Telit LM960 LTE-A Cat18 Module Review

Telit introduced the LTE-A Cat-18 module LM960, capable of supporting speeds up to 1.2 Gbit/s in the downlink and 150 Mbps in the uplink. Such speeds are necessary, for example, when streaming video from the scene in high resolution or for distributing the Internet in an emergency situation from a mobile platform.

 

 

 

The Telit LM960 module is assembled in a PCI Express Mini Card (mPCIe) format. Telit calls it the first Cat-18 mPCIe module. It will be purchased by FirstNet operator for use in various devices used by emergency workers, in particular, in mobile and portable wireless routers installed in ambulances and other special vehicles. The LM960 module supports both in-band and in-band carrier aggregation (up to 5) to achieve 1.2 Gbit/s throughput in the downlink with a 4x4 Mimo mode and 256-QAM modulation (up to 5). 150 Gbit/s in the uplink). Telit's product can also operate in up to 23 different LTE bands (16 LTE FDD and 7 LTE TDD bands) including Band 14 (700 MHz), used in the United States for public safety, as well as 3.5 GHz CBRS Citizen Band Radio Service) bands and LAA 5 GHz (LTE-License Assisted Access), the latter allowing to improve performance in particular buildings in addition to the "traditional" cellular service.

 

 

 

The Telit LTE Module also supports several satellite positioning technologies, including GPS. In addition to supporting band 14, the LM960 operates in all other frequency bands that FirstNet uses to provide connectivity to the systems used by the emergency services. The LM960 is capable of operating in a temperature range of -40 ° C to + 85 ° C and also incorporates a four-constellation geolocation satellite subsystem (GNSS) and two SIM cards.  

 

 

Telit LM960 Specs and Features 

 

 

 The LM960 module is based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon X20LTE Modem chip and below is the general specs for reference:

• Aggregation up to 5 frequency bands
• Up to 150 Mbit/s UL 64QAM and UL aggregation support
• LTE FDD Bands: B1, B25 (B2), B3, B66 (B4), B26 (B5), B7, B8, B12 (17), B13, B14, B20, B28, B29 (DL) ), B71
• LTE TDD Bands: B38, B39, B40, B41, B42, B46 (DL), B48
• 3G ranges: B1, B2, B4, B5, B8
• Satellite Systems: GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, Beidou
• USB 3.0

 

 

Feature	Sub Feature	Telit LM960
Rel 12	Release 12 compliance	Yes
4x4 MIMO	4x4 MIMO on 2 contiguous carrier + 2x2 MIMO on 3rd carrier	Yes
	3DL CA Inter-band with 4x4 MIMO on one of 3 bands
	4x4 MIMO on 2 bands in 2xCA Configuration
LTE CA	4x DLCA(80MHz aggregated BW; Cat16)	Yes
3.5GHz	B42 4x4 MIMO Deployments in Japan	Yes
LTE-U	LTE-U(eCAST)	Yes
LAA(60MHz)	Achieves 1Gbps with LAA	Yes
Data IC	Interference cancellation for LTE Data	Yes
LAA Enhancements	* More than 1 Lincensed carrier with LAA	Yes
	* Support for Wi-Fi measurements reporting in LAA
	* 5xCA 4+2+2+2+2 scenario
Cat16+	1.2Gbps	Yes
12 Layers	Support for 12 layers(Also 4x4 MIMO with 3xDLCA)	Yes
5xCA	5x Carrier Aggregation	Yes
New Bands	600MHz, CBRS(B48 with CA)	Yes

    

 

 

The ruggedized LM960 module is derived from the Cat-11 compatible LM940 and the two cards are interchangeable, says Telit, which offers developers the ability to launch new equipment (routers, gateways, etc.) built on designs already using the Telit LM940, or to create product families with different performance levels (the LM960 for the high-end, the LM940 for the mid-range).  

 

 

Telit LM960 Price and Buy 

 

 Since Telit LM960 is not available in the market for volume and just in the range of testing. The Telit LM960 price is high and there is only few online stores who can supply the samples time to time. We 4GLTEMALL.com could supply the Telit LM960 samples but not stably. If you want to buy the Telit LM960, you must pre-order first to get it.  

TP-Link Archer MR200 VS Huawei E5186

Since more and more network providers worldwide had deployed LTE wireless networks, when the end-users want to buy a 4G WiFi router with SIM card slot, they usually consider the top brand Huawei and TP-link. As the famous Chinese network equipment manufacturers, Huawei and TP-link provide similar LTE routers and the similar LTE devices are of course becoming the competitors. The TP-link Archer MR200 and Huawei E5186 router are the two similar routers. For those who are unfamiliar with the 4G WiFi routers, they may find it’s hard to make a decision to buy one. We compare the specs and features of the two routers. If you are interested in the two routers, you may find some tips.

 

 

 

 

Huawei E5186 VS TP-link Archer MR200 Specs

 

Model	TP-link Archer MR200	Huawei E5186
Product type	TP-link 4G Router with SIM card slot and Ethernet port	Huawei 4G WiFi Router with Ethernet port
Category	LTE Cat.4	LTE Cat.6
Chipset	MediaTek MT7620A	HiSilicon LTE Cat6 Chipset
LTE Data rates	DL 150Mbps/UL 50Mbps	DL 300Mbps/UL 50Mbps
Supported 4G LTE frequency bands	* 4G: FDD-LTE B1/B3/B7/B8/B20 (2100/1800/2600/900/800MHz) TDD-LTE B38/B39/B40/B41 (2600/1900/2300/2500MHz)	Huawei E5186s-22a: Band 1/3/7/8/20/38 Huawei E5186s-61a: Band  3/7/28/40
WLAN	* IEEE 802.11ac/n/a 5GHz, DL to 433Mbps * IEEE 802.11b/g/n 2.4GHz, DL to 300mbps	802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band 2.4GHz & 5GHz
Max supported users	64 users	64 users
MIMO	n/a	2 x 2 MIMO
Antenna	3 Internal Wi-Fi Antennas, 2 Detachable External 4G LTE Antennas	Two, SMA-female jacks
Buy Antenna	TP-link MR200 external antenna	Huawei E5186 external antenna
App management	TP-Link Tether APP	Huawei Hilink APP
SIM Size	Standard SIM	Micro SIM
Battery	No	NO
Dimensions	202 x 141 x 33.6 mm	190 mm × 200 mm × 32 mm
Interfaces	* 1 x power adapter port * 3 x LAN port(RJ45) * 3 x 10/100Mbps LAN Ports * 1 x 10/100Mbps LAN/WAN Port * 1 x SIM Card Slot	* 3 x LAN port(45) * 1 x LAN/WAN port (45) * 2 x telephone port(RJ11) * Two external LTE antenna ports (SMA-J1.5) * One micro-SIM card slot * 1 x USB 2.0 port
Datasheet	TP-Link Archer MR200 Datasheet(PDF)	Huawei E5186 Datasheet(PDF)
User Manual	TP-Link Archer MR200 Manual(PDF)	Huawei E5186 User Manual(PDF)
Other features	Traffic Control, Dynamic IP/Static IP/PPPoE/PPTP(Dual Access)/L2TP(Dual Access), Access Control, Local Management, Remote Management, DHCP, Port Forwarding,  Dynamic DNS, VPN, Access Control, Firewall, Supports IPv4 and IPv6, IPSec VPN	Firewall, CS Voice, VoIP, TR069 Remote Management, HTTP Online Upgrade, QoS, USB Share, UPnP, IPV6, DLNA, Fax, Print, VPN
Firmware download	Archer MR200 Firmware	Huawei E5186 firmware
Driver	Archer MR200 driver	Huawei E5186 driver
Reviews	TP-link Archer MR200 Review	Huawei E5186 Review
Price/USD	329.00	169.00USD

 

 

 

 

Summary

 

From the specs table, we can see the Huawei E5186 is more advanced with the support of LTE Cat6 and could achieve download speed up to 300Mbps, which is almost double of the speed from TP-link Archer MR200. They both have one SIM card slot, four Ethernet ports, and two external antennas. Huawei E5186 modem has two variant models for different LTE frequency bands but TP-link MR200 has only one model, but MR200 supports more LTE network frequency bands. Whether which router is more suitable for you, it depends on your network carrier’s LTE frequency bands. Besides the network compatibility, you may also concern the price of the two routers. Perhaps because Huawei E5186 is more popular worldwide, the price of Huawei E5186 is better than TP-link Archer MR200 price. In our opinion, we think the Huawei E5186 router is better than TP-link Archer MR200.  

Huawei B818 (Vodafone Gigacube CAT19) Router Test

Vodafone Gigacube CAT19 is a new 4G LTE WiFi router offered since March 2019. The device is manufactured by Huawei and the model name is B818-260. The B818 is by far the newest and fastest LTE router in the Huawei product range, with LTE Cat19 delivering speeds of up to 1.6 gigabits per second. Vodafone sells the router as a Gigacube CAT19 as the successor to the previous "small" Gigacube Huawei B528 and thus offers customers a very powerful alternative to choose from. If you want to know the performance of Huawei B818, you may continue reading.  

 

 

 

Huawei B818 - First Gigabit LTE router

 

The Huawei B818 is Huawei's first stationary LTE router capable of achieving speeds well above 1 Gbps in the LTE network. The device is positioned as a successor to the Huawei B618 and offers not only a very similar design but also comparable good equipment.

 

 

In addition to the Huawei B818-260 router, there is also a power adapter and a flat LAN cable. There is also a printed German-language manual and a quick-start sheet. The package contents refer to the version as Gigacube CAT19, other variants of the B818 may be delivered with a modified accessory. Vodafone is currently the only provider in Europe to offer the Huawei B818.

 

 

 

Huawei B818 Interfaces

 

The Huawei B818 has a slot for a Micro-SIM card at the bottom. All other connections are located on the back. There you will find the connection for the power supply and two RJ45 Gigabit LAN ports. One of these LAN ports can also be used as a WAN connection, so that one does not necessarily have to rely on the wireless modem integrated in the router. Furthermore, there is a USB 2.0 port, over this storage media can be shared in the network. Also two connections for an external antenna are present.

 

 

 

Huawei B818 Specifications

 

The Huawei B818-260 LTE Router supports 4 × 4 MIMO antenna technology as well as carrier aggregation (channel bundling). The following LTE frequency bands are available: B1, B3, B7, B8, B20, B28, B32, B38, B42. In the downlink, the maximum theoretical data rate could reach 1.6 GBit/s and up to 150 MBit/s in the uplink is possible.

 

 

In practice, the speeds were rarely over 300 MBit/s. Vodafone theoretically promises up to 500 MBit/s in the Gigacube tariff, but many sites offer only lower data rates. Nevertheless, the B818 was often slightly faster than other devices in the test, especially when several frequency ranges could be bundled by means of carrier aggregation. The latencies (ping) were usually between 20 and 25 milliseconds in the test.    

 

Huawei B818 Test

 

The Huawei B818 comes with built-in cellular antennas in the device. These offer a very good reception in the LTE network, especially in comparison with many smartphones. Even with poor reception, fast speeds are still achievable. For example, in the test, a stable connection could still be established in a basement room, even though the smartphones in the room already showed no reception.  

 

 

The Huawei B818 allows the connection of up to two external antennas or a MIMO antenna. For this purpose, two TS-9 connectors are available on the back. If the external antenna is not detected automatically by the router, then you can manually switch to the operation with an external antenna in the web interface.  

 

The WLAN module of the Huawei B818 transmits by default in dual-band mode to 2.4 and 5 gigahertz. Up to 32 devices can be supported with WLAN at the same time. The maximum speed was tested by using 3 × 3 MIMO antenna technology at 1300 MBit/s, which is also the highest data rate supported by the WLAN module. The speed is at a high level compared to other Huawei 4G LTE Wireless router models. The WLAN range was also convincing in the test, a large apartment or a small family home can be supplied without additional repeaters.  

 

The Huawei B818 provides a separate guest Wi-Fi network upon request. This can be equipped with a separate password. Unfortunately there is no timer function for the WLAN module.  

 

 

 

Huawei B818 Software: Web Interface & App

 

The operation and configuration of the Huawei B818 or Gigacube CAT19 takes place either via web interface in the browser or via an app. The web interface is designed in red Vodafone design, the app comes in the original Huawei design therefore. The web interface offers significantly more options than the app, so there about the desired network technology (eg LTE-only) can be set. Overall, the web interface has left a good impression in the test.  

 

Conclusion: Huawei B818 / Vodafone Gigacube CAT19

 

 

The Huawei B818, or Vodafone Gigacube CAT19, left a very good impression in the test. In particular, the new LTE wireless router was convincing, this offers above-average speeds and is extremely future-proof. Currently, the speed advantage of the Huawei B818 is still manageable compared to many other LTE router models. The operation and configuration was very easy in the test and if necessary, any other SIM card can be used in addition to the Vodafone SIM card.  

 

The Vodafone Gigacube CAT19 or Huawei B818 is worthwhile for anyone who would like to have a particularly good LTE modem and would like to spend a little more. Even the Huawei B818 can provide high LTE and WLAN speeds for daily use, but probably only for the fewest users. Currently, a cheaper device such as the Vodafone Gigacube CAT6 (Huawei B528) is quite sufficient.  

TP-link M7450 VS Huawei E5885 Mobile WiFi

Since Huawei 4G pocket WiFi router had been a great success in many countries, TP-link followed the steps of Huawei and also presented many 4G WiFi pocket routers. Though they are not as well-known as Huawei pocket WiFi routers, they have similar functions to provide reliable performance like TP-link WiFi routers. TP-Link M7450 is one of the 4G+ Cat6 routers. Some customers asked what the difference is between the TP-Link M7450 and Huawei E5885, and which one is better to buy. Today, we will compare the two pocket WiFi routers and see which one is better.

 

 

 

 

Huawei E5885 VS TP-Link M7450 Specifications

 

To know the detail functions of Huawei E5885 and TP-Link M7450, let’s have a look at the Huawei E5885 specifications comparison with TP-link M7450 Specs in the table below:  

 

Model	TP-Link M7450	Huawei E5885Ls-93a
Product type	LTE Mobile Hotspot	LTE Mobile Hotspot with Ethernet port
Category	LTE Cat.6	LTE Cat.6
Chipset	Qualcomm	Hisilicon LTE Cat6 chipset
Data rates	DL 300Mbps/UL 50Mbps	DL 300Mbps/UL 50Mbps
Supported 4G LTE frequency bands	B1, B3, B7, B8, B20, B38, B40, B41	* FDD-LTE Band 1/2/3/4/5/7/8/19/20 * TDD-LTE: Band 38/40/41
WLAN	802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band 2.4GHz & 5GHz	802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band 2.4GHz & 5GHz
Max support users	32 users	32 users
MIMO	2 x 2 MIMO	2 X 2 MIMO
Connector for external antenna	No connector	No connector
Buy Antenna	N/A	N/A
App management	tpMiFi APP	Huawei Hilink APP 3.0
SIM type	Micro SIM	Micro SIM
Battery	Removable, 3000 mAh	Non-removable, 6400mAh
Dimensions	112.5 x 66.5 x 16mm	112.00 x 69.20 x 23.00mm
Ethernet Port	No	On port for WAN/LAN port(RJ-45)
Datasheet download	TP-link M7450 Datasheet	Huawei E5885 Datasheet
User Manual	TP-link M7450 User Manual	Huawei E5885 Manual
Other features	2 band CA	Power bank, CA, NFC
Firmware download	TP-link M7450 Firmware	Huawei E5885 Firmware
Drivers	TP-link M7450 driver	Huawei E5885 driver
Reviews	TP-link M7450 review	Huawei E5885 Review
Price	289.00USD	279.00USD

 

 

 

Summary

 

From the spec table, we can see the Huawei E5885 and TP-link M7450 are both LTE Cat6 mobile WiFi hotspot which could achieve peak download speed up to 300Mbps and upload speed to 50Mbps. They both provide WiFi 802ac on dual-bands and support up to 32 wireless devices with 2 x 2 MIMO technology. But there are many obvious differences to note:

 

 

 

1. LTE Frequency Bands

Huawei E5885 and TP-link M7450 both support FDD-LTE & TDD-LTE networks, but TP-link M7450 supports mainly the frequency bands popular in Asia and Europe. Huawei E5885 supports LTE band 4, which is widely deployed in American areas, so Huawei E5885 could not only work well in Aisa and European countries, it can also work well in American countries.  

 

2. Battery

Like other TP-link LTE mobile WiFi, he TP-link M7450 battery is removable and has the capacity of 3000mAh, while the Huawei E5885 has a battery pack of 6400mAh and the battery is non-removable. The large battery of Huawei E5885 makes it work like a power bank to charge other devices, which is a very useful function. With the large battery, Huawei E5885 is a little bit thicker than common 4G pocket WiFi routers.

 

 

 

3. Interface

TP-link M7450 has only a Mini USB port for charge, but Huawei E5885 has not only the Mini USB port to charge and the USB 2.0 port to charge other devices, but also one Ethernet port for both LAN & WAN, which is also a practical function if user travel to places where only Ethernet connection is available.  

 

 

4. Price

The TP-link M7450 price is a little bit more expensive than Huawei E5885 price, but not too much. But we don’t think the TP-link M7450 is worth this price, on this price, you can consider the higher level pocket WiFi Netgear Aircard 810s.   In conclusion, we think the Huawei E5885 is more powerful and practical for users. And we recommend Huawei E5885 if you would buy one pocket WiFi router from the two.  

 

Huawei B818-260 (Vodafone GigaCube Cat19) 4G Router Review

To updates its GigaCube and brings faster speeds, Vodafone presents a new 4G LTE WiFi Router named Gigacube Cat19. The Gigacube Cat19 is from the Huawei B818-260 router. The new version Gigacube comes in the LTE network on CAT19 and thus achieves a maximum download of up to 1.6 Gbit/s. The predecessor was already at 300 Mbit/s out of air. If you are looking for maximum performance, the Gigacube Cat19 may be a good alternative. Then you may want to know what has been improved in the Gigacube Cat19. Below you will see the details:

 

 

Features and Specifications of the Huawei B818-260

Manufacturer and model: Huawei B818-260

Chipset: HiSilicon Balong V7R65

LTE Category: LTE CAT19

Download rate: up to1,600 Mbps

Upload rate: up to150 Mbps

Supported LTE bands:700, 800, 900, 1500, 1800, 2100, 2600, 3500 MHz

Backwards compatible with GSM, EDGE, HSDPA, DC-HSDPA

Support for LTE-Advanced: Yes

MIMO Support: yes, MIMO 3x3

Connection for external antenna: yes, 2x TS-9 (Buy Vodafone Gigacube Cat19 External Antenna)

 

Network | LAN & WLAN

LAN ports: 2 x Gbit port

WLAN standards: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 and 5 GHz)5 GHz

WLAN support: Yes

Encryption: WPS/WPA/WPA2

WLAN hotspot function: yes, up to 32 users

 

Other features

Telephone: no connection (VOIP only via SIP)

phone port: No

WAN port: Yes

IPv6 dual stack: Yes

Battery pack: No

Dimension: 105 x 103 x 225 mm at 700 g

USB: Yes

Memory card expansion: No

Release: 18.03.2019 - only as GigaCube at Vodafone

Price: 499.00US

Davailable at:» www.4gltemall.com

 

Information material

Installation Guide:» Vodafone Gigacube Cat19 Setup guided

etailed manual:» Vodafone Gigacube Cat19 User manual

 

New SoC for more performance

One of the disadvantages of the previous Vodafone Gigacube was that it was limited to 300 Mbps with LTE-CAT6 in the download. The network of Vodafone can deliver but much more! Up to half a gigabit is possible with the new Gigacube tariffs. This circumstance has now been resolved with the new version GigaCube CAT19. As the name implies, the new Huawei B818 LTE Cat19 Gigabit CPE supports LTE-Advanced Por Cat19 and gets a maximum download of up to 1.6 Gbit/s. Responsible for this is the new HiSilicon Balong V7R65 SoC (System on a Chip). Also in the upload makes the new heart much more. Here you made a significant jump from 50 to 150 Mbit/s.

 

 

Note: Vodafone has sent some devices for the first customers, where the package "Gigacube 1600" stands. It is of course the same device, only with other outer packaging.

 

Significantly gained weight

Also visually, a lot has happened. The new cube is now edgier and looks much more modern. The color is still white, a bit reminiscent of the design artists of Apple from Cupertino. If the predecessor came with 366 g, so the CAT19 version with 700g is anything but a lightweight. However, this should not be a problem in daily use, as it is not intended to use in a companion for a hiking tour. Also, there is no battery, so you always have to rely on a power outlet.

 

 

Friendly Connection

If you want a broad range of connectivity, you will enjoy the new edition. Of course, WiFi is on board and transmits both at 2.4 and 5 GHz to 802.11 a/b/g/n and ac, The MIMO capability (multi-antenna technology) has also been improved. So now 3 × 3 instead of 2 × 2 is used, which significantly increases the data throughput. Even wired, there are more options available with the Gigacube CAT19. Since there was only one Gigabit Ethernet port before, you now have access to two. Very pleasing is the USB port, which is now new with it and allows the connection of external media. Last but not least, the new GigaCube also offers connection options for external antennas via two TS9 ports. Internally, however, already four antennas perform their service, so that 4 × 4 MIMO is possible via LTE, as it specifies CAT19.

 

 

Less users could be connected

In one point a small downgrade was made. Whereas previously up to 64 simultaneous devices were possible, the number is now reduced to 32. However, this is unlikely to play a major role in daily use. It will rarely happen that such a number of devices should be served. If so, then the two Ethernet ports are a good alternative to connect another router. However, this extra technology also means a slight increase in power consumption. However, the increase from 20 to 24 watts is moderate.

 

 

The mass storage GigaCube CAT19 is not intended. With only 512 MB of Flash, it uses the same completely for his operating system. However, the 256 MB memory is very generous for this device class. The daily tasks should hardly be able to fully exhaust these. Even with the software features, there is nothing to complain about. Thanks to the IPv6 and IPv4 dual stack, it is well prepared for the future. Defining a web interface including the possible firewall rules is also part of the equipment package.

 

Difference to the predecessor(Huawei B528s-23a VS Huawei B818-260)

The new Gigacube router from 2019 primarily offers a more modern LTE modem, which is also well-equipped for future upgrades in the 4G network of Vodafone. The Gigacube of the first generation, however, is designed "only" up to 300 MBit. In addition, the CAT19 box already supports LTE at 700 MHz. Otherwise, the differences are rather small. Both offer WLAN up to 802.11ac and two TS9 sockets for external antennas. The GigaCube CAT19 also provides an additional Gigabit LAN port.

 

 

 

 

 

Conclusion

Technically, the 2019 version of the Gigacube offers much more than its predecessor. However, to benefit from the performance advantages, you have to live in regions where Vodafone already offers LTE-Advanced Pro. In rural areas you will hardly benefit from a change. If you would use the Vodafone Gigacube Cat19 in other countries, you have to buy the unlocked Huawei B818 LTE Cat19 giagcube CPE.