Vodafone B4000 LTE-Advanced Router Available in Portugal

Portugal is the first country where the new Vodafone B4000 LTE-Advanced Router is available. Since mid-June you can purchase your new router there, either without contract or with a mobile phone contract. And we can see there are many shops selling unlocked Vodafone B4000 without any contract. If you don’t want to be tied with the network operators, you can consider this unlocked one. The Vodafone B4000 router is manufactured by Huawei and there carries the model name of Huawei E5186. It is the world’s first LTE router for LTE-Advanced (LTE category 6), depending on the tariff and network, up to 300 megabits per second in the downlink can be achieved.

 

The Vodafone B4000 LTE-Advanced Router will be available over the summer in Germany with Vodafone, we could look at the device 2014 at the CeBIT already precisely. The factory model Huawei E5186 is already available on the market without operators’ logo and customization, it would be great for those who don’t need the operators’ contract. User can buy Huawei E5186 as alternative.

 

LTE with up to 300 MBit/s downlink
It is the first time the carrier aggregation technology can be bundled support on LTE Category 6, with the various frequency bands. So you can reach up to 300 megabits per second in the downlink in a first stage with 2 × 2 MIMO antenna technology, uploads of up to 50 Mbit/s are as previously possible. The downlink of a doubling of speed compared to LTE Category 4 speed cannot automatically be used from any vendor supporting LTE Category 6: it is expected in Germany “only” 225 Mbit/s to apply on Vodafone, while Vodafone Portugal support up to 300 MBit/s.

 

WLAN ac and Gigabit Ethernet
The Vodafone B4000 or the Huawei E5186 installed the new WLAN ac for the first time in a cellular router as standard. Assuming a corresponding terminal to LTE category 6 may as well use full wireless speed. But not only the radio interface has been optimized, and the Ethernet ports on the back of Vodafone B4000 are much faster than in previous devices Vodafone B2000 and Vodafone B3000. They now offer speeds of up to 1 Gbit/s.
Vodafone has already demonstrated LTE-Advanced in live operation at the CeBIT 2014. Press representatives could see speeds well in excess of 200 Mbit/s. according to a statement, Vodafone plans from March, the introduction of LTE-Advanced category 6 for the summer of 2014. with a start to the IFA technology, trade show in early September is considered highly probable in Berlin. Here many new products, services and technologies were launched in previous years.

Huawei E3272 4G USB Stick Review

After Huawei E3276, Huawei offers a new model called E3272 for its LTE Stick series. Of course, the model supports LTE Category 4 (up to 150 Mbps) and this is the key feature for this new model. We show more details of E3272 below and reveal whether the acquisition of the mobile travel companion is worthy.

LTE features and characteristics of Huawei E3272
Manufacturer and model number Huawei E3272
Download rate Up to 150 MBit/s
Upload rate Up to 50 MBit/s
Supported LTE bands LTE800; LTE900; LTE1800; LTE2100; LTE 2600
( Band 1/3/7/8/20)
Backward compatible with: DC-HSPA+, UMTS, GSM-Frequency (850, 900, 1800 and 1900 MHz)
MIMO Support: MIMO 2×2
Connector for external antenna yes; 2 antenna connectors type CRC-9 available
LTE Category: LTE Modem to Category 4 (CAT4)
Chipset HiSilicon Balong 710 (V7R1)
Others
Dimensions (LxWxH) 93.3 mm x 30 mm x 13,3 mm; 35 Gramm
USB-Standard USB 2.0
Memory card expansion yes; With 32 GB MicroSD
Compatible Operating Systems Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7+8, Mac OS (above 10.4)

 

 

Huawei unveiled the device for more than one year; it is easy to find shop online for Huawei E3272. Now it’s already available for many European operators.

 

 

From the appearance, we can see huawei E3272 is not similar to E3276, which has a rotatable USB, while E3272 is a compact USB. Users should not be blinded by the lower model number after the “E”. For Huawei means, confusingly, higher is not always new. User might think that the technology department rolls this out for the marketing department.

The most important is that we can benefit from Huawei sticks. Huawei E3272 supports the frequencies 800, 900, 1800, 2100 and 2600 MHz – hence the E3272 could work with all major providers in Europe areas. With unlocked Huawei E3272, user can travel to Middle East and Asia. As already indicated, the LTE modem is compatible with LTE Category 4, which can be achieved download speeds of up to 150 Mbps and upload speed up to 50 Mbps. In addition, the Huawei E3272 is backward with all relevant previous mobile radio standards (3G/2G). If located not at LTE coverage area, your device automatically switches to the next best technology, such as UMTS or HSDPA.

 

A key difference for E3272 and E3276 is the built-chipset. Here Huawei E3272 relies on a HiSilicon Balong 710 (V7R1). Also new is a “HiLink” mentioned technology, which we introduce the following short.

 

 

 

“HiLink” hides an innovation from Huawei, which aims to accelerate the start-up and thus to connect to the Internet enormously. After plugging in, as promised by the manufacturer, Configuration shall be unnecessary and it is online only 15 seconds. 15 seconds is for driver auto installation, setup, and connection! This is a small revolution in fact. Our editorial team has already taken several tests with various sticks, such as ZTE, in the past. Some devices need only  install the software for up to 15 minutes, followed by complex configuration and excruciatingly long load times if necessary. Now it is finally turned to the Web Interface. This means installing extra software is no longer necessary – the operation easily handled via the browser, so as the Huawei E3272. However, “HiLink” is not a novelty from the E3272. Various predecessors already had the feature.

 

 

One criticism, however, is still there. While many other models of Huawei have a swiveling USB port, which proved to be user-friendly, but Huawei E3272 is unfortunately missing this feature. When used in conjunction with a laptop, user has to connect the E3272 via USB extension cable.

 

 

The E3272 is a rock solid LTE stick, which is technically on the amount of time. Those who does not need a Wi-Fi hotspot, can safely access via E3272. The relatively low price convinced. Significant innovations and improvements are attractive.

 

ZTE MF93E 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot Review

Following Huawei E5776, the candidates ZTE has a new 4G mobile hotspot now with LTE support and colorful screen on offer – ZTE MF93E. We have all the key data summarized for you and show you where advantages and disadvantages are similar to Huawei models and whether the purchase worthwhile.

 

 

LTE features and characteristics of ZTE MF93E
Manufacturer and model number ZTE MF93E
Download rate up to 100 MBit/s
Upload rate up to 50 MBit/s
Supported LTE bands LTE 1.8, 2.6 GHz (FDD) & 2.3, 2.6 GHz (TDD)
Backward compatible with: DC-HSPA+ / HSPA+ / UMTS / EDGE / GSM / GPRS
Support LTE-Advanced no
MIMO Support: MIMO 2×2
Connector for external antenna yes; 2 antenna sockets, type TS-9 available (buy ZTE MF93E antenna)
LTE Category: LTE Modem to Category 3 (CAT3)
Chipset Qualcomm MDM9215
Others
Dimensions (LxWxH) 107 mm x 61 mm x 16 mm and 105 Gramm
USB-Standard USB 2.0
Memory card expansion yes; With 32 GB MicroSD
Battery capacity 2800 mAh,  10 hours
Compatible Operating Systems Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7+8, Mac OS (above 10.4)
Release March 2014
Availability on www.4gltemall.com
Handbuch PDF unfortunately not yet available online

 

ZTE MF93E is a so-called “mobile hotspot” router. This type of device looks like space-saving mobile phone in pocket size, but they would provide just wireless network with router function. So users can go outside not just with one terminal, actually , in this case, up to 10 wireless devices could be taken if there is ZTE MF93E in hand.

 

 

 

Technical data

 

The ZTE MF93E supports LTE category 3 at 1800 & 2600 MHz (FDD mode), and 2300 & 2600 in the TDD modulation mode. The latter, however, is largely prevalent in Asia. The LTE band 800 MHz is not covered, which means some insignificant shortcoming in certain area and countries. LTE Category 3 allowed data rates of up to 100 Mbps for downstream and 50 Mbps for upstream. In addition, however, the router can also access major 3G and 2G standards to the Internet, such as UMTS, HSPA+, EDGE or GSM.

 

 

 

 

The WLAN module is working on 802.11b/g/n, so that internal networking data rates of up to 150 Mbps can be achieved. This is not necessarily “often state the art”, but at least functional. After all, this is not self-evident; the operation in the dual band of 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz is possible. In addition, there are two TS-9 ports located on the bottom for connecting an external antenna to the receiving optimization. ZTE MF93E has a battery of quite handsome capacity of 2800 mAh, which should be sufficient for 9-10 hours operating time. Of course, the user can also operate on AC power, provided a power source is present.

 

 

 

 

Display

On the front, ZTE MF93E has built a color information display. This is partly for control and also displays any relevant connection status, such as the radio standard used or surfing data volume during the online session.

 

 

 

There is no doubt that ZTE MF93E is a very visually attractive device. Since the release time is too long ago in the first quarter of 2014, there are no technically new similar models for competition. The MF93E is most likely comparable with Huawei E589, which has similar specifications, but not all.

 

 

 

In conclusion, ZTE MF93E satisfies the LTE category 3, and supports the maximum speed to 100Mbps, which is good enough for normal use under good network condition. Also the battery is good enough with 3000 mAh capacity. But if you want LTE category 4 mobile WiFi, the best alternative would be the Huawei E5372, which is already offering LTE Category 4 and connection speed reach up to 150mbps. Whether you think ZTE MF93E is suitable for you or not, you must make your own decision if you a real good 4G pocket MiFi.

 

Huawei E5372 4G LTE MiFi

Huawei E5372 was supposed to be the best LTE MiFi Router since 2013. Because E5372 MiFi is characterized by the support of almost all currently popular mobile radio standards, and has excellent mobility characteristics, thus Huawei E5372 is ideally suited for travel. We have found the following the most important features of E5372, along with the test report.

Features and characteristics of Huawei E5372
Manufacturer and model number Huawei E5372
Download rate Up to 150 MBit/s
Upload rate bis Up to 50 MBit/s
Supported LTE Bands: LTE Band 800, 900, 1800, 2100 and 2600 MHz
Backup compatible Standards HSPA+, HSUPA, UMTS 850, 900 and 2100 MHz;EDGE, GPRS (2G) 850/900/1800/1900MHz
MIMO Support: Yes, 2×2
Connector for external antenna Yes, two TS-9 connector (Buy Huawei E5372 Antenna)
Category: LTE Modem to Category 4 (CAT4)
Network | LAN & WLAN
LAN Ports No, only wireless
WLAN Standards WLAN 802.11b/g/n
5 GHz WLAN support Yes
Encoding WEP, WPA/WPA2
USB 1x USB 2.0
Integrated battery about 1750mAh (duration about 5-6 hours)
Dimensions (H | B | T) and weight 99 x 62 x 14.4 mm and 130 Gramm
Information material
Test Report Huawei E5372 Test Report
Review Huawei E5372 Review (of identical R215)
Available at: On www.4gltemall.com

 

 

Technology

 

On Huawei E5372, there is virtually nothing to be desired. It has not only mastered LTE in the popular category 3 but also supports the closest modern variant CAT4. This means that download rates can be reach as far as 100 Mbit/s, even 150 Mbit/s. The E5372 Router can be used virtually with all LTE providers in European countries, as the bands are supported at 800,900, 1800, 2100 and 2600 MHz. It’s a pity that Huawei E5372 can’t be used with 4G networks in United States. But the device offers backward compatibility to all relevant 3G and 2G standards. So the 3G DC-HSDPA+ is supported. Under poor reception conditions, an external antenna can be connected. On the bottom there are two slots for the type TS-9 antenna.

In the Wi-Fi range, up to 10 users can be connected via hotspot on the Huawei E5372. Configuration is done via a menu in the web browser. The installation of special software is therefore not necessary. The integrated battery is characterized by a capacity of 1780 mAh, which should be enough for an operating time of 6 hours according to the manufacturer. If user operates the router using the USB cable to the laptop or PC, the power supply is continuous.

 

 

And user can also control the device via app. For Apple devices, a special free version called “Mobile WiFi App” is available. Important information, such as signal strength, connection time and data volume consumed, displayed in a small front panel.

 

Huawei E5786 4G LTE Cat6 Mobile Hotspot Review

Huawei E5786 will be the first CAT6 router in the world, at least it is till now. In the summer of 2014, the model could come on the market. Let’s have a look which key data of the Mobile Hotspot will provide and whether the acquisition could be worthwhile.

LTE features and characteristics of Huawei E5786
Manufacturer and model number Huawei E5786 Mobile Wi-Fi
Download rate Up to 300 MBit/s
Upload rate Up to 50 MBit/s
Supported LTE Bands 800, 1800, 2100, 2600 MHz
Backwards compatible with LTE CAT 3&4, DC-HSPA+, HSPA+, HSDPA, UMTS, EDGE, GPRS, GSM
Support LTE-Advanced Yes
MIMO Support: MIMO 2×2
Connector for external antenna yes; 2 antenna sockets, type TS-9 (Buy Huawei E5786 Antenna)
LTE Category LTE Modem to Category 6 (CAT6)
Chipset Hisilicon | HPM Coretx A9 processor
WLAN Standards 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
WLAN hotspot Function yes – WiFi connection for up to 10 devices
Others
Dimensions (WxHxD) 106 x 66 x 15.9 mm and 155 Gramm
USB-Standard USB 2.0
Memory card expansion Yes; With 32 GB MicroSD
Compatible Operating Systems Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7+8, Mac OS (ab 10.4)
Release Summer or fall 2014
User manual Not yet available

 

 

 

Who will be first?

 

In February 2014 at the Mobile World Congress, the Chinese manufacturer Huawei announced the world’s first Mifi router for LTE-Advanced, model number is E5786. Whether it is also the first mobile router available with support for LTE CAT6, is still open. The rival ZTE has a similar device, the “ZTE Flare“in the pipeline. This seems has higher quality than the counterpart of Huawei. To seem more details between them, click here.

 

LTE-Advanced Router

 

As already indicated, the E5786 is the first LTE-Advanced router for Category 6 (CAT6 supported). The current LTE networks in Europe meet Category 3 and 4 (CAT 3/4), after the release 8 In the summer, may operators are trying to upgrade the network to the next generation, which promises 300 Mbits/s in the download. In practice, the speed is still in doubt under the current level. However, these data rates will initially be available only in select cities and probably rarely achieved in practice. Definitely, it would need new devices supporting CAT6 to receive LTE-Advanced. Huawei and ZTE will provide all possibility at the first devices.

 

Mobile CAT6 WLAN Router

 

The mini router E5786 supports LTE on nearly all common bands, for example, 800, 1800, 2100 and 2600 MHz. Of course, Huawei E5786 dominated Carrier aggregation and thus can achieve up to 300 Mbit/s down and 50 Mbps upload rate. Huawei E5786 can also support earlier LTE-categories, as well as 3G and 2G wireless standards. The display is unfortunately still not monochrome and colored, which are already offered by ZTE flare. In mobile communications, smart Huawei relies on Hisilicon with a HPM Cortex 9 processor. On the other hand, ZTE flare is with a modern block Qualcomm Gobi 9 × 30 Chipset in ultrathin 20nm technology. It is quite possible that here ZTE flare will have more follower.

 

Users must login to set up the E5786 Wi-Fi hotspot, where up to 10 other devices could be connected. And over all common WLAN standards (802.11 a / b / g / n / ac) are supported. Data are exchanged internally with up to 300 MBit/s via WLAN AC. The operation is running in dual band either on 2.4 or 5 GHz.

 

 

There are some negative features, such as the battery is not replaceable. The capacity is 3000 mAh, practically high standard. This capacity to create 10 hours of online work is possible or 500 hours standby. The power could be the “Power Reserve” for other devices (such as smartphones) in an emergency.

 

As usual, Huawei E5786 operates via the browser, you can integrate smartphones into the network in the shortest time, which greatly simplifies the setup. In addition, Huawei offered special app can monitor and configure the wireless network. The interface also provides information such as the used traffic and provides the wireless data rate. What’s more, the connectors for external antennas and a micro-SD slot, can also be found as usual.

 

 

Huawei B880 4G LTE Wireless Gateway Review

The Huawei B880 is available at www.4gltemall.com since the beginning of this year. It’s not a new LTE router on the market. But many people don’t quite know about this LTE Category 4 WiFi router. About LTE Category 4, speeds of up to 150 megabits per second downstream are achievable, provided the network and the tariff are also suitable. As a stationary router, Huawei B880 also offers a powerful WLAN module and a LAN interface for easy connection of a network-enabled device. The following data sheet you will find all the details for the Huawei B880.

Features and characteristics of Huawei B880
Manufacturer and model number Huawei B880
Chipset HiSilicon Hi6920
Download rate Up to 150 MBit/s
Upload rate Up to 50 MBit/s
Supported LTE Bands: LTE 2600 MHz / 1800 MHz / 800 MHz
backward compatible with: DC-HSPA+/ UMTS  (900 und bei UMTS 2100 MHz)
and GSM/GPRS/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900MHz
MIMO Support: MIMO 2×2
Connector for external antenna yes, 2 SMA connectors (Buy Huawei B880 Antenna)
Category: LTE Modem to Category 4 (CAT4)
Telephone
With integrated telephone system yes, VOIP SIP Client
Connection for analog phones yes, 1xRJ11
DECT no
integrator answering machine –
Network | LAN & WLAN
LAN Ports 1 LAN Port; 1 WAN Port
WLAN Standards 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi for up to 32 users
5 GHz WLAN support no
Encoding WEP, WPA, WPA2
USB yes, 1x USB 2.0
Dimensions / Weight 15cm x 18cm x 9cm/ 400g
Information material
Manual Not available online
Available to buy on 4gltemall.com

 

 

Compact design, fast LTE

 

The Huawei B880 is distinguished by the design quite different from its sister model, the Huawei B593. The latter is available for “Vodafone B2000” or “Telekom Speedport LTE II”. The B880 is not only smaller than the B593, and it also has a completely different design and has fewer connection ports on the back. Inside the Huawei B880, there is a HiSilicon Hi6920 modem which supports speed up to 150 Mbit/s over LTE Category 4. If there is no LTE available on site, it is accessible via the UMTS accelerator DC-HSPA+ and nevertheless still get a speed of up to 42.2 Mbit/s in the downlink and 5.76 Mbit/s in the uplink. Two rear connectors on the back allow requesting the gain of the radio signal.

 

Devices of all kinds are either connected via LAN cable or via WLAN with the Huawei B880 LTE router. The LAN port reaches a maximum of 100 Mbit/s, Wi-Fi speed at least 150 Mbit/s. At least one Gigabit LAN port would have it may be. The maximum 32 WiFi devices could be connected simultaneously, which is appropriate for most users. As a special feature to mention is the USB 2.0 interface. Storage media or printers on the network for several terminals are available. After configuration is done, just like a normal router, a corresponding web interface that can be opened in any browser.

 

 

VoIP Function

 

As one of the few LTE Routers, Huawei B880 also has a phone function. While no calls are possible directly via the mobile network, but the device is designed for Voice over IP (VoIP) and can be configured accordingly. An analog telephone can be connected to the RJ-11 port on the back.

 

Availability and Price

 

The Huawei B880 LTE router is in online trading, the unlocked Huawei B880 would work with almost all the 4G network operators in Europe, Asia and Australia. So If you are want higher link speed, Huawei B880 is a good wireless gateway to consider.

 

How to Update Huawei E398 Firmware

Just like mobile phone, if a 4G modem is used for long time, there will be some errors such sudden connection terminated, no signal, don’t read SIM card, no response when plug in etc.. During this time, it’s necessary to update the firmware of the 4G modem and let it work well. This process is like the re-install the operation system in PC. After update, the 4G modem will connect smoothly, and quickly. In some case, the connection speed may increase obviously with same SIM card.

 

Huawei E398 is one of the best 4G USB modem that was used by thousands of customers over the world. Some users may want to update the firmware of their E398 but can’t find the driver or don’t know the user guide to update. Today, we will give the guide how to update the firmware of Huawei E398, hope it would help our customer to have better surfing experience on 4G networks:

1.  Plug the Huawei E398 to your PC

2. Install the old driver that is already with the E398

3. Download the update driver for E398 here: http://speedy.sh/jGaVd/E398-Update-11.335.31.00.000.B757.rar

4. Run the driver and follow the steps to update the firmware

5. On the third step, there is flash code required to proceed. On the website http://www.modemunlock.com/huawei.php  you can enter the IMEI number of your E398 and let it calculate, you will get the flash code

6. Enter the flash code to process the update. After finished, your E398 is with new firmware now

 

What we have to mention is that on the step 5, you will also get the unlock code of your Huawei E398, if you want to unlock your E398, you can do it after firmware update. The website calculate your E398 unlock code, you note it and plug a SIM card that is different from the locked network, it will require unlock code to let them work together, now you can enter the noted unlocked code and get unlocked Huawei E398.

 

But if your E398 is already unlocked, it’s unnecessary to do the unlocking again. Any questions, welcome to leave your message on the blog.

ZTE Flare 4G LTE Cat6 Mobile Hotspot

The Chinese manufacturer “ZTE” has already announced a new hotspot router to the Mobile World Congress 2014 that will support LTE-Advanced with up to 300 Mbit/s for the first time. The new hotspot is named ZTE Flare. The device is equipped with the latest wireless technology. Here are the key data details.

 

ZTE Flare Features and Characteristics
Manufacturer ZTE
LTE Category LTE Category 6 (Cat6)
Chipset Qualcomm Gobi ™ 9×30 with RF360
Download Rate 300Mbit/s
Upload Rate 50Mbit/s
Supported network CDMA/TD-LTE/FDD-LTE/WCDMA/GSM
Supported LTE Bands Still unknown
Backward compatible with unknown yet
Support LTE-Advanced Yes
WLAN 802.11ac/a/b/g/n, 2.4GHz/5GHz
WiFi chipset Qualcomm VIVE QCA6174
MIMO Support MIMO 2 x 2
Connector for external antenna Yes, 2 TS-9 antenna sockets (Buy ZTE Flare Antenna)
USB Standard USB 2.0
Memory Card expansion MicroSD up to 32GB
Battery 2300mAh
Other functions  SMS, IPv6, IPv4
Compatible operation system Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 +8, Mac OS (10.4 or higher)
Release Summer or fall 2014

 

From 2014 autumn, many European network providers are trying to launch the next generation LTE (So called LTE-Advanced). Based on new technology, the current data rates of up to 300Mbit/s could be achieved. However, in order to use the “LTE 2.0”, customers require new hardware so that the devices could support LTE Category 6. Both ZTE and its rival Huawei are also preparing the new models. Then ZTE announced its first Cat6 device for the second half of the year, named “Flare”.

Portable Router

ZTE Flare is called WiFi hotspot router, but it’s designed for mobile use and allows multiple users to share the wireless network through it. More powerful than Huawei E5786 LTE Cat6 mobile hotspot, ZTE Flare could support maximum up to 32 users to access internet. Based on the LTE Category6,  the peak speed of 300Mbps will provide good surf experience for the users.

 

ZTE Flare is the world’s first device that uses Gobi chipset from Qualcomm, more specifically; it’s the “Gobi 9×30”. It’s made in ultra-thin 20nm process and consumes less energy than conventional radio chips. It’s said the new chipset will save almost up to 15 percent power. Per the LTE-A support and carrier aggregation, the qualcomm chipst can combine two RF bands of different spectral ranges, so that the LTE providers can operate up to 40MHz total bandwidth for data transmission. According to 3GPP standard, tapes 5, 10, 15 or 20 MHz are combines. In this way, data rates can reach up to 300mbps. The Gobi dominates beyond FDD and TDD modulation. The former is common in Europe and North America, the later specially in the Asian region.

 

Of course, according to the latest AC standard, ZTE flare can supports up to 540Mbps based on installed VIVE 502.11ac WiFi chip from Qualcomm. The WiFi chipset is compatible with previous 802.a/b/g/n and can be operated at 2.4GHz or 5GHz. As mentioned before, the flare hotspot allows end users of up to 32 devices. There are two additional ports for connecting external antennas (TS-9 socket).

 

Like other mobile hotspot router, there is a LCD screen on the front and users can see many important connection information, such as surf duration, radio standard or consumed volume. Many people want to know which one is better between ZTE Flare and Huawei E5786, we will give full explanation after we get the samples of them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ericsson is testing 5G network With Peak Speed to 5Gbps

According to the report from CNET, Ericsson announced yesterday that, as one part of the 5G wireless technology development plan, they get the peak transmission data rates to 5Gbps in a wireless test a couple of days ago.

 

This new is amazing if the wireless data rate reach to 5Gbps, which means the speed is 250 times faster than current LTE standard and it creates a new record for wireless link stream. Many corresponding terminals will benefit from this speed whatever smartphones, auto cars, medical and other equipments. Under the downstream of 5Gbps, it would take only 80 seconds to download a movie of 50GB, which is 5 times faster than the speed of 1Gbps from Google fiber.

 

However, it’s a pity that the 5Gbps link speed is only the speed under perfect laboratory environment and the real deployment of 5G network will start till 2020. Anyhow, this test speed provides theoretical support for future high wireless transmission.

 

Since the 5G test is under laboratory environment, there will be many works to do to universal this new network. Some professional people it’s too optimistic to deploy 5G network in 2020. But the sales management Johan Wibergh from Ericsson think it would be possible for users to access internet in this target speed, we must know it would bring a completely new network with high speed connection.

 

For Ericsson, it would be also important to get the test standard. In current wireless technology, Ericsson faces the great completion from Huawei, ZTE and other powerful vendors over the world. The latter already gain many market shares with aggressive price strategy. “This test proves, we will still be the leader from 4G network technology to 5G technology development, which is very important”, said Wibergh.

 

Ericsson had token the 5G network test with Japanese operator NTT Docomo, South Korea operator SK Telecom. And Ericsson indicates, the high penetration rate of  LTE networks in North American market will introduces the 5G technology first. But no operator in North America has any word for 5G technology till now.

 

In Europe and Asia market, LTE is still the mainstream. Some ISPs are trying to test their LTE-Advanced network on LTE category 4 or better on LTE category 6, which support peak speed to 300Mbps. This speed is far less than 5G network speed, but with the development of network upgrade, we suppose 4G network will finally jumps to 5G and 5G will become the mainstream.

 

Difference between ZTE MF831 and MF823

ZTE MF831 is the new 4G LTE Wireless modem which supports TDD & FDD networks. It’s a LTE Category 4 Internet USB Stick, which support peak download speed up to 150Mbps on FDD network and upload speed to 50Mbps. Since we had introduced the predecessor ZTE MF823 USB Stick, what’s the difference between the two sticks? Today, we will have a look at the difference between them.

Model

ZTE MF831

ZTE MF823
Form Type 4G Datacard 4G Datacard
Brand ZTE ZTE
Category LTE Cat4 LTE Cat3
Network Technology 4G TD-LTE/FDD-LTE/UMTS/DC-HSPA+/EGPRS/GSM 4G FDD-LTE/UMTS/DC-HSPA+/EGPRS/GSM
Frequency Bands LTE-FDD 800(B20)/900(B8)/1800(B3)/2600(B7)/2100MHz
LTE TDD 2600(B38) OR 2300M(B40)		 LTE-FDD: 800/900/1800/2600MHz
UMTS 900/2100MHz UMTS 900/2100MHz
GPRS/GSM/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900MHz GPRS/GSM/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900MHz
Data Rates LTE Peak Download Speed to 150Mbps
LTE Upload Speed to 50Mbps		 LTE Peak Download Speed to 100Mbps
LTE Upload Speed to 50Mbps
DC-HSPA+ DL Speed to 42Mbps, UL Speed to 11Mbps DC-HSPA+ DL Speed to 42Mbps, UL Speed to 5.76Mbps
MIMO Yes Yes
Interface USB USB
Antenna Built-in Antenna Built-in Antenna, Two external Antenna Connectors
Storage SD card MicroSD card expandable to 32GB MicroSD card expandable to 32GB
SMS ? YES
Supported OS Win7, Windows XP, Vista, Win8, Mac OS Win8，Win7，Vista，Windows XP，Mac OS
Online Upgrade Yes Yes
Dimension 90×28.4×13mm 90×28.4×13mm

 

From the blank, we can see ZTE MF831 and MF823 are in the same dimension. ZTE MF831 is the upgraded version of ZTE MF823. MF831 is LTE Category 4 Stick which supports peak download speed to 150mbps, and it’s first ZTE LTE Cat4 Stick. With the support TDD network, ZTE MF831 could work well with more network providers. It supports more LTE Bands than MF823, and data rate speed is almost 1.5 times than MF823.

 

They are both compatible with 3G UMTS 900/2100MHz networks; with DC-HSPA+ technology, they could reach peak download speed to 42mbps. When LTE networks are not available, they would automatically switch to UMTS network to get the reliable network with fastest speed. But ZTE MF831 support upload speed to 11Mbps while MF823 supports 5.76Mbps.

 

However, it seems there is no external antenna connector in MF831, while MF823 has two external antenna connectors which will be more useful for MIMO connection. They both support microSD storage card expandable to 32GB. And they can both works with the latest operation system: Win7, Windows XP, Vista, Win8, Mac OS etc..

 

So ZTE MF831 is better with upgraded function, but if you want the 4G datacard with antenna connector, MF823 seems to be the right model.