Five LTE Cat6 Home/Office Routers to Recommend

More and more people are enjoying the life with 4G LTE networks, which changes our lives invisibly. Even LTE is more and more popular; many customers are demanding faster surfing speed for large data transmission or online games. And the network providers are not stopping at the current LTE cat3 and cat4 networks. Many carriers are trying to upgrade the current LTE to LTE –Advanced to meet the customers’ requirements for better experience. With the upgraded LTE networks with carrier aggregation, customers can get much faster speed on LTE cat6 than current LTE cat4. Today, we would like to recommend a few LTE Category 6 routers for home or SOHO office.

lte-cat6-max-download-speeds-and-upload-speeds

Huawei B525

Huawei B525 is the latest 4G Router Cat.6 supporting DL speed to 300mbps and upload speed to 50Mbps, please check the details specs below:

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

Huawei B525 is the best buy Cat6 WiFi router, if you want to buy it, click here: https://www.4gltemall.com/huawei-b525-4g-lte-cat6-wireless-router.html

Huawei E5186

Huawei E5186 is the world’s first 4G LTE Cat6 router for LTE advanced networks. With the carrier aggregation technology, users can access internet and surfing at 300mbps download speed and 50Mbps upload. The download speed is almost double faster than that from LTE CAT4, which could achieve download speed to 150mbps. To support various LTE frequency bands from different carriers, the Huawei E5186 CPE has two sub-models now as below:

* Huawei E5186s-22a: LTE Band 1/3/7/8/20/38 (FDD 800/900/1800/2100/2600MHz, TDD 2600MHz)

Huawei E5186s-61a: LTE Band 3/7/28/40 (FDD 700/1800/2600MHz TDD 2300MHz)

huawei_e5186_4g_router_lte_cat6

Of course, the 3G DC-HSPA+/UMTS and quad-band GSM networks are backward compatible. The WiFi standard is 802.11a/b/g/n/ac on dual bands (2.4GHz and 5GHz). What’s more, the Huawei E5186 could support up to 64 wireless devices to access the internet through WiFi. And there are four RJ45 ports for LAN, one of which is also for WAN. Two RJ11 ports are for a telephone. One USB port and one SIM card slot are available. There is also the possibility to connect an external antenna to the E1586 router, on the back, there are two connectors for external antennas.

 

Huawei E5186 is a typical 4G LTE Router and as we know, it’s the best seller of LTE Cat6 router. If you want to know more details about it, click here: http://www.4gltemall.com/huawei-e5186-4g-cat6-802-11ac-lte-cpe.html

 

 

Huawei E5175

Very few people know the Huawei E5175 LTE Router perhaps because it’s also not listed in Huawei official site. And we also don’t get any information about the router available for any network providers. Perhaps it’s just a test model? We can’t get the answer.

huawei-e5175-e5175s-22-lte-cat6-router

The appearance of Huawei E5175 is similar to Huawei E5186, especially the interface ports, almost copying from E5186. It’s said Huawei E5175 is presented earlier than E5186, but it’s about to end of life. The Huawei E5175 technical specifications are the same as that of E5186 router.

If you want to know more details about Huawei E5175 4G Router, welcome to click here: http://www.4gltemall.com/huawei-e5175-4g-lte-wireless-gateway.html

 

 

Vodafone B4000

If you are familiar with Huawei wireless gateways, you may know the Vodafone B4000 is the customized Huawei E5186. The predecessor model Vodafone B3000 comes from Huawei B593s-22. On the Vodafone router, the Huawei logo is changed to Vodafone. And the firmware is customized for Vodafone. Other features and functions are completely the same as Huawei E5186.

vodafone-b4000

So if you don’t like the Vodafone brand, Huawei E5186 could fully replace Vodafone B4000. If you want to know more details about Vodafone B4000, click here: http://www.4gltemall.com/vodafone-b4000-4g-lte-cat6-wifi-router.html

 

ZTE MF286

ZTE is always following the steps of Huawei and presents similar products to huawei. So the appearance of ZTE MF286 somewhat looks like Huawei E5186. The interfaces in MF286 are the same to E5186. The chipset of ZTE MF286 is Qualcomm WTR3925 and MDM9230. But Huawei E5186 is on its own chipset. The highlight of ZTE MF286 is that there is an inserted battery with 3000mAh, which means user can take MF286 outdoor or on the go. Other features are similar to E5186. We usually say ZTE is copying Huawei, but we also see the innovation in ZTE products.

zte-mf286-lte-cat6-4g-router

If you want to know more details about ZTE MF286, click here:

http://www.4gltemall.com/zte-mf286-4g-lte-cat6-router.html

 

 

ZyXEL LTE4506 

Unlike the three LTE routers above, the ZyXEL LTE4506 is in the shape of cube, which looks like Huawei E5180 LTE Cube. LTE4506 can support up to 32 wireless users. There is a micro-USB connector for charging and a Gigabit LAN port, for connecting wired devices. Frankly speaking, the design of the ZyXEL LTE4506 is cool, if you want to know more details about it, click here:

http://www.4gltemall.com/zyxel-lte4506-4g-lte-cat6-router.html

zyxel-lte4506-lte-homespot

 

We believe there will be more LTE Cat6 router available in near future, but currently the above the five LTE routers are the best for LTE advanced networks with CA. There is no doubt that Huawei is dominating this LTE advanced technology. In the above routers, Huawei E5186 is the most popular and mostly recommended. But before you get the right one, check the network compatibility first with your carriers.

Huawei Presents B5328 4 X 4 MIMO LTE Router

Around the end of 2016, Huawei offers the world’s first commercial LTE router B5328 with 4 × 4 MIMO antenna technology. The B5328 LTE Router offers significantly higher data rates in a correspondingly equipped network than devices with 2 × 2 MIMO antenna technology. The Huawei B5328 is the successor to the popular Huawei E5186 LTE Router. In the free trade, the Huawei B5328 is currently not available; however, interested network operators and service providers can order the device on request and thus make available to their customers.

Based on the GCT’s GDM7243Q, the only LTE-A chip commercially available that offers 4×4 MIMO capability, enables Huawei B5328 LTE CPE with higher data rates and throughput while using limited bandwidth (“double speed” with the same limited bandwidth), which is a scarce commodity for network operators.

huawei-b5328-b5328-155-1

By integrating the receiver with four antennas and equipping the base station with four transmitters, mobile operators can maximize the use of their spectrum. Huawei B5328 is the successor to Huawei E5186 4G LTE Router. With GDM7243Q chipset, Huawei B5328 cpedelivers LTE Category 5/6/7 throughputs with double speeds enabled by 4X4 MIMO technology, and supports Voice over LTE (VoLTE) and eMBMS (LTE broadcast) as well as other advanced features.

The Huawei B5328 was already introduced in December 2015, but so far only supplied to very few operators, as most LTE networks currently set to 2 × 2 MIMO antenna technology and the B5328 router has no appreciable advantage in such networks to the predecessor model Huawei E5186 Router. You can buy the B5328 for example in Tunisia with the provider mobilis.

Some European network operators have already carried out tests with the Huawei B5328, for example the Czech Vodafone. Vodafone has achieved test with 4 × 4 MIMO antenna technology and Carrier Aggregation around 300 Mbit/s in the downlink.

 

huawei-b5328-b5328-155-2

The Huawei B5328 has no telephone function in the currently available version B5328-155 and has only a single RJ45 Ethernet connection on the back. The WLAN module works only on 2.4 GHz (WiFi 802.11 b/g/n), the exact speed I could not find unfortunately. Basically, the B5328 appears not to be a high-end router in the face of quite meager facilities, while the previous Huawei E5186 LTE CPE had a much greater variety of functions (Wi-Fi 802.11ac and 4x Gigabit Ethernet).

The Huawei B5328 LTE router will also come to the market in Germany, Austria or Switzerland. As we know, the China Mobile will also use this device for the upgraded LTE-Advanced TD-LTE network. From today’s point of view, there is not much to be in favor, as network operators rely on 2 × 2 MIMO antenna technology, higher modulation (256QAM) and frequency bundling to increase the speeds in their LTE networks. Currently, the Huawei E5186 is still dominating the market for 2 X 2 MIMO LTE networks.

 

Four LTE Category 6 Mobile Hotspots to Recommend

LTE networks are becoming the mainstream available in many countries and areas. With LTE technology, users can enjoy high speed surfing, online games or watching videos etc..The good news is that this is not the end. The LTE technologies are also evolved to LTE advanced and it’s said the 5G network is under test now.

huawei-e5786-netgear-790s-zte-mf970-alcatel-y900-front-logo-and-screen

Currently, many carriers are trying to upgrade the LTE Category 3 or 4 to the latest advanced Category 6 with carrier aggregation technology (in short: CA). With LTE-advanced technology, the LTE data rate could be improved to double faster than that of the current LTE cat4. Theoretically, the peak download speed could reach 300mbps and upload speed to 50Mbps. Here comes a question, which device could support the LTE Cat6 advanced networks and achieve this speed? Today, we would recommend a few similar mobile WiFi hotspot supporting LTE advanced carrier aggregation technology from vendors.

huawei-e5786-netgear-790s-zte-mf970-alcatel-y900-back

Huawei E5786

Huawei E5786 should be the first LTE Cat6 mobile WiFi available in the market with Huawei own Hisilicon chipset. It has three branch models: E5786s-32a, E5786s-62a, E5786s-63a. The Huawei E5786s-63a and E5786s-62a are for the network providers in Australia and they had new name “Telstra Wi-Fi 4G Advanced Pro X” and “Optu 4G WiFi modem” respectively. There are white and black colors available. But you can get the unlocked version from www.4gltemall.com for global use. Like its predecessors Huawei E5573 and E5577, the branch models could support different LTE frequency bands for different carriers and areas. Up to 10 wireless users could connect to Huawei E5786 and surf at high speed. There is a LCD screen in the front with power button. The back cover could be removed, but the 3000mAh battery is built-in. The SIM card and Micro SD card slots could be seen when back cover removed. There are two TS-9 connectors for external 4G LTE/3G antenna.

huawei-e5786-netgear-790s-zte-mf970-alcatel-y900-back-cover

As the world’s first LTE Cat6 mobile 4G router, Huawei E5786 is the best seller in similar gadgets. If you like this mobile hotspot, you’d better to check the network frequency bands and choose the right in the branch models.

 

Check more specification and details about Huawei E5786:

http://www.4gltemall.com/huawei-e5786-4g-lte-cat6-mobile-wifi.html

 

Netgear Aircard 790s

Netgear Aircard 790s is the second LTE cat6 mobile router available in the market. Based the predecessor Netgear Aircard 782s, it looks similar to the 782s aircard. Unlike the Huawei E5786, the screen of Aircard 790s is capacitive screen, where user can operate and do simple settings for the mobile hotspot. The power button is on the top side, the bottom side has two connectors for external antenna (TS-9 type). The USB port is also special with 3.0 port, but with the device, Netgear provides the USB 2.0 cable. The back cover could also be removed, so as the battery. The battery capacity is 2930mAh. The SIM card slot could be seen after battery is pulled out. No slot for Micro SD card. With Qualcomm MDM9230 chipset, Aircard 790s could support up to 15 wireless WiFi-enabled devices. With the touchscreen, Netgear Aircard 790s is attractive for many users in practical functions.

 

Check more specification and details about Netgear Aircard 790s: http://www.4gltemall.com/netgear-aircard-790s-4g-mobile-hotspot.html

huawei-e5786-netgear-790s-zte-mf970-alcatel-y900-battery

ZTE UFi MF970

Following the steps of the above two vendors, ZTE released the UFi MF970. It looks common like its predecessor MF910. MF970 was already available for Vodafone 4G contract. The front middle is the screen to indicate the connection status. User can do simple settings through the power and menu button. The power and menu button is on the top side. The back cover can’t be removed, so the battery can’t be changed. And there are also two connectors for external LTE/3G antenna. Like Netgear Aircard 790s, there is no slot for Micro SD card. Also with Qualcomm chipset MDM9230, ZTE UFi MF970 could support up to 14 wireless users. The battery is only 2300mAh, which is much lower than the above two similar hotspots. The design of ZTE MF970 looks cool. Other features are very similar to the competitors above.

 

Check more specification and details about ZTE UFi MF970:

http://www.4gltemall.com/zte-ufi-mf970-lte-cat6-mobile-wifi-hotspot.html

huawei-e5786-netgear-790s-zte-mf970-alcatel-y900-sim-card-slot

Alcatel One Touch Y900

Alcatel One Touch Y900, also called Alcatel Link Y900 4G+, looks special in the appearance. The signal bars on the front side looks cool but are not really interesting. In all the four LTE cat6 mobile routers, the Y900 is the only which doesn’t have a LCD display. There is only a power button on the body with the WPS button on the other side of the button. The back cover could be removed for changing the battery and inserting SIM card and SD storage card. The big battery is interesting, which has 3600mAh capacity and not only working long time, but also charge other electronics to work like a power bank. What’s amazing, the Alcatel Y900 could support up to 32 wireless users to access internet. In the four devices, Alcatel Y900 seems to be the most powerful mobile hotspot. I personally like this one more.

 

Check more specification and details about Alcatel One Touch Y900: http://www.4gltemall.com/alcatel-link-y900-4g-led-mobile-hotspot.html

 

The above four LTE 4G+ cat6 MiFi hotspot should be the most popular for LTE advanced networks. You need prefer to the vendor brands, prices, or the functions. We suppose you would choose the right one for the high-speed surfing on the go!

More images about the features:

huawei-e5786-netgear-790s-zte-mf970-alcatel-y900-power-button huawei-e5786-netgear-790s-zte-mf970-alcatel-y900-usb-and-antenna-connectorhuawei-e5786-netgear-790s-zte-mf970-alcatel-y900-usb-port

huawei-e5786-netgear-790s-zte-mf970-alcatel-y900-antenna-connectors

Netgear Aircard 810s VS Aircard 815s

Looking at the current available 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot, Netgear seems lead the LTE Advanced terminals. If you had known Huawei E5786 mobile WiFi, you may think this is the fastest 4G pocket router. However, if you know the two 4G mobile routers which we would introduce today, you may have a new view for the mobile terminals.

netgear-aircard-815s

Since LTE Cat3 and Cat4 are becoming the mainstream for carriers, LTE-advanced would of course be available in near future. Here we can see some carriers are stepping fast. The carrier AT&T in USA and Telstra in Australia had presented the LTE Advanced networks for commercial use. The aforementioned Huawei E5786 is a LTE cat6 mobile router, which is already available for many network providers. AT&T and Telstra already used the LTE Cat9 and Cat11 terminals, which mean the LTE Cat9 and Cat11 technologies are available for the two carriers.

netgear_aircard_810s_mobile_hotspot

AT&T introduced Netgear Aircard 815s and had a new name “AT&T Unite Explore” while Telstra introduced Netgear Aircard 810s and has a new name of “Telstra WiFi 4GX Advanced III”. The two 4G mobile hotspots very similar in the name but feature differently. Today, we will have what’s the difference between them.

 

Aircard 810s vs 815S Appearance

The Netgear Aircard 810s follows the design of the predecessor Aircard 790s, which is a same level mobile router to Huawei E5786 supporting LTE Cat6. The body of Aircard 810s is made of plastic but feels good. With a 2.4 inch LCD screen, user can read the connection status and setup the routers on the screen.

netgear-aircard-815s-appearance-features

The Netgear Aircard 815s also has a 2.4inch QVGA capacitive touchscreen like Aircard 810s. So the screen has same functions to Netgear AC810S for settings. There special feature of Aircard 815s which should mention is the rugged design that is dustproof, shock and water-resistant. This feature allows users to take the Aircard 815s not only for common outdoor activities, but also in severse weather, especially for the wilderness exploration. They both have two connectors for external antenna and socket type is TS-9. Between the two connectors, there is a USB 3.0 port.

netgear-aircard-810s-vs-ac815s-antenna-connector

 

Netgear AC810S VS AC815S Technical Specifications

 

Below the blank shows the details specifications of the two routers:

Model Netgear Aircard 810s AT&T Unite Explore 815S
Product type LTE Mobile Hotspot LTE Mobile Hotspot
Category LTE Cat.11 LTE Cat.9
Chipset Qualcomm Snapdragon X12 Qualcomm MDM9240
Data rates DL 600Mbps/UL 100Mbps DL 450Mbps/UL 100Mbps
Supported 4G LTE frequency bands B1, B3, B7, B8, B28 B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B7, B12, B17, B29, B30
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 15 users 15 users
MIMO 2 x 2 MIMO 2 x 2 MIMO
Connector for external antenna Two, TS-9 jacks Two, TS-9 jacks
Buy Antenna Aircard 810s External Antenna AT&T Unite Explore External Antenna
App management Netgear Aircard APP Netgear Aircard APP
SIM type Micro SIM Micro SIM
Battery Removable, 2930 mAh Removable, 4340 mAh
Dimensions 112 x 68.6 x 15.45mm 112 x 68.6 x 15.45mm
Ethernet Port No No
Datasheet download Netgear AC810S Datasheet AT&T Unite Explore 815s Datasheet
User Manual Telstra 4GX Advanced III Manual AT&T Unite Explore Manual
Other features 3 band CA 3 band CA
Firmware download Aircard 810s Firmware ATT Unite Explore Firmware
Drivers Aircard 810s driver ATT Unite Explore drivers
Reviews Netgear Aircard 810s review AT&T unite explore review
Price 249.00USD 349.00USD

 

 

 

Netgear Aircard 810s vs 815S Performance

 

Actually, we had not tested the two units at same network environment in practice. But we will do that respectively in near future and will provide full test report for the two mobile hotspots. We hope the report would be a good reference for the potential users who need the 4G mobile routers.

There is one function that we have to mention: The Aircard 815s and 810s can both work like a mobile power bank, which is called Battery Boost, they can charge other electronics such as smartphones and tablets. This function is practical and useful in most cases.

netgear-aircard-815s-battery-boost-charging

From the appearance and specifications, we can see the two mobile routers (Aircard 815s and 810s) are with the latest technology and dominate the wireless terminals. Netgear Aircard 810s supports higher level network technology and it should be the fastest 4G mobile router. Of course, the price is also not cheap for the Aircard 810s, so as Aircard 815s. But if you would like a budget mobile pocket 4G router, the Netgear Aircard 790s may be a good option for you.

Huawei E5787 4G LTE Hotspot Overview

The Huawei E5787 is a new modern LTE-Advanced hotspot with a large touchscreen display. The download speeds of up to 300 Mbit/s can be achieved, in the upload up to 50 Mbit/s are possible. The battery is easily replaceable by the user and has a term of up to 12 hours working time. With fast WLAN AC, Huawei E5787 hotspot can supply up to 10 devices simultaneously with an internet connection via USB cable.

Huawei E5787

Features and characteristics of Huawei E5787
Manufacturer and Model Number Huawei E5787 Mini Hotspot
chipset: Hisilicon | HPM Coretx A9 processor
LTE Category: CAT6
Download rate up to: 300 Mbit/s
Upload rate up to: 50 Mbit/s
Supported LTE bands: * LTE FDD Bands: 1/3/5/7/8/20 (800/850/900/1800/2100/2600MHz)

* LTE TDD Bands: 38/40/41 (2300/2500/2600MHz)

Backward compatible with: LTE CAT4 / DC-HSPA+ / UMTS / GSM
Support of LTE-Advanced: Yes
MIMO Support: 2×2
External Antenna: Dual TS-9 Connector for 4G/3G(Buy Huawei E5787 Antenna)
TelephonE
With integrated telephone system: No
Network | LAN & WLAN
LAN ports: No
WLAN standards: WLAN 802.11 b/g/n/ac
5 GHz WLAN support: Yes
encryption: WPS, WEP, WPA, WPA2
Wireless Internet Hotspot function: yes, support up to 10 devices/users
Others
Battery pack: 3000 mAh, exchangeable
Dimensions and weight: 109 x 58 x 7.5 mm at 155g
USB: MicroUSB
Memory card expansion: Micro SD
release: 2016
available at: www.4gltemall.com
Information material
Manual as PDF “Not yet available online

 

 

LTE Advanced with 300 MBit/s

The Huawei E5787 Hotspot is manufactured by the Chinese manufacturer Huawei and it provides a current LTE-Advanced CAT6 modem for up to 300 Mbit/s downstream and up to 50 Mbit/s upstream. It’s the second LTE cat6 mobile router from Huawei. The modem is manufactured by HiSilicon and also comes with the predecessor model Huawei E5786. Although the Netgear AirCard 810 is already a faster LTE hotspot, the Huawei E5787 is one of the fastest mobile LTE routers on the market.

huawei-e5787-e5787s-33a-mobile-wifi-touch-1

Most other devices provide only up to 150 Mbit/s in download (LTE CAT4). Of course the E5787 4G hotspot is also backward compatible with older wireless technologies GSM and UMTS (3G and 2G). In the UMTS network, up to 42.2 Mbit/s download via DC-HSPA+ is possible with GSM Data Accelerator EDGE is supported. Regarding the supporting frequency bands, we suppose the version for Europe FDD-LTE networks would be first available, ie. Supporting LTE band 1/3/7/8/20(800/900/1800/2100/2600MHz).

 

Easy operation with touch screen

Unlike its Huawei E5 predecessors, Huawei upgraded the screen on the Huawei E5787 because it has a large touchscreen display. So it’s also called Huawei E5787 Mobile WiFi Touch. Thus, the hotspot can quickly and easily use, which you already know and experience it from your smartphones ago. The key features like data consumption, connection time and receive status are displayed directly on the home screen. More detailed information you get on the menu that is graphically appealing. This feature was already available on Netgear Aircard 790s and 810s for long time. On this point, Huawei follows Netgear’s steps, but it should be the mainstream for high-level gadgets now.

huawei-e5787-e5787s-33a-mobile-wifi-touch-2

 

WLAN AC and Replaceable Battery

Compared to its predecessor Huawei E5786, Huawei E5787 has a removable battery. This has a capacity of 3000 mAh and will provide an operation time of approximately 12 hours. If there are many devices simultaneously connected, the capacity will probably be more likely to be slightly lower. The integrated WLAN radio module distributes the Internet connection of various devices such as laptops, smartphones and Tablets. On request, internet access via USB is possible and due MicroUSB cable is included and is also used to charge the battery. The wireless radios on both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, and supports the latest standard 802.11ac, so that the high-speed LTE also arrives at the terminals.

huawei-e5787-e5787s-33a-mobile-wifi-touch-3

 

The Huawei E5787 is currently only available abroad, for example in Saudi Arabia. The online store www.4gltemall.com also provides the unlocked Huawei E5787 mobile WiFi touch for global shipping. If you can confirm the Huawei E5787 is compatible with your local LTE networks, you may get the new fashion mobile WiFi hotspot from www.4gltemall.com.

LTE Cat6 CPE ZTE MF286 VS Huawei E5186

With the evolution of the wireless network technology, more and more network providers are trying to upgrade their LTE network to LTE cat6 advanced, so more and more users demand LTE terminals to support the latest LTE advanced networks. Even though, very few user equipments can meet the demand.

huawei-e5186-front-and-side

We had introduced the world’s the fist LTE Category 6 router Huawei E5186, now we get the new LTE Cat6 gateway ZTE MF286. As ZTE’s first LTE Category 6 router, the MF286 has many functions, even the appearance/interfaces design similar to LTE CPE E5186, but it also many special features. Today, we will have a check the difference between the two 4G LTE Routers.

huawei-e5186-leds-vs-zte-mf286-indicators

Appearance

The ZTE MF286 and Huawei E5186 both looks like a common stationary wireless home router, front indicators to show wireless connection status (Power, Wifi, Phone, 3G/4G, Battery, Signal), side gridding design to heat radiating, and interfaces (4 x RJ45 ports for WAN/LAN, 2 x RJ11 ports for VoLTE and telephone, 1 x USB port for storage and power adapter plug). And there are two connectors for external antenna in the two routers but the connectors are covered by a small cap in case dust and water. And the WPS button and reset hole line together. Of course, there is one SIM card slot in the two routers.

 

 

Technical specifications

The two routers can work well with FDD & TDD LTE networks. As wireless gateways for LTE Cat6, they both could achieve download speed to 300mbps and upload speed to 50mbps on LTE FDD networks. And the download speed could reach 112Mbps on TD-LTE networks. If LTE network is not available, they can automatically switch to 3G UMTS/WCDMA network or 2G GSM networks. And the peak download speed on 3G network is 42Mbps.

huawei-e5186-vs-zte-mf286-interfaces

ZTE MF286 and Huawei E5186 4G Router both could support the IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac with dual bands (2.4GHz and 5GHz). Up to 64 devices could connect to the MF286 and E5186 LTE CPE respectively. And they both support VoLTE function, which is required and practical on the LTE Advanced network. The management of the two routers can be done via the web UI. Users can do personal settings for Ethernet, WLAN, VoIP, Security, Port Forwarding, MAC/LAN IP filter, DHCP, DMZ, SIP ALG, UPnP, NAT settings etc in web UI.

 

But we can also see the difference between the two similar 4G Router:

  1. The chipset of the Huawei E5186 is Huawei own Hisilicon Kirin while ZTE MF286 is based on Qualcomm chipset Qualcomm WTR3925 (28nm process) and Qualcomm MDM9230 (20nm process)
  2. There is no battery in Huawei E5186, it can only work when connect to power adapter. However, the ZTE MF286 has built-in battery with 3000mAh capacity, which can support a conference call for up to 4 hours.

ZTE MF286

The two points should be the key difference between the two routers. Below are the details comparisons for the two routers on features and specifications for reference:

 

Model ZTE MF286 Huawei E5186
Type Stationary & Portable Router Stationary router
Category LTE Cat6 LTE Cat6
Network technology TD-LTE/FDD-LTE/DC-HSPA+/HSPA+/ UMTS/EDGE/GPRS/GSM TD-LTE/FDD-LTE/DC-HSPA+/HSPA+/ UMTS/EDGE/GPRS/GSM
4G Speed * LTE-FDD DL 300Mbps/UL 50Mbps

* TD-FDD DL 220Mbps/UL 10Mbps

* LTE-FDD DL 300Mbps/UL 50Mbps

* TD-FDD DL 220Mbps/UL 10Mbps

3G Speed DC-HSPA+ DL up to 43.2Mbps DC-HSPA+ DL up to 43.2Mbps
WiFi IEEE802.11a/b/g/n/ac(2.4GHz and 5GHz) IEEE802.11a/b/g/n/ac(2.4GHz and 5GHz)
MIMO Yes Yes
Max users 64 64
Interfaces 2 x RJ11 + 4 x RJ45 + 1 x USB + 1 x SIM slot + 1 x Power plug + 2 x connectors for antennas 2 x RJ11 + 4 x RJ45 + 1 x USB + 1 x SIM slot + 1 x Power plug + 2 x connectors for antennas
Battery Yes, 3000mAh No
VoLTE Yes Yes
Other features CSFB, HD Voice, Web UI, IPV6, WPS Firewall, CS Voice, VoIP, VoLTE, TR069 Remote Management, HTTP Online Upgrade, QoS, USB Share, UPnP, IPV6, DLNA, Fax, Print, VPN
Dimensions  180 × 170 × 30 mm 190 mm × 200 mm × 32 mm

 

If you like the two LTE Cat6 routers, welcome to check www.4gltemall.com .

 

Telekom Speedbox III LTE Router – Huawei E5186

The Speedbox LTE III is a new wireless router for Telekom, which could support for LTE Advanced. The device is intended for home use and provides the terminals via WLAN or LAN with high-speed internet. Based on LTE CAT6 technology, a speed of up to 300 Mbit/s is possible. There is an overview of the technical data of the Speedbox LTE III.

 

 

Features and Specifications of Speedbox III
Manufacturer and type designation Huawei E5186s-22a (HiSilicon chip)
Download rate up to 300 MBit/s
Upload rate up to 50 Mbit/s
Supported LTE bands: LTE 2600 MHz / 2100 MHz / 1800 MHz /
900 MHz / 800 MHz (FDD) LTE + 2600 MHz TDD
LTE-Advanced Support Yes
Backward compatible with: HSPA, HSPA+; UMTS (900/2100 MHz); GSM
MIMO Support: MIMO 2×2
Connector for external antenna yes, 2 SMA sockets(Buy 4G antenna for Speedbox LTE III)
Category: LTE modem category 6 (CAT6)
Telephone
With integrated PABX no
Network | LAN & WLAN
LAN Ports 4 LAN Gigabit ports (RJ45)
Wi-Fi standards WLAN 802.11b/g/n/ac for up to 64 users
5 GHz Wi-Fi support Yes
Coding WEP, WPA, WPA2
USB no
Dimensions / Weight 190 x 200 x 32 mm at about 518 g

 

First impression

 

Coming from the original Huawei model E5186 LTE CPE, the Telekom presented the series as usual in noble black. On the back there are only 4 gigabit ports. The front informs with four LEDs information about “Power”, “Mode”, “wifi” and signal. A configuration of the router can be done directly through the browser. The right flank of the router has a WPS and Wi-Fi button, and a reset button. The SIM card slot is on the top right place.

 

 

 

Anyone looking for a new, high-performance wireless router, gets an attractive solution with the new device Speedbox III LTE from Germany Telekom. The Speedbox LTE III supports LTE Advanced with up to 300 Mbit/s download speed (50 Mbit/s upload speed) and the latest WLAN standard by 802.11ac. This transmits at 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz. With the LTE frequency bands 800/900/1800/2100 MHz and 2600MHz, a wide range is covered. The external antenna connector is actually hiding at the back behind a small cover to find. The box can bring the network for up to 64 Wi-Fi enabled devices.

 

 

 

The Speedbox LTE III is technically based on the Huawei E5186 4G Router, however, still there are some differences between them. The E5186 LTE CPE also called E5186s-22a indicates the modification. The original E5186 has two RJ11 connectors and a USB port of the standard 2.0 interface. The software (firmware) is different and you will find a logo of the network operator on the front. In addition, the front lacks the “Voice” Info-LED.

 

 

Telephone

The DECT or analog telephone is not supported. If you want the function, probably you should choose the Vodafone B4000 or Huawei E5186 original model. And VOIP will not be a problem.  The send and receive short messages (SMS) via the Speedbox LTE III is actually possible.

 

 

 

Availability

Since September 2014, the Speedbox LTE III is available on the Germany Telekom, and now the unlocked Speedbox LTE III is also available on www.4gltemall.com . And the price is certainly reasonable for the first CAT6 router. The package includes a power adapter, an RJ45 LAN cable and a Quick Start Guide. If you want to change your 3G Router to 4G, the Speedbox LTE III should be a good option. If you want to get the full functions of the 4G Router, huawei original E5186 should be better to choose.

 

 

Speedbox LTE mini II (Huawei E5786) Review

The Telekom Speedbox LTE mini II is the first mobile wireless router with integrated modem for LTE-Advanced category 6. Up to 300 megabits per second in the downlink and 50 Mbit/s in the uplink are possible in the network of Germany Telekom. The successor of the Telekom Speedbox LTE mini also has a display easy to read, a fast Wi-Fi connection and a strong battery. The unit is packed in a cardboard box, similar to those of smartphones. In addition, there is a USB power adapter (100-240V, output 5V, 2A) and a USB cable.

The modem operates in 2G, 3G and LTE in the mode. The WLAN interface supports the current 802.11ac standard on 2.4 and 5 GHz. A bright display indicates the current operating status. The 3000 mAh battery provides strong for up to 10 hours of operation. The specs of Speedbox LTE Mini II look similar to Huawei E5786 and it comes from the original factory model E5786. After customizations by Telekom, Speedbox LTE Mini II is still a powerful router.

First impression: Small and portable

The Telekom Speedbox LTE mini II is equipped with a weight of 145 grams and small pocket size like a smartphone. The front is covered by a transparent plastic sheet while the sides and back are made of matt black plastic. On the front of the display and the underlying telecom logo, we can find the power button. The display shows all sorts of information, about the network operator, the used data volume, online time or network technology. From the power and the menu button, user can do some (few) quick settings. Below is the microUSB port for charging the battery or to connect to a computer. If you remove the cover from the back, you can find the slot for the Micro SIM card and the slot for microSD memory cards.

The battery is installed in the router and unfortunately can’t be replaceable by the user. All the other ports are found under the back cover. Right next to the MiniUSB, the two ports for an external antenna is to improve the reception. The connectors are protected by narrow plastic part. In addition, Huawei has saved some much space, so it was difficult to attach the external antennas.

The modem of Speedbox mini II LTE supports LTE 800, 850, 900, 1800, 2100 and 2600 megahertz, making it work not only in Germany but also worldwide in many LTE networks overseas. The maximum speed is 300 Mbit/s in the downlink, some conditions must be met and then it can thus achieve high speeds.

Of course, the Telekom Speedbox LTE support mini II supports not only LTE but also GSM and UMTS. It works on the frequency ranges of 850, 900, 1800, and 1900 MHz on GSM and the UMTS 850, 900, 1900 and 2100MHz. So the router could use in many UMTS networks in North America. The maximum speed in the UMTS Network could reach 42.2 Mbit/s in the downlink and 5.76 Mbit/s in the uplink, if the DC-HSPA+ technology is enabled on the network.

The reception quality of the Telekom Speedbox LTE mini II is very good both in the UMTS and the LTE network, often significantly better than that of many smartphones. Even in areas with poor reception can be surfed very quickly over LTE on the Internet.

 

The connection to the terminal device is either via a USB port or just using wireless connection. The Telekom Speedbox LTE mini II has a current wireless 802.11a/b/g/n /ac module installed, which is fast and optionally transmits on the 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz. Up to 10 devices can be connected via WiFi through Telekom Speedbox mini II LTE and the coverage of wireless network is about 10 to 15 meters.
The operation of Telecom Speedbox LTE mini II is quite simple. After inserting the SIM card, the device must be switched on to be connected (by pressing the power button for 2-3 seconds) with a computer, tablet or smartphone via Wi-Fi. The corresponding WLAN password is displayed on the router, but can also be seen under the cover on the back. Of course, other settings such as the name and password of the wireless network can still be changed. These settings can be done directly in the browser via the web interface; alternatively there is also an app for your smartphone (Android and iOS operating system). Enter the address bar192.168.8.1 (the router’s IP) in the browser to enter the menu.

The web interface is kept very simple and allows only the most important settings. More specific things such as setting the router to a particular frequency band or a detailed diagnostic function are unfortunately missing. Also information about key reception parameters, such as RSRQ or SINR is missing entirely. There is, however, a special tool, which we will continue to introduce more below. In the tab “Statistics” can be accessed information about data usage and time spent online. It is also possible to store a data plan, such as the volume values from your own mobile calling. Below you will find three selected sample screenshots of the user interface.

Conclusion: Very good mobile LTE Router

 

The Telekom Speedbox LTE mini II is a very good mobile LTE router. In particular, the good speeds of up to 300 Mbit/s and the excellent reception characteristics are convincing. And the WLAN module is fast and future proof.