Tag: Netgear 815S

Huawei E5788 VS Netgear AC815s

AT&T Unite Explore was an old 4G LTE Pocket WiFi router coming from Netgear AC815S and it had been a popular pocket WiFi router when it’s available in the market with AT&T contract. Here it has a new competitor from Huawei – E5788u-96a. Huawei E5788u-96a was available around the end of 2017 and it becomes the hot model when it’s firstly presented to the public. Somebody may ask: what’s the difference between Huawei E5788u-96a and Netgear AC815S? Which one is better to buy in the two LTE hotspot 4G? We will compare the two portable 4G routers in this article to find the answers.

Huawei E5788 VS Netgear AC815S Appearance and Interfaces

The Netgear AC815S follows the design of the Netgear LTE mobile hotspot router, as it’s introduced to AT&T data plan, there is an AT&T logo on the front with the screen. The touchscreen could be used to check the data, network connection status, WiFi users, and battery status and do some simple setting by clicking home and back buttons at the side of the display. Like its brother model Netgear AC810S unlocked, the back cover of AT&T Unite Explore could be opened and the battery could be removed to insert the SIM card. There is a USB port with two connectors for external LTE antennas.

The Huawei E5788 LTE Router also has a display to show the connection status, WiFi status, battery status and other information about data usage, network provider, and signal etc… There is a button at the side of the display. The user could operate the touchscreen like doing on a smartphone. This feature is very user-friendly. There is an only power button on the top edge side while the opposite locate the SIM card slot. The back cover of Huawei E5788 could not be removed. And it doesn’t have the connector for high gain LTE antennas.

 

AT&T Unite Explore VS Huawei E5788u-96a Specs and Features

From the appearance, we can see the two mobile WiFi hotspots are different. Then let’s have a comparison of the Huawei E5788u-96a specs and Netgear Aircard 815s specs:

 

Model AT&T Unite Explore 815S Huawei E5788u-96a
Product type LTE Mobile Hotspot LTE Mobile Hotspot
Category LTE Cat.9 LTE Cat.16
Chipset Qualcomm MDM9240 Qualcomm MDM9250
Data rates DL 450Mbps/UL 100Mbps DL 1Gbps/UL 100Mbps
Supported 4G LTE frequency bands B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B7, B12, B17, B29, B30 * FDD-LTE: Band 1/2/3/4/5/7/8/19/20/28
* TDD-LTE: Band 38/40/41/42
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 4 X 4 MIMO
Connector for external antenna Two, TS-9 jacks No connector
Buy Antenna AT&T Unite Explore External Antenna N/A
App management Netgear Aircard APP Huawei Hilink APP
SIM type Micro SIM Micro SIM
Battery Removable, 4340 mAh Non-removable, 3000mAh
Dimensions 112 x 68.6 x 15.45mm 129 x 65 x 13.5mm
Ethernet Port No No
Datasheet download AT&T Unite Explore 815s Datasheet Huawei E5788 Datasheet
User Manual AT&T Unite Explore Manual Huawei E5788 Manual
Other features 3 band CA 4CC CA
Firmware download ATT Unite Explore Firmware Huawei E5788 Firmware
Drivers ATT Unite Explore drivers Huawei E5788 Driver
Reviews AT&T unite explore review Huawei E5788 Review
Price 349.00USD 499.00USD

 

Summary

From the specs table, we can see the Huawei E5788u-96a is more advanced than Netgear AC815S Unlocked. As an LTE-A pro mobile hotspot, Huawei E5788u-96a could support peak download speed up to 1Gigabit/s, which is more than double of the Netgear AC815S peak download speed. Netgear AC815S is more suitable to use in American areas because the supported LTE frequency bands are widely available in American areas. If you use the AT&T Unite Explore in the area out of AT&T service, you must make sure the ATT Unite Explore is SIM unlocked. The Huawei E5788u-96a is also powerful to support the network providers in American, Aisa, Europe and the Middle East. With the support of 4 x 4 MIMO and WiFi users to 32 devices, Huawei E5788u-96a is the best 4G mobile WiFi router in the market.

 

Even though the Huawei E5788 is best 4G MiFi, Netgear AC815 still has some highlighted features that we have to mention. Firstly, it’s in rugged design which is water and dust proof. This feature makes it perfect to the user in outdoor activities. The two connectors for external LTE antennas is also useful if you use it in areas of weak signal. What’s more, the large battery pack of Netgear 815S could work like a power bank to charge other devices if necessary. So if you would buy one from the two routers. You may consider your demand. The Netgear AC815S is more practical for daily use but Huawei E5788u-96a is future-proof with a higher price.

Netgear Aircard 815s (AT&T Unite Explore) Review

If you are a hiker or usually go to the outdoor field for activities, you must get to know AT&T Unite Explore, also named as Netgear Aircard 815s. Even though many mobile smartphones have the hotspot function, after reading this article, you will know the features, specs, network, signal advantages, battery, touch screen, the chipset of the Netgear AC815s and how you should take one for your family or group when wireless internet is necessary.

 

Rugged design for outdoor use

Netgear AC815S modem is the world’s first LTE mobile hotspot with rugged design covered in rubber bumpers, which makes it dustproof, shock and water-resistant. Like its predecessor Aircard 810s, Aircard 815s modem has a simplified 2.4inch touch screen, where users can quickly check the most important is that user can do simple settings through the touch screen like operating a smartphone. The USB 3.0 connector of Netgear Aircard 815s can make it work like a 4G USB modem when connecting with a PC. What’s more, there are two connectors for 4G external antenna, which is also important when the device is using in a rural area or even in the forest.

Large Battery can charge other devices

Another highlight feature is the large battery – Netgear had assigned a removable battery of 4340mAh, which could keep working for around 22 hours and standby time up to 576 hours. If you think this is not enough, you can keep a spare battery for exchange and charging. In this way, the Netgear AC815 could keep working all day long and you don’t need worry of power-off. In addition, aircard 815s could charge other devices based on “Jump Boost” function called by Netgear, i.e it can work like a mobile power bank, which is also very useful for other electronics.

LTE Category 9 Modem

Like the Netgear Aircard 800s, Netgear 815S also supports LTE advanced network on LTE Cat.9 with the latest Qualcomm X12 modem, which could support 3 x carrier aggregation technology with peak download speed to 450mbps. As a WiFi hotspot, Aircard 815s could support maximum 15 WiFi-enabled devices simultaneously. This quantity is enough for most cases in a group or family. The Netgear AC815S hotspot supports LTE bands 1/2/3/4/5/7/12/17/29/30 and HSPA 850/1900/2100MHz, which makes it could work well in most countries of the world.

 

802.11ac with dual band and Multiple SSID & Guest WiFi

Like the brother model Aircard 810s, Netgear AC815S would increase network performance and reduce interference with 802.11ac and Dual-Band 2.4 GHz/5 GHz WiFi. What’s more, it could support multiple SSID and guest WiFi function, which is usually available for high-level LTE mobile hotspots. In addition, the WPN (WiFi Protected Setup) feature is available.

 

Below are the features and characteristics for Netgear AC815S for reference:

 

Features and Specs of AT&T Unite Explore
Manufacturer and type Netgear AC815S
Chipset Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ X12 LTE Modem (MDM9240)
LTE category LTE Cat.9
Download rate up to 450 Mbit/s
Upload rate up to 50 Mbit/s
Supported LTE bands B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B7, B12, B17, B29, and B30
Downwards compatible with GSM, EDGE, HSDPA, DC-HSPA+
Support 3G Bands 850/900/1900/2100MHz
Support for LTE-Advanced Yes
MIMO Support Yes, 2×2 MIMO
SIM Type Micro-SIM (3FF)
Connection for external antenna Yes, two TS-9 connectors(Buy Aircard 815S Antenna)
Network | LAN & WLAN
LAN Ports No
WLAN Standards 802.11 b/g/n/ac (dual-band 2.4 and 5 GHz)
5 GHz WLAN Support Yes
Multiple SSID/Guest WiFi Support Yes
Encryption WPS/WPA/WPA2
WLAN Hotspot Function Support maximum up to 15 users
Telephone
With integrated telephone system no
Connector for ISDN telephones no
Connection for analog telephones no
DECT no
integrator answering machine no
Others
IPv6 Dual Stack No
Battery Capacity 4340 mAh, Up to 22 hours of continuous usage
Battery Removable Yes
Battery Standby time 576 hours (typical)
Dimension 113.5 mm x 71 mm x 20 mm
Weight 178.5 g (with battery)
USB USB 3.0 compliant
Memory Card Expansion No
Release 2016
Price 349.00USD for unlocked Netgear AC815S
available at »AT&T and https://www.4gltemall.com/
File Download
Quick start guide » Download Netgear Aircard 815s specs(PDF)
Detailed manual » Download AT&T Unite Explore manual(PDF)

 

 

Conclusion

Netgear Aircard 815s is a rugged mobile 4G router based on Qualcomm X12 chipset and supports of LTE advanced network to get fast speed connection on WLAN 802.11ac dual bands. The supported frequency bands make it travel freely over the world. And large battery could keep itself working for a long time and charge other terminals. The dual connectors for the external antenna are also very useful features when a device is working at weak signal areas. All the features make aircard 815s a perfect gadget for outdoor use. Of course, as a top mobile LTE router, the Netgear AC815s price is not cheap now comparing with earlier LTE mobile hotspots. However, considering the special design, powerful function, the Aircard 815s is worth the price.