Tag: ZTE LTE Cat9 hotspot

ZTE MF980 4G LTE Category 9 Hotspot Review

The ZTE MF980 Hotspot is a 4G mobile hotspot that offers LTE Category 9 carrier aggregation technology. This 3-band technology achieves a download speed of 450 Mbps and upload speed to 50 Mbps. The supported FDD-LTE frequency bands are:  B1 / B3 / B5 (26) / B7 / B8 / B20 / B28 / B32

For Europe area, the bands in 4G are mainly B3, B7, B20 but also some carriers support the B28(700 MHz). In addition, the ZTE MF980 Mobile Hotspot also support below LTE/UMTS/GSM frequency bands:
* TDD-LTE: B40 (or B38 or B41 gold)
* UMTS: B1 / B2 / B5 / B8
* GSM: 850/900/1800/1900MHz

 

So the ZTE MF980 MiFi 4G could cover fairly wide areas, and it’s good to take as a wireless partner when traveling. We do not have precisely the supported aggregates of bands in 3 CA, we look for the info, but with the bands supported, we remain optimistic for a support in France (B20 + B7 + B3 or B28 + B7 + B20).

Wireless Specifications

The ZTE MF980 4G hotspot also offers Wi-Fi to the 802.11 ac standard operating in simultaneous dual band 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. Up to 32 simultaneous users can connect for internet access. And it is of course compatible with 802.11b/g/n and offers a 2 × 2 MIMO technology. Equipped with a 2200 mAh battery, it is given for a battery life of 10 hours by the manufacturer.

The 1.44-inch TFT color display allows you to view the usual information, such as operator, signal strength, connection type and level, battery level, number of users connected, and data consumption. The small size of the ZTE MF980 fits easily in the pocket or in a bag.

There are 2 connectors for external antennas in MF980 MiFi. It also has a micro-USB port, a slot for micro-SIM and a cover on the 2 antenna connectors (TS-9 type). If you want to buy the external lte antenna for ZTE MF980, we recommend the tested model: http://www.4gltemall.com/4g-antenna-two-ts-9-connector.html

 

The setup of ZTE MF980 could be done through the web interface, or the Android application (or IOS) ZTELink APP. From the APP, user can do the settings for the mobile 4g router and can see the information about consumed data and battery status clearly.

 

In the market, ZTE MF980 is the first LTE cat.9 mobile hotspot. And we know another model Netgear Aircard 800s which also support LTE category 9. We would take further test between the two LTE cat9 mobile hotspots.

 

Below are the highlights of ZTE MF980 Technical specifications:

* Sleek Design
* 1.44 TFT Display
* Support 3CA High Speed
* Support FDD-LTE network: B1 / B3 / B5 (26) / B7 / B8 / B20 / B28 / B32
* Support TDD-LTE network: B40 (or B38 or B41 gold)
* UMTS: B1 / B5 / B8 / B2
* GSM: 850/900/1800/1900MHz
* Wi-Fi b/g/n/ac
* Wi-Fi 2 × 2 MIMO
* 2.4GHz & 5GHz
* Support 32 devices at the same time
* LTE-FDD Data Rate: DL 450Mbps/ UL 50Mbps (Category9)
* LTE-TDD: DL 330Mbps / UL 11 Mbps
* Dimensions: 122 * 65 * 10.6mm
* Battery: 2200mAh
* Other features
– 1 x Micro USB port
– 1 x Func Button,
– 1 x Power Switch,
– 1 x Reset Hole; SIM socket, Micro USIM
– 2 x External Antenna slot (TS-9 connector)

ZTE MF980 4G LTE Category 9 Mobile Hotspot

With the development of the LTE technology and deployment of LTE-advanced networks, the manufacturer offer new 4G mobile gadgets to meet the market required. The ZTE MF980 Hotspot is a 4G mobile hotspot that offers LTE Category 9 carrier aggregation technology. The specifications for ZTE MF980 makes it’s dominates in the mobile hotspos in the market.

ZTE MF980 front logo

Technical Specifications

This 3-band technology allows reach a download speed of 450 Mbps and 50 Mbps in upload. The bands supported in FDD are: B1 / B3 / B5 (26) / B7 / B8 / B20 / B28 / B32

For Europe area, the bands that concern in 4G are therefore B3, B7, B20 but also the B28 which supports the 700 MHz of Free Mobile.

For the rest the supported bands are:
* TDD-LTE: B40 (or B38 or B41)
* UMTS: B1 / B5 / B8 / B2
* GSM: 850/900/1800 / 1900MHz

A fairly wide coverage therefore, makes the ZTE MF980 mobile hotspot a good partner for traveling. We do not have exactly the carrier aggregation of supported 3 bands, but we remain optimistic for a support in France (B20 + B7 + B3 or B28 + B7 + B20).

ZTE MF980 back

Wireless Features

The ZTE MF980 also offers Wi-Fi 802.11 ac running dual-band 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz simultaneously. And up to 32 users can connect to the MF980 hotspot for internet access. It is of course also compatible with the 802.11b/g/n and it also offers a 2 × 2 MIMO technology.

 

The 1.44-inch color TFT screen allows you to view the usual information such as the operator, connection type and level, battery level, number of users connected and data consumption.

ZTE MF980 power button

The ZTE MF980 is small enough to fit easily in the pocket or in a bag. What’s more, it has 2 connectors for external antennas, which makes it possible to connect external antenna to improve the signal strength so as to get faster surfing speed. The connector type is TS-9, we recommend below the external antenna for ZTE MF980 mobile hotspot: http://www.4gltemall.com/4g-antenna-two-ts-9-connector.html

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

 

It has a micro-USB port and a slot for micro-SIM. Equipped with a 2200 mAh battery, it can keep working for up to 10 hours according to the manufacturer. It is compatible with the Android application (or IOS) ZTELink APP.

 

Summary

With the support of LTE Cat.9 and 3 band carrier aggregation, ZTE MF980 supports fast download speed to 450Mbps while currently the LTE Cat.6 up to 300Mbps is the mainstream. Up to 32 wireless users could access internet with the ZTE MF980 and large battery of 2200mAh, which makes MF980 a powerful partner for outdoor activities. The possibility of connecting external antenna and control via ZTELINK app is also very useful for operation.

ZTE MF980 USB port

Actually, there are many LTE cat.9 and cat.11 mobile hotspots in the market now, such as the Netgear Aircard 810s hotspot etc. They already get great fame from the end-users. We suppose the ZTE MF980 would also be a good star for LTE-A networks.