Hot Deal

3G/4G Routers - do they offer better speeds than mobile hotspot?

371°
Deal Cadet
gischethans

I have been using my mobile phone as a hotspot for my daily internet (primarily work) needs. Being a rural area, the connection speed hovers between 2-15 Mbps with both Airtel and Jio, sometimes even lesser at peak hours. The bandwidth suffices for most needs except meetings at times due to speed fluctuations. Hence, I am considering buying a 3G/4G router. The big question I have is, do devices like TP-Link TL-MR6400TENDA 4G03 offer better and more consistent speeds compared to mobile phones? This alone could make my purchase worthwhile. Does anyone have first-hand experience here?

Long ago, I was using Huawei device from Airtel which used to be good but now it's battery has conked off and I am not keen on buying another due to such battery issues. Surprisingly JioFi is out of stock everywhere. 

If you are thinking about why I am not considering fiber broadband - my option is limited to BSNL Bharat Fiber and as our region is prone to thunderstorms for a good part of the year, I am not keen to invest in that. Several people who fail to disconnect appliances during thunderstorms lose them due to power surges. Cost is a factor too.

Expired
Top Comments
Deal Cadet Deal Cadet
Link Copied

bro... instead go for braodband that will give you much more speed and also is much cheaper than mobile plans..

wasting thousands on 4g routers and then getting normal speed or low speed compare to mobile hotspot... also as you all know mobile sim internet speed is not constant all the time in the evening it is worst in night it is good.. 

so, best choice is go for broadband if avialabe in your area because in just 3000-3500 you will get 6 months of net

49 Comments  |  
16 Dimers
  • Sort By
Hotshot Hotshot
Link Copied

yes they offer better speeds.
you can configure your airtel hotspot to work without battery. i have it & battery was dead within 2 years now working perfectly without battery but not using it switched to fiber recently.

but best advice for u to change the rom of airtel device first and then configure it to work without battery. search for youtube tutorials of the same.

Deal Cadet Deal Cadet
Link Copied
vkrmjeet wrote:

but best advice for u to change the rom of airtel device first and then configure it to work without battery.

I tried this approach – had first unlocked the device and was using it with a custom ROM and later another ROM that supported without battery. However, with Jio SIM, speeds were lower than phones. Disappointed, I left it there. Maybe I should check once again!

Hotshot Hotshot
Link Copied
Expand
gischethans wrote:

I tried this approach – had first unlocked the device and was using it with a custom ROM and later another ROM that supported without battery. However, with Jio SIM, speeds were lower than phones. Disappointed, I left it there. Maybe I should check once again!

i think this is jio specific problem check bsnl network in ur area
599 – 5gb per day for 84 days
398  – unlimited for 30 days
it is best for dongles i used bsnl.

Firestorm Firestorm
Link Copied

TP LINK MR600 + external LPDA antenna + Vi 699 entertainment plus 🔥🔥🔥

Deal Cadet Deal Cadet
Link Copied

any 4g router which also has a usb port to share hard disk?

Deal Newbie Deal Newbie
Link Copied
anuragingle122 wrote:

any 4g router which also has a usb port to share hard disk?

RT-AC68U and few others from Asus.

Nighthawk R6700, R7800, R 7500 and others from Netgear

and

many othees have copycat versions.

Others like Tenda, TP Link, LB Link.

Example: TP Link has Archer C7 AC1750, AC750.

Stuff like BL- CPE450H might be basic and cheap.

https://www.linksys.com/us/wireless-routers/traditional-routers/linksys-max-stream-ac1750-wifi-5-router/p/p-ea7200 is another slightly over rated option.

Commentator Commentator
Link Copied

buy huawei wingle , in this u can lock the band which gives more speed, best price is at flipkart, best dongle in market

Deal Cadet Deal Cadet
Link Copied
Expand
vkrmjeet wrote:

i think this is jio specific problem check bsnl network in ur area

BSNL is pathetic in my area, defaults to 2G. I have it as a backup number and had even tried the SIM on the hotspot but could not get good speeds. 

Hotshot Hotshot
Link Copied
Expand
gischethans wrote:

BSNL is pathetic in my area, defaults to 2G. I have it as a backup number and had even tried the SIM on the hotspot but could not get good speeds. 

the default to 2g problem is everywhere but using hotspot we can set 3g only if speeds are good then only use.

Benevolent Benevolent
Link Copied

Depends on the type of router also. Normal 4G portable routers would not give more speed. However, if you are using desktop 4G router with carrier aggregation, you can get better speeds than mobiles.

TP-Link MR600 with Jio SIM has given me 50-70 mbps speeds where mobile was giving 30-40 mbps. 

Deal Cadet Deal Cadet
Link Copied
panchabhut wrote:

However, if you are using desktop 4G router with carrier aggregation, you can get better speeds than mobiles.

TP-Link MR600 with Jio SIM has given me 50-70 mbps speeds where mobile was giving 30-40 mbps

After much research on the TP-Link routers, I concluded the same and placed an order for MR600 sometime back. Your answer confirms my understanding. Thank you very much. 


The Jio SIM I plan to insert in it is around 5 years old. Do you think a new SIM would make a difference i.e., should I get a SIM replacement?

Benevolent Benevolent
Link Copied
panchabhut wrote:

Depends on the type of router also. Normal 4G portable routers would not give more speed. However, if you are using desktop 4G router with carrier aggregation, you can get better speeds than mobiles.

TP-Link MR600 with Jio SIM has given me 50-70 mbps speeds where mobile was giving 30-40 mbps. 

Is it just the more powerful antennae in the routers making the difference? As recent smartphones should have more advanced and capable LTE MODEMs. 

Benevolent Benevolent
Link Copied
Expand
LIMBO wrote:

Is it just the more powerful antennae in the routers making the difference? As recent smartphones should have more advanced and capable LTE MODEMs. 

MR600 has 2CA. So it combines 1+40 or 5+40 for Jio SIM. That increases the speed. Any smartphone with 2CA or 3CA is expected to give similar or better speeds.
However, MR600 can run 24/7 for days without any issue. Mine is running non-stop for last 2 years. You cannot keep a mifi or mobile hotspot continuously running for that long.

Benevolent Benevolent
Link Copied
Expand
gischethans wrote:

After much research on the TP-Link routers, I concluded the same and placed an order for MR600 sometime back. Your answer confirms my understanding. Thank you very much. 


The Jio SIM I plan to insert in it is around 5 years old. Do you think a new SIM would make a difference i.e., should I get a SIM replacement?

The SIM I am using is from 2018. So should not be an issue. If your area has power cuts, get a router ups. 

Trailblazer Trailblazer
Link Copied

Previously i used Airtel 4g router got good speeds later tweaked n used with different sims

Like Magnet Like Magnet
Link Copied
panchabhut wrote:

Depends on the type of router also. Normal 4G portable routers would not give more speed. However, if you are using desktop 4G router with carrier aggregation, you can get better speeds than mobiles.

TP-Link MR600 with Jio SIM has given me 50-70 mbps speeds where mobile was giving 30-40 mbps. 

TP Link MR600 costs 8K flushed sweat_smile

Commentator Commentator
Link Copied
Expand
satraghav wrote:

OK Thanks. Is there any alternative to this router?

huawei wingle is the best in market with band lock feature, great GUI, netwrk strengh is great, even for wifi signals

Deal Cadet Deal Cadet
Link Copied

yes they offer good speed. from last 4 years i am was using hotspot device for internet ( used many devices from airtel, voda unlocked) but recently i purchased TP LINK MR200 Router and this is giving 1.5x speed comparison to hotspot.

Network coverage also Increased. For Hotspot i am getting good signal at rooftop only but with Router i am getting same signal inside my home. If you want carrier aggregation then go or MR600 else MR200 is also good.

Benevolent Benevolent
Link Copied
Expand
satraghav wrote:

TP Link MR600 costs 8K flushed sweat_smile

Its the only LTE router available in India with CA. So its worth its price. Particularly if you want to make LTE SIM as the primary connection.

Deal Cadet Deal Cadet
Link Copied

bro... instead go for braodband that will give you much more speed and also is much cheaper than mobile plans..

wasting thousands on 4g routers and then getting normal speed or low speed compare to mobile hotspot... also as you all know mobile sim internet speed is not constant all the time in the evening it is worst in night it is good.. 

so, best choice is go for broadband if avialabe in your area because in just 3000-3500 you will get 6 months of net

Deal Cadet Deal Cadet
Link Copied

The router MR600 arrived today and it is living up to its expectations. When the phone gives 3-4 Mbps, the router is able to give 9-10 Mbps and I have seen a proportionate difference with higher speeds. Shows me Jio 4G+ availability and carrier aggregation actually seem to be working. However, SMS functionality does not seem to be working even after changing the message centre number. Does it work for you, @panchabhut;

Update: SMS is not supported in this model as it’s a non-VoLTE router.

Benevolent Benevolent
Link Copied
anuragingle122 wrote:

any 4g router which also has a usb port to share hard disk?

where do you share harddisk? Over wifi?

Like Magnet Like Magnet
Link Copied
gischethans wrote:

The router MR600 arrived today and it is living up to its expectations. When the phone gives 3-4 Mbps, the router is able to give 9-10 Mbps and I have seen a proportionate difference with higher speeds. Shows me Jio 4G+ availability and carrier aggregation actually seem to be working. However, SMS functionality does not seem to be working even after changing the message centre number. Does it work for you, @panchabhut;

Update: SMS is not supported in this model as it’s a non-VoLTE router.

How much did you paid for Mr600?

Deal Cadet Deal Cadet
Link Copied
Expand
satraghav wrote:

How much did you paid for Mr600?

The original price was ₹8099. I got it at ₹7289 post 10% discount with Citi Credit Card.

Benevolent Benevolent
Link Copied
gischethans wrote:

The router MR600 arrived today and it is living up to its expectations. When the phone gives 3-4 Mbps, the router is able to give 9-10 Mbps and I have seen a proportionate difference with higher speeds. Shows me Jio 4G+ availability and carrier aggregation actually seem to be working. However, SMS functionality does not seem to be working even after changing the message centre number. Does it work for you, @panchabhut;

Update: SMS is not supported in this model as it’s a non-VoLTE router.

SMS works for Airtel and Vi SIM (delivery over 2G/3G) but does not work for Jio (no VOLTE)

Helpful Helpful
Link Copied
Guys, can I use any other sim like vi or Airtel in JioFi device?
Glitterati Glitterati
Link Copied
Expand
monu.tanwar123262 wrote:
huawei wingle is the best in market with band lock feature, great GUI, netwrk strengh is great, even for wifi signals
I have to keep my device on the window side because of network stability and speed!

If I keep it inside the network and speed both will not good!

Any Alternative option for me!
replyuser
Click here to reply
Reply