Jun 2 2015, 02:42 PM, updated 11y ago
The M7350 is pocket size LTE-Advanced Mobile WiFi from TP-Link. The Standard Retail Price for the M7350 in Malaysia is RM429.00. This device creates Personal Wi-Fi Hotspot which connects to any telco’s 3G or 4G LTE network.
Content of the package includes :-
• M7350
• Micro USB Cable
• Micro to Standard SIM Card Adapter
• Nano to Standard SIM Card Adapter
• Power Adaptor (5V, 1A)
• Quick Installation Guide
TP-Link M7350 Features:
• 4G LTE supported with up to 150Mbps download and 50Mbps upload speeds
• Supports up to 15 devices simultaneously
• All useful information at a glance with screen display
• 2550mAh battery for up to 10 hours of working
• Selectable 2.4GHz or 5GHz dual band WiFi
• Equipped with a micro SD card slot for up to 32GB of optional storage
Specifications:
• Dimensions: 106 x 66 x 16 mm
• Supported Band:
---- FDD-LTE: 800/900/1800/2100/2600Mhz
---- WCDMA: 900/2100Mhz
---- GSM: 850/900/1800/1900Mhz
• Wi-Fi Standard : IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, IEEE 802.11n
• Wi-Fi Data Rate : 150Mbps (Download) / 50Mbps (Upload)
• Wi-Fi Security : WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK
• Internal Antenna sensitivity: EIRP <20dBm
• Supported Systems: Windows, Mac OS X and Linux systems
• Certification: CE, RoHS
• Power Supply
---- 2550mAh Rechargeable Li-ion Battery
---- 5VDC/1.0A External Power Adapter (3-pin UK)
Personal Review
The M7350 Mobile Wi-Fi is made of plastic and feels quite solid. There is only 2 button on the device : On/Off and Menu button. These buttons is used to navigate the menu. At the bottom side we can find the Micro USB port used for charging and data transfer (when used with microSD). When we open the back cover, you will see the 2550mAh battery, standard-size SIM slot, microSD card slot and the Reset button.
The 1.4” screen details are pretty intuitive. On the top row shows Network Type & Signal Strength, Internet Connection, Data Roaming, Wi-Fi Status (with number of connected devices), SMS. On the bottom row shows Download Speed, Upload Speed and Total Data Used (since last reset). The center of the screen shows the name of the telco. The screen will turned off after 15 seconds to save battery. To wake up the screen, just press the On/Off button or Menu button.
About 4G LTE
LTE, an abbreviation for Long-Term Evolution, commonly marketed as 4G LTE, is a standard for wireless communication of high-speed data for mobile phones and data terminals. It is based on the GSM/EDGE and UMTS/HSPA network technologies, increasing the capacity and speed using a different radio interface together with core network improvements. We can split 4G LTE either Category 3 (100Mbps download / 50Mbps upload) or Category 4 (150Mbps download / 50Mbps upload) or Category 5 (300Mbps download / 75Mbps upload)
Installation
Open the back cover and remove the battery. The SIM slot is underneath the battery. Press and hold the On/Off button for 2 seconds to turn the device on. The screen will show search for the network and the Dial-Up profile will be automatically selected. I do not need to manually configure the APN, username & password. Once we see the Globe icon and Wi-Fi signal icon, we can start to connect our devices to the M7350.
A few important functions can be controlled so easily without the web interface. First menu is the Device Info which provides the Wi-Fi SSID and Wi-Fi password on the display to connect devices with the M7350 quickly and easily. The second menu item in the device allows the choice of Wi-Fi frequency band (2.4 GHz or 5 GHz) and the third is for you to enable or disable the Data Roaming mode. Particularly interesting is the ability to set the network mode directly on the device (eg “4G Pref” or “4G only” or “3G only “). This can be useful in some areas when the hotspot constantly switches between 3G and 4G. Constant auto switching network mode (under “4G Pref”) by M7350 may impact the battery life.
Accessing the Web portal via http://tplinkmifi.net will provide more details settings like APN Profile setup, Wi-Fi security and encryption, SMS management, Data Quota, Storage sharing, and Firmware updates
The device can even perform Firmware Update Over-The-Air, as seen below during my review.
Performance Testing
This TP-Link M7350 can use LTE in the frequency ranges to 800/900/1800/2100/2600 MHz. This allows it to be used in many areas worldwide. The maximum speed over LTE is 150 Mbps for the downlink and 50 Mbps for the uplink (LTE Category 4). In our test, M7350 work with a SIM card from Maxis 4G and reach up to 20 Mbps. If the LTE 4G network is not available in your location, the M7350 will switch to use the 3G (HSPA+/HSPA/UMTS) and 2G (EDGE/GPRS/GSM) network.
Below are the Speedtest results from my Laptop and iPhone. As with any mobile broadband, the result can vary from different times due to load of the telco’s network. On average I am able to achieve ~20Mbps (download) and ~19Mbps (upload). This is within the LTE Category 4 theoretical speed.
The M7350 supports both 2.4 GHz & 5 GHz for the Wi-Fi network which gives flexibility up to connect up to 15 devices with bandwidth throughput up to 300Mbps. In my field testing, I have received result in which are pretty decent. In my opinion, pocket hotspot should be set to 5 GHz for better performance, sacrificing the Wi-Fi coverage range. Why I said that is you would normally carry the M7350 with you in your bag or pocket/jacket.
Overall throughput under 2.4 GHz band
Overall throughput under 5 GHz band
The 2550 mAh battery life for the M7350 is very good. It took approximately 7-8 hours before it warns me of Low Battery. You can also plug in a power bank to the M7350’s micro USB slot to charge on-the-go. This is useful when you travel overseas whereby electrical socket is difficult to find. The M7350 will disconnect itself after 5 mins of no Wi-Fi activity. To reconnect, just wake it up by pressing the Power button.
You may also download the User Guide from http://www.tp-link.com.my/resources/document/M7350_v1_UG.pdf
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