The Huawei B593 LTE discussion thread

kianm said:
Could you perhaps share your speedtests and are you using the built in antennas out external?
Click to expand...

I shared a couple tests in the Telkom Mobile forum speedtest thread. Got about 15mbps download and 7mbps up http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread.php/562231-Telkom-Mobile-LTE-Speedtest-Results/page12. Those tests were done during peak hours. I tested again late at night and got about 30mbps download.

Just using the standard built in antennas that came with it. I didn't fiddle with the antennas and router position as it works fine to me.
 
SaiyanZ said:
I shared a couple tests in the Telkom Mobile forum speedtest thread. Got about 15mbps download and 7mbps up http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread.php/562231-Telkom-Mobile-LTE-Speedtest-Results/page12. Those tests were done during peak hours. I tested again late at night and got about 30mbps download.

Just using the standard built in antennas that came with it. I didn't fiddle with the antennas and router position as it works fine to me.
Click to expand...
Nice will also post mine there when I get home. LTE sure wins
 
RichardG said:
How much with delivery ? Rather buy direct from a reputable store for R90+ extra :) Just saying have peace of mind if it breaks
Click to expand...

No delivery, as I'm collecting tomorrow - they state 1year carry in warranty - will see how it turns out....
 
Congrats and enjoy. LTE is really fresh after coming off bog slow ADSL.
 
OK, so I got my el-cheapo B593s-601 yesterday :)
Was quite surprised to find a little "Huawei South Africa" card in the sealed box :D Thought it would be a grey import at R1300

Have moved from a very basic router (TP-LINK 3420 ver1) and am quite astounded by all the settings available on the B593 :wtf:

Need to still read the manual a bit......

Noticed that the antenna can be set to "external", "built-in" or "auto"

My LTE signal is not great and will test if my existing LPDA11A antenna will help - anybody know? Else will have to get a suitable one as well.....

Seems like the WiFi range is not as good as what my 3420 was, so will have to get a extender as well

Am I correct in stating that the router can't be accessed on an android smart phone? and that Firefox or IE does not remember the username/password for the Web-Based Utility?

Details of my model are:
Hardware version: Ver.B
Firmware version: V200R001B180D20SP00C00
Firmware build time: Jun 5 2013 / 15:54:17

Anybody know if that means it's updated?
 
Bundu said:
Have moved from a very basic router (TP-LINK 3420 ver1) and am quite astounded by all the settings available on the B593 :wtf:
Need to still read the manual a bit......
Click to expand...

By comparison to many other devices (think Mikrotik RouterOS!), the B593s-601's firmware is pretty basic, so the MR3420 must be really basic! :D

Bundu said:
Noticed that the antenna can be set to "external", "built-in" or "auto"
Click to expand...

Yup, read this post for some help understanding indoor antenna options. Most folks find that the built-in patch antennas out-perform the flat whip antennas supplied with the unit.

Bundu said:
My LTE signal is not great and will test if my existing LPDA11A antenna will help - anybody know? Else will have to get a suitable one as well.....
Click to expand...

Your LPDA11A from Uniterm has appropriate specs, on paper at least.
Connecting one outdoor external antenna may help, though of course to get full benefit from LTE, you need two good antennas. If the antenna setting is on "Auto" and there is an external antenna connected, the B593 seems to make an "intelligent" choice as to which antenna (built-in patch, or the connected external) gives the best performance at that specific time. Setting it explicitly to "External" or "Built-in" forces that setting irrespective.

Bundu said:
Seems like the WiFi range is not as good as what my 3420 was, so will have to get a extender as well.
Click to expand...
Yup, the B593 is awesome as a "straight" LTE modem, but the "add-on" functions (like the WAP) suck a bit.
I don't use the B593's WAP (WiFi) function myself, but I gather others have had the same experience as you.
Range extenders may help with range, but bear in mind that they generally also halve your Wi-Fi speed due to the need to receive and re-transmit packets.
My 2c worth : if you want really good performance from a WAP, get a dedicated WAP!

Bundu said:
Am I correct in stating that the router can't be accessed on an android smart phone? and that Firefox or IE does not remember the username/password for the Web-Based Utility?
Click to expand...
I can't comment on that one. I use IEv9 or Chrome to access. Haven't tried from other devices or using the "memorise password" options.

Bundu said:
Details of my model are:
Hardware version: Ver.B
Firmware version: V200R001B180D20SP00C00
Firmware build time: Jun 5 2013 / 15:54:17

Anybody know if that means it's updated?
Click to expand...

See here for details on the firmware in my own B593s-601 for comparison - it's fractionally different.
I don't know of anyone (myself included) who's seen any of the firmware update methods implemented on the B593s-601 actually work, nor succeeded in finding a "real" version of updated Huawei firmware anywhere - sorry!

For those folks who've just recently started tinkering with the B593 and wondering about antenna options, signal strength, speeds and the like, see this post to get some idea of where your signals and speeds lie in the spectrum of LTE performance.
 
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many thanks jcheek for your extensive reply!

I've now connected the external antenna to the one connection and set the router antenna to "external", but it's quite weird that the signal bars now alternate between 1 bar for a while and 5 bars every couple of seconds???
The speed test however is MUCH better
 
Bundu said:
many thanks jcheek for your extensive reply!

I've now connected the external antenna to the one connection and set the router antenna to "external", but it's quite weird that the signal bars now alternate between 1 bar for a while and 5 bars every couple of seconds???
The speed test however is MUCH better
Click to expand...

On the B593, that one antenna setting (under System / Antenna Settings) controls both antenna ports, so when you set it explicitly to "External", you need to have an external antenna of some description connected to both ports for sensible results. Is that what you did ?

I'd suggest trying the following options :

With the flat whips on both antenna ports, and :
a) Antenna setting set explicitly to "Built-in" (this will cause the B593 to use both built-in patch antennas)
b) Antenna setting set explicitly to "External" (this will cause the B593 to use both flat whips)

With your LPDA connected to one port and a flat whip connected to the other port, and :
c) The antenna setting set explicitly to "External" (this will use the LPDA and one flat whip)
d) The antenna setting set to "Auto" (this lets the B593 make the "best" choice on both ports)

On option (d), look at the bottom of the Home / Overview page to see which antenna the B593 has decided to use for both ports. That will give some indication of which antenna is performing best at that specific time / orientation etc on that specific port.

Your speed is starting to look good, but you want a stable signal more than speed.
Also use your signal status page (under System / Diagnosis / Wireless status check) to get an idea of which combination gives you the best and most stable signal.

Have fun experimenting!
 
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sajunky said:
Switch antenna connector. Does it help?
Click to expand...

I switched the OEM flap and the external roof antennas around on the B593, but the signal still alternates between 1 and 4 or 5 bars
 
Hmm, I wasted my money on the B593, I really have no mobile data service where I live in Joburg.

Used to have good Cell C, now nothing.

Used to have Vodacom 4G, now only 2G.

TM and MTN is useless.

I am in the middle of Joburg, near Wanderers, so the issues are more congestion related than anything else.
 
jcheek said:
On the B593, that one antenna setting (under System / Antenna Settings) controls both antenna ports, so when you set it explicitly to "External", you need to have an external antenna of some description connected to both ports for sensible results. Is that what you did ?

I'd suggest trying the following options :

With the flat whips on both antenna ports, and :
a) Antenna setting set explicitly to "Built-in" (this will cause the B593 to use both built-in patch antennas)
b) Antenna setting set explicitly to "External" (this will cause the B593 to use both flat whips)

With your LPDA connected to one port and a flat whip connected to the other port, and :
c) The antenna setting set explicitly to "External" (this will use the LPDA and one flat whip)
d) The antenna setting set to "Auto" (this lets the B593 make the "best" choice on both ports)

On option (d), look at the bottom of the Home / Overview page to see which antenna the B593 has decided to use for both ports. That will give some indication of which antenna is performing best at that specific time / orientation etc on that specific port.

Your speed is starting to look good, but you want a stable signal more than speed.
Also use your signal status page (under System / Diagnosis / Wireless status check) to get an idea of which combination gives you the best and most stable signal.

Have fun experimenting!
Click to expand...

tried as suggested and results were:
a) ALTERNATE 1 AND 2 BARS
b) ALTERNATE 1 AND 2 BARS
c) ALTERNATE 1 AND 4 BARS
d) ALTERNATE 1 AND 2 BARS

On AUTO, the following was displayed:
Antenna1 Status: External
Antenna2 Status: Built-in
Not sure which antenna is 1 and which is 2???
Looking from the antenna side of the router, the LEFT antenna was the paddle and the RIGHT antenna was the LPDA on my roof


Also did some speed tests: (fookit but they chew data......) (The RIGHT and LEFT refer to facing from the front of router)
Clipboard01.jpg
 
Remove paddle, should give better results in auto mode. Still alternating when set to external? It seems device prefers to use internal antenna for bandwith efficient MIMO mode.
 
sajunky said:
Remove paddle, should give better results in auto mode. Still alternating when set to external? It seems device prefers to use internal antenna for bandwith efficient MIMO mode.
Click to expand...

just tried that now: Only LPDA connected to one antenna socket and set to AUTO
Antenna1 Status: Built-in
Antenna2 Status: Built-in
Still alternates between 1 and 2 bars
So the router feels that the internal antenna is better than the LPDA - weird!
 
Bundu said:
tried as suggested and results were:
a) ALTERNATE 1 AND 2 BARS
b) ALTERNATE 1 AND 2 BARS
Click to expand...

OK, so you get about the same result with the built-in patch antennas and the flat whips (a + b options). Better to stick with the built-in antennas if you use the B593 in this mode - fewer variables.

Bundu said:
c) ALTERNATE 1 AND 4 BARS
Click to expand...
That would indicate that the LPDA gives some improvement, and that you might have the potential to do a lot better with a proper dual-element antenna array (eg a dual-polarised antenna or two LPDAs).
The variability in signal is concerning; but then, one indoor and one outdoor antenna is a slightly off-beat setup!
Also remember that an LPDA will only really improve matters if it's pointed the right way (ie at a decent LTE signal source).

Bundu said:
d) ALTERNATE 1 AND 2 BARS
On AUTO, the following was displayed:
Antenna1 Status: External
Antenna2 Status: Built-in
Not sure which antenna is 1 and which is 2???
Looking from the antenna side of the router, the LEFT antenna was the paddle and the RIGHT antenna was the LPDA on my roof
Click to expand...
So in this mode the B593 didn't like one of your two external antennas and chose to use the built-in patch antenna instead. The result also wasn't great. Can't directly say which port was which.

One way to figure which port is which is to connect an external antenna to one port, leave the other port open and select "Auto" for antenna selection. If the device selects "External" for one port, then you know which port is which. If the device selects "Built-in" for both ports, you can't conclude anything : it just means the device didn't like the connected external antenna in that specific combination / moment.

Bundu said:
Also did some speed tests: (fookit but they chew data......) (The RIGHT and LEFT refer to facing from the front of router)
View attachment 171895
Click to expand...
Use your wireless stats page to get a more quantitative idea of signal strength and quality. It's also cheaper on data :D

Edit: I see you tried it.
 
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Bundu said:
just tried that now: Only LPDA connected to one antenna socket and set to AUTO
Antenna1 Status: Built-in
Antenna2 Status: Built-in
Still alternates between 1 and 2 bars
So the router feels that the internal antenna is better than the LPDA - weird!
Click to expand...

the setting was to force 4G - I now changed that to AUTO, the signal received is still 4G and the antennas have now changed to:
Antenna1 Status: Built-in
Antenna2 Status: External

I'm assuming the LPDA is on antenna 2

The signal now alternates between 1 and 5 bars
weirder and weirder..............
 
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