TP-Link M7450 VS Netgear Aircard 790s

We had introduced the Best Buy LTE Cat.6 Portable 4G Routers, but more LTE Cat.6 routers are available in the market now. TP-link M7450 is the new Cat.6 router for pocket use. Many people may know the world’s first LTE Cat.6 mobile router Netgear Aircard 790s, but may not know the features of the new TP-link M7450. Somebody may ask: what’s the difference between Netgear AC790S and TP-link M7450? Which one is better to buy? We will compare the two mobile WiFi hotspots to conclude answers for you.

TP-Link M7450 VS Netgear AC790S Appearance and Interfaces

As the world’s first 4G LTE Mobile WiFi hotspot with LTE Cat.6, the Netgear AC790S is also the world’s first LTE Pocket WiFi with a touchscreen. Users can see the connection status and do some basic settings through the screen. Like other Netgear LTE mobile hotspot router, Aircard 790s has two connectors for external antennas. The USB port is in the middle of the two antenna connector. The power button is at the opposite side. Like the latest ATT Nighthawk Hotspot, the back cover of Netgear 790s could be removable and the battery is also removable for changing or inserting the SIM card.

The latest TP-link M7450 doesn’t have a touchscreen, there is a home button and power button at the two sides of the screen. Users can do the settings through the two buttons. Frankly speaking, the feature is not as good as Netgear Aircard 790s touchscreen. Like other TP-link 4G mobile WiFi, there is one USB port at the edge side but no connector for external antennas, which is not good for users who are located at areas with weak signals. The back cover of TP-link Pocket WiFi M7450 could be removed, so as the battery.

 

Netgear Aircard 790s VS TP-Link M7450 Specifications and Features

From the appearance, we can see the Netgear AC790S is more user-friendly, the touchscreen and the connectors for external antennas are highlighted. Then let’s have a comparison of Netgear AC790S specs and TP-link M7450 Specs:

 

Model Netgear Aircard 790s TP-Link M7450
Product type LTE Mobile Hotspot LTE Mobile Hotspot
Category LTE Cat.6 LTE Cat.6
Chipset Qualcomm MDM9230 Qualcomm
Data rates DL 300Mbps/UL 50Mbps DL 300Mbps/UL 50Mbps
Supported 4G LTE frequency bands B1, B3, B7, B8, B28 B1, B3, B7, B8, B20, B38, B40, B41
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 32 users
MIMO 2 x 2 MIMO 2 x 2 MIMO
Connector for external antenna Two, TS-9 jacks No
Buy Antenna Netgear AC790s External Antenna No
App management Netgear Aircard APP tpMiFi APP
SIM type Micro SIM Micro SIM
Battery Removable, 2930 mAh Removable, 3000 mAh
Dimensions 110 x 68 x 15 mm 112.5 x 66.5 x 16mm
Ethernet Port No No
Datasheet download Netgear AC790S Datasheet TP-link M7450 Datasheet
User Manual Netgear Aircard 790s manual TP-link M7450 User Manual
Other features 2 band CA 2 band CA
Firmware download Netgear AC790S Firmware TP-link M7450 Firmware
Drivers Netgear AC790S driver TP-link M7450 driver
Reviews Netgear AC790s review TP-link M7450 review
Price 179.00USD 289.00USD

Summary

From the specs table, we can see the TP-link Pocket WiFi M7450 and Netgear AC790S are both LTE Cat.6 router with Qualcomm chipset. They can both support download speed up to 300mbps. Netgear Aircard 790s is more user-friendly with the touch screen but they both could be managed through the APP. TP-link M7450 supports more WiFi users up to 32 while Aircard 790s supports only 15 users. TP-Link M7450 supports more LTE frequency bands which makes it work with more network providers’ SIM card. Other features of TP-link M7450 and Netgear 790S are very similar: similar size, similar battery feature. However, the TP-link M7450 price is very high compared with similar 4G LTE Cat.6 Mobile WiFi routers such as  Huawei E5786 and ZTE MF970, perhaps because it’s a new model. The old model Netgear AC790s price is almost only the half of M7450 price. So the Netgear AC790S mobile hotspot is highly recommended considering the performance, user experience and price.

Huawei E5786 VS Netgear Aircard 790S

More and more LTE advanced networks are available worldwide, so more and more LTE advanced mobile hotspots are needed to support faster internet speeds. Huawei E5786 and Netgear Aircard 790s are both LTE Cat.6 routers, even they are available for few years in the market, some people still don’t know what’s the difference between Huawei E5786 and Netgear AC790S. When they want to buy one LTE WiFi router, they may ask which one is better. We will review the appearance, interfaces, variant models, specs, and other features about the Netgear AC790 and Huawei E5786 to see what the key difference is so as the reference for the potential users.

Huawei E5786 VS Netgear AC790S Appearance

Huawei E5786 had been available in the market for more than three years. It has a small LCD screen to show the internet connection status. The power button is at the side of the screen. On the top side, there is a menu button while on the opposite side, the USB 2.0 and two connectors are located. The back cover could be opened but the battery is built-in and can’t be removable. The SIM card slot and SD card slot are at the side with Menu button.

The Netgear Aircard 790s router also has a 2.4-inch screen but it’s a touchscreen where a user can do the simple setting. Of course, users can also see the connection status through the screen. At the side of the screen, there are “Home” and “Back” buttons. The power button is on the top edge side while the USB 3.0 and two connectors for external antennas are located at the other side. The back cover could be opened but the Netgear Aircard 790s battery could be removed for exchange. They both use Micro SIM card size.

Netgear AirCard 790S VS Huawei E5786 Specs and features

From the appearance, the Netgear Aircard 790 seems to be better than Huawei E5786 unlocked, not only on the touchscreen but also the removable battery. Then let’s have a look at the details about Netgear Aircard 790s specs and Huawei E5786 specs comparison in the table below:

 

Model Huawei E5786 Netgear Aircard 790s
Product type LTE Mobile Hotspot 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 * Huawei E5786s-32a: Band 1/3/5/7/8/20/38
* Huawei E5786s-62a:
Band 1/3/8/28
* Huawei E5786s-63a:
Band 1/3/7/8/28/40
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 10 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 Huawei E5786 external Antenna Netgear AC790s External Antenna
App management Huawei Hilink APP Netgear Aircard APP
SIM type Micro SIM Micro SIM
Battery 3000mAh Removable, 2930 mAh
Dimensions 106 x 66 x 15.90mm 110 x 68 x 15 mm
Ethernet Port No No
Datasheet download Huawei E5786 Datasheet Netgear AC790S Datasheet
User Manual Huawei E5786 Manual Netgear Aircard 790s manual
Other features 2 band CA 2 band CA
Reviews Huawei E5786 Review Netgear Aircard 790s review
Price 199.00USD 229.00USD

Summary

 

From the specs table, we can see the Netgear AC790S has similar specifications as Huawei E5786. They are both LTE Category 6 mobile WiFi hotspot supporting peak download speed up to 300Mbps and upload speed to 50mbps. But Aircard 790s supports maximum users up to 15 devices while Huawei E5786 support max to 10 users. The feature of the touchscreen and removable battery of Netgear Aircard 790s should be the key difference between Aircard 790s and Huawei E5786. So in our opinion, the Netgear Aircard 790s would provide a better user experience than Huawei E5786.

The advantage of Huawei E5786 is that it has three variant models which support various LTE frequency bands and provides more options for users for various network providers. One point we have to mention is that the Netgear Aircard 790s price is a little bit expensive than that of Huawei E5786. If you would buy Netgear Aircard 790s or Huawei E5786 mobile hotspot, you should take care of these features.

Huawei E5787 VS Netgear Aircard 790s

If you had read our blog about Netgear Aircard 790s, you may know the Aircard 790s was the world’s first 4G LTE mobile hotspots with a touchscreen, which makes it a very attractive mobile pocket router. Last year, the Chinese network equipment supplier Huawei also presented a new 4G Mobile Hotspot with the touchscreen, and the model number is Huawei E5787, also named Huawei Mobile WiFi Touch. If you are looking for a 4G mobile router WiFi with a touchscreen, the Aircard 790s and Huawei E5787 could be considered. However, someone may ask: what’s the difference between Huawei E5787 and Netgear Aircard 790s? Which one is better to buy? In this article, we will review the difference between the Aircard 790s and Huawei E5787, including appearance, interfaces, specs, and other features to find the answers.

Huawei E5787 VS Netgear AC790S Appearance

Like other Netgear LTE mobile routers, the Netgear Aircard 790s has a 2.4-inch touchscreen with two buttons at the side of the screen. The two buttons are “Home” and “Back”. The Aircard 790s may have Telstra logo around the corner. The power button is on the top edge side while the USB3.0 port and external antenna connectors are located at the opposite side. The back cover could be opened and the battery is removable for exchange. And Micro SIM card slot is available after removing the battery.

The latest Huawei E5787 also has a 2.4 inch touchscreen but no button on the front. The Huawei logo is below the screen. Like Netgear 790s, the power button is also on the top side, and the USB 3.0 and connectors for external antennas are available on the other side. The back cover could be opened and the battery is also removable. The difference is that the two connectors in the Huawei E5787 are located together and covered by a cap. The Aircard 790s antenna connectors are located at two sides of the USB port. Huawei E5787 also uses Micro SIM card size.

Netgear Aircard 790s VS Huawei E5787 Specs and features

From the appearance, we can see the two 4G LTE Routers are very similar. Then let’s check the Huawei E5787 specs and Netgear AC790S specs to see the specs difference in the table:

Model Huawei E5787 Netgear Aircard 790s
Product type LTE Mobile Hotspot LTE Mobile Hotspot
Category LTE Cat.6 LTE Cat.6
Chipset  HiSilicon LTE Cat6 Chipset (Cortex A9 Processor) Qualcomm MDM9230
Data rates DL 300Mbps/UL 50Mbps DL 300Mbps/UL 50Mbps
Supported 4G LTE frequency bands * Huawei E5787s-33a: Band 1/3/5/7/8/20
* Huawei E5787Ph-67a: Band 1/3/5/7/8/28
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 10 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 Huawei E5787 external Antenna Aircard 790s External Antenna
App management Huawei Hilink APP Netgear Aircard APP
SIM type Micro SIM Micro SIM
Battery Removable, 3000mAh Removable, 2930 mAh
Dimensions 109.00 x 58.00 x 7.50mm 110 x 68 x 15 mm
Ethernet Port No No
Datasheet download Huawei E5787 Datasheet Netgear AC790S Datasheet
User Manual Huawei E5787 Manual Netgear Aircard 790s manual
Other features 2 band CA 2 band CA
Reviews Huawei E5787 Review Netgear Aircard 790s review
Price 269.00USD 229.00USD

Summary

From the specs comparison, we can see the Huawei E5787 Mobile Hotspot and Netgear Aircard 790s has almost same specs features. The main difference is on the variant models. Like other Huawei LTE hotspots, Huawei E5787 also has many variant models for various network providers. So it could support more LTE frequency bands worldwide. The Netgear Aircard 790s doesn’t have many variant models. As we know, there is only EU version and Australia version. Then if you would like a 4G mobile wifi router to support more network frequency bands, the Huawei E5787 may be better. However, if your network provider’s network frequency bands can be supported by Aircard 790s, and the Netgear AC790S would be better for you because based on same specifications, the Netgear 790S has a better price than that of Huawei E5787.

Five LTE Cat.6 Portable 4G Routers to Recommend

With the development of LTE network and technology, many users are not satisfied with the wireless speed. They want faster speed. So the support of LTE advanced network is necessary to get higher LTE speed. The good news is that many network providers already upgraded their network to LTE advanced or advanced Pro with carrier aggregation and MIMO technologies. To fulfill higher speed on LTE-A networks, many network manufacturers were already presenting their mobile 4G routers to meet the requirements. Below are the recommended LTE Cat. 6 portable 4G router from famous equipments supplier:

  1. Netgear Aircard 790s

Netgear Aircard 790s is the world’s first LTE cat.6 mobile router and it’s the first mobile 4G router with touchscreen. Below are the highlight features of Aircard 790s:

* Manufacturer: Netgear Wireless

* Support LTE frequency band 1/3/7/8/28 (700/900/1800/2100/2600 MHz)

* Chipset: Qualcomm – MDM9230 (Modem) – WTR3925 (RF) – QCA6174 (Wi-Fi)

* Connect up to 15 WiFi enabled devices on the go

* Supports Cat 6 LTE with carrier aggregation (up to 40 MHz)

* Capable of download speeds of up to 300mbps

* Future proof for the premium 700 MHz spectrum

* Removable lithium-ion (2930 mAh), Last up to 11 hours of active use

* Wi-Fi 802.11 ac/b/g/n, 2×2 MIMO, Dual-Band 2.4GH/5GHz

* 2.4” QVGA capacitive LCD touchscreen

* SIM Type: 3FF Format (microSIM)

* Two external antenna connectors (TS-9 type)

 

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

 

  1. Huawei E5786

* Manufacturer: Huawei

* Three variant models: E5786s-32a, E5786s-62a, E5786s-63a

* Support LTE frequency band 1/3/5/7/8/20/38 (E5786s-32a), band 1/3/8/28(E5786s-62a), band 1/3/7/8/28/40 (E5786s-63a)

* Chipset: HiSilicon LTE Cat6 chipset

* Connect up to 10 WiFi enabled devices simultaneously

* Supports Cat 6 LTE with carrier aggregation

* LTE download speeds of up to 300mbps, upload speed to 50mbps

* Non-removable lithium-ion (3000 mAh), maximum up to 10hours working time

* Wi-Fi 802.11 ac/b/g/n, 2×2 MIMO, Dual-Band 2.4GH/5GHz

* 2.4” QVGA capacitive LCD touchscreen

* SIM Type: 3FF Format (microSIM)

* Two external antenna connectors (TS-9 type)

Check more details about Huawei E5786:

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

 

  1. ZTE UFi MF970

ZTE MF970 Screen

* Manufacturer: ZTE

* Support LTE frequency band B1/2/3/4/7/8/20/28/12&17

* Chipset: Qualcomm – MDM9230 (Modem)

* Connect up to 14 WiFi enabled devices simultaneously

* Supports Cat 6 LTE with carrier aggregation

* Capable of download speeds of up to 300mbps

* Future proof for the premium 700 MHz spectrum

* Non-removable lithium-ion (2300 mAh), Last up to 8 hours of active use

* Wi-Fi 802.11 ac/b/g/n, 2×2 MIMO, Dual-Band 2.4GH/5GHz

* 1.44” TFT screen

* SIM Type: 3FF Format (microSIM)

* Two external antenna connectors (TS-9 type)

 

Check more details about ZTE MF970 UFi:

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

 

  1. Alcatel Link Y900

* Manufacturer: Alcatel One Touch

* Support LTE frequency band B1/3/7/8/20

* Chipset: Qualcomm – MDM9230 (Modem)

* Connect up to 32 WiFi enabled devices simultaneously

* Supports Cat 6 LTE with carrier aggregation

* LTE downlink speeds of up to 300mbps, uplink to 50mbps

* Removable lithium-ion (3600 mAh or 1800mAh), last up to 8 hours of active use or more

* Wi-Fi 802.11 ac/b/g/n, 2×2 MIMO, Dual-Band 2.4GH/5GHz

* 1.44” TFT screen

* SIM Type: 3FF Format (microSIM)

* No external antenna connector

 

Check more details about Alcatel Link Y900:

https://www.4gltemall.com/alcatel-link-y900-4g-led-mobile-hotspot.html

 

  1. Huawei E5885

HUAWEI E5885Ls-93a Mobile WiFi Pro 2 front

* Manufacturer: Huawei

* Support LTE frequency band B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B7/B8/B20/B19/B38/B40/B41

* Chipset: HiSilicon LTE Cat6 chipset

* Connect up to 32 WiFi enabled devices simultaneously

* Supports Cat 6 LTE with carrier aggregation

* With one Ethernet Port for LAN (RJ45)

* LTE download speeds of up to 300mbps, upload speed to 50mbps

* Non-removable lithium-ion Large battery (6400mAh), maximum up to 20hours working time

* Wi-Fi 802.11 ac/b/g/n, 2×2 MIMO, Dual-Band 2.4GH/5GHz

* 0.96 inch OLED display

* SIM Type: 3FF Format (microSIM)

* No external antenna connector

Check more details about Huawei E5885(Portable 4G router with Ethernet port and Sim card slot & large battery):

https://www.4gltemall.com/huawei-mobile-wifi-pro-2.html

From the specs of the mobile 4G routers, we can see each one has its own specialty. Huawei E5885 seems to be the most powerful with Ethernet port and large battery for mobile use. It’s the latest one available since 2017 but price is still at high range. Other models may not be the latest, but the price is budget. If you are looking for a portable 4G router with support of LTE Category 6 and CA, the above mobile 4g routers are recommended.

Huawei E5787s-33a Box Opening and Simple Settings

As the successor to Huawei E5786 LTE hotspot, Huawei presented a new Huawei E5787 mobile hotspot. Perhaps following the steps of Netgear Aircard 810s, Huawei makes the new LTE gadgets more smart than ever. The most obvious feature different from Huawei E5786 is that the Huawei E5787s has a touch screen, where user can do simple setting for the wireless network.

Huawei E5787 E5787s-33a

We get the Huawei E5787 in black color and the model number is E5787s-33a. The body of the new pocket WiFi is made of plastic but hand feel is good. On the top side, it’s the power button and it’s cool. The front 2.4 inch color touch screen is really selling point. This feature can be found on other Huawei mobile WiFi hotspots. This should be Huawei’s first LTE hotspot with color touchscreen. At the other side, it’s the USB port for charging. And two connectors for external antenna are covered by a cap. At the edge side, there is a place for lifting rope.

Huawei E5787 E5787s-33a

The back cover of the Huawei E5787s-33a could be opened for inserting the SIM card and battery. The battery of Huawei E5787 could be removed for exchange. The SIM card slot has a slider, user need to move the slider to open the cover and put SIM card in. Beside the SIM card slot, there is a label showing some information about the device:

Huawei E5787 E5787s-33a

Huawei Mobile WiFi E5787

Model: E5787s-33a

IP: 192.168.8.1

User: admin

Password: admin

SSID: Huawei-C0DD

WiFi Key: 41018956

IMEI: 86951602116xxxx

S/N: QTFDU17726001968

Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd

Made in China

Huawei E5787 E5787s-33a

Beside the label in the device body, there is a reset button in red color, which is to reset the Huawei E5787 to factory default if necessary. From the features and appearance, we can see the huawei E5787s-33a is very similar to Netgear Aircard 790s.

Huawei E5787 E5787s-33a

 

After plug in the SIM card and power on the Huawei E5787, we can see the Huawei E5787 would automatically detect the SIM card’s network provider and showed it on the screen. We didn’t do anything to setup and it would provide WiFi network. Simultaneously, the WLAN signal and connected WiFi users and battery status are also showed. The touch screen also indicates “Slide to open”, after slide, user can do some simple settings on the screen. If you want to do some advanced settings, you could log into the web interface 192.168.8.1 or user Huawei Hilink APP. You can scan the QR code on the package box to download the Huawei Hilink APP or download from Google Play or Apple Store.

Huawei E5787 E5787s-33a

In our test, the Huawei E5787 provided fast internet connection, but we didn’t reach the peak download speed of 300mbps. And the advanced settings are very practical. The battery capacity of 3000mAh can maintain more than one day full time use. And it has the function to charge other electronic devices. According to official sayings, up to 10 wireless users could connect with the Huawei E5787 for surfing. These technical features make it useful and we recommend it for those who usually need long time fast surfing and data plan.

Huawei E5787 E5787s-33a

 

Difference between Netgear Aircard 810s/790s and Huawei E5787

As Huawei’s first 4G mobile hotspot with touch screen, Huawei E5787 had attracts customers’ eyes when it’s presented to public. Now the Huawei E5787 had already been available for many network providers in Middle East areas. However, if you had used Netgear 4G Aircards such as Netgear Aircards 790s or 810s, you may the touch screen feature on a LTE mobile hotspot is not a new feature.

On the screen point, Huawei is following the Netgear’s steps. With the touch screen and easy operation, Netgear Aircard 4G hotspots had gained good reputation from many customers. Here comes the questions: what’s the difference between Huawei E5787 and Netgear 4G Aircard(790s & 810s)? In this article, we will have a look at the difference between them.

 

Appearance

The three 4G mobile hotspots are all in rectangle shape and have a 2.4 inch touch screen on the middle of the front. As we mentioned before, user can operate the device throigh the touch screen. Users can do simple setup without having to log in the web management page. This is also the selling point for them.

The Netgear 810s and 790s have a “home” and “back” button at the right side of the screen while the Huawei E5787 doesn’t have such button. They all have two connectors for external LTE antenna, which is important if the device is used at places with weak signal. The connector type is TS-9. The external LTE antenna can improve the network speed.

 

Technical Specifications

 

Huawei E5787 uses Huawei own Hisilicon LTE cat.6 chipset. The Netgear Aircards 790s and 810s both use Qualcomm LTE chipset like the predecessors, but they use different chipset model, Aircard 790s is based on Qualcomm MDM9230 and Aircard 810s is on Qualcomm Snapdragon X12 LTE modem.

With LTE cat.6 chipset platform, Huawei E5787 and Netgear 790s are same level products; both could support peak download speed up to 300Mbps and upload speed to 50Mbps on LTE network. Netgear aircard 810s is on a higher level to LTE cat11 and supporting downlink to 600Mbps, which is almost double of the speed from the E5787 and 790s. And aircard 810s is more advanced with support of 3 band carrier aggregation(CA) while the other two only support dual-band CA.

 

Perhaps Netgear 810s is targeted on top terminals, the 2G GSM network is not supported and only 3G UMTS/DC-HSPA+ is backward compatible. Both Netgear 790s and Huawei E5787 can switch to 3G UMTS/DC-HSPA+ or 2G GSM/GPRS network when LTE network is not available. Regarding the supported 4G LTE/3G/2G network frequency bands, it depends on the specific model.

 

The Aircard 810s and Huawei E5787 both support latest WLAN standards ac, but Aircard 790s missed the ac. But they are all with 2 x 2 MIMO technology. The Netgear Aircard 790s and 810S could both support up to 15 wireless devices to access internet while Huawei E5787 only support 10 users.

Battery and SIM card

Unlike Huawei E5786, the Netgear Aircard 790s & 810s and Huawei E5787 are with removable battery. The Netgear 790s and 810s both have the battery of same capacity to 2930mAh; Huawei E5787 has larger battery to 3000mAh. The two Netgear Aircards has the SIM slot for Micro SIM while the Huawei E5787 uses Mini SIM.

 

Regarding the performance of the network connection, we will do the test later and show full report accordingly.

Huawei E5787 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot Review

Huawei E5787 4G+ is a new mobile LTE Hotspot which has been released last year and now it’s available for many network providers in Asia and Europe. This is the successor to the popular Huawei E5786 from the year 2014. As the predecessor, the E5786 modem supports up to 300 MBit/s in the downlink (LTE category 6), technically speaking, not much has changed. The new Huawei E5787 has the large touch screen on the front, with which the hotspot is particularly easy to use. In the test, you will see the detail features of the Huawei E5787 and the specifications.

Huawei E5787
Huawei E5787

Appearance

The Huawei E5787 4g+ MiFi is available in black and white. The device is slightly smaller than the predecessor Huawei E5786 and works overall quite inconspicuous. The large touchscreen display is visible on the front, but an LED indication is not available. At the top of the hotspot is the power button, there is a micro-USB port as well as two TS-9 antenna connectors. In addition to the power supply and USB charging cable, it also includes a small hand loop in the package, which can be attached to the router.

Huawei E5787 E5787s-33a

The first impression is quite good. After inserting the SIM card as well as the battery (nano-SIM cards with adapter on MicroSIM work safely) you have to start the Huawei E5787 over a long press on the power button. If you do not use a completely exotic provider, the LTE Hotspot configures itself completely automatically and after entering the SIM PIN you are already online.

Huawei E5787 E5787s-33a

Technical specifications

The Huawei E5787 is sold worldwide in several variants, which support different frequency ranges. The Huawei E5787s-33a is available in Europe and is compatible with all frequency bands that are important in Europe but can also be used on other continents. Unfortunately, with the chipset has not changed in comparison to the predecessor, there is still “only” LTE Cat6 with 300 MBit/s. Many smartphones such as the Huawei P10  or the Samsung Galaxy S8 are already offered at least 600 MBit/s in the downlink with a higher-level chipset, and the Netgear AirCard 810 touch screen hotspot is also providing faster service.

Huawei E5787 E5787s-33a

 

Manufacturer & Model: Huawei E5787s-33a
Technologies: LTE / 4G (Cat6) | UMTS / 3G GSM / 2G
Frequency ranges: * LTE: 800/850/900/1800/2100/2600

* UMTS: 850/900/1900/2100

* GSM: 850/900/1800/1900

Maximum speed: * LTE: 300Mbps down, 50Mbit/s up

* UMTS: 42.2 Mbit/s down, 5.76 Mbps up (when using DC-HSPA+)

* GSM: 236 kbps (when using EDGE)

WIRELESS INTERNET ACCESS 802.11a/b/g/n/ac to 867 Mbps 2 × 2 MIMO | 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz
Software tested: Firmware version: 21.312.11.00.00
Others: * 2 x external antenna connector (type TS-9)

* Touchscreen 2.4 inch

* Replaceable battery 3,000 mAh

* MicroUSB connector

Operation & Touchscreen

The E5787 is Huawei’s first mobile WLAN router with touch-screen operation. The display is 2.4 inches in size and provides a color display. The plastic cover over the display reflects quite strongly and the display quality of the display is not comparable to that of current smartphones, but much worse. You can recognize all the contents well, but when you look at the display, it is somewhat brighter. But the response of the screen is good, and usually one seldom uses the display at an LTE Hotspot.

Huawei E5787 E5787s-33a

The speed of the software and the response speed of the touchscreen could be convincing. Huawei offers a much better experience in the E5787 hotspot than Netgear AirCard 790 or AirCard 810 Hotspot. Also, the software is quite appealing, without losing the functionality from the eye.

 

On the start screen, all important functions are displayed by default. This includes a large time display including the date as well as the status bar Information about the reception, WLAN and battery. Access to further functions or the settings is obtained by unlocking the E5787 with a “Swipe” to the left. In the main menu, there are the 6 menu items “Connection Wizard”, “Energy Saving Mode”, “SSID and Password”, “SMS”, “Settings” and “Info”.

In addition to the touchscreen operation, a web interface is also available, which can be accessed via the IP address 192.168.8.1. In addition, the Huawei HiLink app is also available for iOS and Android, with which a configuration is also possible.

Huawei E5787 E5787s-33a

LTE up to 300 MBit/s

Theoretically, the Huawei E5787 with its LTE Cat6 modem reaches speeds of up to 300 MBit/s in the downlink. For this purpose, the hotspot bundles two frequency bands by carrier aggregation technology provided that the mobile radio network also makes this technology available. In the test, speed tests were carried out with SIM cards from Vodafone and Telekom, but only in the frequency range around 800 megahertz, in particular, to be able to test the reception and the speed in remote areas. The Huawei E5787 made a good figure here, especially in comparison with various smartphones, reception is often better and the data rates were slightly higher. In case of doubt, an external antenna can also be connected for the purpose of improving the reception; the necessary two TS-9 connectors are hidden under a side cover. If you need the Huawei E5787 external antenna, you may try this one: http://www.4gltemall.com/4g-antenna-two-ts-9-connector.html

Huawei E5787 E5787s-33a

WLAN without Extender

Devices can be connected to the Internet either via the USB port or via WLAN. The cable connection worked in the test without problems, but most users will probably use WLAN. The maximum speed over WLAN is 867 Mbps, up to 10 devices can be connected at the same time. The Huawei E5787 supports both the frequency range around 2.4 GHz as well as the 5 GHz, the simultaneous use in the dual-band mode is unfortunately not possible. In the test, there were no problems with the WLAN. It is nice that the WLAN access data are no longer displayed in the display like on some previous Huawei hotspots, but are only displayed on demand, so as the important settings such as WLAN SSID, WLAN password.

A major disadvantage of the Huawei E5787 compared to many other LTE hotspots: a so-called WLAN extender or WLAN repeater is missing. The predecessor E5786 had still integrated the function, with which one can use an existing WLAN network as Internet access, but in the E5787, Huawei disabled the function for unknown reasons. It’s really a pity.

Huawei-E5786 VS Huawei E5787

Battery & Other

The battery of the Huawei E5787 has a capacity of 3.000 mAh. The battery can easily be replaced by the user, which is an advantage compared to the predecessor model Huawei E5786. So you can buy a second battery or in the case of a battery defect, quickly replace it even outside the warranty period. In continuous test operation with an average of 3 WLAN devices connected simultaneously to 2.4 GHz, the runtime was around 10 hours.

The E5787 4G Hotspot offers the possibility to also be used as an external battery (“Powerbank”), which can charge an empty smartphone with power off. For a full charge, it should not be enough with most current smartphones, so the Powerbank function is, therefore, more suitable for the emergency.

Conclusion

The Huawei E5787 is a very good LTE hotspot. The touch screen operation was well implemented and the software was designed appealing. The modem performance was good in the test and the maximum speed of 300 MBit/s should be sufficient for most users, but it is disappointing that Huawei “only” installed an LTE Cat6 modem and the E5787 has no great technical improvement. Also some practical functions are missing: the simultaneous spark on 2.4 and 5 Gigahertz is not supported and support of a maximum of 10 devices at the same time in comparison with the competition also somewhat obsolete. Nevertheless: if one can ignore the few criticism points, the Huawei E5787 a very good mobile LTE hotspot to recommend.

 

Netgear AirCard 790 Mobile LTE hotspot Test

At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Netgear introduced the new mobile hotspot AirCard 790 which differs of most competitor products on several features. Particularly striking is the color touch screen on the top of the unit. Given the opportunity, the aircard 790s mobile hotspot is stationary in a Netgear docking station. In addition, the Netgear aircard 790s dominated LTE Cat. 6 and thus supports mobile data connections of up to 300 Mbit/s downstream and 50 Mbit/s upstream. This is far from all its competitors in the case.

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The Netgear 790s mobile hotspot is 6.6 x 11 x 1.5 centimeters and weighs 136 grams. The device is therefore small and portable so that it can be easily transported in a pocket or purse.  And the unit lies comfortably in the hand.

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The advantage over many other mobile hotspots is also the possibility to replace the battery, and the body of Aircard 790 is thin. Under the battery is the SIM card slot, wherein Netgear sets here for the micro-SIM standard.

 

The aircard 790 router can be used as an external battery pack for a smartphone. A suitable connection cable is included as well as a charger for the AirCard 790. If you want to operate the device in other regions, but can also use any other power adapter with microUSB cable.

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The mobile hotspot 790s can be used with SIM cards from any providers. The device supports WLAN at 2.4 and 5 GHz, wherein the second frequency band can be switched on optionally. Multiple SSIDs and guest accounts can be set up. Further, the configuration of the device is possible almost completely directly via the touchscreen. Administration is possible via smartphone apps that Netgear offers, or via the web interface, which can be reached through the Internet browser of a connected smartphone, tablet or computer, unnecessary in most cases.

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On the display of 790S small router, a signal strength meter and the name of the cellular network that currently received network technology are displayed by default. There are also an icon that indicates whether the data connection is established, the name and password of the Wi-Fi hotspots as well as the current connected user, which can be configured via the menu. The remaining in the billing period days are shown.

 

About submenu, the user comes to incoming SMS messages. In addition, SMS can be created and also send text messages from the AirCard 790. Other topics let the user configuration. Among other things, the device can be used as a USB modem instead of Wi-Fi hotspots.

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Direct comparison with smartphones and Huawei MiFi

In the test, the WLAN range was slightly higher than that of the Huawei E5786 used in parallel. Also, the LTE-800 reception was above average, as has been shown also in direct comparison with smartphones like the Apple iPhone SE and OnePlus. We put the Netgear aircard 790s router alternately with SIM cards from Telekom, Vodafone and O2. The respective provider is automatically detected, so that a manual configuration of Internet access was not necessary.

 

 

In the Telecom network in Frankfurt, we reached top speeds of 120 Mbit/s. In Berlin we came up with up to 80 Mbit/s and in Munchen, the performance was 20 to 30 Mbit/s downstream. These are the results that we have achieved with the Aircard 790s. Here the Netgear 790S router kept much longer in touch with the LTE or UMTS network as the counterpart of Huawei.

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Battery lasts as Netgear promises

Netgear speaks officially of a battery life of eleven hours. This value we have not quite reached in the endurance test, in which a MacBook Air was permanently attached to the AirCard 790. A little more than ten hours held the battery in good LTE coverage in Telecom network but the mobile hotspot had to be connected to the charging cable.

 

For practical use, Netgear provide the possibility that the aircard 790 hotspot operation is automatically stopped to be determined at the user idle time in order to save battery capacity.  In practice, the battery lasts for longer working days in each case.

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What we did not like in the test: Similar to a Windows Phone, the Netgear AirCard 790 boots whenever that is connected to the charging cable. It is not necessarily said that the mobile hotspot is needed only because the battery is about to be supplied with fresh capacity, for example, when you come to a trade fair straight home and the next day with a fully charged battery would leave the house.

 

 

The Netgear AirCard 790 could largely satisfy the test. The device worked always reliably even in hours of use, the battery capacity is sufficient for one day and LTE Cat. 6 is exactly what is currently available in many mobile networks worldwide. Here now, the unlocked Netgear aircard 790s is available on www.4gltemall.com, you can also check other netgear aircards 4G here: http://www.4gltemall.com/4g-wireless-router/netgear-4g-lte-router.html .

Netgear Aircard 790s 4G Mobile Hotspot Review

Netgear has now three different mobile LTE routers for the network providers in Europe, making it become a serious contender for the top dogs Huawei and ZTE. The latest model with the name AirCard 790 dominates LTE Category 6 (CAT6) and can reach speeds of up to 300 MBit/s download. Operation is via a large, color touch screen and the battery is even used for charging other devices. How does the Aircard 790 perform in practice, you will find from 4gltemall.com/blog.

 

Netgear Aircard AC790S (3)

Appearance

The Netgear AirCard 790 router is supplied in a small cardboard box along with a power adapter and a USB cable. The USB cable can be used to charge the battery and to connect to a computer. In addition, there may be a user manual in different language to guide users how to do the simple settings in Netgear AC790 for internet connection.

 

 

The body of the Netgear AirCard 790 is made ​​entirely of plastic in order to achieve the best possible optical outputs and inputs. The surface of the body is matt and feels high-quality, the workmanship is very good. The flaps on the side antenna connectors (TS-9) make a good impression. The back can be easily removed to change the battery and the SIM card. This feature is better than other brand models such as Huawei E5786 and ZTE MF970, whose batteries are built-in, user can’t remove them for change.

Netgear Aircard AC790S (2)

First LTE Cat6 hotspot with touchscreen

Many mobile LTE routers have a small display on the front, which shows the most important information clearly. On AirCard 790 Hotspot, the manufacturer Netgear has gone one step further and has integrated a large touch screen in the unit, the operation can be done via the scrren like on a smartphone. The display is 2.4 inches in size, bright and easy to read.

Thanks to the large icons and clear labels, it’s simple to operate the 790 Aircard for everyone. The functions are quite extensive: There are statistics about data usage and online time, and as needed user can setup the volume limit of its own tariff and be alerted at certain boundaries. Of course there is also the on or off option for data roaming abroad and if necessary, user can link data by entering the APN and password, if the Netgear 790 does not automatically detect.

Netgear Aircard AC790S (5)

 

Regarding the operation via touch scrren, it is an improvement over devices which can also be controlled via web interface; users can do more deep settings from the web interface.

Aircard 790s-settings-router-port forwarding

LTE Cat. 6 with 300 MBit/s

The Netgear AirCard 790 Router achieved at speeds up to 300 Mbit/s downstream and up to 50 Mbit/s upstream in LTE network in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. This is made ​​possible by the integrated LTE Advanced Cat. 6 modem from Qualcomm, which additionally supports UMTS with DC-HSPA+. GSM and EDGE cannot be reached by Netgear AirCard 790, which is still a bit strange, since all the other hotspots on the market support the 2G network. On the other hand, it did not bother the test because stable and fast surfing anyway are possible only with UMTS and LTE and the network extension by now is quite good.

Netgear Aircard AC790S (1)

In the test, we use the SIM cards from Vodafone and Telekom, which were released in each case for the fastest speed. The Netgear AirCard 790 Router reaching speeds of just over 200 Mbit/s in download and up to 44 Mbit/s upstream. But the usual data rates were between 50 and 120 Mbit/s. The latency times were between 20 and 40 milliseconds (depending on the test server).

 

Netgear Aircard 790s Network-APN ADD

Dual Band Wireless AC

Up to 15 devices could connect with Netgear AC790 router via wireless internet; the maximum unit number can also be set lower in the settings. Thus, the high LTE speeds can also be used at the connected devices, and the latest WLAN AC standard available. This delivers speeds up to 1200 Mbit/s in the frequency ranges of 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. On request it is also possible to open a guest network, which is then provided with its own name and its own password and is separate from the main Wi-Fi. A wireless extender or wireless repeater is installed in some Huawei LTE hotspots such as similar model E5786, but this function is not available in Netgear AirCard 790, which is one of the few weaknesses compared to the competition.

Netgear Aircard AC790S (4)

Connectors for external antenna

If reception is poor and slow speeds, it may be useful to an external LTE antenna to connect to the Netgear AirCard 790 hotspot. These are two sides of TS-9 connectors are available, which are protected by a flap against dust. An LTE antenna was tested with the Aircard 790 and the speeds is even double in rural areas sometimes, for example, in caravans or campers, an external antenna may be necessary to connect stable and quickly. Below is the tested 4G/3G antenna and easy to take with the device:

4G LTE Indoor Antenna (2 x TS-9 Connectors) for Huawei/ZTE 4G LTE Modems/dongles/mobile hotspots

You can buy the antenna above from here: http://www.4gltemall.com/4g-antenna-two-ts-9-connector.html

 

 

Strong Battery with Power Bank Function

The battery in the Netgear AirCard 790 router is about 3,000 mAh strong and can be easily exchanged by the user, which is a positive exception compared to similar models. The operating time is lasting approximately 10 to 11 hours, taking into account factors such as reception level, frequency of cell change and number of connected devices, which can significantly affect battery life. A special feature is the so-called Power Bank Function: With the supplied USB cable, other devices such as Smartphones can be charged via the Netgear AirCard 790 Battery. This is ideal, for example, when the phone battery is empty, you would like to make a call and needs only to reload short.

Network Preferences-network mode

 

Conclusion

In our opinion, the Netgear AirCard 790 LTE Hotspot currently is one of the best mobile routers in 2016. The device offers all important functions, has a fast LTE Advanced Cat. 6 Modem and can be operated comfortably via touch screen. The battery life is very good and can connect, if required, an external LTE antenna to improve the speed. With around 280 USD (as of April 2016), you will definitely get a future-proof device. Here now, there is unlocked Aircard AC790S available on www.4gltemall.com. With the unlocked aircard 790S, you can use any network providers’ SIM without any limit. So it’s a good partner to take for overseas travelling or business.

Netgear AirCard 790s Mobile LTE Hotspot

Since early 2016, the Netgear AirCard 790 Mobile Hotspot with LTE Advanced Cat6 and large touch screen display is available in the market. The device is priced settled in direct comparison with the competitors of Huawei E5786 and Alcatel One Touch Y900. In LTE network, the router can reach up to 300 Mbit/s, the connection to the connected devices runs through MicroUSB 3.0 or Dual Band WLAN ac. We will check the detailed features of Aircard 790s.

Netgear Aircard AC790S (1)

The Netgear AirCard 790 router is supplied in a small cardboard box. In addition to the device itself, you will find a power supply with an output of 5 volts at 1 amp and a USB to Micro-USB 3.0 cable included. The power supply has a modular design and is supplied with an “adapter” for the common use in Europe socket. This of course is useful if you want to make even a holiday or a business trip. Besides the normal USB cable, another short “Jump Boost Cable” can also be found yet in the package. This allows you to connect an ordinary USB charging cable and thus the use of the Netgear AirCard 790 for charging other devices ( “Power Bank”).

 

Holding the Netgear AirCard 790 hotspot for the first time in his hand, this feels good. The workmanship is good and the weight of 136 grams including battery is completely pocket-fit. Also the large display is on the front, which is easy to read. But more on that later.

Netgear Aircard AC790S (2)

 

 LTE Advanced Cat6

The Netgear AC790 Hotspot has a current LTE multimode modem Qualcomm MDM9230 that for LTE Advanced category 6 ( “Cat6”) with up to 300 Mbit/s supported in the downlink. In the uplink up to 50 Mbit/s are possible. In the test with a mobile data plan, around 200 Mbit/s can be achieved, the ping time was on average about 25 milliseconds. The data rates fluctuated quite widely depending on the radio cell and the time of day, but this is quite normal.

 

The reception at the LTE network on 800 and 1800 MHz was good, better than many smartphones. If necessary, you can receive and data rates with an external antenna optimized to stand side of the AirCard 790 Router (two TS-9 connectors). The terminals are protected by a small sliding mechanism from dust.

Netgear Aircard AC790S (3)

Of course, the Netgear AC790 is also the 3G/UMTS network backward compatible, here are DC-HSPA+ up to 42.2 Mbit/s in the downlink and up to 5.76 Mbit/s in the uplink possible. 2G and the GSM network is not supported, although Netgear advertises on its homepage partially. This is unusual for a mobile hotspot. But since 4G is now the mainstream and 3G is now widely used, 2G may not be necessary now in most areas.

WIRELESS INTERNET ACCESS

Up to 15 devices can be powered wirelessly over WLAN with an Internet connection at the same time from Netgear AirCard 790s router. The connection is made either in the 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz range, thanks to the 2 × 2 MIMO antenna technology and Wi-Fi 802.11 ac, speeds of up to 1,200 Mbit/s. Fast enough to see the full LTE speed to use Cat6. The WLAN range was in the test quite well, the data rates increase – particularly in the 5 GHz band – but very quickly, as soon as a wall is between the router and the terminal. On request, you can also use USB ( “USB Tethering”) for connection and the WLAN can be optionally completely disable.

Netgear Aircard AC790S (4)

 

The Netgear AC790 supports both multi-SSID as well as a guest-Fi function. So you can, for example, separate the private network from another shared WiFi network. On the maximum number of connected devices that are not altered, the number of 15 devices refers to all wireless networks simultaneously.

 

Operation and Software

While many mobile LTE routers provide a small display for displaying important information, but the setup and configuration of the device usually requires a computer or at least a smartphone app. When Netgear AirCard 790 hotspot that is different, the router has a large touchscreen display on the front, so that the web interface normally is not required. Operation is self-explanatory thanks to large icons and clear labels, the capacitive display reacts quickly and properly. At the side of the display, there is “back” two soft-touch buttons and “Home”, which are also self-explanatory. The display switches off after a short delay and without actuation independently, so that the energy consumption is not too high. A bright LED above the display then informs about the operating status.

Netgear Aircard AC790S (5)

On the home page or the “home screen” all relevant information are clearly displayed, for example, the battery level, the number of connected devices, the used data volume and the network operator. Even the SMS function is easily available on the touch screen display, even if the keyboard is of course advised quite small.

Battery with Power Bank Function

The battery of the Netgear AirCard 790 hotspots has a capacity of 2,930 mAh and is easily replaceable by the user. The Aircard 790s can be charged via USB cable, including power supply, but also easy to charge with a possibly existing smartphone PSU including microUSB port. The operating time is about 11 hours according to Netgear. In the test, this figure could be reached fairly accurate.

With the included “Jump Boost cable”, the Netgear AirCard 790 hotspot can be also used for charging other devices, such as smartphones. Although this is not very efficient, a full battery charge may not be possible in most smartphones, but the Jump Boost function definitely interesting for a short “recharging”.

Netgear Aircard AC790S (6)

 

Optional Docking Station

Netgear provides for the AirCard Hotspot series of two docks that extend the mobile hotspot to a “real” stationary LTE router. The two devices are called DC112A and DC113A, where currently only the DC113A is available. The Cradle DC112A is significantly better equipped than the DC113A dock, so you get the DC112A as four Gigabit LAN ports, one Gigabit WAN port, two high-performance WLAN antennas and an improved WLAN module. The connections for an external mobile antenna are “looped through”, so that one also can connect an external antenna LTE (2x TS-9 connector) at DC112A.

Network Preferences-network mode

Conclusion: Netgear AirCard 790

The Netgear AirCard AC790S Hotspot could convince in the test with a large variety of functions and the latest technology. The modem is fast and the Internet connection even with frequent cell Jump stable, the WLAN module scores with good data rates and many setting options. Some prospective customers will also complain about the lack of WiFi Extender function. The Aircard 790s is offered at good price than its competitors. It’s a recommended 4G pocket router with aggressive price!