Anyone use those MiFi battery powered 5G modems?

Something like this:
https://www.lazada.com.my/products/5g-mobil...3779444632.html

Back when UniFi Air was 4G I used it with some cheapo RM30 USB dongle and the performance was very sensitive to position.. Place it near the window and I can get ~50mbps and it can drop to ~20mbps or lower.

Considering these 5G modems cost 600+ it would be terrible if they also had signal issues.

This post has been edited by Billy.Who: Nov 13 2024, 08:44 PM

Thanks for the recommendations

Too cheapskate to spend 400 for a modem lol. Was looking at that particular modem as I saw a used one for around RM300 (think it was FB marketplace)

To be fair I only need it for 1-3 months at most. I think I'll just get a cheap 2nd hand 5G phone and tether it to my PC or just activate the hotspot. Won't do it with my main phone as it places a lot of strain on the battery (have done it before with Unifi Air 4G and the battery showed noticeable degradation after 1+ months or so)

Yes. Did that a few years back with a 4G broadband sim. Phone also got relatively hot and after 1+ month I noticed the battery life was reduced. Which is why I'll do it on a cheapo phone this time
Maybe with 5G I'll have to find some way to throttle the max speed so it doesn't stress the phone too much. Main use is for browsing and some torrenting lol so I guess I just have to carefully manage my usage to avoid overheating the phone.

And yea FB marketplace can be dodgy. Saw some listings that even came with warnings from FB itself that the post is using images from other users and somehow they don't remove it other than place that warning at the top

Might do that as a last resort. Have also seen some decent used modems online at around RM 500. Should be easy to resell later.

And yes practically all of the cheap '5G' modems in the market are just 4G LTE with 5GHz WiFi. They just deceptively label the 5GHz as '5G'

Thanks for all the feedback.

Was about to get a Vivo Y27 dirt cheap but the seller went MIA lol

Have also decided to look into 5G modem/routers and saw a few used ZTE MC801A for around 450-500+ but some of the listings are as old as 2+ months. Is this a bad choice hence the unsold units?

Also saw a Nokia FastMile 3 selling for 400 earlier today but by the time I was able to contact the seller it was already sold (think it was sold within 2-4 hours!) Seems like this is a very coveted modem and there are very few units on the marketplaces (Caro/FB/Mudah)..

Both the ZTE & Nokia were sold before I could get them lol.

Ended up with a Zyxel NR5103E that was unfortunately faulty. Seems that there is a batch around that mostly functional other than totally being unable to connect to 5G (https://www.facebook.com/pendakwahteknologi...750048315/?_rdr)

Gotta start searching yet again for another modem...

Tested it in PJ/Kelana and Bandar Sri Damansara, both of which should have solid or at the very least decent DNB 5G coverage. Yet the modem could never establish a 5G connection.. very likely a faulty batch as per the link. Have also seen similar comments on platforms like Shopee, Lazada, forums etc.

Got it off Carousell and I'm fortunate that the seller is willing to provide a refund

? The problem is specific to the NR5103E (Three (the telco) variant). Most of the stuff on Lazada/Shopee should be fine if they're unlocked.

Buyers just need to be somewhat familiar with the tech to ensure that the units support the necessary bands to work in Malaysia. Although in some cases the savings might not be worthwhile since the pricing is relatively high, around 100-300 cheaper than official units. Then again the people who resort to such channels probably don't have the financials to spare so the savings no matter how little may be significant for them

Can't seem to get the OTA so stuck with B12 anyway. Believe the UK users are at B14 or higher.

Bands already set and configured to Auto Switch @ 5G-NSA/4G. No option for NSA only (other 3 options are SA/NSA/4G Auto; 5G-SA & 4G).


Appreciate the very helpful comments from the community so far but the fact is that there are 5103E lemon units around that are practically fully functional save for the ability to connect to 5G at all:

https://www.facebook.com/pendakwahteknologi...750048315/?_rdr

Screenshot of a LYN post from above FB link

https://ispreview.co.uk/talk/threads/zyxel-...3e-no-5g.40149/

https://www.ispreview.co.uk/talk/threads/th...y-b12-fw.39058/

Yes yes all is properly set lol. Again, this is sadly most certainly a lemon unit. Hard as it is, unfortunately we just have to admit that there are sometimes manufacturing defects with products which is why warranties exist after all..

Will be returning this soon. Hope I wont be as unlucky yet again with the next modem I get. lmao this is already my 2nd 'problem' modem. Just before I got this, I also went to pick up a used MC888D from a seller who was not aware it was still locked because it worked with some overseas SIM he tested with.

Anyone using 5G broadband in a condo? Any recommendations for a modem with decent connection strength? What about external antennas? Any success using them to boost the signal enough for a good connection?

Currently staying at around the equivalent to the 18th-20th floor (condo is on elevated ground/hill). Getting decent 5G reception (5/5bars; ~100++ - 200++mbps) via a Zyxel NR5103E and its internal antennas.

When using the same SIM (Yes 5G) on my phone, its only able to get 4G so the modem is likely doing the heavylifting. The phone's own Maxis sim is able to get a 5G connection though at lower speeds (~50mbps - below 100mbps) vs 300-500+mbps at ground level.

So in addition to the relatively high floor, there is also the problem with Yes 5G's poorer connection.. Was thinking of adding the antennas since the NR5103E supports it and it would be more cost effective than getting another 5G modem.

Curious to hear about this too.

Anyone knows the difference between the X50-5G and the NX510v?

I believe the X50-5G is using the Qualcomm X62 but can't find any info on the chipset on the NX510v. The quoted max speed is the same for both at 3.4Gbps so it could possibly be the same chipset too.

Also heard that the NX510v interface has more controls/options. Not a priority but good to have. Also unsure if the X50-5G allows band selection/locking with its more consumer oriented interface?

Don't need the Deco mesh system at all (living in a tiny studio apartment lol). It's just that the X50 seems more common for whatever reason. Would also prefer the NX510v's web portal for setup etc instead of an app

Btw are you all using from a landed property or a condo? If condo, how is the signal strength?

Currently using a Zyxel NR5103E from the ~18th floor (condo is at elevated ground) and I have to place the modem sideways to get around 150-250Mbps and regularly adjust the angle/position to maintain those speeds. When I tested at the lobby it can get around 300-450Mbps. Don't mind the slower speeds since that's a given compromise for using 5G @ relatively high floors but would appreciate a more stable connection too.

Edit: Just found out there is also a higher end Deco model, the X80-5G which not only has faster WiFi speeds but double the LTE/5G antennas (X80: 8x antennas; X50: 4x antennas) which should help with signal strength.
X80-5G vs X-50-5G

This post has been edited by Billy.Who: Sep 8 2025, 05:10 PM

Is this actually a suitable antenna for a 5G modem? The info provided is quite limited and conflicting based on the pic and description (18 vs 29 dBi / 10W vs 50W) lol