, Access Control
  • Protocols: IPv4, IPv6
  • Management: TP-link Cloud, Local Management, Remote Management
  • Administration: Upgrade Firmware, Default Factory, System Log, Diagnostic Tools
  • Network Guest: 2.4GHz Guest Network x 1, 5GHz Guest Network x 1

 

 

TP-link MR600 Installation

The Archer MR600 requires no installation or configuration with software or apps, just plug in the power cable and insert your sim card to then start the router that automatically connects to the 4G network and distributes the signal via WiFi or the four LAN ports.

 

 

The TP-link Archer MR600 is of course compatible with TP-link OneMesh networks if you have compatible equipment. The 4G LTE router allows you to quickly get started on a wireless network wherever you are. The Archer MR600 is the perfect router if you are in the cabin, in a hotel or in a remote location and need access to WiFi. With Plug-and-play, just plug it in to get started. From the exhibition center to the caravan, the MR600 gives you what you need.

Huawei B612 VS Huawei B528

The Huawei B612 and B528 LTE routers are both available in European countries. But they both can work well in Asia. Since they are both Huawei latest routers, many people are not quite familiar with them. To help the end-consumers to know more about the two LTE modem routers, we will compare the Huawei B612 and B528 specs and features. If somebody would buy one router from the two, they may get some useful tips.

Huawei B612 VS Huawei B528 Specs

 

First, let’s have a check the Huawei B612 specs and Huawei B528 specs in the table:

 

Model Huawei B612 Huawei B528s-23a
Product type Huawei WiFi Router with Ethernet port LTE WiFi Cube
Category LTE Cat.6 LTE Cat.6
Chipset HiSilicon LTE Cat6 Chipset HiSilicon Balong 722
LTE Data rates DL 300Mbps/UL 50Mbps DL 300Mbps/UL 50Mbps
Supported 4G LTE frequency bands Huawei B612s-25d:  B1/B3/B7/B8/B20/B38/B40/B41/B42/B43
Huawei B612s-51d: B2/B4/B5/B7/B41
LTE B1, B3, B7, B8, B20, B32, B38
WLAN 802.11 b/g/n/ac, single-band 2.4GHz 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band 2.4GHz & 5GHz
Max supported users 32 users 64 users
MIMO 4 x 4 MIMO 2 x 2 MIMO
Antenna Connectors Two, SMA-female jacks Two, TS-9 jacks
Buy Antenna Huawei B612 external antenna Huawei B528 External Antenna
App management Huawei Hilink APP Huawei Hilink APP
SIM Size Micro SIM Micro SIM
Battery NO NO
Dimensions 240 × 155 × 78 mm 105 mm x 90mm x 181 mm
Interfaces * 3 x LAN port(RJ45)
* 1 x LAN/WAN port (RJ45)
* 1 x telephone port(RJ11)
* Two external LTE antenna ports (SMA-female)
* One micro-SIM card slot
* 1 x USB 2.0 port
* 1 x Gigabit LAN (RJ45)
* 1 x RJ11 (VoIP)
Datasheet Huawei B612 Datasheet(PDF) Huawei B528 Datasheet
User Manual Huawei B612 User Manual(PDF) Huawei B528 Manual
Other features  Firewall, CS Voice, VoIP, VoLTE, IPv6/IPv4 dual stack, NAT, DHCP, VPN, DMZ, UPnP, ALG, IPv4 /IPv6 dual stack
Firmware download Huawei B612 firmware Huawei B528 firmware
Driver Huawei B612 driver Huawei B528 Driver
Reviews Huawei B612 Review Huawei B528s-23a Review
Price/USD 199.00USD 229.00

 

Summary

From the specs table, we can see the Huawei B528 and B612 router are both LTE Cat6 routers which could achieve download speed up to 300Mbps and upload speed to 50Mbps. The main difference between the Huawei B612 4G router and Huawei B528 includes:

 

  1. Appearance

If you had seen the two routers, you will know the Huawei B612 looks like a traditional Huawei router such as Huawei B593 or E5186. But Huawei B528 LTE router looks like a humidifier in cylinder shape, which looks cool and like a furniture.

 

  1. Variant model

Huawei B612 Router has two variant models supports different LTE frequency bands. The Huawei B528 has only one variant model name B528s-23a, perhaps because it’s only available for Vodafone GigaCube. We are not sure whether there will be new variant model in near future.

 

  1. WLAN feature

Huawei B612 can provide only WiFi on single band 2.4GHz for up to 32 wirless users to connect, but Huawei B528s-23 could provide WiFi one dual-bands and support maximum up to 64 wireless users. However, Huawei B612 adopts 4 x 4 MIMO technologies for wireless connection while Huawei B528 only supports 2 x 2 MIMO.

 

 

  1. Interface

Huawei B612 has more interfaces options for users, but Huawei B528 has less interfaces. If your home or office has many devices and have to connect via Ethernet cables, the Huawei B612 may be better. They both have the external antenna connectors: Huawei B612 connector type is SMA-female while Huawei B528 antenna connector type is TS-9, like the Huawei B618 LTE Router.

 

  1. Price

The prices of Huawei B612 and Huawei B528 are very close. So if you would buy one of the two routers, you may focus on the wireless functions and the interface functions.

See the difference list, you may have your conclusion about the two routers and will have trouble to buy the Huawei routers.

Huawei B612 VS Huawei B310

Since 4G LTE networks are more and more popular, people usually need one or more home WiFi router for the terminals at home to access the internet. Huawei had provided many wireless router models for home usage and many of the Huawei Home WiFi routers are very well-known by the users. The Huawei B310 router is one of them. A few months ago, Huawei presented a new 4G home WiFi router named Huawei B612. For those people who are looking for a home WiFi router, they may want to know what the difference is between the Huawei B612 and Huawei B310, and which one is better to buy. You may check below the images of the two routers and specs comparisons, in the summary, we will list the key difference between them for the reference.

Huawei B612 VS Huawei B310 Specifications

 

Model Huawei B612 Huawei B310
Product type Huawei WiFi Router with Ethernet port LTE WiFi Router
Category LTE Cat.6 LTE Cat.4
Chipset HiSilicon LTE Cat6 Chipset Hisilicon Balong
LTE Data rates DL 300Mbps/UL 50Mbps DL 150Mbps/UL 50Mbps
Supported 4G LTE frequency bands Huawei B612s-25d:  B1/B3/B7/B8/B20/B38/B40/B41/B42/B43
Huawei B612s-51d: B2/B4/B5/B7/B41
* Huawei B310s-927:  B1/B3/B8/B40
* Huawei B310As-852: B3/B7/B8/B38/B39/B40/B41
* Huawei B310s-22: B1/B3/B7/B8/B20
* Huawei B310s-518: B1/B2/B4/B5/B7/B28
WLAN 802.11 b/g/n/ac, single-band 2.4GHz 802.11b/g/n, single-band 2.4GHz
Max supported users 32 users 32 users
MIMO 4 x 4 MIMO n/a
Antenna Two, SMA-female jacks Two, SMA-female jacks
Buy Antenna Huawei B612 external antenna Huawei B310 external antenna
App management Huawei Hilink APP Huawei Hilink APP
SIM Size Micro SIM Standard SIM
Battery NO No
Dimensions 240 × 155 × 78 mm 181.0mm x 126.0mm x 70.0mm
Interfaces * 3 x LAN port(RJ45)
* 1 x LAN/WAN port (RJ45)
* 1 x telephone port(RJ11)
* Two external LTE antenna ports (SMA-female)
* One micro-SIM card slot
* 1 x USB 2.0 port
* 1 x power adapter port
* 3 x LAN port(RJ45)(Depends)
* 1 x LAN/WAN port (RJ45)
* 1 x telephone port(RJ11)(depends)
* Two external LTE antenna ports (SMA-J1.5)
* One SIM card slot
* 1 x USB 2.0 port(depends)
Datasheet Huawei B612 Datasheet(PDF) Huawei B310 Datasheet(PDF)
User Manual Huawei B612 User Manual(PDF) Huawei B310 Manual(PDF)
Other features  Firewall, CS Voice, VoIP, VoLTE, IPv6/IPv4 dual stack, NAT, DHCP, VPN, DMZ, UPnP, ALG, Voice, DHCP, NAT, ARP, ICMP, DNS Relay, IPv6/IPv4 dual stack, VPN passthrough, Firewall, URL filter, LAN IP filter, DMZ, UPnP, ALG, Port forwarding
Firmware download Huawei B612 firmware Huawei B310 firmware
Driver Huawei B612 driver Huawei B310 driver
Reviews Huawei B612 Review Huawei B310 Review
Price/USD 199.00USD 139.00USD

Summary

From the specs table, we could see the Huawei B612 is more advanced than Huawei B310 router. The main difference between the Huawei B612 and B310 focus on below:

 

  1. Speeds

Huawei B612 could support peak download speed up to 300Mbps and upload speed to 50Mbps based on LTE Cat6 while Huawei B310 supports peak download speed up to 150Mbps and upload speed to 50Mbps based on LTE Cat4.

 

  1. Variant models

Huawei B612 Router has two variant models while Huawei B310 has more up to 4 variant models. They support different LTE frequency bands, users to check which frequency bands are available for their network providers and then select the right model to use.

 

  1. Wireless technology

Huawei B612 and B310 both support single mode 2.4GHz for WiFi, but Huawei B612 support 4 x 4 MIMO technology, which would improve the data transfer speeds.

 

  1. Interfaces

Huawei B612 has the standard configuration for Huawei 4G routers, including 3 WAN ports, one WAN/LAN port, one telephone port, two connectors for external antennas, and one USB 2.0 port. However, in the Huawei B310 variant models, some of the interfaces may be missing on specific models. If you would buy Huawei B310, you may confirm how many WAN or LAN ports are available, whether there is telephone port in case you want to use some functions but no interface to support.

 

  1. Price

As the newer model and better technology, Huawei B612 price is higher than Huawei B310 price, but if you don’t have much requirements for the router, Huawei B310 is a budget router for home use.

 

 

Now you could make a decision of which router to buy between the Huawei B612 and B310 router.

Huawei B900 AI Cube Router Review

At IFA 2018, Huawei presented a new device named “Huawei AI Cube(B900-230)”. The Huawei AI Cube is a smart speaker equipped with Amazon Alexa, an audio assistant developed by Amazon in the US. In addition to its function as a smart speaker, it also has a function as a stationary LTE wireless router. Huawei B900 AI Cube combines a 4G Modem, a home WiFi router, high-end 360-degree wireless speaker, and a Huawei-Amazon collaboration that promises Alexa integration and some not-yet-articulated AI capabilities.

Huawei B900 AI Cube Appearance

The Huawei B900 AI Cube looks a little bit similar to its predecessor Huawei B528 but there is the obvious difference. On the top, there are three keys available: one volume up key, one volume down key, and one mute key. On the body, there are three LED indicators for Signal, WiFi and LAN. However, unlike the latest Huawei B618s-22d WiFi router, there is no connector for the external antenna in the B900 AI Cube.

Below the indicators, there are two buttons: Power and WPS buttons. On the bottom of the Huawei B900 WiFi router, the product name Huawei B900-230, IP address (192.168.1.1), User name(admin), SSID, WiFi key, WPS pin, Power input and Made in China information are listed on the bottom label.

 

The SIM card slot is also at the bottom with the Reset hole. The Huawei B900 WiFi cube uses Micro SIM card size. Below the IMEI & S/N number label, there is an Ethernet port for LAN and WAN. The power plug port is at the side of the Ethernet port.

Huawei AI Cube B900 Smart Speaker Function

 

The Huawei B900 AI Cube Router can be controlled via voice assistant Alexa with around 50,000 voice commands. For example, the router can play music or Internet radio through the built-in speaker. Smart home hardware such as TVs, Wi-Fi bulbs or refrigerators can also be controlled, as long as they are compatible with Amazon Alexa.

 

Huawei B900 Specifications

As a stationary LTE WiFi router, the Huawei B900-230 cube could achieve download speed up to 300Mbps and upload speed to 50mbps. It has 802.11ac with dual-band Wi-Fi, in total up to 1.200 MBit/s are attainable over WLAN according to Huawei.. You get four microphones with far-field voice recognition. How many users could be connected with the cube is unknown yet, but we list the general specifications of Huawei B900 AI Cube for reference:

 

* Support 4G LTE Band B1/B3/B7/B8/B20/B32/B38

* Support 4G LTE Cat.6 2CC Technology

– CA Bands: CA_3C/CA_7C/CA_38C/CA_1A-8A/CA_1A-20A/CA_3A-7A/CA_3A-8A/CA_3A-20A/CA_7A-8A/CA_7A-20A/CA_20A-32A/

* Support 3G UMTS/WCDMA/HSPA+ B1/B8

* LTE download speed to 300mbps, upload speed to 50mbps

* WLAN: WiFi 802.111a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band(2.4GHz & 5GHz), 2 x 2 MIMO, 2 x 2 DBDC(Dual-band, dual-carrier)

* External Antenna connector: No

* SIM Card size: Micro SIM (3FF)

* Interfaces:

– 1 x RJ-45 for data, GE

– 1 x SIM Card slot (3FF), 1 x power interface

– 1 x Hi Key/ 1 x Reset Key/ 1 x Power key

– 2 x Voice + – / 1 x Mute Key / 1 x Pause Key

* Speaker: 15W Mono Speaker

* Voice Input: 4 x Microphones

* Main features: Huawei Hilink, Huawei Histen, Amazon Alexa, Far Field Voice Recognition

* Power: AC 100V – 240V, DC 12V, 2A

* Dimensions: 218mm (height) x 116mm (diameter)

* Weight: 900g

 

Huawei said the Europe version would be available around the end of 2018, but not mention about the availability for US market. Regarding the Huawei B900 AI Cube price, Huawei didn’t give any information. We have to wait for the news from Huawei.

 

 

 

 

TP-Link Archer MR200 VS Huawei E5186

Since more and more network providers worldwide had deployed LTE wireless networks, when the end-users want to buy a 4G WiFi router with SIM card slot, they usually consider the top brand Huawei and TP-link. As the famous Chinese network equipment manufacturers, Huawei and TP-link provide similar LTE routers and the similar LTE devices are of course becoming the competitors. The TP-link Archer MR200 and Huawei E5186 router are the two similar routers. For those who are unfamiliar with the 4G WiFi routers, they may find it’s hard to make a decision to buy one. We compare the specs and features of the two routers. If you are interested in the two routers, you may find some tips.

Huawei E5186 VS TP-link Archer MR200 Specs

 

Model TP-link Archer MR200 Huawei E5186
Product type TP-link 4G Router with SIM card slot and Ethernet port Huawei 4G WiFi Router with Ethernet port
Category LTE Cat.4 LTE Cat.6
Chipset MediaTek MT7620A HiSilicon LTE Cat6 Chipset
LTE Data rates DL 150Mbps/UL 50Mbps DL 300Mbps/UL 50Mbps
Supported 4G LTE frequency bands * 4G: FDD-LTE B1/B3/B7/B8/B20 (2100/1800/2600/900/800MHz)
TDD-LTE B38/B39/B40/B41 (2600/1900/2300/2500MHz)
Huawei E5186s-22a: Band 1/3/7/8/20/38
Huawei E5186s-61a: Band  3/7/28/40
WLAN * IEEE 802.11ac/n/a 5GHz, DL to 433Mbps
* IEEE 802.11b/g/n 2.4GHz, DL to 300mbps
802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band 2.4GHz & 5GHz
Max supported users 64 users 64 users
MIMO n/a 2 x 2 MIMO
Antenna 3 Internal Wi-Fi Antennas,
2 Detachable External 4G LTE Antennas
Two, SMA-female jacks
Buy Antenna TP-link MR200 external antenna Huawei E5186 external antenna
App management TP-Link Tether APP Huawei Hilink APP
SIM Size Standard SIM Micro SIM
Battery No NO
Dimensions 202 x 141 x 33.6 mm 190 mm × 200 mm × 32 mm
Interfaces * 1 x power adapter port
* 3 x LAN port(RJ45)
* 3 x 10/100Mbps LAN Ports
* 1 x 10/100Mbps LAN/WAN Port
* 1 x SIM Card Slot
* 3 x LAN port(45)
* 1 x LAN/WAN port (45)
* 2 x telephone port(RJ11)
* Two external LTE antenna ports (SMA-J1.5)
* One micro-SIM card slot
* 1 x USB 2.0 port
Datasheet TP-Link Archer MR200 Datasheet(PDF) Huawei E5186 Datasheet(PDF)
User Manual TP-Link Archer MR200 Manual(PDF) Huawei E5186 User Manual(PDF)
Other features Traffic Control, Dynamic IP/Static IP/PPPoE/PPTP(Dual Access)/L2TP(Dual Access), Access Control, Local Management, Remote Management, DHCP, Port Forwarding,  Dynamic DNS, VPN, Access Control, Firewall, Supports IPv4 and IPv6, IPSec VPN  Firewall, CS Voice, VoIP, TR069 Remote Management, HTTP Online Upgrade, QoS, USB Share, UPnP, IPV6, DLNA, Fax, Print, VPN
Firmware download Archer MR200 Firmware Huawei E5186 firmware
Driver Archer MR200 driver Huawei E5186 driver
Reviews TP-link Archer MR200 Review Huawei E5186 Review
Price/USD 329.00 169.00USD

 

Summary

From the specs table, we can see the Huawei E5186 is more advanced with the support of LTE Cat6 and could achieve download speed up to 300Mbps, which is almost double of the speed from TP-link Archer MR200. They both have one SIM card slot, four Ethernet ports, and two external antennas. Huawei E5186 modem has two variant models for different LTE frequency bands but TP-link MR200 has only one model, but MR200 supports more LTE network frequency bands. Whether which router is more suitable for you, it depends on your network carrier’s LTE frequency bands. Besides the network compatibility, you may also concern the price of the two routers. Perhaps because Huawei E5186 is more popular worldwide, the price of Huawei E5186 is better than TP-link Archer MR200 price. In our opinion, we think the Huawei E5186 router is better than TP-link Archer MR200.

 

ZTE MF971V LTE Cat6 MiFi Review

We had introduced ZTE LTE Cat6 MiFi MF970 last year, actually, ZTE also presented another LTE Cat6 MiFi MF971V and it’s available for many network providers worldwide. Even though it’s already an old mobile WiFi hotspot, many people don’t know this ZTE 4G mobile hotspot and its specs & features. Today we will review the ZTE MF971V LTE mobile hotspot.

ZTE MF971V Appearance

The appearance of ZTE MF971V looks very similar to ZTE MF970 uFi, there is a small LED screen on the front. The ZTE logo is at the left side while the LTE word on the other side. On the top edge side, there is a WPS button with the power button. And there is a connector for external 4G Antenna. On the opposite side, there is also a connector for a 4G LTE antenna. The SIM card slot is available with the USB port. The back cover of the ZTE MF971V could not be removed, unlike the competitor Huawei E5786. But both the ZTE MF971V and Huawei E5786 batteries are built-in and non-removable.

 

ZTE MF971V Technical Specifications and Features

With LTE category 6 bandwidth technology (carrier aggregation), ZTE MF971V could achieve download speed up to 300mbps and upload speed up to 50mbps. As a WiFi Router, ZTE MF971V hotspot 4G could allows simultaneous connection via WiFi up to 10 devices or with a PC using a USB cable. This makes the ZTE MF971V ideal for use at home, taking with you on holidays, for business meetings and on a longer journey. In places with a weaker range, an external antenna can be connected to the device. ZTE MF971V WiFi Router is also distinguished by its small size and modern design, and the clear display informs about the current status of the battery, Wi-Fi networks, coverage of the cellular network and about received SMS messages. The built-in 2300 mAh battery provides up to 500 hours of standby time and up to 11 hours of operating mode. ZTE MF971V weighs approximately 100 g.

Here we list the details specifications of ZTE MF971V for general review:

 

  • Support 4G Band: LTE FDD B1/2/3/4/5/7/8/17/12/20/28 TDD B38/40
  • (FDD 2100/1900/1800/1700/850/2600/900/700/800Mhz TDD 2600/2300Mhz)
  • Carrier Aggregation: 4G LTE band B3+B7 / B3+B3 / B20+B7 / B3+B20 / B7+B20 / B3+B5
  • 3G Band: DC-HSPA+/HSPA+/HSPA/UMTS B1/B2/B5/B8
  • 2G BAND: GSM/GPRS/ED GE
  • WLAN: 802.11 b/g/n/ac, dual band 2.4GHz and 5GHz
  • LTE Category 6 download up to 300Mbit/s, upload to 50Mbit/s
  • DC-HSPA+DL (Download) up to 43.2Mbps, UL (Upload) u p to 5.76Mbps

Other Feature:

  • 1 x SIM card slot – Micro SIM (12 x 15mm)
  • 1 x micro USB connector for charging
  • 1 x 1.44 TFT-LCD
  • Power switch, a MENU switch, RESET switch
  • Built-in LTE/UMTS/GSM and WLAN high gain antenna
  • Battery: 2300 mAh (Max Work 11 hours, Max Standby 500hr)
  • 2 X TS9 external antenna connection
  • Maximum of 32 wireless users
  • Operating: 0℃ to +35℃
  • Dimension: 104 x 65 x 14.3 mm
  • Weight: 101g (including the battery)

 

If you want to know more details about ZTE MF971 LTE-A Mobile WiFi hotspot, click here: https://www.4gltemall.com/zte-mf971v-lte-cat6-mobile-wifi-hotspot.html

Huawei E5885 VS Netgear Aircard 790s

We had introduced the Huawei Cat6 Pocket WiFi one month ago. As a new 4G+ Cat6 MiFi, Huawei E5885Ls-93a was added to the Cat6 router list. However, there are many similar 4G LTE pocket WiFi in the market. Netgear Aircard 790s is one of the LTE Cat6 MiFi routers. Somebody had asked what the difference is between the Huawei E5885Ls-93a and Netgear AC790S and which one is better to buy. Today we will take a comparison of the two mobile router and find the answers.

Huawei E5885Ls-93a VS Netgear AC790S Appearance

If you had read our blog about Netgear mobile hotspot, you may know the Netgear Aircard 790s is in a typical design of a Netgear mobile hotspot. It has a touchscreen and it’s the first 4G LTE Pocket WiFi router with a touchscreen. Users can do simple settings from the display. There are a power button and two connectors for high gain LTE antenna. The back cover could be moved to insert SIM card and change the battery.

 

Unlike Netgear AC790S, Huawei E5885Ls-93a has only a small display to show the connection status. Users cannot do the settings through the display. Different from other Huawei 4G portable router, Huawei E5885Ls-93a is very thick, perhaps because of the large built-in battery packs. The battery of Huawei E5885Ls-93a could not be removed but the back cover could be removed to insert SIM card and SD storage card. Huawei E5885Ls-93a has also an Ethernet port, USB input and output ports, a WPS button and Power button.

Netgear AC790S VS Huawei E5885Ls-93a Specifications

From the appearance, we can see the Huawei E5885 and Aircard 790s are very different. Then let’s have a comparison of Huawei E5885Ls-93a Specs and Netgear AC790S Specs:

Model Huawei E5885Ls-93a Netgear Aircard 790s
Product type LTE Mobile Hotspot with Ethernet port LTE Mobile Hotspot
Category LTE Cat.6 LTE Cat.6
Chipset Hisilicon LTE Cat6 chipset Qualcomm MDM9230
Data rates DL 300Mbps/UL 50Mbps DL 300Mbps/UL 50Mbps
Supported 4G LTE frequency bands * FDD-LTE Band 1/2/3/4/5/7/8/19/20
* TDD-LTE: Band 38/40/41
B1, B3, B7, B8, B28
WLAN 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band 2.4GHz & 5GHz 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band 2.4GHz & 5GHz
Max support users 32 users 15 users
MIMO 2 X 2 MIMO 2 x 2 MIMO
Connector for external antenna No connector Two, TS-9 jacks
Buy Antenna N/A Netgear AC790s External Antenna
App management Huawei Hilink APP 3.0 Netgear Aircard APP
SIM type Micro SIM Micro SIM
Battery Non-removable, 6400mAh Removable, 2930 mAh
Dimensions  112.00 x 69.20 x 23.00mm 110 x 68 x 15 mm
Ethernet Port On port for WAN/LAN port(RJ-45) No
Datasheet download Huawei E5885 Datasheet Netgear AC790S Datasheet
User Manual Huawei E5885 Manual Netgear Aircard 790s manual
Other features Power bank, CA, NFC 2 band CA
Firmware download Huawei E5885 Firmware Netgear AC790S Firmware
Drivers Huawei E5885 driver Netgear AC790S driver
Reviews Huawei E5885 Review Netgear Aircard 790s review
Price 279.00USD 179.00USD

 

Summary

The two Cat6 pocket WiFi routers both could support peak download speed up to 300Mbps. Huawei E5885Ls-93a seems more powerful on other points:

  1. Supports more LTE frequency bands including the bands in North American areas
  2. Support up to 32 wireless devices which are double of the qty from Aircard 790s
  3. Larger battery up to 6400mAh, and it can charge other devices
  4. The Ethernet port supports LAN/WAN and very useful
  5. NFC functions for easy WiFi connection

 

However, Huawei E5885Ls-93a doesn’t have the connectors for external antennas, which Netgear Aircard 790s has. Since Huawei E5885 is a new model with powerful and practical functions, the price is more expensive than Netgear Aircard 790s price. So if you just need a decent pocket WiFi for daily use, the Netgear AC790S is enough. But if you want the pocket WiFi has more function to meet your requirements, Huawei E5885Ls-93a is worth buying.

ZTE MF286 VS Huawei B525s

Huawei had many LTE Cat6 routers available now but the competitor ZTE has very few Cat6 routers in the market. ZTE MF286 router is one of the ZTE LTE Cat6 routers, since Huawei B525s LTE Cat6 router, some people want to know what the difference between Huawei B525 and ZTE MF286 is. We would compare the Huawei B525s with ZTE MF286 from the appearance, interfaces, specs, and features in this blog.

Huawei B525s VS ZTE MF286 Appearance and Interfaces

 

ZTE MF286 and Huawei B525s are both in the typical design of 4G WiFi router. On the front, there are some indicators for Power, WiFi, and Signal. The ZTE MF286 has also the indicators for Telephone, 3G/4G Data and Battery. Huawei B525 doesn’t have the indicator for telephone and battery. But it has the indicator for Ethernet connection. On the back, they both have 3 LAN ports and one LAN/WAN ports. Huawei B525 has only one telephone port while ZTE MF286 has two telephone ports. They both have the power adapter plug and USB port, but the ZTE MF286 has the power on/off button.

 

The SIM card slot of Huawei B525 is located at the bottom while the ZTE MF286 sim card slot is at the edge side. They both have two SMA connectors for external LTE antennas. The unique feature of ZTE MF286 is the removable battery which makes it work like a mobile WiFi router. Huawei B525s has the WPS and Power buttons on the top side while the ZTE MF286 has the WLAN and WPS buttons with the Reset hole on the top side.

 

ZTE MF286 VS Huawei B525 Specs and Features

 

From the appearance, we can see the interface difference and then let’s have a check the ZTE MF286 specs and Huawei B525 specs for a comparison:

 

Model Huawei B525 ZTE MF286
Product type Huawei WiFi Router with Ethernet port LTE WiFi Router with Ethernet port
Category LTE Cat.6 LTE Cat.6
Chipset HiSilicon LTE Cat6 Chipset Qualcomm MDM9230
LTE Data rates DL 300Mbps/UL 50Mbps DL 300Mbps/UL 50Mbps
Supported 4G LTE frequency bands Huawei B525s-23a: Band  1/3/7/8/20/32/38
Huawei B525s-65a: Band  1/3/4/5/7/8/20/19/26/28/32/38/40/41
ZTE MF286: Band 1/3/7/8/28
WLAN 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band 2.4GHz & 5GHz 802.11b/g/n/ac, dual-band 2.4GHz & 5GHz
Max supported users 64 users 64 users
MIMO 2 x 2 MIMO 3 x 3 MIMO
Antenna Two, SMA-female jacks Two, SMA-female jacks
Buy Antenna Huawei B525 antenna ZTE MF286 outdoor antenna
App management Huawei Hilink APP ZTELink APP
SIM Size Micro SIM Standard SIM
Battery NO Removable, 3000mAh
Dimensions 163 x 52 x 226 mm 180 × 170 × 30 mm
Interfaces * 3 x LAN port(RJ45)
* 1 x LAN/WAN port (RJ45)
* 1 x telephone port(RJ11)
* Two external LTE antenna ports(SMA-female)
* One micro-SIM card slot
* 1 x USB 2.0 port
* 3 x LAN port(RJ45)
* 1 x LAN/WAN port (RJ45)
* 2 x telephone port(RJ11)
* Two external LTE antenna ports (SMA-Female)
* One micro-SIM card slot
* 1 x USB 2.0 port
Datasheet Huawei B525 Datasheet(PDF) ZTE MF286 Datasheet(PDF)
User Manual Huawei B525 User Manual(PDF) ZTE MF286 User Manual(PDF)
Other features  Firewall, CS Voice, VoIP, TR069 Remote Management, HTTP Online Upgrade, QoS, USB Share, UPnP, IPV6, DLNA, Fax, Print, VPN  Firewall, CS Voice, VoIP, TR069 Remote Management, HTTP Online Upgrade, QoS, USB Share, UPnP, IPV6, DLNA, Fax, Print, VPN
Firmware download Huawei B525 firmware ZTE MF286 firmware
Driver Huawei B525 driver ZTE MF286 driver
Reviews Huawei B525 Review ZTE MF286 Review
Price/USD 259.00USD 199.00USD

 

Summary

From the specs table, we can see the Huawei B525s and ZTE MF286 are both LTE Cat6 router which could achieve download speed up to 300Mbps and upload speed to 50Mbps. The Huawei B525 router has two variant models now but ZTE MF286 has only one variant model. They both support maximum up to 64 wireless devices but ZTE MF286 supports 3 X 3 MIMO while Huawei B525 supports 2 X 2 MIMO. The removable battery adds many bonuses for ZTE MF286 router because it can make the MF286 router used as a mobile WiFi router. Then the ZTE MF286 could be used in much more circumstances. With the similar technical feature, ZTE MF286 price is cheaper than Huawei B525 price. Perhaps because the Huawei B525 is the latest router and ZTE MF286 is an old model. We didn’t take the speed test for Huawei B525 and ZTE MF286, but from the specs, we think the ZTE MF286 is better than Huawei B525 Router.

ZTE MF286 4G LTE Router Test

Since LTE networks are becoming more and more popular, there are many stationary or mobile LTE routers from various brands on sale, and one of the most interesting routers is ZTE MF286 4G router. It combines the features of stationary router and the mobile router.

ZTE MF286

 

Not as well-known as Huawei B593 router, ZTE MF286 is quite a new router, it was introduced to some network providers in Europe at the end of last year. It supports the latest network standards, primarily LTE Advanced (aggregation of two bands, downloading at speeds up to 300 Mb/s), and within the Wi-Fi network, it supports the 802.11ac standard (2×2 MIMO, or up to 867 Mb/s).

ZTE MF286

Of course, there are no miracles in practice, the LTE speeds drop down in real use. Wi-Fi bandwidth is also a fraction of the theoretical value: between computers in the LAN and WLAN during testing it did not exceed 288 Mbit/s. Like other desktop routers, the ZTE MF286 has four Gigabit Ethernet ports, a USB 2.0 port for connecting a USB drive and file sharing, as well as an analog telephone line connector. Of course, there is also a built-in modem and a slot for mini SIM cards, under the plugs, two SMA connectors for the external LTE antenna.

 

An unusual feature is a removable battery with a capacity of 3000 mAh. It is a bit similar to the equipment for mobile 4G routers because you can take it anywhere and use it for at least 3 hours. It is a pity that instead of the USB charger, it has a 12-volt AC power adapter – you cannot power it with a power bank.

ZTE MF286

The function set is similar to other stationary LTE routers. The main screen of the configuration interface shows a network diagram where you can go to LTE settings, Wi-Fi or a list of connected devices. An interesting thing is the ability to choose the bandwidth that can be used by the modem built into the router. However, the Wi-Fi capability is much larger, above all the advantage is simultaneous operation in the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz band. The router has a Wi-Fi optimization function – it scans the radio band, detects existing networks and automatically selects the best channel. You can enable an additional guest network (Multi SSID) on both frequencies, limit the number of clients in each SSID network, and set a time limit for guests (in hours).

ZTE MF286

 

Hardware and software provide the possibility of using WPS to quickly establish connections, as well as completely disable Wi-Fi. When it comes to managing devices on the network, there is actually only one function: blocking with one click (this is an easy-to-use MAC filter implementation):

 

In the lower part of the interface, there are additional functions, among them SMS and address book supported, but there is no USSD code support. There is an important function of setting the mobile data transfer limit (or time of using the network). After exceeding a certain threshold (eg 80% of the limit), a notification appears in the interface and in the form of a red color of the 4G indicator. It is not clear how (manually or automatically, on a certain day of the month), to reset information about the use of the data packet.

 

There is also parental control consisting of three elements: a list of “children’s” computers, a network access schedule (division into days of the week and hours), and a whitelist of pages. The feature affects the operation of security.

 

In the advanced settings, you can find a lot of additional functions, characteristic for the ZTE LTE router. This includes passing VPN connections, static MAC-IP binding (MAC address must be “patched” manually or copy device lists), packet filtering, manual port forwarding, UPnP, DMZ zone. The firewall is enabled by default and it is not possible to disable it. The advanced feature is the ability to adjust the power of the Wi-Fi signal (although it should probably be in the section on Wi-Fi), as well as the URL filter (should be in the parental control).

 

Other advanced features include DDNS, date and time configuration, SIM card PIN configuration, saving/loading configuration to/from the file, periodic updates software and ping diagnostics. The WatchDog function is interesting, which pings a specific IP address with a specified interval. After a few failed pings (their number can also be determined) resets the router to re-establish a connection.

 

There is also a file server function, there must be files on the USB memory stick in the network. So the router has a lot of functions, some very useful. It is a pity that some of them do not work as you would expect. Compared to other fixed routers, there is a lack of options, such as bandwidth management, any event log, e-mail notifications, or VPN connection (as in business equipment). The ZTE MF286 4G Router does not have a mobile application, but for smartphone management, you can use a good-looking mobile page with the most important settings.

Summary

ZTE MF286 can work like as a stationary router and as a mobile WiFi router. The web interfaces provider rich options for internet settings and WiFi features. It provides enough functions for daily use. If you are looking for a stationary router, you may consider ZTE MF286 Router.