ZTE MC801A

[mikeliuk]

Does anyone have experience with the ZTE MC801A and know whether it's stable on EE's network?

It's currently priced at below £250 (roughly a year of my EE contract cost) online from the EU which seems pretty cheap in comparison to other options.

[EssexBoyEE]

There OK, just make sure you get a Network Unlocked or Global Version though rather than a Branded Asian Market SIM Free Version as the Firmware can be a headache for UK use.

Can't remember now but it's either the A or B Models have or don't have External Antenna Sockets, the model you need will be with External Antenna option, also check the model supports Band N28 the new 5G 700mhz.

From memory when I tested one it was WiFi6 and supported 4x4 Mimo on both 4G and 5G Bands which is what you need.

I test, install, and evaluate a lot of LTE / 5G / CPE and Outdoor Routers, what are you trying to achieve, I may be able to help.

[mikeliuk]

If I'm to be honest with myself, I don't currently have a requirement for a 5G router.

As I rely on my Netgear MR1100 for my professional work, I legitimately could justify the need to have a spare 4G LTE router in case a fault develops. I previously paid GBP 188 so it makes sense that a replacement or spare should cost a little more than this and be more capable and at which point it probably makes more sense to spend on a 5G router than legacy technology.

I guess one key consideration is that I require a brand that I can trust to fix security issues as they are identified and release firmware updates in a timely fashion to address these.

[EssexBoyEE]

The MR1100 are a nice bit of kit if I'm honest, they work well, CAT16 with 4x4 MiMo, why not just pick up another one as a fall back if required.

You can actually modify these fairly easily for 4x4 Mimo with external Antenna set up over the standard 2x2 Mimo External.

As you know these are Portable Routers but a tip is to run them without the Battery Installed and save the Battery for when yor Traveling.

If you do actually need a Travel Router with 5G the small Huawei Mobile WiFi do the job well, available on Standard or Pro versions.

[mikeliuk]

A search for reviews on YouTube didn't fill me with confidence on seeing two videos for fixing the power connection and on seeing the packaging.

I'm very happy with the operation of the MR1100 and I rely heavily on its ability to run without a battery which it seems many competing products are unable to do. I get the impression the 5G mobile Huawei has an in-built battery but haven't been sufficiently interested to look into it.

I usually don't pick up an equal or lower-spec product to keep as a secondary although I did do that with a standby Fujitsu server. I've been looking more at mains-powered 5G routers but do like the idea of the portability of the MR1100, even though I did not make use of that functionality outside the initial few months.

I think if the MC801A dropped sufficiently in price, I would pick it up as a no-brainer but otherwise should avoid spending time on configuring an additional device. I've currently got looking into VyOS on my TODO list so it's a trade off what I want to be testing and putting into production.

[mikeliuk]

Making a note for whoever hits this with a search that I think one reason for the low price is that this model is superseded by the MC8020. The good thing about this is the premium falls away that usually applies to the latest model, and the hardware remains very far head of legacy devices, on the other hand, updates and security patches are likely to become less frequent once a product is no longer the flagship model and accelerates towards a possibly premature end-of-life.

https://www.zte.com.cn/global/about/news/20210628e3.html

A browse of the ZTE websites suggests their consumer support is not all that mature with no manuals available for either the MC801A or MC8020 that I can find. It's not even certain that these devices exist if one looks at the UK website so support and warranty may fall primarily on the retailer for a good experience and the manufacturer's support experience is something of a stab in the dark.