Vodafone K5160 (Connect USB speed 6) Stick Review

After a long time, Vodafone introduced a new LTE Surfstick again since early 2016 in its product range: the K5160 or also called “Connect USB Speed ​​6“. However, the LTE-Advanced  is not supported. You can see more details specifications in below blank:

Vodafone K5160 K5160-H Connect USB Speed 6 (3)

LTE features and characteristics of Vodafone K5160
Manufacturer and model Huawei E3372s-153
Download rate up 150 MBit/s
Upload rate up 50 Mbit/s
Supported LTE bands LTE800, LTE900, LTE1800, LTE2100, LTE 2600
Backward compatible with: DC-HSPA+, UMTS, GSM frequencies (850, 900, 1800 and 1900 MHz)
MIMO Support: MIMO 2×2
External Antenna Yes; 2 aerial sockets type CRC 9 available(Buy Vodafone K5160 Indoor antenna or Vodafone K5160 Outdoor antenna)
LTE Category: LTE modem of Category 4 (CAT4)
chipset HiSilicon Balong 711M
Others
Dimensions (LxWxH) 88 x 28 x 11.5 mm at 35 grams
USB standard USB 2.0
Memory card expansion Yes; MicroSD up to 32 GB
Supported Operating Systems Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8.x, Mac OS (from 10.7)
Quick Start Guide Vodafone ” Quick Start Guide Vodafone (PDF)
manual PDF not yet available online
Available at www.4gltemall.com

 Vodafone K5160 K5160-H Connect USB Speed 6 (5)

LTE CAT4 stick

 

For a long time, Vodafone only has the predecessor Vodafone K5150 for sale, which are already LTE category 4 dominated. With the new K5160 Stick, Vodafone operates more facelift, but LTE CAT6 is still in vain. With LTE Cat6, up to 225 Mbps could be reached. But we can only achieve with a CAT6-device, which so far only the Vodafone R226 offers.

 

 

 

 

From the basic information here, the Vodafone K5160 is similar to Telekom Speed ​​Stick 5. Since Vodafone unfortunately does not specify, it is strongly expected that it also is a E3372s-153 from Huawei. Therefore be supported at least 5 LTE frequency bands – LTE800 more specifically, 900, 1800, 2100 and 2600 MHz. In particular, the former and the latter is essential for Vodafone customers. In addition, the 4G Stick naturally offers backward compatibility with GPRS, EDGE, HSDPA, HSUPA and HSPA+ networks. Thus, surfing the 3G network, after all, also up to 42 Mbps fast.

Vodafone K5160 K5160-H Connect USB Speed 6 (6)

External antenna

The “Connect USB speed 6” (K5160) has 2 ports for operation with an external LTE antenna . As jack comes Type CRC-9 used. MIMO 2 × 2 is also supported accordingly. You can get the indoor and outdoor antenna for Vodafone K5160 from the above link in the blank.

 

Installation and App

The key installed during initial operation on your computer, the “Vodafone Mobile Broadband App” (VMB). Here the settings can be made and users can request information for the connection, such as connection time spent, surfing volume etc. User can download the app from the Windows Store for Windows 8 & 10.

 

 

Availability

Amazingly, the Vodafone K5160 is not directly offered. If you like this 4G LTE Stick, you can get unlocked Vodafone K5160 from www.4gltemall.com . Actually, if you don’t need the customized version from Vodafone, you can directly get the Huawei E3372s-153, which has all the features of Vodafone Connect USB Speed 6. The difference between them is the logo and customized firmware for Vodafone. Other functions are completely the same.

Vodafone K5150 4G LTE Cat4 USB Stick Review

The Vodafone K5150 LTE-Stick is available since August 2013, and allows for download speeds up to 150 megabits per second over the LTE mobile network. For this, the surf stick uses the Category 4 LTE technology, which was introduced LTE2600 in Vodafone network at the same time with the modem in the summer of 2013. You will learn more details on the new high-end Vodafone stick in the following overview.

LTE features and characteristics of  Vodafone K5150
Manufacturer and factory model Huawei E3276
Download rate to 150 Mbit/s
Upload rate to 50 Mbit/s
Supported LTE bands LTE800, LTE1800, LTE 2600
Backward compatible with: DC-HSPA+, UMTS, GSM frequencies (850, 900, 1800 and 1900 MHz)
MIMO Support: MIMO 2×2
Connector for external antenna yes; 2 antenna sockets, type TS-9 available (Buy Vodafone K5150 Antenna)
Chipset: HiSilicon Balong 710
LTE category: LTE modem, the category 4 (CAT4)
Others
Dimensions 33.4 x 95.5 x 14.0 mm (35 grams)
USB standard USB 2.0
Memory card expansion yes; MicroSD up to 32 GB
Compatible Operating Systems Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 & 8, Mac OS (10.4 or higher)

The design of the K5150 is in red and white combination of the Vodafone colors, so both the hardware and software are branded for Vodafone. A sim or netlock does not exist, so there is no problem for operation with cards from other operators compatible.

 

Technical Specifications

The USB port on the Vodafone K5150 is protected by a red plastic cap and cannot be folded or recessed into the modem. So if there is limited space around your PC, it would be sometimes quite annoying to plug the modem. The brother model Vodafone K5007 features a rotatable USB, which is more user-friendly. Technically, the K5150 is part of the upper class: LTE with up to 150 Mbit/s downstream and 50 Mbit/s in upload, provided that the mobile network and the tariff also allow such high speeds.

 

The usable frequency ranges of 800, 1800, 2100 and 2600 megahertz cover all previously used in Germany LTE frequencies. And the modem is also usable abroad. Of course, 2G GPRS/EDGE and 3G UMTS are supported, so you can even use the internet where there is no LTE network available. In the UMTS network, data accelerator DC-HSPA+ is used to produce up to 42.2 Mbit/s download and to 5.76 Mbit/s upload. The usable frequency bands are limited here to 900/2100 MHz.

Connections and extensions

 

On the side of the Vodafone K5150, Two ports for an external antenna are available, and there is a slot for MicroSD type memory cards, using which one can use the modem as a storage medium. Up to 32 GB can be upgraded. The software supports all major operating systems like Windows XP, Windows 7, and 8 as well as Mac OS X and provides a good overview of the important information such as the data usage and the reception strength.

 

Availability

The stick is available from Vodafone Germany. There is unlocked Vodafone K5150 available on 4gltemall.com without any contract. Without contract, users can use K5150 with almost all the 4G operators in Europe. It’s a good device to take when you travel around. The Vodafone K5007 stick, which are similar to the technical data here, but additionally feature a swiveling USB port.

 

Vodafone K5150 4G Cat4 USB Stick

Since Vodafone had introduced the LTE-A technology, there must be wireless terminals to support the new technology. The new Vodafone K5150 Cat4 Surfstick is one of the LTE terminals. Vodafone K5150 can fully exploit its strengths in the new Vodafone category 4 networks. The Vodafone Surf Stick is a 4G LTE Cat4 150 Mbit/s USB key with the latest technology. The official name is Vodafone Mobile Broadband USB Stick K5150 or K5150H (H stands for Huawei).

 

Following the classic design, Vodafone K5150 USB Stick is in red and white color. The body of K5150 is looks like a bottle which is full of good wine. The K5150 is with hilink system, no installation is needed after it’s pluged to PC. Vodafone K5150 would automatically connect to wireless network through the SIM card. Vodafone K5150 is the ideal stick for people who travel a lot around the world.

 

Specifications of Vodafone K5150 / K5150H:

 

* Manufacturer: Huawei

* Category 4 LTE modem with HiSilicon Balong 710 / chip Hi6920

* 4G Network: Supported LTE FDD frequencies 800/1800/2100/2600 MHz

* Maximum download up to 150 Mbit/s

* Maximum upload up to 50 Mbit/s

* 3G network: UMTS 900/2100MHz, Backwards compatible to 3G and 2G

* Maximum Download with DC-HSPA+ 42 Mbit/s

* Maximum upload with DC-HSPA+ 5.76 Mbit/s

* Supported GSM bands 850/900 /1800/ 1900 MHz

* Integrated LTE antenna, 2x TS-9 sockets for connection of LTE external antennas(Buy Vodafone K5150 Antenna)

* MicroSD memory card slot for cards up to 32 GB

* USB 2.0 High Speed connection

* Dimensions: 92mm x 32mm x 14mm

* Supported operating systems:

– Microsoft ® Windows 8, Windows 7 ( SP1 ), Windows Vista ™ (SP2 ), Windows XP ( SP3)

– Apple Mac Mac OS X 10.5 (Intel), 10.6, 10.7 or 10.8

– Linux Ubuntu 11.10/10.10/10.04

– openSUSE 11.4 / 11.3, Fedora 16/14 , Debian 6.0/5.0 , Mandriva 2010.2 , Red Flag 7.0.

How to use the Vodafone K5150 / K5150H 4G LTE Stick:

 

1. First, pull the cover of the surf sticks and insert the SIM card

2. Important: If you have an older version of the Vodafone Mobile Broadband software onto your computer, then this software must be uninstalled. Then the computer must be rebooted.

3. The Vodafone Surf Stick plugs into the USB port of the computer. The VMB software will now install automatically. The VMB software starts automatically after installation. If a PIN is required, a window appears where you can enter it.

4. The LED of the Surfstick change from flashing to steady lighting. The Internet connection has been made.

 

Lighting of the LED indicates the status of the wireless connection:

* LED flashes green: A GPRS network has been found, an Internet connection can be established

* LED is green: The Surf Stick is connected via GPRS to the Internet.

* LED flashes blue: A 3G network is found; an Internet connection can be established

* Lights up in blue: The Surf Stick is connected to the 3G network.

* LED lights light blue: The surf stick is connected to the Internet via 3G Broadband.

* LED is purple: A 4G LTE network has been found. The Vodafone dashboard software reports when connected to the 4G LTE network is present.

 

Conclusion:

 

With the Vodafone K5150 USB Stick you surf Vodafone 4G Cat4 network in the multiple cities with up to 150 Mbit/s Germany. Here now we can offer Unlocked Vodafone K5150, which would work with in almost all the European and Asia countries.

Vodafone K5150 LTE stick is also backwards compatible with 3G network and 2G network.

Vodafone K5150 (HUAWEI) 4G LTE Stick Test

Vodafone has launched the K5150 LTE stick in this year. K5150 is a new USB modem on the market. The surf stick is manufactured by Huawei and comes in red and white design in the Vodafone stores. Supporting LTE Category 4 with up to 150 MBit/s in downlink, Vodafone K5150 is one of the fastest surf sticks on the market. Backward with DC-HSPA+ technology, connectors for external antennas and a slot for MicroSD cards are available. We have tested the K5150 modem for 2 weeks on the Vodafone network!

 

 

Vodafone K5150 Specifications
Vodafone K5150 LTE stick not only offers super-fast LTE with up to 150 Mbit/s, but also including UMTS DC-HSPA+ (up to 42.2 Mbit/s) and GSM. Vodafone is first operator in Europe to provide the maximum data rates. Under LTE networks, the practical downlink could reach approximately 120 Mbit/s, and the UMTS downlink speed could reach up to about 31 Mbit/s.
The USB port is protected by a small cap, unfortunately, the connection cannot swing as you wish like other high-end surfsticks HUAWEI E3276.  Especially for use in places with limited space, such as on the train, this function would be very useful.

 

At the side of the 4G Stick K5150, two connectors for external antennas and a slot for MicroSD memory cards have been integrated, so you can use the surf stick as storage media if necessary and can amplify the reception with an external antenna. The external antenna is TS-9, you could buy original Huawei 4G Antenna on 4gltemall.com.

Manufacturer: Huawei
Model Name: Vodafone K5150
Technologies: LTE (4G) UMTS (3G) GSM (2G)
Bands: 4G LTE: 2600/1800/800 MHz
3G WCDMA 2100/900 MHz
2G GSM: 1900/1800/900/850 MHz
Speeds: LTE: 150 Mbit/s downstream, 50 Mbit/s upstream (Category 4),
UMTS: 42.2 Mbit/s downlink, 5.76 Mbit/s uplink (when using DC-HSPA+)
GSM: 256 kbit/s (at Terms of EDGE)
Other: MicroSD slot for memory cards up to 32 GB, 2 x external antenna port TS-9 Software for Mac OS X and Windows

 

 
Vodafone K5150 LTE stick is in a very nice design, just like the 4G models that we had introduced, such as Vodafone R210 and from Vodafone K5007. The top of the K5150 can forwardly away, below is the slot for the SIM card.  Most users will not need the manual, since the installation of the Vodafone connection software is largely self-explanatory: after plugging it into a computer with Mac OS X or Windows operating system, the installation wizard automatically starts and guides in a few moments through the installation. After a short time it is already connected to the wireless network.

 

 

Speed and Reception
As you would expect from a modern LTE modem, the speeds are consistently good. However, the test was only on the 800 megahertz LTE network, even though, the performance on average is better than other 4G devices: downlink up to 55 Mbit/s were possible while the uplink of up to 23 Mbit/s. And the latency times were between 28 and 44 milliseconds, but usually in the range of 35 ms. The reception LTE800 was good, even in low-served regions, we could still surf with the Vodafone K5150 stably on the internet.

 

 

In the UMTS network, the receiving performance was also above average and was as easily one of the Huawei E3276. The data rates were about the same, however, various measurements showed about 13 Mbit/s for downlink via Vodafone DC-HSPA+.

 

 

Vodafone Connection Software
Vodafone provides with K5150 LTE stick from a piece of software which runs on both Windows operating systems and Mac OS X. For Windows XP, you need at least version with Service Pack 3, wherein the instructions to install even explains the basis of previously little common Windows 8.

 

The software has its good and bad sides. The advantages: The program is very easy for beginners to use and is pleasantly fast, if the PC is not too old. The detailed information and statistics about online time and data volume are exemplary. The cons: for experts, there are very limited possibilities to make adjustments and integrated into the software Manager interferes tremendously.

 

 

Conclusion to the Vodafone K5150 LTE Stick
The Vodafone K5150 LTE stick makes a good impression and is particularly recommended for Vodafone customers who just want a fast Internet connection without having to rely on special additional functions. Alternatively, the almost identical Huawei E3276 offers, for example, as Telekom LTE Speed Stick III of which does its job well in various router models.

 

Vodafone K5150 HUAWEI 4G LTE Stick Review

Vodafone K5150 LTE stick produced by Huawei will come soon also in Germany on the market for Vodafone. In this article, we will write a few words about the technical details and introduce you to know more about this LTE surf stick. The HUAWEI K5150 is the direct successor of the popular Vodafone K5005(Huawei E398) and is technically on the absolute amount of time: With support for LTE Category 4, up to 150 megabits per second for downstream and up to 50 Mbit/s for upload speed are possible.

 

 

HiSilicon Chipset and Frequency Bands


The Chinese manufacturer Huawei has almost exclusively a modem chipset of its own subsidiary HiSilicon for some months. No wonder the Hi6920, the company has one of the most powerful modem ever on the market – even the top chipset supplier Qualcomm, its LTE Category 4 can currently offer only his smartphone chipset MSM8974 (Snapdragon 800). As it is not surprising that the Vodafone K5150 has such HiSilicon Balong integrated 710/ Hi6920 chipset.


Based on this chipset, the Maximum LTE speed for download is at 150 Mbit/s, when working in the UMTS network, the speed via DC-HSPA+ is up to 42.2 Mbit/s. By the way, the K5150 LTE supports 800/1800/2100/2600 MHz frequency bands, and K5150 supports 3G UMTS bands on 900/2100 MHz. In addition, the HUAWEI K5150 is of course 2G EDGE and GSM backward as a fallback on board again.

 

 

 

Vodafone Design and Software


Vodafone K5150 is made entirely of plastic, on the back it’s in shiny red and on the front painted in white. The USB port cannot fold, which means that the K5150 is certainly inconvenient for some users, especially since the Huawei E3276 is a technically equivalent model on the market; the rotatable USB is an attractive and user-friendly feature.
Not only the hardware, the software is also fully maintained in the Vodafone-design and therefore especially suitable for use with Vodafone SIM cards. A preliminary field test in the coming weeks will be able to say more about what handling and user friendliness of the software. As a mature LTE modem, the software for the Vodafone K5150 is naturally functional on all major operating systems such as Windows 7, Windows 8 and Mac OS X.

 

Other Features
The other technical data correspond to those expected of a current LTE Surfstick for the high-end class: an LED on the top shows in different colors the respective operating mode. There is also a slot for MicroSD memory cards to 32 gigabytes. Also two connectors for external antenna type TS-9 are on board. One port is located under the cover of the memory card slot, the other terminal has a separate cover. When using the LTE network, the connection of two antennas and a MIMO antenna is recommended due to the MIMO antenna technology would improve the connection speed.

 

 

Price and release date

 
The Vodafone K5150 should be available in the next few days in the Vodafone online shop and at other online retailers such as www.4gltemall.com .  As an alternative, the technically equivalent Huawei E3276 offers even same specifications; the model number is E3276s-151. So if you like HUAWEI Brand, you could take E3276 into consideration for Vodafone 4G networks.