TP-LinkArcher NX210 AX1800Mbps Wi-Fi 6 5G Router With Sim Slot, Up To 4.67Gbps Download Speeds, Dual-Band WiFi Router, Gigabit LAN/WAN Port, SIM Card Plug & Play, EasyMesh-Compatible WiFi Booster

Despite living in London, we are in rather a dead spot as regards mobile reception. To add insult to injury, we cannot get fibre broadband and the 'copper' connection we get from BT is slow and unreliable.Indeed, over the new year, we lost BT broadband completely for 3 days until it was eventually fixed. Even now, we still get annoying intermittent drop outs - particularly exasperating when watching sport! Tethering using a mobile is not an option even in an emergency - the signal indoors is too poor.I initially purchased this TP-Link 4G+ LTE MR600 router to give us a backup solution. Given the bad mobile reception, I paired it with an external Poynting XPOL (V2) 4/5G antenna. Set up was easy - I connected the external antenna (in place of the ones provided with the router) using the SMA connectors, popped in a test "3" SIM and everything burst into life! The admin interface via a browser or the TP-Link Tether APP is straightforward and it's easy with a bit of practise to find your way around. It's all rather comprehensive for a router in this price range and there are also lots of settings and useful statistics. Note - if you want to use SIMs from a provider that uses another carriers network [GiffGaff (O2), Smarty ("3"), Tesco (O2) etc], you will need to adjust the APN settings manually. However, it is very straightforward and all providers publish their required settings on the web.The gigabit LAN ports allow us to connect to our home network with a NAS, printers, YouView, Blue-ray box and smart TVs etc. Currently, our BT Hub still acts as our DHCP server - but that will soon change - see below.I purchased a selection of cheaper pre-paid SIMs (EE, 3, O2, GiffGaff, Vodafone, Tesco, Smarty etc) to test out which supplier is best in our area. I had expected EE or Vodafone to be best but O2 / GiffGaff / Tesco were surprising but clear winners - with a solid 4G+ LTE connection (40-40 band), a consistent 75% signal (2 out of 3 bars) and download speeds averaging above 50Mbps (in a range of 28-67 Mbps). Uploads are 4-6Mbps. That result is more than adequate - we can watch streamed football on one TV, Netflix on another and stream internet radio in the kitchen - all simultaneously. We've never been able to do that before!The other good news with O2 is that I can use a GiffGaff SIM - as they run on the same network but are cheaper and contract free. The Tesco Mobile unlimited data options are also interesting (to us)!However, to be fair, performance will depend on location so you will need to test what is best for you. For my part, I am in the process of cancelling our BT Broadband - this 4G+ LTE router solution is so much better and more stable!UPDATE:-After a few days, we started to find that for about an hour at dawn and dusk, the router would suddenly flip to alternative LTE bands with a much lower download rate - which could interrupt streaming football or films - most annoying! We tried an alternative antenna (Poynting XPOL V3 directional, high gain) and while there was an improvement, the problem still happened occasionally. TP-Link support were great. They believe the issue is due to our odd situation with an alternative mast's broadcast reflecting off buildings causing interference particularly around dusk.They sent me a beta firmware that allowed me to set a specific LTE band thus effectively eliminating interference. It works a treat! Indeed, we also got an increase in download speeds and we often see 85 Mbps. The worst case (in busy times) we see is about 35 Mbps. The connection is rock solid. The result is very acceptable - and a big thanks to TP-Link support. It's worth paying a bit more!UPDATE 2:-I have subsequently upgraded to a V2 model as that has manual LTE band selection built in as a default option.This works absolutely fine and negates the requirement to run Beta firmware. Otherwise, the 2 versions are to all intents and purposes, identical.I returned my older V1 device to standard firmware and installed the device in my daughter's new flat (she has no requirement for manual LTE band selection).We are both chuffed!!

I have been looking for sim router for some time perched orthers sent them back this one unbelievable what it can do I have been watching 8k 16k video off your tube and that needs a good 5g receive and this is it , no stopping no blocking plugged printers in the rear sockets and amazing speed never Sean the printers run at this speed I can't understand why people send them back I am using data only sim,,,,,

Good solid basics. Better in configuration than those flimsy "power bank" style routers.I had to set it up to reboot each day, as performance degrades if let turned on for a week.Unfortunately, you can't configure DNS settings.You can't even see settings for DHCP lease.Having 12 WiFi items connected makes it from times to times to loose connection with devices or makes them slow in response. I'm talking about smart home items: speakers, light bulbs. (Fixed by getting a proper router and leaving MR600 just as a modem.)Working with 3-8 WiFi devices is fine.No extra settings, if you need to configure more specific GSM network settings.No switch between the internal and external antenna and also no indication of it.I'm using Vodafone's VOXI.My router using bands 1, 7, 20 in my area. Carrier aggregation works well and I have no problem with that. Mostly, my unit uses bands 1 and 20. Using the latest firmware. Some reviewers say they experience the problem with carrier aggregation on bands 1,3.My average speed, on 4G/LTE, is 108 Mbps Worst - 60, best 140+mbps for download and around 25-28mbps upload. Ping used to be all-time 28ms, couple of weeks earlier it is fallen to 20ms. Now it's 20ms all at times. I found rather useful and getting better speeds if I set the router into the forced 4G mode (Default is 3G/4G automatic choice). If the router chooses 3G, speeds are dramatically lower. Around 50mbps download 35 upload.Overall, it is a good general-purpose device with limited settings for advanced users. However, regular users will find it quite simple and easy in setup. I have tried extending antennas and bringing them closer to the window. It seems I need more sensitive antennas, since most of the time I've got worse speeds. Couple times speeds were faster. I quit trying extending antennas.Carrier Aggregation: 2 bands.Option for external antennas: available. (No indication of int/ext antenna. No buttons to force the choice. No menu entry.)DNS settings: Not changeableTTL Settings: Not available. Both as a choice or menu item.Front panel Light: non-intrusive, can be switched off: by schedule, permanently.Works with Mesh Networks. Need to get other TP-Link mesh network devices. Haven't tried with non-TP-Link.If I'm going to get better 4G/LTE modem, I'm going to invest into better Carrier Aggregation, as it gives better speeds.