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Vodafone is the first operator in Germany to provide 5G service. To help users enjoy 5G service, Vodafone also presented the 5G data tariff with a compatible 5G router, which is named "Gigacube 5G". We show what the super router can do, what advantages and weaknesses there are in this blog. Of course there is also a comparison to the previous model (Huawei B818 = Vodafone GigaCube Cat19) and saving tips for interested parties.

First 5G router in Germany

The Gigacube 5G was the first 5G Router widely available in Germany, although shortly before another network provider in Germany Telekom presented a 5G gateway named HTC 5G Hub.  

From a purely visual point of view, it looks similar to the predecessor model called "Gigacube CAT19" at first glance. Instead of the Vodafone logo emblazoned on the front now, the Huawei logo, which is actually atypical for the routers from Vodafone. In addition, the striking big "5G" was stamped on the top. Also, the number of LEDs in the front has been greatly reduced from 8 to 3 pieces.

Data rate, models and 5G SoC

The Vodafone 5G Router is actually the "H112-370" model from Huawei. There is, of course, another version called "H112-372", which differs in terms of Wifi and 5G/LTE equipment. At the heart of the Gigacube 5G is the Balong 5000 chipset, which was introduced in January 2019, The SoC in itself dominated some features, such as 5G in the mmwave area, but which were obviously disabled in part in the firmware. There are also various specifications for the maximum possible data rate. While Huawei speaks of a 5G transmission rate of 2.33 GBit/s in the download and 1.25 GBit/s in the upload, Vodafone gives 2.8 GBit/s (down) and 150 MBit/s (up).   Frequencies for 4G & 5G The newest version controls all nationally and internationally relevant bands. Vodafone GigaCube 5G supports LTE FDD Band 700/800/900/1500/1800/2100 and 2600 MHz. In addition, the TDD band 3500 MHz is supported. At 5G, unfortunately, only one band is supported, the so-called n78 band which includes frequencies from 3.3 to 3.8 GHz. So it could be problematic if other bands are released in the future. If you want to use the 5G router supporting more 5G frequency bands, you may check the Huawei CPE 5G PRO H112-372 which supports additional 5G at n41, n77 and n79.

Connections & WLAN

On the back there are two Gigabit LAN ports, as well as a telephone connection. It describes how to connect a telephone anyway. It is also negative that the 5G model no longer has a USB port. The use as a media server is therefore not possible.   The Wifi module, on the other hand, is state of the art and comes with Wifi 6. This refers to the standard 802.11ax, which again promises significantly more data rate than the best ever ac standard. This means a maximum gross data rate of 11 GBit/s. In total, up to 32 users can be supplied with WLAN.

Heavier than the previous models

Conspicuously, the newest router has again increased significantly in weight. While the first model of 2017 still came with a slim 366 grams, the Gigacube CAT19 from the beginning of 2019 already weighed 620 grams. The Gigacube 5G brings it now to stately 765 grams on the scales and has thus more than doubled to the first version.  

Antenna connections for better reception

Fortunately, Huawei has continued to build two TS-9 ports in the router 5G Huawei, which can be connected to two antennas to improve reception if required for both LTE and 5G reception optimization. Although the internal antennas already do excellent work, but especially in remote regions or in difficult conditions, additional antennas are often absolutely necessary.  

Other features and innovations

By the way, the 5G router only holds Nano-SIM cards. The predecessors were all still designed for micro SIMs. By the way, Vodafone has by default disabled the PIN on SIM cards. Optionally, this can be set on the router again. The Gigacube 5G also supports Huawei VPN tunnel/VPN penetration, IP penetration, IPv6 and IPv6 dual stack and multi-APN.    

Differences to the predecessor Huawei B818

The following table summarizes again the most important differences to the predecessor model Vodafone GigaCube Cat19.  

To meet the requirements from 5G network, Netgear presented a new mobile WiFi hotspot Nighthawk M2 for the Australian network provider Telstra and carriers in Europe. Netgear Nighthawk M2 is an ultra-fast portable WiFi router with next-generation Gigabit 4G LTE connectivity with a download speed of up to 2 Gbps. The Netgear Nighthawk M2 5G router is upgraded from the predecessor Nighthawk M1, so you may ask what’s the difference between Netgear Nighthawk M2 and M1?

In the table below, you will see the details specs of Netgear Nighthawk M2 unlocked and Nighthawk M1 unlocked for your reference:

Here you can check the general comparison of Nighthawk M2 and M1:  

Nighthawk M2 Mobile Router (MR2100):  

- LTE CAT 20, DL support up to 2Gbps speeds - 3GPP, Rel. 14

- 5CA with 20 simultaneous Downlink layers

- 4x4 MIMO

- 256QAM DL / 64QAM UL CA 3C, 7C

- 11ac Dual band dual concurrent      

Nighthawk M1 Mobile Router (MR1100):  

- LTE CAT 16, DL support up to 1Gbps speeds - 3GPP, Rel. 12

- 4CA with 10 simultaneous Downlink layers

- 4x4 MIMO

- 256QAM DL / 64QAM UL CA 3C, 7C

- 11ac Dual band dual concurrent  

We can see that, based on the technology improvement, Netgear Nighthawk M2 is more advanced than M1, M2 can achieve download speed up to 2Gbps while M1 only half of it. And the Nighthawk M2 has larger touch screen to 2.4 inches. Other features are very similar.    

Many people know Alcatel 4G WiFi Hotspot, but few Alcatel 4G wireless router with Ethernet ports are well-known. Now Alcatel presented a new LinkHub series of wireless router for home use. The Alcatel LinkHub HH70 and HH40 are the two models for the home station. If you want to know the difference between LinkHub HH40 and HH70, you can check the specification table below for the comparison of the two 4G wireless wifi routers.

Summary

From the specs table, we can see the main difference focus on below point:  

Speed:

• Alcatel Linkhub HH70 supports LTE Cat7 and achieves download speed up to 300Mbps and upload speed to 100Mbps based on Qualcomm MDM9240-1
• Alcatel LinkHub HH40 supports LTE Cat4 and achieves download speed up to 150Mbps and upload speed to 50Mbps based on Qualcomm MDM9207

Variant models:

LinkHub HH70 has only one variant model now, but Alcatel Linkhub HH40 has two models for different markets: Alcatel HH40V for EU and Alcatel HH40CM for APAC/MEA areas.  

Interfaces: Comparing with Linkhub HH40, Alcatel LinkHub HH70 has an extra USB 2.0 port for external disk connection and printer, but it doesn’t has the Micro USB port which is available in LinkHub HH40.  

Dimensions: Alcatel LinkHub HH70 is a little bit larger than Linkhub HH40   The Alcatel Linkhub HH70 is advanced than HH40, so the Linkhub HH70 price is higher than HH40. If you would like to buy one home router from the two routers, we recommend the LinkHub HH70.

February 24, 2019, for the Chinese corporation Huawei is one of the most important days in its history, because it presented to the public not only a revolutionary smart phone with a collapsible case and a flexible screen, but also many other new products, which list included a portable 5G Mobile Wi-Fi. This Huawei 5G mobile WiFi has become the first commercial product on the market that is capable of developing a tremendous speed when connected to fifth-generation networks.

Due to the fact that the Huawei 5G Mobile Wi-Fi router incorporates the Balong 5000 chipset modem, the maximum data transfer rate can reach 4.6 Gbit/s, which is simply a huge value. At the same time, the new product supports Wi-Fi networks of the Hex generation (ax), using which the data exchange rate within the network reaches 4.8 Gbit/s. Due to this, a file of 1 GB could be downloaded in just 3 seconds, that is, almost incredible on current 4G LTE networks.

Due to the support of HiLink technology based on Wi-Fi 6 (ax), the owners of a new portable router from Huawei can exchange any data with several devices within the network as much as four times faster than using Wi-Fi 5 (ac). And the Huawei 5G router is configured with a large battery 8000 mAh, so it can provide about 7 hours of working time in the 5G network at the highest speed. When using 3G and 4G LTE networks, this working time could increase by 2 - 3 times.

The Huawei 5G Mobile Wi-Fi portable router supports Qi fast charging technology and can also be used as a stationary access point - to do this, you need to connect the charger to it via the USB Type-C connector. The manufacturer also provided connectors for external antennas in the novelty, and also introduced a touch screen that allows you to control various features of routers without having to enter the admin panel through a third-party device.

The official price of Huawei 5G mobile WiFi hotspot is not known yet, but it is worth waiting for the price. In addition to a portable router, the manufacturer will also introduce a stationary model Huawei 5G CPE Pro for use at home or in the office, as well as a router Huawei 5G CPE Win, which can be used in open spaces, because its case is protected from water and dust according to IP65. Earlier, Huawei Mate X was officially unveiled - the best folding smartphone, but at a high price.