The Huawei E5186 LTE-A discussion thread

Azimuth

Azimuth

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With LTE Advanced becoming more mainstream, and due to the benefits of the advanced spec, it's obvious that this will be the next big router after the infamous B593.

I thought it apt to create a consolidated information thread in the same vain as the very successful B593 one.

First off, one (ideally) needs to be within LTE-A coverage:

Telkom-LTE-A-network-expanded-19-May-2015.jpg


Source [updated 19 May 2015]

The E5186 can be used for LTE reception on prepaid. Thanks for confirming @MtnUser. On postpaid it is suspected that only LTE-A will be allowed with fallback to 3G, not LTE (severe limitation).

On to the new LTE-A router from Huawei:

ZFU3aXs.jpg

Image credit: maxwireless.de

17pCOjS.jpg

Image credit: maxwireless.de

YouTube (German unfortunately): http://youtu.be/X4W-Z1r3EFo

All sub models of the E5186 will be discussed here. On that note, let's introduce the B5186 family:

The Huawei E5186 4G LTE CPE Router currently has available sub models in the form of the HUAWEI E5186s-22a and the E5186-61a (being sold by Telkom stores). They are designed to meet the 4G LTE-A (LTE Advanced) requirements for different markets. They incorporate similar configuration and even have the same functions.

Source: []

Confirmed sub-model listing *updated 14 March 2015*:

Huawei E5186S-61a:
4G LTE FDD: FDD 700/1800/2600MHz
4G LTE TDD: 2300MHz 　
3G UMTS/WCDMA: 2100/900Mhz　
2G GPRS/GSM/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz

Huawei E5186S-22:
4G LTE FDD DD800/900/1800/2100/2600MHz, TDD 2600MHz 3G UMTS/WCDMA: 2100/900Mhz
2G GPRS/GSM/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz

Telkom will issue the E5186s-61a. This will be the "super model" akin to the B593s-601.

Vodafone B4000 will be a rebranded E5186s-22a.

MTN ShareLink (black) will be rebranded E5186s-22a.

Unlike the overwhelming sub-models for the B593, it looks like the E5186 will only have two sub models which cover all the major bands and service providers. Vodacom and MTN will rebrand as above.

Marketing blurb:

Huawei E5186 LTE router with LTE-Advanced Category 6 offers up to 300 MBit / s in downlink (sic), it works for both LTE FDD and TDD networks with different LTE frequencies, and it is also 3G & 2G Network backward compatible (sic). The Huawei E5186 4G LTE CPE Wireless Gateway has four LAN ports on the back are now working at gigabit speed, the WLAN module now supports the standards 802.11a/b/g/n/ac and thus allows wireless transmission rates of up to 1.3 gigabits / s Thus, the high speeds of LTE-Advanced can also use easily on the terminal, it supports up to 64 devices access to internet simultaneously (sic).

Features:

PORTS:

* 4 RJ45(GE) interface
* 2 RJ11 Interface
* 1 USB host interface

FUNCTIONS:

* Firewall, CS Voice, VoIP, VoLTE, TR069 Remote Management
* HTTP Online Upgrade, QoS, USB Share, UPnP
* IPV6, DLNA, Fax, Print, VPN
* WiFi 802.11b/g/n/ac, 2.4GHz/5GHz, up to 64 devices
* Additional antenna location: two antenna ports


Transmission speed 4G (MAX)

4G/LTE FDD: Downstream: 300Mbit/s Upstream: 150Mbit/s
4G/TD-LTE: Downstream: 224Mbit/s Upstream: 20Mbit/s

Transmission Speed 3G (MAX)

3G DC-HSPA+: Downstream: 42Mbit/s Upstream: 5.76Mbit/s
3G HSPA+: Downstream: 21Mbit/s Upstream: 5.76Mbit/s
3G UMTS: Downstream: 384Kbit/s Upstream: 186Kbit/s


SIZE: 194 x 177 x 64 mm
WEIGHT: 450g

Operating systems it's compatible with:
- Windows / Linux / Mac OS
 
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The Huawi E5186 LTE-A discussion thread

Physical differences compared to the B593:

- On/off switch is located on the back and not the side (this will be awkward for most users)
- New SD card slot
- Signal bars depicted as 3 bars and not the traditional 5 bars
 
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Reasons to upgrade to the E5186:

Benefits of the E5186 over the B593

- Up to CAT6 capability
- SD slot up to 32GB
- Mobile app (yay)
- 802.11ac Wi-Fi
- Up to 64 users
- VoLTE support
- VPN support

Cell ID is back

Cell ID together with signal levels and quality via the mobile app:

Source:
MtnUser said:
with the hillink api you get this info also:

pci = 92
cell_id = 2818050
rsrq = -3dB
rsrp = -75dBm
rssi = -51dBm
sinr = 15dB
mode = 7
Click to expand...

Reasons NOT to upgrade to the E5186:

- Both @tyronewraight and @Mark0501 are reporting disconnect issues.
- On prepaid there is fallback to LTE but on postpaid there is fallback to 3G and not LTE (this needs to be confirmed by more users).
- Telkom have stated in their T's and C's that voice is not yet supported on the LTE-A network *edit* @Mark0501 is using VoIP on postpaid.
 
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Where to buy:

gHHNmb7.jpg


Edit: Consumers are reporting being unable to buy the E5186 on prepaid. @MDA confirmed that Telkom Clearwater Mall would only sell on a postpaid deal.

@MtnUser has confirmed that the above deal has been pulled by Telkom.

This means the E5186 is currently available on Telkom postpaid only. There are no reports from users of other networks yet.
 
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/subscribed !

Thanks Azi, ... all the hallmarks of another great thread, just like its predecessor(s) - great work !

Please, please someone tell me this device still has a "Force external" option for antenna usage !? :D
 
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great idea to start this thread, thanks!
 
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Thanks for the Thread! I was looking at the B593 but this seems to be a more logical router to choose... Is there any reason to rather use the B593 over this one? I want it predominantly for connecting my PC to my lounge via the wireless to stream content. And then obviously for the LTE internet connection...
 
Anyone figured out how to save/load a config file using the browser interface? It looks like they took away that option, which was present on the B593.
 
Tom@ said:
Thanks for the Thread! I was looking at the B593 but this seems to be a more logical router to choose...
Click to expand...

So from this post and your question over on the B593 thread, I guess you are leaning this way ?

Tom@ said:
Is there any reason to rather use the B593 over this one? I want it predominantly for connecting my PC to my lounge via the wireless to stream content. And then obviously for the LTE internet connection...
Click to expand...
Right now, the only downsides seem to be the higher price, and the possible danger(s) of The Unknown !

Price : The B593s-601 can be picked up new for around R1500, whereas the E5186 commands the same price as the B593 recently used to (around R2 499). So a R1000 premium for the satisfaction of knowing you might be able to reap the speed benefit of LTE-A at a future date. The curse of the early adopter!

The Unknown : The B593 (with its various quirks) is at this stage very well known and understood, whereas there are only a few users with the E5186 at this point, so feedback is only just starting to trickle in ... like this one, which is a slight bummer, if there's no work-around ...
 
Could you share more about the experience of TM LTE-A?
What fixed antennae would you recommend? Any tips and tricks - I'm about to order the E5186 and would love all the input possible!
 
wizzypow said:
Could you share more about the experience of TM LTE-A?
Click to expand...
There aren't tooooo many folks with these devices yet, so feedback is still a bit thin.
Check for posts by MtnUser on this and linked threads.

The Huawei B593 is the E5186's "plain LTE" brother. Until LTE-A gains more traction, the user experience on the E5186 will be virtually the same as on the B593. Check out some of the links given below.

wizzypow said:
What fixed antennae would you recommend? Any tips and tricks - I'm about to order the E5186 and would love all the input possible!
Click to expand...
Have a look at this post for some general guidelines. The specific post was about LTE, but the principles are exactly the same for LTE-A.

Also see these threads :

Have fun!
 
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Hi Guys.

I live in Bryanston. SO LTE signal is great but no LTE-Advanced yet.

I got the Telkom demo company to come do a demo. Lady brought both Routers, LTE(Huawei B593 LTE ) and LTE-A (Huawei E5186S).

LTE was good speeds according to speedtest.net. LTE-A only seemed to pick up signal with those bunny ears connected.
However on two different tests, the LTE-A got close enough to the LTE speed.

Which brings me to my question.

Can i still get the LTE-A router and use it as backward compatible device for the LTE signal? while i wait for telkom to upgrade the LTE towers to LTE-A.



Also what effect would an antenna installation have on such said speeds.
 
jacksparrow.greg said:
Can i still get the LTE-A router and use it as backward compatible device for the LTE signal? while i wait for telkom to upgrade the LTE towers to LTE-A.



Also what effect would an antenna installation have on such said speeds.
Click to expand...
A1. Yes.
A2. As router is already able to pickup LTA-A signal, chances that external antenna will improve signal are good. Stability of your connection should be improved, but how it will relate to the speed? I am not so sure. There were already reports that B593 users couldn't achieve faster speeds from the external antenna. Dual 2x2MIMO antenna can give improvements, but not to the factor we saw on 3G. For LTE-A we would need perhaps 4x4MIMO antenna (???). LTE technology is being optimised to receive stable and fast connection inside the house, so benefit from the external antenna is not so easy to predict. If your signal inside the house is very weak, then you can try, but with already strong signal, it might be a waste of money.
 
Hi - I am writing from Poynting and asked Andre Fourie to comment on the LTE-A and antenna discussion. Please see his comments below:

MIMO outdoor antennas does have one significant benefit on indoor antennas – even for strong indoor signal. This is due to the fact that the two integrated antennas are properly 90 degree polarity shifted and you get very close to 2x speed increase. This is difficult to get using the indoor router since antenna de-correlation is seldom very high. LTE-A devices are backward compatible to LTE release 8 (think LTE-A refers to release 10). LTE-A standard caters for 4x4 mimo but doubtful if this would be implemented in Telkom offering since it involves considerable upgrades on base station antennas and few CPE modems have 4 antenna implemented. Customers will still see major improvements due to other LTE-A features – outdoor antennas, though, will play an even more significant role in benefitting from these since coding levels (max bits/symbol) have been increased but will only be attainable for 3dB (double) S/N ratios compared to the S/N ratio which will allow highest symbol rate LTE.
 
YHF said:
Hi - I am writing from Poynting and asked Andre Fourie to comment on the LTE-A and antenna discussion. Please see his comments below:

MIMO outdoor antennas does have one significant benefit on indoor antennas – even for strong indoor signal. This is due to the fact that the two integrated antennas are properly 90 degree polarity shifted and you get very close to 2x speed increase. This is difficult to get using the indoor router since antenna de-correlation is seldom very high. LTE-A devices are backward compatible to LTE release 8 (think LTE-A refers to release 10). LTE-A standard caters for 4x4 mimo but doubtful if this would be implemented in Telkom offering since it involves considerable upgrades on base station antennas and few CPE modems have 4 antenna implemented. Customers will still see major improvements due to other LTE-A features – outdoor antennas, though, will play an even more significant role in benefitting from these since coding levels (max bits/symbol) have been increased but will only be attainable for 3dB (double) S/N ratios compared to the S/N ratio which will allow highest symbol rate LTE.
Click to expand...
Well, Poynting has different opinion to the user experience and technological design principles. For you just remember that XxX MIMO technology is optimised for indoor use. When use with external antenna, it must be professional 4x4 MIMO installation, otherwise benefits can be neglible. In above bunch of sales speach they are right only to one thing; the higher order MIMO require higher S/N, but coding scheme is not fixed with 4x4 MIMO, it is negotiated and adjusted automatically to achieve required S/N, according to the conditions. Further increase S/N above certain level do not bring faster speed.

BTW, Telkom has mostly new towers, they don't need to upgrade antennas. LTE-A is operational in some areas.
 
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Hello guys im sorry about my language
I have e5861 I want to force the extrenal
Antenna please is there any way to do it
Best regards
 
paazoka said:
Hello guys im sorry about my language
Click to expand...
No worries - Hello and welcome !
Out of interest - Where are you located ?

paazoka said:
I have e5186 I want to force the external antenna please is there any way to do it ?
Best regards
Click to expand...

I understand you to mean that you want to force your E5186 to use an external antenna (actually two of them) instead of the built-in internal patch antennas - is that right ?

I can't give a completely conclusive answer for the E5186 (because I don't have one yet!), however, I strongly suspect that the issues around using external antennas on the E5186 LTE-A modem/router will be much the same as on the B593s-601. Hopefully one of the E5186 users on this thread will also comment.

If the antenna detection on the E5186 is the same as on the B593, then there are two basic ways to "force" the device to use external antennas instead of the built-in ones :

Method 1
If the router has it, use the "force external antennas" feature. (I guess the fact that you are asking this question suggests that it doesn't ... which would be a bad thing).
On the B593s-601, this feature is on the "System / Antenna Settings" page and you choose from "Auto" (automatic detection), "Built-in" or "External". Once selected, you can verify the actual setting in use at the bottom of the "Home / Overview" page. Using the "External" setting forces the router to switch to the external antenna ports even if the signal is poor, or if the attached antenna is not detected, or even if there is no antenna connected at all.
Hopefully one of the E5186 owners will confirm if the E5186 has this same option (come in, MtnUser !).


Method 2
If the E5186 firmware doesn't have the "force external" feature, then you need to make sure that the external antennas will always be detected. To do this, you need to ensure that when the modem/router device "looks into" each of the antenna cables, it sees a "low" DC resistance (≤1200Ω on the B593). There are three ways to achieve this, from the easiest to the most difficult:
  1. Use an antenna that presents a short-circuit (0Ω) for DC. For example, all of the Poynting antennas shown here have that characteristic.
  2. If your antenna doesn't have a "DC short" characteristic (or low enough DC resistance), you could introduce a surge-protection device that exhibits a DC short into each antenna feed cable. Be aware that there are two types of surge protectors, the "gas tube" type, and the "quarter-wave short" type. Only the latter type typically has a "DC short" characteristic.
  3. Introduce a device that has a "low" DC resistance (try 1200Ω or less) in parallel with each antenna path. There are a couple of ways of doing this, but it has to be done without messing up the RF characteristics of the antenna and hence these methods are probably beyond the reach of most casual users.
You can check out this post for a video that shows how the antenna detection works on the B593s-601. Also have a look through that same thread as a lot of what is said there will also be applicable to the E5186 and LTE-A.

Good luck, and please come back let us know whether you have success!
 
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