With the device powered up, setting it up is reasonably simple using the touch screen. The hotspot automatically recognises the SIM, and there were no APN settings to input. With me so used to phones and their pre-fitted inaccessible batteries, it didn’t occur to me that this would arrive without the battery inside. Embarrassingly, I, therefore, spent about an hour wondering why the device would not take a charge or boot up properly. Alternatively, find an antenna installer to mount and set up your antenna. They’ll be able to set up your antenna in the best position for optimum internet performance. In short: it’s definitely a strong option, with good battery life and competitive specs, but the competition is fierce, so it’s worth reading this review in full and considering the alternatives too. Design The Vodafone 5G Mobile Hotspot has a lot going for it beyond just speed. For one thing, it supports up to 32 simultaneous connections. That means this one little gadget can get up to 32 devices connected to the internet at 5G speeds, all at the same time.

When this is complete you can simply connect the SMA cables to the router like this (example below). For Netgear routers, you will need to use the SMA to TS9 connectors that come with every Maxview 4G/5G antenna: Please note that one reader has commented stating that Vodafone is now selling these without an Ethernet port. It is the same device, just a slightly different variant. However, they have confirmed you can get a wired connection using USB-C (but I am unsure if a USB-C to Ethernet adaptor will work).Where this has the edge over some mobile broadband devices is the addition of a touchscreen that you can interact with, further simplifying its configuration. Performance and speeds The ZTE MU5001 is an excellent hotspot even if you buy it at retail. It is cheaper than competing brands, and its performance has been excellent.

Other specs include support for Wi-Fi 6, plus two ports that you can optionally attach external antennas to (if you want to improve the signal), and one Ethernet port, for if you want to use a wired connection to one of your gadgets. The Vodafone 5G Mobile Hotspot also has an Ethernet port, so you can plug a device into it for a more stable wired connection, and there are two ports for attaching external antennas, to improve its performance – which could be particularly useful if the signal is weak somewhere. Alternatives I am not able to get 5G in my office, so most of my testing was done on 4G. I have also compared speeds with my Pixel 6 phone and the Netgear NBK752 Orbi 5G WiFi 6 Mesh System Adding an external antenna to your ZTE router setup is a good way to boost your internet speeds and reliability. This may be important if:

The Vodafone 5G Mobile Hotspot is one of a couple of 5G mobile broadband devices available on UK networks, and the only one available on Vodafone at the time of writing.

This is the only 5G mobile broadband option on Vodafone, though there are slower 4G options, or if you’re after home broadband there’s the Vodafone GigaCube 5G, which supports up to 64 simultaneous connections and has two Ethernet ports, but requires mains power. The Vodafone deal was an amazing bargain. You’d struggle to buy a basic 4G hotspot for this price, and the performance difference is considerable, both from the mobile data and WiFi 6. Assuming you’re after a 5G mobile broadband device though then the main alternative is the EE 5G WiFi. Your ZTE router isn’t giving you the speeds or reliability you need for browsing, navigating, and social media.

With the ZTE MU5001, up to 30 devices can be supplied with Internet. The modem function can also be used via the USB-C port, but the special feature is the integrated RJ-45 connection. This is a major advantage of the ZTE MU5001 over other mobile routers. Not ready to invest in an external antenna? You may be able to improve your ZTE router connectivity and signal strength using other methods: It's a 5G only antenna (the frequency response is advertised as 3.3-3.8Ghz). The biggest chunk of frequency allocation (and therefore throughput) is in band N78. This is especially true for Three who have the largest amount of spectrum in this band and lowest combined in other bands. Band N78 utilisation should also be lower as it's still relatively new in addition to reduced penetration into buildings due to the higher frequency.

If your router model isn’t listed here, please get in touch with our support team. They can advise you if your router will work with our external antenna. What type of external antenna connector is on the ZTE MC801A?

How to set up your ZTE external antenna

With high speeds, good battery life and plenty of simultaneous connections, this has all that most users should need, while the touchscreen is just the icing on the cake. If you’re a Vodafone fan, then that could make your decision easy, but everyone else might be wondering whether this is the one to buy or not. ZTE MU5001(U) is a new 5G portable WiFi router which supports WiFi6 AX1800 and up to 32 wireless users to access the internet. Based on Qualcomm SDX55 chipset, ZTE MU5001(U) Router can provide high speed connection up to 3800Mbps for wireless terminals.