It’s possible to use 3G/4G WiFi router either with built-in support or an external cellular USB dongle, but most people likely do so as a backup solution since fixed broadband Internet is usually cheaper and faster, obviously depending on your location. But things may be different with 5G connectivity as currently announced 5G modems, such as Qualcomm Snapdragon X50 or Samsung Exynos Modem 5100, promise download speeds of up to 5 to 6 Gbps.
D-Link has unveiled 5G NR WiFi 5 gateway for the home market with D-Link DWR-2010 right before CES 2019. The 5G NR enhanced gateway supports download speeds that are over 40 times faster than the average fixed broadband speed of 70 Mbps in the US, so that would be close to 3 Gbps.
D-Link DWR-2010 5G NR enhanced gateway key features:
- 5G connectivity
- Chipset – Qualcomm SDX55 (Snapdragon X55)
- Embedded 5GNR NSA module (3GPP Rel.15)
- Sub-6 GHz or mmWave frequency compatible in 200 MHz (2 x 100 MHz) or 800 MHz (8 x 100 MHz) configurations
- 4x external antennas for LTE/5G NR
- Supports VoLTE
- Ethernet – 1x 2.5 Gbps LAN, 3x Gigabit Ethernet LAN, 1x 1Gbps WAN/LAN
- WiFi
- AC2600 Dual Band Wi-Fi (800 + 1732 Mbps) with MU-MIMO
- Whole home coverage with D-Link Wi-Fi Mesh
- Auto Firmware Upgrade
- Supports Remote Management (TR-069)
According to Raman Bridwell, D-Link vice president of product and services, “this gateway will help more people access that network in more places with the same wireline experience we have today.” I was expecting 5G services to launch in 2019, but if you live in the US in specific cities such as Houston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, or New Orleans among others, you may also be able to apply for 5G from Verizon or AT&T.
It does not appear you’ll just be able to go in a store or buy it online, and insert your own SIM card however, at least in the US, as the press release mentions customization options for service providers, and that pricing will depend on your preferred service providers. D-Link DWR-2010 will become available in the second half of 2019. More details may eventually become available on the product page.
Via Liliputing
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
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Well, I don’t want to sound pessimistic, but usually where you don’t have good connectivity you won’t have a good radio bandwidth either, simply because it costs a lot to deploy and connect antennas. When you are very lucky, the closest antenna in your block will be connected using gigabit Ethernet, shared with all local users. When you’re in a far remote location, it’s likely that all antennas in the same tens of square kilometers will share the same gigabit fiber, shared between even more users.
I’d say that 3/4/5G is not an alternative to limited local connectivity but to the inability to have a good connectivity where you are : if your operators cannot deploy fiber to your home or if the xDSL solutions are of too bad quality, maybe radio may work better.
Willy, I think it will be pushed as an alternative to wired service st some point.
d-link: just say no to a company that doesnt update old holes (applies to some other cheap brands too). research your router support status before buying.
> just say no to a company that doesnt update old holes
They’re pretty good in delivering new holes as well. If the last two years define a trend we will see +50 vulnerabilities in 2019: https://www.cvedetails.com/vendor/899/D-link.html
But hey, it’s just security — who would care about something that uninteresting?
I used my dlink plastic router to see how video conferencing suppliers presentations fail…
They claimed their products could cope with packet loss and reordering as its happening on satellite links.
Never found a better simulator than a dlink router with stock firmware.
It was just a pity it added so much of it, that nothing would work 😛
Unfortunately situation with other ‘plastic router’ vendors differs not that much. You must be either clueless or mad to run these products with stock firmware especially when connected to the Internet.
Well router freedom doesn’t exist everywhere, so often you get stuck with some crap… Luckily i used to be stuck with a 7490, dont know if the Huawei now is any better…
To get 3Gbps the fixed 5G box is going to need to be on the telephone pole in front of your house and the router is going to need to be in a window with direct line of sight. All they are doing is exchanging this fragile system for a run of fiber from the pole to your house. Always pick the fiber run if you have the option.
Plus my town has already banned the deployment of 5G cells on the poles, the poles are city owned. They don’t want the city to look like this: https://video-images.vice.com/articles/5b9c259f5a715a0006b55f05/lede/1536960569233-shutterstock_1014932728.jpeg
The square things are the 5G cells, that’s four of them aimed at four nearby properties. They are the size of a pizza box.
And at this point it likely costs most to deploy 5G than the fiber between your home and the pole!
Because this looks so much better without 5G https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSf1GCRsYNy80QHmKt2m11guc1sBRlloeCyNINXztiA_LWFZp9tKw