ZTE MC801A HyperBox 5G WiFi Router Unlocked - WWAN - 2-Port-Switch - 802.11a/b/g/n/AC/AX - Dual-Band - débloqué - Blanc

Great hardware, uses a Qualcomm X55 modem. £256 including delivery is great value at the time of writing this reviewI'm in Central London and able to get speeds of 500 - 600 Mbps download and 40Mbps - 70 Mbps upload on Three or Vodafone using 5G. Also noticed when disabling 5G, 4G Carrier aggregation works okay for me. Latency is lower than the cable connection it's replacing. (The speed/latency obviously dependant on the mobile service/area but the device seems capable)The firmware is branded, but this is probably preferable to the direct ZTE firmware. The firmware provided supports the hidden menus for band and cell locking and other things (some firmware versions for this device don't):http://192.168.0.1/index.html#debug_pagehttp://192.168.0.1/index.html#temp_statushttp://192.168.0.1/index.html#rf_mmwMy device arrived with firmware version mc801av1.0.0b6. It's not possible to update this from the GUI, there is an update button (for update over the internet) but no updates are available (there are newer versions for this device in other regions). The functionality seems okay for my requirements so I don't mind.The hardware supports lots of bands which also appear in the band locking page, however it's hard to tell if the firmware restricts this. I'm able to connect on B3 which wasn't listed in the description at the time of writing so I think the device might support more bands than are listed in the descriptionThe internal antennas work great. I've also tested with an external antenna and this works well with 5G.Really pleased with the purchase, it seems high quality.

Out of the box it is branded 3 , I didn't know that but I'm on Smarty.At first it would not work then I used the reset hole and it came alive.I had to delete my browser history to get to the login 192.168.0.1 page where the device seems to have been furiously updating, I didn't know that either.I went from 25Mb/s to over 127Mb/s per second speed so I'm happy.There's no on or off switch either.I use my home phone with it through an RJ11 to BT adapter I found here.It's weighty and plushI live nowhere and needed two TS9 antenna found here on Amazon as well.Overall it is quite good and I'm keeping mine.

First the caveats:This is not a universal model, having Deutsche Telecom firmware.Apparently the external antenna ports are disabled. No idea why.Do not try to reflash the firmware. You will likely brick it.5ghz Wi-Fi is limited to band A (36-48ghz)The pluses:The device appears to be pretty sensitive. I live in a good 4g+ area but on the edge of 5g. My 5g phone doesn't get a peep of 5g but there's one spot in the house, a bedroom windowsill where I can get a stable(ish) 5g signal with the router so that's where the box sits. Position AND orientation affects the signal. Typical speed with this borderline signal is about 300-350 mb/s down, 20mb/s up using a Three sim.4g+ also works well and I have tested two band carrier aggregation (1+3) and three band CA (20+32+3). I think the router can aggregate up to four channels. Speeds vary according to congestion but 100+mb/s downloads in a good signal area are easily achievable.There is a hack available (check YouTube) to enable DNS control and mobile cell locking. The latter feature allows you to lock your primary signal to a particular mast as well as band. The hack uses a Java script from your browser is software only and a factory reset will delete any changes.Do not attempt to flash the firmware. You will most likely brick the device. Accept the limitations such as external antennas not being available or do not buy this router.Wi-fi is plenty strong enough for my smallish house and is very fast (wi-fi 6). Signal strength can be varied between three settings but this affects the 2.4ghz band only. I had intended to run an ethernet cable from PC to the router, but the wi-fi is good enough that I haven't had to bother.There is a limit of 30 wi-fi devices so if your home is highly connected this might be a point to note. Bridge mode is available which allows you to use a separate router and potentially get around the limit.Edit: I cannot confirm this but it may be the case that the external antenna ports DO work but they are limited to 3.5ghz and above. This would render them ineffective for some mobile companies such as Three, and one would have to either rely on the internal antennas or modify the device.

Router is advertised as unlocked to anyNetwork, unfortunately it's an old 3 network router that still only runs on 3!! (which I tested using my 3 SIM out of myphone).I wanted to use it with Vodafone sim for better 5g coverage but it would not work.

Working great for a month now wi fi signal strong you don t have ti di anything just insert the sim and done.Very pleased with it so far

Don’t buy this model if your rural, good quality definitely 5G but the antenna ports DO NOT WORK. My pre positioned 5G Antenna does not make any difference to the signal. Works perfectly with a friends EE 5G router. Could have got it cheaper but was assured the antenna worked. They don’t.

Really good 5G Router - works perfectly in Uk

Only thing it does not have an RJ11 telephone port as I expected it would. Not a serious difficulty.