Tag: Huawei B618 Review

Huawei B618s-66d (Telstra 4GX Modem) Router Review

The Huawei B618 was available in many countries since 2018 and now becomes one of the best LTE routers in the market. If you are familiar with Huawei B618 router, you may know there are two variant models for Huawei B618 Router: They are B618s-22d and B618s-65d. Here we get a new variant Huawei B618s-66d. Like other Huawei 4G LTE WiFi routers, the Huawei B618s-66d supports different LTE frequency bands from the two brother models.

Huawei B618s-66d Appearance

Huawei B618s-66d is a customized router from Australian network carrier Telstra, who gives it a new name “Telstra 4GX Modem”. The Telstra 4GX Modem router has same shape as the two brother model, but it has Telstra logo on the front instead of Huawei logo. The LED indicators are still there, including three antenna indicators, Power indicator, Status indicator, LAN, WiFi and data usage indicators.

On the back of the Huawei B618 Telstra, the two connectors for external antennas are available and covered by a small tap. The connector type is TS-9. Below are the power button, USB 2.0 Port and two Ethernet ports for LAN. There is no battery in the Huawei B618 router, so the Power plug for adapter is also available. However, unlike the Huawei B618s-22d, the Ethernet ports in Telstra 4GX Modem B618s-66d are both for LAN. In B618s-22d, one is for LAN and the other one is for both LAN and WAN.

The SIM card slot is at the bottom of the Telstra 4GX Modem. The Reset button is at the side of the SIM card slot. And a stick indicates the model B618s-66d, SSID, WiFi Key, IP, user name, password, WPS pin, IMEI number, S/N number, and some certificates etc… The Huawei B618s-66d uses Micro-SIM card.

 

Huawei B618s-66d (Telstra 4GX Modem) Specs Review

 

  • Support 4GX Cat11
  • Support 4G LTE Frequency Band 1/3/5/7/28 700/850/1800/2100/2600MHz
  • Support 4 x 4 MIMO
  • Support up to 20 WiFi-enabled devices simultaneously
  • WLAN IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, 2.4GHz and 5GHz
  • SIM Type: Micro(3FF)
  • 2 x LAN ports(RJ45), 1 X USB(2.0) port to connect a printer or storage drive
  • Huawei Hilink App. Easy management by smartphone or pad

On the Telstra official site, it doesn’t list the LTE Band 28. We re-checked with Telstra and get confirmation that Huawei B618s-66d Telstra 4GX Modem supports Band 28. The Huawei official site says the Huawei B618 Australia router could support maximum up to 64 users, but the Telstra 4GX Modem supports only 20 devices simultaneously.

Huawei B618s-66d (Telstra 4GX Modem) Price

Due to specs subtraction of the Telstra 4GX Modem, the price is a little cheaper than the original model B618s-22d and B618s-65d. If you want the original functions, you may use the Huawei B618s-65d which could fully replace B618s-66d to use in Australia.

Telekom Speedbox LTE IV (Huawei B618s-22d) Review

Last year, the Germany network provider Telekom puts its logo on a Huawei WiFi router 4G again and assigned the new LTE router as the name of Speedbox LTE IV. If you are familiar with Huawei LTE router, you can immediately recognize the Speedbox LTE IV is from original Huawei B618s-22d router. On the basic hardware of the Huawei B618 Router, Telekom may customize some firmware of the router, but the highlight features are still maintained as below

 

Features and characteristics of Speedbox LTE IV (Huawei B618s-22d)
Manufacturer and model number Huawei B618s-22d / Telekom Speedbox LTE IV
chipset Balong 75
LTE Category LTE Cat. 11
Download rate Up to 600 Mbps
Upload rate Up to 50 Mbps
Supported LTE bands 800, 900, 1800, 2100, 2600 MHz
Backwards compatible with HSPA+ (42.2 Mbps), UMTS, Edge, GPRS
Support of LTE-Advanced Yes
MIMO Support Yes
Connection for external antenna Yes, two TS-9 connectors (Buy Speedbox LTE IV Antenna)
Network | LAN & WLAN
LAN ports: 2
WLAN standards: WLAN 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
5 GHz WLAN support: Yes
Encryption: WEP, WPA, WPA2, WPS
WLAN hotspot function: Yes
Others
Battery pack no battery available
Dimension 95 x 95 x 210 mm
USB two USB ports
Memory card expansion No
Release November 2017
Price: 449USD (as of April 2018)
available at: » www.4gltemall.com
Docs download
Datasheet: » Download Huawei B618 Datasheet (PDF, 190 KB)
Detailed manual: Download Huawei B618 Manual (PDF)

 

 

Huawei knows a lot about the network business, so it’s no wonder that local operators often rely on solutions from this company. Based on the LTE category 11, the redesigned router B618s-22d is particularly future-proof. Up to 600 Mbit/s can be achieved in the download, in the upload a maximum of 50 Mbit/s is possible. To ensure good 4G reception, Huawei has integrated the multi-antenna technology 4 × 4 MIMO. However, if the LTE network is not available, the data can also be transmitted via HSPA with a peak bandwidth of 42.2 Mbit/s. Backward compatibility with 2G radio (GSM / GPRS) finally provides the last straw in mobile communications. Regarding the LTE frequency bands, the Speedbox LTE IV covers all relevant frequency bands on B1, B3, B7, B8, B20.

Interfaces of the Speedbox LTE IV

A good LTE reception at the router is of course only half the task, the data packets must also be forwarded accordingly quickly and efficiently to the terminals. With the Wifi connection 802.11 ac, smartphones, tablets and notebooks can benefit from a fast connection. Thanks to dual-band (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz), up to 1.9 Gbit/s are possible. Alternatively, an Ethernet connection is available via two Gigabit-capable LAN ports. In terms of USB, the Telekom has upgraded with his variant. The original model “Huawei B618s-22d” comes only with a USB port and high quality telephone is also possible with this router, however, the Speedbox LTE IV gets with only two LAN ports.  A telephone system does not exist; but the Huawei B618 router is originally VoLTE- compatible and can handle VoIP. The Telekom Speedbox LTE IV has cut the telephone function.

 

Special features of the Speedbox LTE IV

If the reception is not sufficient, the buyer can use an external antenna solution.  The SIM card slot is a bit out of date and comes in the micro-SIM version. If necessary, an adapter must be used. An integrated firewall provides the necessary security, and the router can be configured via a web interface.

 

The package content consists of a plug-in power supply, a LAN cable and a quick start guide. The maximum power consumption of the Speedbox LTE IV is 24 watts. The price of Speedbox LTE IV is not cheap now. If you want to get an unlocked device, we suggest you take the original Huawei B618s-22d with the WAN & LAN ports, and the USB & VoIP telephone ports.

Huawei B618 4G LTE Category 11 Router Review

In the forest of 4G WiFi routers presented by the manufacturers, LTE routers sometimes are only available in certain countries. Now the new member Huawei B618 joins the family of 4G category 11 routers. As a reminder, category 11 (3GPP rel .12) allows a downstream peak rate of 600 Mbps and 50 Mbps upstream. LTE Category 11 specifies the aggregate of 3 carriers (256 QAM) in download for a single upload frequency. MIMO 2×2 and 4×4 support are possible.

Huawei B618 data rates announced by the manufacturer Huawei:

– LTE FDD: 4 * 4 MIMO + 2CA 582Mbps
– LTE TDD: 4 * 4 MIMO + 2CA 426Mbps
– DC-HSPA+: DL 42 Mbit / s, UL 5.76 Mbit / s
– HSPA+: DL 21 Mbit/s (64QAM) / 28 Mbit/s (MIMO), UL 5.76 Mbit/s
– HSPA: DL 14.4 Mbit/s, UL 5.76 Mbit/s
– WCDMA PS: 384 kbit/s
– EDGE: DL 296 kbit/s, UL 236.8 kbit/s
– GPRS: 85.6 kbit/s

Huawei B618 B618s-22d front logo and indicators

And Wifi rates offered:

– 802.11b/g/n up to 300 Mbps
– 802.11a/ac up to 1300 Mbps

On the WiFi side, the WLAN module supports the 802.11ac standard with 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequencies for a maximum speed of 1300 Mbps (cumulative).

 

 

We get the model Huawei B618s-22d, and it supports below the LTE/4G/3G/2G Frequency bands:

– LTE: B1/3/7/8/20/38
– FDD: 2100 MHz/1800 MHz/2600 MHz/900 MHz/800 MHz
– TDD: 2600 MHz
– Intra-band contiguous: CA_1C, CA_3C, CA_7C, CA_8B, CA_38C
– Inter-band : CA_1A-3A, CA_1A-20A, CA_3A-7A, CA_3A-20A, CA_7A-20A, CA_20A-38A
– DC-HSPA+/HSPA+/HSPA/UMTS : Band 1/8 2100MHz/900MHz
– EDGE/GPRS/GSM : Band 2/3/5/8 1900MHz/1800MHz/850MHz/900MHz

 

The network compatibility makes Huawei B618s-22d would work well in almost all the countries in Europe, Asia and middle East, but as we mentioned at the beginning of this article, the Huawei B618s-22d is not marketed in some countries. If you need this router, you may purchase from oversea online trader www.4gltemall.com.

 

Huawei B618 B618s-22d USB LAN WAN Telephone ports

Huawei B618s-22d 4G LTE Router Interfaces:

On the back side, we discover the power button, a WPS activation button. A USB 2.0 port is available for media sharing (under Samba). A Gigabit Ethernet LAN port allows wired distribution and a second port allows either Ethernet or WAN input. This WAN entry option implies the presence of a Failover mode in case of loss of either the WAN link or the 4G link. An RJ11 port is also available for connecting a phone or fax. The AC power connector is located at the bottom, because the B618 does not have an internal battery for a stand-alone mode. Finally, a hatch visible here above the power button conceals the 2 external 3G & 4G antenna connectors in TS-9 format. Under the device is the SIM card slot and the reset button.

Huawei B618 B618s-22d bottom label

 

 Huawei B618 LTE Router specs

The Huawei B618 router supports 64 simultaneous WiFi connections (32 per band) via 2 internal non-removable antennas. The router offers VoLTE voice compatibility through its RJ11 port , which can be set in VoIP or CS mode (depending on the firmwares probably). It can also support IPv4 and IPv6, DHCP, DNS relay and NAT functions, and the basic protection functions are available (DDNS, deny ping ..).

Huawei B618 B618s-22d connecting external antenna

Huawei B618 Firmware

The firmware is very classic “Huawei” as shown on this page. And the Huawei B618 LTE CPE is compatible with the Hilink® smartphone app.

 

The version Huawei B618s-22d is the one we are talking about here, however, there is another brother versions B618s-65d available on the market, this declination is intended mainly for the following frequencies: Band 1/3/5/7/8/28/40 (FDD 700/850/900/1800/2100/2600MHz & TDD 2300MHz). The 800 MHz is replaced by 700 (B28) and 850 MHz. If you need the Huawei B618 router, just check your network provider deployed 4G LTE networks, if they just covers these bands, you could select Huawei B618s-22d or B618s-65d to get high-level LTE surfing with much faster speed.

 

Huawei B618s-22d 4G WiFi Router Review

The Huawei B618s-22d is a fast-moving mobile 4G router that creates a stable internet connection in every location. The device supports dual-band WiFi and connects to 64 devices at a time. This Huawei 4G router is also equipped with 2 Gigabit LAN ports.

Huawei B618 B618s-22d 4G Router

Huawei B618s-22d Features

 

* 4G LTE speeds up to 600 Mbps

* WiFi for 64 devices at a time

* Wireless-AC WiFi speeds up to 1300 Mbps
* 2 LAN ports (including 1 WAN / LAN)
* 1 RJ11 port for phone, printer or fax
* 1 Micro SIM card slot (Dual-Free)
* 2 External Aerial Ports (TS-9)
* 1 USB 2.0 Port
* Huawei HiLink App
* Weight: 700 grams

Huawei B618 B618s-22d front logo and indicators

 

Fast 4G Router
The Huawei B618s-22d creates a fast 4G internet connection at any location. The device operates with a 4G LTE SIM card from any carrier and provides a wireless network at a speed of up to 582 Mbps. Up to 64 devices can connect to this router at the same time. If the signal is not strong enough, you may want to connect an external antenna. The huawei B618 CPE could also be used as a fixed WiFi router.

Huawei B618 B618s-22d USB LAN WAN Telephone ports

The Huawei B618s-22d has two Gigabit LAN ports, one of which also acts as a Gigabit WAN port. For example, you can use the router as a regular Wi-Fi router with wired internet. The Huawei B618s-22d supports dual-band wireless-AC (2.4 and 5GHz) with WiFi speeds up to 1300Mbps. The LAN ports can also be used to connect wired devices to the network, such as a fixed computer.

Huawei B618 B618s-22d bottom label

Telephone connection
The Huawei Huawei B618s-22d has a telephone port that allows users to connect a fixed analog phone, printer or fax. When connected to 3G, 4G or WiFi, you can call VoIP without any problems. This can be done with your analog or VoIP device, depending on your carrier. If you are connected to 2G, VoIP is not possible.

Huawei B618 B618s-22d connecting external antenna

Huawei HiLink app

With the free Huawei HiLink app (available for iOS and Android), it’s very easy to connect to the Huawei B618s-22d; Scan the QR code and you’re done. Also, the router is easy to manage through the app. For example, remotely enable or disable Wi-Fi, check battery level and signal strength, read messages and find all connected equipment

 

Package Contents

  • Huawei B618s-22d
  • Power adapter
  • Network cable
  • Instruction manual

With the Huawei B618s-22d 4G+ router, you provide perfect network coverage for home in the outlying area or temporary locations such as a high-speed building kit. Thanks to 4G+, the maximum download speed via the mobile network is 600 Mbps. More than enough to download large building drawings or, for example, stream 4K movies. You connect to 64 wireless devices at the same time wkth this router. Would you rather use a fixed connection if it is available? Then connect the router to a network cable using your carrier’s modem and use the device as a regular router. Via the USB port, you connect an external hard disk to share documents and media files with your entire network. In all, the Huawei B618 4G Router is a wonderful router with powerful functions. And it’s recommend if you need a home router for fast speed surfing!