When it comes to network routers, Linksys is probably one of the better ones in the market. While most of the wireless routers were capable of high speeds, traditional 4G hotspots weren’t capable of delivering speeds of 500 Mbps as the connection to the telco is limited to what 4G+ was capable of delivering. e.g. 100 Mbps to 300 Mbps.
This is going to change as we are advancing into the 5G world. With 5G NSA of Singtel, we have already seen how fast the network is able to achieve. e.g. ~1 Gbps downlink and 100 Mbps of uplink through 5G capable smartphone.
What Linksys 5G hotspot can do is to convert this amazingly fast 5G signal to WIFI signals so that it can be shared among your notebooks, handphones and other devices powered by the Qualcomm 5G chipset SD X55 5G chipset.
To achieve that, Linksys 5G mobile hotspot employs WIFI 6 (802.11ax) that can support up to 1800 Mbps — aggregating 600 Mbps on the 2.4 GHz band and 1.2 Gbps on the 5 GHz band.
The hotspot is capable of connecting 15 devices sharing the LTE or 5G bandwidth be it in a small home office, while you are travelling with friends (with data roaming or local 5G sim card).
Built into the device is a 4000 mAh battery which can be quickly charged through QC 3.0 over the USB C port. It also supports WPS for adding devices by the push of a button.
[nextpage title=”Package & setup”]
The device comes with a charger and USB C cable. On the right left is the power button. On the right is the SIM Slot where a single SIM can be inserted. eSIM is not supported on this device.
Setting up the Hotspot is pretty straightfoward. Connect your device though WIFI by the SSID and key found on the label at the back of the hotspot. After connecting, enter http://192.168.1.1 just like you would normally configure any wireless router.
Once you are in the Dashboard, you can click through the different options available including information such as connected device, signal strength, data used this month, monthly usage etc. You can also set the Max Users Limit, change the login ID, password, enable USB tethering, SIM PIN etc.
[nextpage title=”Speedtest”]
Using the Mi 10T Pro, the phone si connected the the mobile hotspot using 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. The Mi 10T Pro supports 802.11ax.
Connected through 2.4 GHz
With 2.4 GHz selected, the speedtest gave a result of 407 Mbps and a upload speed of 131 Mbps.
Connected thru 5 GHz
When the phone is connected on the 5 GHz band
Here are the results: We achieved 510 Mbps for downlink and 80.9 Mbps for uplink.
5G SIM put into smartphone
Finally we inserted the SIM into a Mi 10T Pro 5G phone and ran a speedtest outside Ngee Ann City and we got this result of 755 Mbps and upload speed of 61.2 Mbps.
From the test, we have an idea the speed we get if we were to connect our devices to the Hotspot. Using 2.4 GHz band we are still able to get a 407 Mbps and with 5 GHz band, we achieved 510 Mbps. Of course, we should factor in issues like location, connection, over head etc. With the SIM directly inside the smartphone, we can reach a high speed of 755 Mbps.
[nextpage title=”Conclusion”]
The Linksys 5G mobile hotspot is one of the first to implement a 5G hotspot with 802.11ax for maximum thoughput for your connected devices. The device is simple to set up and it can last you for a day of usage without a recharge.
As we test the device under Singtel’s 5G NSA network, the speed does vary during the test. Even within or outside of Ngee Ann City makes a lot of difference in speed. That is why we chose to test it right outside the main entrance to get a better speed test.
As the device supports both LTE and 5G, it is interesting to note that LINKSYS 5G mobile hotspot support the following LTE bands
LTE Bands B1, B3, B7, B8 and B38. Do note that B40 is not in the list. Thus if you are a TPG user, you will only connect on B8 which has limited bandwidth. As for 5G bands, it supports N1, N3, N41, N78 and N79. Thus, the 3 local telco’s NSA network on N1 will work. As for standalone network, according to LINKSYS, the device will provide firmware update when 5G SA network are available to support higher speeds.
Overall, a good device for allocation of 5G data with your peers at crazily high speed just like sharing your fibre broadband to your home users.
The device is retailing at SGD 799 on Lazada, Shopee, Qoo10.
Pros :
Future proof with firmware support for SA networks
Simple to set up
USB tethering
Cons:
Lack of Band selection
LTE Band 40 is not supported
Price is steep
