HUAWEI B311 2020, CAT 4, 4G/ LTE 150 Mbps Mobile Wi-Fi Router, Unlocked to All Networks- Genuine UK Warranty STOCK (Non Network Logo)- White

When we first moved in there wasn't any good broadband here. The deals for our house were at something like £20 for 4mb? It was shockingly awful and we almost went for it. It seemed like everyone else around us did too. At least it's reliable. I was looking for other options though and thought, maybe we should try this instead. Wasn't really sure if we were wasting our money but the other option is just horrible. The router came with a smarty SIM card which costs £20 a month with no contract! I thought that was pretty good for unlimited data. Still wasn't sure about it but after using it for like 3 months now it's worked extremely well. We are both happily streaming stuff, playing music on Spotify, watching stuff on YouTube. I didn't have much hope for it but it's definitely so much better than I thought it could be. I would say if you're a gamer it's a little bit annoying, because that's when it gets laggy. If you like to play competitive matches then I would say hold out until you get stronger, more reliable broadband. Other than that I've been really happy with it. My boyfriend still games on his pc, and sometimes he says it works really well while other days his ping is really high. If your only choice is crappy broadband, definitely get this! If you don't do any gaming this would save you a lot of money. You really don't need expensive internet if you're not gaming. You can take this on holiday too and swap SIM cards if you need different coverage - but don't use your phone SIM, it'll mess it up. A lot of them do free data abroad now (not that anyone's going abroad because of corona, but still something to think about). Just make sure to check your network coverage first. Here, luckily 3 is the strongest (which is what smarty uses) whereas Tesco for example uses the O2 network. So make sure to get the right SIM card.I actually originally had issues with putting the sim card in. I had been drugged at the dentist though and may have been a bit wacky. I'm usually good with techy stuff, but didn't see the metal bit for the sim card slot. So make sure to slide it in underneath! It's been great other than me not putting the sim card in properly. Wifi strength is great on this floor, but a bit weak downstairs. We're usually on our computers up here only though. Am thankful it worked so well, was worried it was a bit of a risk. But it isn't, works amazingly well for a couple and still does gaming.

I'm on a tight budget being homeless in temporary accommodation in a place with terrible reception and I was lucky to get 200kbps tethering my phone to my laptop if I crawled on to the kitchen counter and had the phone out of the window. I couldn't afford broadband and am not allowed to get it installed in the building anyway not to mention being tied i n to a contract is a bad idea when your circumstances are unstable. I got this not realising it came with a Smarty SIM and already activated a £25 GiffGaff plan before it arrived which I got 0.5-3mbps down on during the day and a max of 10mbps in the early hours. At first I thought maybe its because I bought a cheap router with a cheap antenna GiffGaff suggested it was my device and even asked me 'if I had data turned on'... No, it was the SIM not the router. The Smarty SIM suggested is far superior! I'm getting 34.3mbps down and 5.11 up last time I checked. I also switched my phone over to Smarty so my broadband and phone cost £23.40 altogether with the group plan discount. I am astounded at the speeds and coverage possible with a combination of this device and plan. It was well worth the investment even with how tight everything is for me right now as I can access services, read maps of the local area as I'm totally unfamiliar with it, correspond with the council regarding my housing situation, order my prescriptions, pay bills and find ways to earn money online now.I'm getting better speeds and a more stable reliable connection than I've previously experienced with Virgin Media, BT etc and you are free to just not pay for it when you don't need it or can't afford to on a one month rolling contract. You can easily set it up anywhere. It's a minimalistically designed, sleek little thing. Obviously made of light plastic but as one of the cheapest devices of its type on the market, I am certainly not complaining. I'd be lost without it.

This router is very easy to use - I didn't even have to read the manual. All the information you need is on a sticker attached to the device. Can't really comment on the range unfortunately, as I'm only using it for devices within the same room.If your SIM is provided directly by the network (i.e. O2 / Three / EE / Vodafone), it appears that it will automatically detect the settings, so it's as simple as putting a new SIM card in, reboot it and the new SIM will be detected and off you go. This is also true for some "mobile virtual network operators" (MVNO's) that I tried - such as Smarty (Three) and Lebara (Vodafone).However, for some MVNO's, particularly the ones using O2's network, you may need to enter the settings manually. In my experience, this is true for Lycamobile and GiffGaff at least. The APN settings I needed were easy enough to find online.So if you are looking for a mains powered 4G router to provide you with internet via a SIM card, I recommend this one.Best to check 4G coverage in your area first though, as you will want to go with the network that is best in your location. Once you've decided whether O2 / Three / EE / Vodafone is best for you, search Google for "List of United Kingdom mobile virtual network operators" and it should direct you to a Wikipedia page where you can see all the MVNO's available and sort them by host network - there are much better deals to be had from an MVNO if you only want data.

If you need a stand by access point or just one on another network for security / privacy / testing stuff these are a robust solution. The other solutions including Mesh or Powerline connections to your main router are fine but when you need access 1/4 of a mile from your main router and wireless it does the job pretty good. I use this in a Greenhouse and also take it when travelling for hotel rooms. Works with any ISP, any country just get a PAYG SIM and you are up and running.