Here is a new LTE Advanced router, replacing in Cell C stores Huawei E5186.
From the box:
CAT6 Band 1,3,7,8,20,38 CA 1+3 (probably means Channel Aggregation with channel 1 and 3)
UMTS 900/2100 WiFi802.11n/ac, 2.4GHz/5GHz
It is an OEM stripped down version of ASKEY RTL0030VW http://www.askey.com.tw/wireless_RTL0030VW.html
There is one substantial difference:
- no support for Telkom TDD Band 40
Specification from the box:
WAN interface: LTE modem and Ethernet RJ45 port
LTE compliance: 3GPP LTE release 10 CAT 6 (DL: 300Mbps, UL:50Mbps - should read: in FDD mode)
LTE channel bandwith: 5, 10, 15, 20
LTE antenna: 2x 3dBi external detachable dipole
WiFi: 802.11ac (867Mbps), 802.11n (300Mbps), etc...
WiFi frequency: concurrent 2.4GHz and 5GHz operation
LAN interface: 1x RJ45 WAN/LAN port, 1x RJ45 LAN port, both speed 1Gbit 802.3U (1000 Base-T)
IP Routing: TCP, UDP, ICMP, ARP, RIP V1 and V2
Features: DHCP, NAT/NATP, DNS Proxy
Web management
WPS, Reset buttons
PSU: 19V/1.75A (apparently 12V is marked on the router's enclosure and PSU is matching 12V/2A)
Only two Ethernet ports, but specification is very modern. More details on hardware/software:
- Qualcom low cost IPQ4018. It is fully integrated SOC (System on Chip) with integrated A7 quad core CPU with FPU&NEON, WiFi/ac, L2/3 switch/router and hardware NAT engine.
- Modem chipset MDM9230
- RAM 256MB, ROM 16MB NOR + 128MB NAND Flash
- Firmware v0.0.14 (svn-r327)
- Kernel 3.14.43
Unpacking brings a positive impression. A small enclosure with attention to efficient cooling. There are two large heatsinks inside and loorking more reveals empty connector which looks like a laptop's PCIe. Two paddle antennas inluded in the box need to be attached, otherwise router do not pickup any cellular signal.
Router has extra features not mentioned on the box:
1. Quick-start Guide gives descripton for RJ11 connector and associated LED indicator on the front.
It is supposed to serve VoIP devices. It is not like in Huawei B315s - there is no VoIP client service implemented in the current firmware. Analog (Telkom) phone do not pickup any line presence tone from the router either. My SIM card is CS enabled.
2. There is one user configurable RJ45 Ethernet port for LAN or WAN interface with optional automatic fallback to LTE, explained in the Quick-start Guide. Important feature. It should be present in every LTE router. The second RJ45 port is for LAN only.
3. USB Type A port - No description. I inserted FAT-32-formatted 4GB USB stick, it is recognised. Unfortunately there is no access control to the media. All files are accessible for everybody - read and write. To access router's SMB shares type "\\192.168.1.1" (without quotes) in Windows Explorer address bar or Web browser.
Web management:
- It requires to login to access very basic page having very little meanful information. Amateur design.
- No manual cellular network search, there is a roaming option and three network modes Auto, LTE and 3G. That's all.
- DHCP server allows to define static leases. Automatic assigment for some reason keeps allocating addresses outside of defined range.
- WiFi: No additional SSID's, only a single one for each of two frequency bands. There is a WiFi client separation option, so at least a one of the frequency band can be used by visitors and keep your private network secure.
- Basic static routes page
- Some basic options for NAT: DMZ, Port Forwarding, Passthrough selectable by protocol (FTP, TFTP, RTSP, SIP, H323, PPTP - all enabled by default, so user definitely should visit this page to keep network secure)
- Diagnostics page: ping, traceroute and nslookup
- DDNS page with a dozen and half preconfigured servers and a custom settings too. A nice feature.
- No manual DNS
- UPnP option called MiniUPnP
- USSD
- SMS with custom phonebook
- Logging feature by using external port
- It allows to backup and restore router's settings
- System Overview page is very useful, but it has to be magnified 50% to read small text. It gives signal RSRP, RSRQ, SINR, Tx Power, PCI, Cell ID and Radio Frequency Channel information. Also memory usage. Much more information than found on Huawei routers.
- Realtime Load, Traffic and Connections graph, but no total usage stats. I repeat: - no data usage counters!
In summary, a mixed bag of good features and essential missess. A lack of data usage stats is a critical on my list.
Lets power it on. Getting only one signal bar with bunny ears paddle antennas. B315s had two bars. System Overview page confirms that signal quality is much lower comparing to my B315s with its internal antenna. Radio unit is a piece of s^$t in my opinion.
I received this router for testing as my neighbour complained that router was constantly loosing signal. It happens also in my place with this router. Network generally is unstable in our area, but Huawei B315s is able to cope with grace. Switching Network Mode from Auto to LTE helps little bit. I think this option disable LTE-A Channel aggregation feature, as Cell ID is changing accordingly.
Screenshots will follow, but I am afraid, I won't be able to participate in this thread. A reason is that my neighbour is cancelling a contract and router is going back to Cell C.
From the box:
CAT6 Band 1,3,7,8,20,38 CA 1+3 (probably means Channel Aggregation with channel 1 and 3)
UMTS 900/2100 WiFi802.11n/ac, 2.4GHz/5GHz
It is an OEM stripped down version of ASKEY RTL0030VW http://www.askey.com.tw/wireless_RTL0030VW.html
There is one substantial difference:
- no support for Telkom TDD Band 40
Specification from the box:
WAN interface: LTE modem and Ethernet RJ45 port
LTE compliance: 3GPP LTE release 10 CAT 6 (DL: 300Mbps, UL:50Mbps - should read: in FDD mode)
LTE channel bandwith: 5, 10, 15, 20
LTE antenna: 2x 3dBi external detachable dipole
WiFi: 802.11ac (867Mbps), 802.11n (300Mbps), etc...
WiFi frequency: concurrent 2.4GHz and 5GHz operation
LAN interface: 1x RJ45 WAN/LAN port, 1x RJ45 LAN port, both speed 1Gbit 802.3U (1000 Base-T)
IP Routing: TCP, UDP, ICMP, ARP, RIP V1 and V2
Features: DHCP, NAT/NATP, DNS Proxy
Web management
WPS, Reset buttons
PSU: 19V/1.75A (apparently 12V is marked on the router's enclosure and PSU is matching 12V/2A)
Only two Ethernet ports, but specification is very modern. More details on hardware/software:
- Qualcom low cost IPQ4018. It is fully integrated SOC (System on Chip) with integrated A7 quad core CPU with FPU&NEON, WiFi/ac, L2/3 switch/router and hardware NAT engine.
- Modem chipset MDM9230
- RAM 256MB, ROM 16MB NOR + 128MB NAND Flash
- Firmware v0.0.14 (svn-r327)
- Kernel 3.14.43
Unpacking brings a positive impression. A small enclosure with attention to efficient cooling. There are two large heatsinks inside and loorking more reveals empty connector which looks like a laptop's PCIe. Two paddle antennas inluded in the box need to be attached, otherwise router do not pickup any cellular signal.
Router has extra features not mentioned on the box:
1. Quick-start Guide gives descripton for RJ11 connector and associated LED indicator on the front.
It is supposed to serve VoIP devices. It is not like in Huawei B315s - there is no VoIP client service implemented in the current firmware. Analog (Telkom) phone do not pickup any line presence tone from the router either. My SIM card is CS enabled.
2. There is one user configurable RJ45 Ethernet port for LAN or WAN interface with optional automatic fallback to LTE, explained in the Quick-start Guide. Important feature. It should be present in every LTE router. The second RJ45 port is for LAN only.
3. USB Type A port - No description. I inserted FAT-32-formatted 4GB USB stick, it is recognised. Unfortunately there is no access control to the media. All files are accessible for everybody - read and write. To access router's SMB shares type "\\192.168.1.1" (without quotes) in Windows Explorer address bar or Web browser.
Web management:
- It requires to login to access very basic page having very little meanful information. Amateur design.
- No manual cellular network search, there is a roaming option and three network modes Auto, LTE and 3G. That's all.
- DHCP server allows to define static leases. Automatic assigment for some reason keeps allocating addresses outside of defined range.
- WiFi: No additional SSID's, only a single one for each of two frequency bands. There is a WiFi client separation option, so at least a one of the frequency band can be used by visitors and keep your private network secure.
- Basic static routes page
- Some basic options for NAT: DMZ, Port Forwarding, Passthrough selectable by protocol (FTP, TFTP, RTSP, SIP, H323, PPTP - all enabled by default, so user definitely should visit this page to keep network secure)
- Diagnostics page: ping, traceroute and nslookup
- DDNS page with a dozen and half preconfigured servers and a custom settings too. A nice feature.
- No manual DNS
- UPnP option called MiniUPnP
- USSD
- SMS with custom phonebook
- Logging feature by using external port
- It allows to backup and restore router's settings
- System Overview page is very useful, but it has to be magnified 50% to read small text. It gives signal RSRP, RSRQ, SINR, Tx Power, PCI, Cell ID and Radio Frequency Channel information. Also memory usage. Much more information than found on Huawei routers.
- Realtime Load, Traffic and Connections graph, but no total usage stats. I repeat: - no data usage counters!
In summary, a mixed bag of good features and essential missess. A lack of data usage stats is a critical on my list.
Lets power it on. Getting only one signal bar with bunny ears paddle antennas. B315s had two bars. System Overview page confirms that signal quality is much lower comparing to my B315s with its internal antenna. Radio unit is a piece of s^$t in my opinion.
I received this router for testing as my neighbour complained that router was constantly loosing signal. It happens also in my place with this router. Network generally is unstable in our area, but Huawei B315s is able to cope with grace. Switching Network Mode from Auto to LTE helps little bit. I think this option disable LTE-A Channel aggregation feature, as Cell ID is changing accordingly.
Screenshots will follow, but I am afraid, I won't be able to participate in this thread. A reason is that my neighbour is cancelling a contract and router is going back to Cell C.
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