HUAWEIB618 2020- Unlocked 4G/LTE 600 Mbps Mobile Wi-Fi Router- Genuine UK Warranty stock (non network logo) -White

Not being able to get a decent broadband service where we live we rely totally on having a Mobile service. This Router was very easy to setup and has a lot of good features, 4G & 5G, especially "Stats" which allow you to monitor usage. Very important as all mobile providers have a "fair Use" policy which is very easy to exceed if doing a lot of streaming. Aerial strength is very important when you live in areas of poor signal and this performed very well but we further boost with an external to get even better speed. . There was a problem with the first one reordered as there was a small broken part but this was dealt with very swiftly and the support much appreciated. One Note: The Router should have a Quick Setup guide which was missing in the two I had but it is very easy to find and download so not a problem.

I live in the countryside, just over a mile froom the BT fibre cabinet. I needed to change the landline connection (8Mbps download, 0.3Mbps upload). This has transformed my internet and has worked out cheaper than the original BT or Sky package. I've been using it since November 2018.Highlights1. 70 - 105mbs download2. 30 - 40mbs upload.3. Geeky bit - this is a cat12 device (which means it has more channels to transmit receive data to the mast). Many routers are Cat6, which have half the number of channels and tend to be slower as a result.4. My house is equal distance from my provider's 3 masts and I use an external antenna (Though I tested with the it internal antenna). The external antenna has esnured the 4G signal is strong.5. I don't use the built in wi-fi (though it seemed pretty good when I tetsed it); I use a number of wi-fi access points around the house instead.6. I use a VoIP provider (yay.com) to provide my phone service. No issues and quality is better than the BT line.7. Streaming services are great (Netflix, Amazon Prime). I always had the dreaded buffereing with the landline.Things to be aware of1. It's worked really well for the 14 months or so I've been using it. A fibre line would have to offer something special for me to move back.2. I found installing this really straight forward, but I've a technical background...3. Use Open SIgnal App to find out where your service provider masts are.4. There is a newer version of this router (5G CPE) which supports 5G and 4G. I have tested that router too. On my 4G connection and it was slower but I guess it's designed for 5G.

This worked straight out of the box. Good up & down speeds. Seller is top class with good communication. So far so good.

The short version, for those who are only thinking of buying this to get better 4G internet in poor reception areas or because they're always on the move:-pop your SIM card into the allocated slot at the bottom of the unit-power the router on-once the Mode LED is a solid blue/cyan*, connect to the WiFi using the device's default settings showing on the label at the bottom of the unit (although highly recommend you change these asap)-move the device around until you find the spot with the best reception (usually near a window)Done.*if the Mode LED is red, you need to connect to the web interface (192.168.8.1) and enter the SIM's PIN.If you're travelling a lot, that's also a good time to turn on the data roaming option.Like many, given the high price tag, I was expecting miracles.There are times in the day when, indeed, there is a noticeable improvement (from 0.5-4Mbps with my phone's hotspot to 40Mbps with the B618). Whilst it's a far cry from the surreal 600Mbps label, and even the 100Mbps I was hoping for, the difference is that, even when the signal drops to a single digit for download speed, it is far more stable than with the phone's hotspot, or a TP link MiFi.Ping went down from 80-100ms to 25-40ms.On a bad day, using my phone, my VPN connection would drop every 3 seconds, or every 10 minutes when using my TP Link Mifi. With the B618, I've been connected for 18h in a row (and counting) without a single drop.And that's without adding any antenna or spending too much time trying to find 'the perfect spot' for the router.When you're connecting from hotel rooms or lobbies, it's not as if you had many positioning options anyway...Using the web interface, you'll be able to easily set up the usual:-data cap warning-Samba-MAC Filtering-Implement different settings for each wireless band (e.g. SSID name, hidden or not)-Domain black-listing/white-listingYes, the options are not as advanced as you'd get from a 'proper' router, but I was able to get server and network connected in little time, so it should suits the average home configuration.It offers far more setting options than other 4G routers I've used - its menu almost feels like the real thing.As for the HiLink app, it enables you to:-monitor your data consumption (although the numbers arent quite matching the actual consumption. Where my provider says I've consumed 1GB in a day, the app shows 6GB for that same day)-monitor the list of connected devices, get their MAC and IP addresses, restrict their access to Wifi, rename the devices-stop the data connection if you've reached your cap-turn data roaming on/off-update the firmware-check any SMS sent to your internet SIMOverall, I find the app to be of limited use.Getting to the web interface doesn't take much longer and you have far more control from there.Only 2 negative points:1 - the router's size. Sure, it looks good and fits in a suitcase, but it could have been made much smaller to fit in a bag.2 - a dual power mode, letting you chose between battery or AC, is missing. Then the price tag would have been entirely justifiedI don't need bridge mode or VoLTE, so the known limitations of B618-22d were not relevant to me.