WiFi hotspot: ZTE vs. Huawei comparison
Mobile Wi-Fi hotspots for the Internet on the go are mainly from two manufacturers: ZTE and Huawei, both from China. Find out where the differences are - if there are any at all, in this CHIP practical tip.
1) Huawei's mobile WiFi hotspots
- A cheap entry-level model: The Huawei E5220 WiFi hotspot is available from around 44 euros. With a UTMS connection, up to ten devices can go online via this mobile hotspot. Its lithium-polymer battery with 1150mAh should last up to 4.5 hours in mobile operation. Like many other Huawei MiFis, you control the E5220 with one app.
- A current mid-range model: The Huawei E5730 mobile WiFi hotspot connects up to eleven devices with its internet connection and an additional one via LAN cable. With its 5200 mAh battery, it can also serve as a mobile charger for your smartphone or tablet. However, despite advertising, a USB charger is not included. It can be operated conveniently with its own app and costs around 90 euros.
- The current top model: Huawei offers the E5776, a mobile WLAN hotspot for around 150 euros, which is the first to understand the new LTE Cat.4 mobile radio standard and thus supports a download speed of up to 150 Mbit / s. And even for a long time, because its 3, 300 mAh battery promises a runtime of a remarkable ten hours.
- The company: Huawei hit the headlines when it became known that the company, founded in 1988, received billions in grants from the Chinese government and was also very close to the Chinese military. Huawei is a sponsor of BVB and equips Telefonica customers in southern Germany.
2) Mobile WiFi hotspots from ZTE
- An affordable entry-level model: The ZTE MF60 is available from around 42 euros. With it, up to eight devices can enjoy "WLAN to go" for a maximum of four battery hours. The maximum download speed is 21 Mbit / s.
- A current mid-range model: The 43.2Mbit ZTE MF80 MIFI Wifi UMTS HSDPA 3G Router Modem Black provides up to five end devices with mobile internet and costs around 100 euros. It has a built-in 802.11b / g / n WLAN with up to 240mbit / s and WPA (2) encryption. The built-in Li-Polymer with 1900mAh has a battery life of up to 8-12 hours.
- The current top model: The approximately 130 euro ZTE MF93 has dual mode LTE with 1800Mhz and 2600Mhz FDD-LTE frequency and a 2800 mAh battery, which should be sufficient for about 9-10 hours of mobile operation. It supplies up to ten devices with mobile WLAN.
- The company: Just like Huawei, ZTE suffers from allegations of industrial espionage, price dumping and plagiarism. ZTE is also close to the government and heavily subsidized. ZTE was founded in 1985 and has its headquarters as well as Huawei in Shenzhen in southern China near Hong Kong and its European headquarters in Düsseldorf. Internationally, ZTE is the fourth largest mobile phone manufacturer. In Germany, ZTE has been responsible for the technical operation of the E-Plus network since 2013.
Conclusion: Mobile WiFi hotspots from ZTE vs Huawei - China wins
MiFi stands for "My WIFI". The pocket routers enable you to go online easily and securely with your own portable WLAN network with a SIM card - depending on the mobile hotspot with up to five or ten devices. Another big advantage is that with new hardware you no longer have to invest in more expensive models with your own SIM card slot. Incidentally, all mobile hotspots run better and with a longer range if you draw power using a power cable.
- In a direct comparison, Huawei has the larger selection and range of mobile WLAN hotspots; However, ZTE is a little cheaper. If you would like to connect more than five devices mobile and if possible also via LTE, only Huawei is left to you at the moment, otherwise ZTE is a full-fledged alternative, since the two southern Chinese companies hardly differ in quality. Only that Huawei increasingly relies on convenient control via the app, while the ZTE hotspots can still be operated like routers via a web browser. The winner is certain from the start: China, which the EU has been accusing of IT price dumping through subsidies for years.
The best tips for buying a mobile hotspot can be found by following the link. In the next CHIP practical tip you will also find out what distinguishes mobile WiFi hotspots from tethering.