Is this a good 4G router?

ReeceDBN031 said:
Please post about your experiences with the new router when it does arrive?
Click to expand...
The new router did indeed arrive from Takealot today. I've just set it up and had a look around the very different, but far more pleasant, web UI. Here are some first impressions - feel free to ask if you have any specific questions.

What's in the box?
The box contains the mandatory quick start guide, the B818-263 router and a white 12V 2A power supply. Interestingly there was no LAN cable included as with previous routers I have purchased. The B818 is slightly larger than the B618 (see picture), and comes with an identical power supply so the B618. As with the B618, the information sticker containing the wifi password and such is on the bottom of the device.

Setting it up
I pulled the micro-SIM from my B618 and popped it in the B818 before firing up the new router. The initial setup suggested the "5GHz preferred" option where the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz signals are combined and displayed as one. The faster 5 GHz network is preferred when their signal strength is equal. I updated the SSID, wifi password and admin password as prompted.

Does it work?
Yes, absolutely. As mentioned earlier the UI is very different to previous Huawei routers I've worked with (B593, B315, B618 etc). The interface is much cleaner and one can see a graphic designer was obviously part of the design team. A nice bonus I picked up when browsing through the settings is that the device is Link+ enabled. As far as internet connectivity go, download speeds seem slightly faster, but upload is much slower and pings are longer. This might be due to the routers connecting to different towers / frequencies. These tests were during evening peak (about 18:15). I'll have to play around with the settings a bit to find out what is going on here.

Hope this helps.

B618_B818.jpeg
B618 on the left, B818 on the right.
Screenshot 2020-06-22 at 17.19.38.png
A far more modern UI
B618.png
B618 speedtest
B818.png
B818 speedtest
 
Last edited:
@cavedog - these are the signal stats I'm getting from the band tool. Shouldn't it be 40Mhz (20Mhz+20Mhz) for LTE+?

[LTE+] [RSRP: -94, RSRQ: -9, RSSI: -65, SINR: 11] [2300 MHz, 20 MHz, 2BFE05]
 
Speedster said:
The new router did indeed arrive from Takealot today. I've just set it up and had a look around the very different, but far more pleasant, web UI. Here are some first impressions - feel free to ask if you have any specific questions.

What's in the box?
The box contains the mandatory quick start guide, the B818-263 router and a white 12V 2A power supply. Interestingly there was no LAN cable included as with previous routers I have purchased. The B818 is slightly larger than the B618 (see picture), and comes with an identical power supply so the B618. As with the B618, the information sticker containing the wifi password and such is on the bottom of the device.

Setting it up
I pulled the micro-SIM from my B618 and popped it in the B818 before firing up the new router. The initial setup suggested the "5GHz preferred" option where the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz signals are combined and displayed as one. The faster 5 GHz network is preferred when their signal strength is equal. I updated the SSID, wifi password and admin password as prompted.

Does it work?
Yes, absolutely. As mentioned earlier the UI is very different to previous Huawei routers I've worked with (B593, B315, B618 etc). The interface is much cleaner and one can see a graphic designer was obviously part of the design team. A nice bonus I picked up when browsing through the settings is that the device is Link+ enabled. As far as internet connectivity go, download speeds seem slightly faster, but upload is much slower and pings are longer. This might be due to the routers connecting to different towers / frequencies. These tests were during evening peak (about 18:15). I'll have to play around with the settings a bit to find out what is going on here.

Hope this helps.

View attachment 864059
B618 on the left, B818 on the right.
View attachment 864067
A far more modern UI
View attachment 864063
B618 speedtest
View attachment 864065
B818 speedtest
Click to expand...
Which frequency is your B618 on?
 
Speedster said:
The new router did indeed arrive from Takealot today. I've just set it up and had a look around the very different, but far more pleasant, web UI. Here are some first impressions - feel free to ask if you have any specific questions.

What's in the box?
The box contains the mandatory quick start guide, the B818-263 router and a white 12V 2A power supply. Interestingly there was no LAN cable included as with previous routers I have purchased. The B818 is slightly larger than the B618 (see picture), and comes with an identical power supply so the B618. As with the B618, the information sticker containing the wifi password and such is on the bottom of the device.

Setting it up
I pulled the micro-SIM from my B618 and popped it in the B818 before firing up the new router. The initial setup suggested the "5GHz preferred" option where the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz signals are combined and displayed as one. The faster 5 GHz network is preferred when their signal strength is equal. I updated the SSID, wifi password and admin password as prompted.

Does it work?
Yes, absolutely. As mentioned earlier the UI is very different to previous Huawei routers I've worked with (B593, B315, B618 etc). The interface is much cleaner and one can see a graphic designer was obviously part of the design team. A nice bonus I picked up when browsing through the settings is that the device is Link+ enabled. As far as internet connectivity go, download speeds seem slightly faster, but upload is much slower and pings are longer. This might be due to the routers connecting to different towers / frequencies. These tests were during evening peak (about 18:15). I'll have to play around with the settings a bit to find out what is going on here.

Hope this helps.

View attachment 864059
B618 on the left, B818 on the right.
View attachment 864067
A far more modern UI
View attachment 864063
B618 speedtest
View attachment 864065
B818 speedtest
Click to expand...
wow, thanks bud.. i def think you got some playing around to do.

but seems positive so far!
 
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Speedster said:
The new router did indeed arrive from Takealot today. I've just set it up and had a look around the very different, but far more pleasant, web UI. Here are some first impressions - feel free to ask if you have any specific questions.

What's in the box?
The box contains the mandatory quick start guide, the B818-263 router and a white 12V 2A power supply. Interestingly there was no LAN cable included as with previous routers I have purchased. The B818 is slightly larger than the B618 (see picture), and comes with an identical power supply so the B618. As with the B618, the information sticker containing the wifi password and such is on the bottom of the device.

Setting it up
I pulled the micro-SIM from my B618 and popped it in the B818 before firing up the new router. The initial setup suggested the "5GHz preferred" option where the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz signals are combined and displayed as one. The faster 5 GHz network is preferred when their signal strength is equal. I updated the SSID, wifi password and admin password as prompted.

Does it work?
Yes, absolutely. As mentioned earlier the UI is very different to previous Huawei routers I've worked with (B593, B315, B618 etc). The interface is much cleaner and one can see a graphic designer was obviously part of the design team. A nice bonus I picked up when browsing through the settings is that the device is Link+ enabled. As far as internet connectivity go, download speeds seem slightly faster, but upload is much slower and pings are longer. This might be due to the routers connecting to different towers / frequencies. These tests were during evening peak (about 18:15). I'll have to play around with the settings a bit to find out what is going on here.

Hope this helps.

View attachment 864059
B618 on the left, B818 on the right.
View attachment 864067
A far more modern UI
View attachment 864063
B618 speedtest
View attachment 864065
B818 speedtest
Click to expand...
Hi,

Thanks for the information.

Is there an option to change the LTE frequency from within the router interface?
 
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