MiFi / WiFi / router

[Gellyneck]

We've used a number (well 3) Huawei mifi units over the 15 years or so updating to include aerial connections / connectivity / speed / etc. We've been very happy with these and, without going back and rebooting each one, they all still work to their original spec. OK, the battery life will be shorter as you would expect.

Knowing things have moved on again since the purchase of our 5577cs with the introduction of 5g, etc we've been thinking about our options. As a result, we've been following the growing number of threads on here where other Funsters have been providing their input / feedback.

Taking all things into account we decided we wanted to stay with a similar type format, battery / portable, and plumped for an unlocked ZTE MU5001. We did consider others but pricing was way out of our league!

Long story before we get to the point but trawling the tinterweb the going rate seemed to be between £300-320 however if you can put up with the unit being branded Vodaphone, but unlocked to any network you can get a "refurbished graded" unit here

UNLOCKED ZTE VODAFONE MU5001 5G MOBILE WIFI 6 HOTSPOT 3.8GBPS (BLACK) UK SELLER | eBay

UNLOCKED ZTE VODAFONE MU5001 5G MOBILE WI-FI 6 HOTSPOT 3.6GBPS (BLACK) + 2 x EXTERNAL ANTENNAS INCLUDED WILL WORK WITH ANY NETWORK SIM CARD WORLDWIDE Contents: 1 x ZTE Vodafone MU5001 5G Mobile Wi-Fi Hotspot (Black) 2 x TS9 External Antennas 1 x 4500mAh Removable Battery 1 x Quick Start Guide...

www.ebay.co.uk

This is for a Grade A - opened but never used however the same seller offers Grade B @ £159 and Grade C @ £145 (prices as at 24/5/2024). Note, these units are the later version without an RJ45 port but with USB C cabled "ethernet".

Off weekend after this so will give it a try out then.

 

[Riverbankannie]

Following with interest but in a recent thread a minimum of cat 12 was suggested and these are cat 6. Do you have an external antenna on your MH?

 

[VXman]

I shall continue to use my £30 7 year old samsung phone as my 'router'. Worked brilliantly recently at Donington race circuit live streaming ITVX all weekend.

Off to Snetterton today - hopefully it will work as well there. As for external antenna - I open the skylight and stick it on the roof! (if needed - which is rarely.)

 

[Gellyneck]

Following with interest but in a recent thread a minimum of cat 12 was suggested and these are cat 6. Do you have an external antenna on your MH?

We're "hoping" the 4 internal aerials will provide better quality signal on 4g however we do have a Poynting MiMo aerial, as well. Not sure the aerial ports aren't just for 5g though.
The inclusion of 5g / CAT 20, WiFi6 and dual band wifi (2.4G and 5G) will future proof us for a wee while.

 

[Manic]

Looking forwards to a review of how this router/ mifi performs for you.

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[zac]

Been using one of these for the past 12 months or so, and they are excellent, never not had a signal when connected to an external roof antenna. They even come with an RJ45 port if needed, but for us, they have been very reliable.

Debating whether to keep ours as a spare as i have a RUTX50 to fit which has been on hold till i managed to source another 3D Printer which arrived yesterday so i can print again and get some of this stuff installed.

All in all though they are good units and 5G

 

[BrochMike]

Knowing things have moved on again since the purchase of our 5577

If it's still doing what you need it to do, what's the rush to change?

As a dedicated follower of tech, I was constantly upgrading "stuff".

However, I have concluded, other than for Data-intensive remote-work or streaming UHD, the big sell for 5g upgrades (or gigabit broadband connections) by network providers can be safely ignored for another few years - at least until the UK infrastructure improves significantly

(acknowledging that France is definitely ahead from recent experience where 5g seems ubiquitous).

 

[Gellyneck]

Been using one of these for the past 12 months or so, and they are excellent, never not had a signal when connected to an external roof antenna. They even come with an RJ45 port if needed, but for us, they have been very reliable.

Debating whether to keep ours as a spare as i have a RUTX50 to fit which has been on hold till i managed to source another 3D Printer which arrived yesterday so i can print again and get some of this stuff installed.

All in all though they are good units and 5G

Damn! If you had got your finger out I could have purloined it from yourself!
Having said that, ours is the later version with no RJ45.

 

[zac]

Damn! If you had got your finger out I could have purloined it from yourself!
Having said that, ours is the later version with no RJ45.

I've not used the RJ45 port yet, but it's nice to have, been waiting on another 3D printer as I have some brackets I need to print before I can fit the new roof antenna as its custom-made to fit the TV Antenna hole. I could have just taken off the old 4G/5G antenna which has done me superbly for the last 12 months, but it's easier to fit the new one alongside, I lose money though as I could easily sell the old antenna as it's not really old as it supports 4G/5G. I still may remove it if i am bored.

 

[Lenny333]

I shall continue to use my £30 7 year old samsung phone as my 'router'. Worked brilliantly recently at Donington race circuit live streaming ITVX all weekend.

Off to Snetterton today - hopefully it will work as well there. As for external antenna - I open the skylight and stick it on the roof! (if needed - which is rarely.)

A phone signal in Norfolk…

You’ll have to bring a long curly wire with you to use a phone here

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Gellyneck]

If it's still doing what you need it to do, what's the rush to change?

As a dedicated follower of tech, I was constantly upgrading "stuff".

However, I have concluded, other than for Data-intensive remote-work or streaming UHD, the big sell for 5g upgrades (or gigabit broadband connections) by network providers can be safely ignored for another few years - at least until the UK infrastructure improves significantly

(acknowledging that France is definitely ahead from recent experience where 5g seems ubiquitous).

Our 5577cs with a 3 SIM struggled to pull in a decent signal in a few locations we visit frequently so we switched to an EE 12 month / 120Gb which has worked well however we are looking to get an unlimited data only SIM contract and the most cost effective is Smarty (3).

We have 5g at home and we'll also be using the device to check the potential to drop Virgin when contract up for renewal.

 

[Gellyneck]

A phone signal in Norfolk…

You’ll have to bring a long curly wire with you to use a phone here

The new Norfolk 5g infrastructure is arriving shortly!

 

[Gellyneck]

I've not used the RJ45 port yet, but it's nice to have, been waiting on another 3D printer as I have some brackets I need to print before I can fit the new roof antenna as its custom-made to fit the TV Antenna hole. I could have just taken off the old 4G/5G antenna which has done me superbly for the last 12 months, but it's easier to fit the new one alongside, I lose money though as I could easily sell the old antenna as it's not really old as it supports 4G/5G. I still may remove it if i am bored.

Yeah I was think the RJ45 port was maybe a nice to have but ............

Anyway, get the old aerial off the roof! Just think of all that extra weight you'll be lugging around never mind the huge wind resistance!

 

[Kannon Fodda]

Zte5001 is of interest, to improve on my Huawei 4g thing, simply for the better Cat wotsit rating, as my current thingy struggles. I have yet to see 5g on a campsite. As I'm in a pvc the roof aerial connection is essential even for the 4g else faraday cage effect kills the mobile signal.

Does this zte5001 use the external aerial for 4g as if not it would be next to useless.

 

[Howard B]

If it's still doing what you need it to do, what's the rush to change?

As a dedicated follower of tech, I was constantly upgrading "stuff".

However, I have concluded, other than for Data-intensive remote-work or streaming UHD, the big sell for 5g upgrades (or gigabit broadband connections) by network providers can be safely ignored for another few years - at least until the UK infrastructure improves significantly

(acknowledging that France is definitely ahead from recent experience where 5g seems ubiquitous).

France is ahead with 4G as well. I have been pulling 200mbs + on a number of sites with my Vodafone sim and iphone SE. Had 250mbs on the Huawei 4G router (EE) with external antenna.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Gellyneck]

Zte5001 is of interest, to improve on my Huawei 4g thing, simply for the better Cat wotsit rating, as my current thingy struggles. I have yet to see 5g on a campsite. As I'm in a pvc the roof aerial connection is essential even for the 4g else faraday cage effect kills the mobile signal.

Does this zte5001 use the external aerial for 4g as if not it would be next to useless.

Believe it may be 5g only for the external aerial but I'll have a look see when it arrives in next few days.

 

[AndyLaika]

I was bought a ZTE MU5120 router as a retirement present, no external aerial ports but I've had an excellent 5g reception all the way from Calais down to Foz in Northern Spain. Was going to swap it for the version with the aerial ports but it's working so well I'll hang onto it

 

[Gellyneck]

Hope the unit works as well as the delivery!

Ordered 06:30ish yesterday and delivered 13:00ish today using Royal Mail.

You can tell the box has been opened as the instruction leaflet was folded at one corner. Almost perfect Vodaphone original box. Original plastic screen protector still present.

Charging up as we speak.

 

[VXman]

Worked ok until about 9.00pm when everyone in the campsite must have decided to use their phones for a couple of hours. Even the most expensive router in the world wouldn't work then.

Generally ok here though.

A phone signal in Norfolk…

You’ll have to bring a long curly wire with you to use a phone here

 

[zac]

The antenna's are not locked to 5G, they work on what ever your external antenna work on, so for me mine works on both 4G and 5G

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[Gellyneck]

The antenna's are not locked to 5G, they work on what ever your external antenna work on, so for me mine works on both 4G and 5G

Is that the supplied "stick" antennas or an external antenna?

 

[zac]

Is that the supplied "stick" antennas or an external antenna?

I am speaking from external antenna on the roof, can't see it being any different with the stick ones as they are still going to support 4G no matter what.

 

[Miggs]

I recently did a speed test on my fire stick on the TV.
1: Using the motorhome wifi.
2: Using my phone as a hotspot.

Both tests were using the same sim.
Results were virtually identical.

Conclusion, spend your money on unlimited sims and use your phone.

 

[zac]

I recently did a speed test on my fire stick on the TV.
1: Using the motorhome wifi.
2: Using my phone as a hotspot.

Both tests were using the same sim.
Results were virtually identical.

Conclusion, spend your money on unlimited sims and use your phone.

This has been addressed many many times in this forum.
I've been places with no signal on phone but 1-2 bars using the external antenna on the same network.
But if it works for you then of course there's no need.

 

[Langtoftlad]

I bought a cheap Samsung A22 for the rare occasions I find myself in a 5g enabled area.
Pop it out of the skylight on the roof.

LTE Category (DL/UL)	13 / 13
LTE Max Speed (DL/UL)	400 / 150 Mbps

Works a treat.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[bubble63]

I’m at Clubfest at Western house, phone works but internet is not available, I guess it’s swamped with the thousands of phones
Amazingly the MIFI with a Smarty card is going fabulously( Tectonica RUT 950 and a puck on the roof)
Most impressed

 

[Langtoftlad]

I’m at Clubfest at Western house, phone works but internet is not available, I guess it’s swamped with the thousands of phones
Amazingly the MIFI with a Smarty card is going fabulously( Tectonica RUT 950 and a puck on the roof)
Most impressed

Probably picked a different tower and/or different band.