Your experience with SIM card routers

[matchar]

They also have a router for sale with the 1 year SIM card.

[Mickeymaus]

Now the SIM tests with my router.

 

My router has CAT 4 and still the first firmware of 2016. I didn't update it yet ????????????. Not always are the updates better and I can't find the original version on the Internet. So no way to go back. Don't fix what is not broken...

 

The router tests should only give you an idea. There are newer routers and even CAT 6 routers. But at HIS time my router was top class and had good ratings at Amazon - years ago. And so far I am happy with it. 

 

https://www.amazon.com/D-Link-Wireless-LTE-Router-DWR-921_E/dp/B00BN36NMM

 

A CAT 6 router? I can't get this Idea out of my head... Perhaps later. 

 

The results are pretty quick explained. I did again many tests at different times. The first picture shows only some tests - just as an idea. The Thunder and the Dtac had no problem with 4K at 24 frames. But both showed buffering at 60 frames. Here clearly the router is the bottleneck. As access point in the tablet the SIMs had no problems at all and there was a lot of capacity left.

 

The TOT NT with 8 Mbps could not handle 4K at all. Here clearly the SIM was the bottleneck. But it performed great at 2K - see second picture - 2K @60 frames and much buffer.

 

At the third picture you see that it is clearly limited. It starts very high and then "Oh no, give him only the speed he has paid for!" it slows down to about 8 Mbps. Since it could perform faster it has no problems with 2K. It is not at the limit. But a yearly Thunder might be a the cheaper option. More to this in the next posting perhaps tomorrow. 

 

Next will be the features of the SIM cards, how I got the SIM cards, how I activated them and settings in the phone and tablet and router. 

 

 

 

The following text is completely off topic. Please skip it if you are not interested. 

 

 

Regarding 4K - "normal" people might not necessarily need it. But I got used to it because it worked fine with my 3BB VDSL. It also enables a really impressive 2D to 3D conversion on my 3D TV. The higher the resolution the better this conversion will be. I think without 3D I would not care if it is 4K or "only" 2K. But 3D was always a big topic for me. I have also a 3D camera. 

 

What people often don't know. Many 3D cinema movies were converted afterwards from 2D to 3D. It is expensive and complicated to shoot in real 3D. And the chip in my TV does such an amazing job that it is often very hard to say if a photo for instance was taken with my 3D camera or if it was converted from 2D to 3D. How this conversion is possible is very interesting but very complicated. What this conversion cannot do is to make objects appear to be in front of the screen. You can do this with a trick with the camera if you focus on something in the background. I could continue endless but back to the topic... 

 

[Mickeymaus]

Here the features of the SIM cards + How I got the SIM cards + How I activated them. Settings will come perhaps tomorrow.

I start with both TOT SIMs

 

You can order the Thunder at Shopee. It is an official TOT distribution channel. You could look at Lazada. But what I found there was more expensive. Since I don't have a Shopee user and TOT Pattaya is not too far away I went there. 

 

There I asked several times for the package with unlimited speed and data (her English was good) and got as answer there is a special promotion and it is now only 89 Baht for the first month. Great. What a luck.

 

At home when I unpacked it I saw it is the "NT Work & Learn SIM". I found out that it has 8 Mbps and unlimited data. Okay. Never had such a slow 8 Mbps SIM. Let's test this experience too. For the 89 Baht you get only data. For calls you have to top it up. The next month was 150 Baht. If I understood it correctly if you buy it at Shopee you get the first 30 days even for free and so pay for 2 months only 150 Baht (I did the math for you - 75 Baht a month for the first two months ????????). 

 

https://shopee.co.th/ซิม-TOT-Work-Learn-SIM-เน็ต-8-Mbps-ฟรี-30-วัน-เดือนต่อไป-150-nt-เทพ-หลานเทพ-for-ais-dtac-true-move-รายปี-ไม่อั้น-for-i.22500615.5358955694

 

Next day I went again to TOT for the 1 month Thunder SIM for 199 Baht a month (999 for a year). The Thunder is a data only SIM - no calls possible. "Cannot". I was told that I have to apply online first at 

 

https://wcsoss.totwbs.com/promotion

 

I had no phone with me so back home ⛈️????. 

 

I found the site only in Thai. But Google Translate in the Chrome browser helped. It was only a problem with pop-ups where you had to select something like Banglamung.

 

You have to enter the longitude and latitude of your location. You can find this on Google Maps for instance. In my case for instance it is 12.98961 and 100.96102. If you enter there a number that doesn't make sense to the system you will get the message that this area is not covered. But even if your entry is correct it might perhaps really not be covered. You can't continue then. You can also try to find the longitude and latitude with Google Search. Enter longitude latitude and your condo name and you might get it. 

 

You also have to enter passport number, phone number and...and... The phone number is very important. Here you will get SMS messages. This is the main communication channel for the SIM since itself doesn't have a phone number. The most important SMS are OTP (one time passwords). At the end of the application you get a "service request code" on the browser screen (see first picture). With this code AND the passport  I went back to TOT. 

 

There they entered many things into their system and then I went with the Thunder SIM to the cashier, paid 199 Baht and back to the service counter. I thought now it is done ????????????. At the same moment their system stopped to work (perhaps they use TOT Internet... ????) and I was asked to come again in about 2 hours ⛈️⛈️⛈️????????????. After a nervous breakdown ???? the manager told me they will copy everything what they need and enter it later without me in the system ????????????. 

 

Back home I received two hours later a call that it should work now. In my phone I got as SMS:

 

"Service ID  XXXXXXXXXX  get 500MB for trial 7 days. If satisfied, pls. activate your package at

 

https://speed.totwbs.com/speedtest/"

 

I also got an SMS with the activation code. DONE ????????????. 

 

I didn't order the Thunder via Shopee. Perhaps someone can share this knowledge here. 

 

Next the Dtac SIM. 

 

I always buy at Lazada. You will not get these packages at the service center of the phone company. Search in Lazada / Shopee for" SIM card" and you will find countless offers. 

 

Mine (see second picture) is 30 Mbps with unlimited data and free phone calls to all networks during the first month. After 1 month you have to top up this for 265 Baht. You can use it for a maximum of 6 months. You can get the same SIM without free calls for 235 Baht. If you top up you can make calls too (not like the Thunder that is data only). I bought mine for 203 Baht. At this time it was cheaper than the same package without free calls. If you top up or buy a new SIM after one month is up to you. 

 

Activation is easy after you received it. It might not be the same at all sellers. But it was always the same at all SIMs that I bought. Don't throw away anything - not even the envelope. You scan the Line QR code on the package to add the seller as new Line contact (see last picture). Then you go to his Line chat window. You send him without any explanation 

 

photo of the first passport page
photo of the envelope with your address 
photo of the SIM card package with the number on it
screenshot of your Lazada order

 

and ask for activation. No need for further conversation. After a short time you will get the message that it is activated. I bought several SIMs and the longest time I had to wait was 3 hours.

Next chapter will be the settings in the phone/tablet and router. It might be necessary in some cases. Enough work for me today... ????????

 

[Mickeymaus]

Now to the settings in the router, phone / tablet

 

All pictures are only examples. What you see depends on the router model, Android or iOS version, phone or tablet model. But it should be similar.

I start with the router. If you don't have a router continue at vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv

It is better to turn off the router when inserting the SIM card and then turn it on again. On my router, D-Link warns you not to insert/remove the SIM card while it is powered on.

 

I log into the router. Under "Internet" I get the screen shown in the first picture. The first thing you should notice is that I switched my preferred service type to "4G mode only". This means that the router is forced to connect with 4G. If only 3G is available, you will not be connected. "Auto" is often the default there, but if you're unlucky you'll only get 3G even if 4G is available.

 

Next is the Dialup Profile. Here it depends on the router and SIM. My router does all settings automatically and correctly - see both pictures Router APN. 

 

If not then (see picture Router Manual Settings) select the service type, select the country (Thailand), select the company (TOT, DTAC or whatever) and enter in the APN field "www.dtac.co.th" for DTAC or "pocket" for TOT. You can google the APN (Access Point Name) for other companies. Tip, but don't tell anyone. I entered mickeymaus and the speed was much faster ????????. No, it didn't change anything ????. But enter the values of the SIM company you use to make them happy. Perhaps your situation is different because your forum user here is not Mickeymaus ????. 

 

Apply the settings in the router and it should be finished.

 

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv

 

Now to the settings in the phone / tablet

Better turn off the phone/tablet when inserting/removing the SIM card and then turn it on again. Some devices don't have a problem if you don't turn them off. But it is safer for the device and SIM card.

 

First, turn off Airplane mode if it's on, and turn on Cellular/Mobile data. Most SIMs will not require any additional settings. But the Thunder was different in my tablet and phone.

 

For any SIM card, first make sure your device is switched to 4G LTE. On my tablet this is under SETTINGS -> CONNECTIONS -> MOBILE NETWORKS (see first Phone/Tablet picture).

 

If you look at the 2nd Phone/Tablet (P/T) picture you see at my device as Network Mode "auto connect". Make sure that this or the highest possible connection is set there. I can't FORCE 4G LTE like at the router and so I had to choose "auto connect". If it is set to 3G expect extremely slow speeds.

 

The SIMs should work now as good as they can perform. But if you don't get data with the Thunder (or perhaps some others) do the following:

 

Go under Mobile Networks to the Access Point Name (see 3rd P/T picture) and click on it. Then press ADD and enter the values as shown for TOT in the last picture. Now it should work ????????????. 

Next topic will be final thoughts. Enough for today... 

 

[Mickeymaus]

Final Thoughts 

 

What I took away from all these many SIMs and tests. I was surprised of the speed you can get for very little money. I was also surprised at how far you can get with a good 8 Mbps SIM. I couldn't have said whether the DTAC 30 Mbit, the Thunder with unlimited speed or the 8 Mbit SIM was in the router. Or even if my 3BB VDSL was used. With "normal" internet use there was no noticeable difference at all. YouTube on the tablet and TikTok and Line with video calls were no problem.

 

Video streaming at very high resolutions was limited with the 8 Mbps and also with MY router with CAT 4. And of course if you have access to very fast download servers you will notice the difference. And also at speed tests. 

 

You also have to consider that I was the only user of this internet connection. So if you have 5 children, a wife, their relatives and a Mia Noi, they could all hate you with such a wireless internet solution ????????.

 

I would also not use the Thunder in the car ???? and use it there for navigation ⤴️. Coverage is not the same as with other networks. If you do please let me know your experience. 

 

Also compared to the True Move and the AIS SIM, upload speeds were much slower at the DTAC and the Thunder SIM ⚠️. So if you need high upload speeds then don't forget to check this. 

 

To make it short. You have to test SIMs at your location ???????????? with your devices and with your internet usage - many users, virtual networks, streaming services like Netflix and whatever you use. There is no other way if you don't want to gamble ????. 

 

What I wanted to know was if it's technically possible for me to live without a wired internet service these days - my 3BB VDSL connection. So far I think I can. At my location I will try to continue with the NT Thunder for 999 baht a year. In the tablet it is even significantly faster than 3BB VDSL. So why pay almost 7,600 baht a year for the 3BB VDSL? I am not that poor. But after these tests I feel like I'm wasting money.

 

But I also know that TOT NT uses networks of DTAC. And now the merger of DTAC and True Move. Will it have consequences for the DTAC and TOT NT networks? Let's hope the best... In the worst case I simply go back to a wired Internet solution.

 

I will report if there are major issues with my Thunder. But next and last will be a test with CAT 6 in the next few days.

 

My router is CAT 4 only. I don't have a CAT 6 router. I will try to get an idea with my old CAT 6 tablet. It may not compare to a CAT 6 router. Therefore the results will be very vague. But I want to do it for myself before I perhaps buy a CAT 6 router later.

 

So next the CAT 6 "experiment" but for sure not tomorrow. If you are interested you know where to find the results.

[NextG]

1 hour ago, Mickeymaus said:

Final Thoughts 

 

What I took away from all these many SIMs and tests. I was surprised of the speed you can get for very little money. I was also surprised at how far you can get with a good 8 Mbps SIM. I couldn't have said whether the DTAC 30 Mbit, the Thunder with unlimited speed or the 8 Mbit SIM was in the router. Or even if my 3BB VDSL was used. With "normal" internet use there was no noticeable difference at all. YouTube on the tablet and TikTok and Line with video calls were no problem.

 

Video streaming at very high resolutions was limited with the 8 Mbps and also with MY router with CAT 4. And of course if you have access to very fast download servers you will notice the difference. And also at speed tests. 

 

You also have to consider that I was the only user of this internet connection. So if you have 5 children, a wife, their relatives and a Mia Noi, they could all hate you with such a wireless internet solution ????????.

 

I would also not use the Thunder in the car ???? and use it there for navigation ⤴️. Coverage is not the same as with other networks. If you do please let me know your experience. 

 

Also compared to the True Move and the AIS SIM, upload speeds were much slower at the DTAC and the Thunder SIM ⚠️. So if you need high upload speeds then don't forget to check this. 

 

To make it short. You have to test SIMs at your location ???????????? with your devices and with your internet usage - many users, virtual networks, streaming services like Netflix and whatever you use. There is no other way if you don't want to gamble ????. 

 

What I wanted to know was if it's technically possible for me to live without a wired internet service these days - my 3BB VDSL connection. So far I think I can. At my location I will try to continue with the NT Thunder for 999 baht a year. In the tablet it is even significantly faster than 3BB VDSL. So why pay almost 7,600 baht a year for the 3BB VDSL? I am not that poor. But after these tests I feel like I'm wasting money.

 

But I also know that TOT NT uses networks of DTAC. And now the merger of DTAC and True Move. Will it have consequences for the DTAC and TOT NT networks? Let's hope the best... In the worst case I simply go back to a wired Internet solution.

 

I will report if there are major issues with my Thunder. But next and last will be a test with CAT 6 in the next few days.

 

My router is CAT 4 only. I don't have a CAT 6 router. I will try to get an idea with my old CAT 6 tablet. It may not compare to a CAT 6 router. Therefore the results will be very vague. But I want to do it for myself before I perhaps buy a CAT 6 router later.

 

So next the CAT 6 "experiment" but for sure not tomorrow. If you are interested you know where to find the results.

You can buy a Cat.6 router for as little as 1000 baht. The caveat is that it has a limited CA ability. Likely between 1,3 & 8. No CA on Band 40. 

[Mickeymaus]

20 hours ago, NextG said:

You can buy a Cat.6 router for as little as 1000 baht. The caveat is that it has a limited CA ability. Likely between 1,3 & 8. No CA on Band 40. 

I couldn't find a CAT 6 router for around 1000 Baht. That would be great. Do you have a link? 

[NextG]

23 hours ago, Mickeymaus said:

I couldn't find a CAT 6 router for around 1000 Baht. That would be great. Do you have a link? 

Yes, though it doesn’t cover B40, but B1, B3 & B8. 2CA on B1 & B3 or B1 & B8. 

[Mickeymaus]

1 hour ago, NextG said:

Yes, though it doesn’t cover B40, but B1, B3 & B8. 2CA on B1 & B3 or B1 & B8. 

Just out of interest I would like to know it. I never came across a CAT 6 router for 1000 Baht. CAT 4 yes. Also to avoid buying something that cannot be used with the Band 40 of the Thunder. And this is very important for the readers here. Without Band 40 you cannot use the Thunder!!! 

 

At this occasion a warning to all buyers of SIM routers at Shopee or Lazada. Read very carefully what specification they have. There is a lot of false advertising like 5G or whatever. And the best thing was a YouTube video where one of these no-name routers was dismantled and you could see that 2 of the 6 antennas were just decoration.

 

Will check the next days with my CAT 6 tablet and perhaps if a friend visits me with an Apple phone that has CAT 6 too. But of course this cannot replace a test with a real CAT 6 router. 

 

Just want to add an example of a router on Lazada that is cheap and might look good. But if I read the small print it will not work with the Thunder. 

 

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/5g-4g-wifi-wifi-wifi-i4129505851-s16188564127.html?from_gmc=1&exlaz=d_1:mm_150050845_51350205_2010350205::12:19039753895!!!!!c!!16188564127!524845382&gclid=Cj0KCQiAxbefBhDfARIsAL4XLRqD039KLfcxV18gltKJaZRtvSj9rxYtf1RynHtIQFItzUHgXGqqsoAaAoy8EALw_wcB

 

 

[Mickeymaus]

I could not wait any longer. Here are the CAT 6 test results with my old Samsung Galaxy tablet:

 

????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

 

I am very disappointed. And I had planned many tests. If I had known this 8 years ago that I will need Band 40 one day I would not have bought it ????????????.

 

Sadly it can't use the Band 40 that the NT Thunder SIM needs. Test finished. So check if your devices can handle this Band 40 before you order the Thunder SIM.

 

If you did not do it already - read the example of this Lazada router in my posting before - no Band 40. So be careful if you buy a new device and want to use this special TOT SIM.

 

A friend of mine might come the next days with her iPhone 6S Plus and according to the specs it can handle CAT 6 AND Band 40. Perhaps she is so nice and let me test it with the Thunder. Enough Thunder for today ⛈️⛈️⛈️. 

[Mickeymaus]

Here the results of my CAT 4 CAT 6 comparison.

 

I only have a CAT 4 router and would like to find out whether it makes sense for me to buy a CAT 6 router. Since I don't have one, I used a friend's iPhone 6S Plus. It has CAT 6 AND can use the LTE Band 40 which the NT Thunder SIM requires. However, please understand that this iPhone may work differently than a router, and there are also different models of CAT 6 routers as well. But I wanted to get an idea.

 

The speed tests showed that CAT 6 was faster than CAT 4, but nowhere as fast as my tablet with CAT 20/21.  With this I get speeds up to 150 Mbps. The first image shows the speed test results with the NT Thunder in my router on the left and the iPhone on the right.

 

But speed tests are one thing. The ultimate speed test FOR ME is 4K video at 60 frames per second (fps) (3840x2160@60). My tablet as an access point for my TV had no problems at all with the Thunder and also with the DTAC 30 Mbps. There was even enough capacity left for other things.

 

My router with CAT 4 had no problems with 4K and 24fps videos (3840x2160@24) but buffered at 60fps. Unfortunately, the iPhone with CAT 6 used as an access point for the TV did not change that. There was also buffering. But ok, one does not watch 4K and with @60 frames per second videos all the time. 

 

After this experience I'm not so sure about buying a CAT 6 router anymore. Again, I know that an iPhone is not a router. If I ever buy a CAT 6 router, I will report about that experience here. But LTE CAT 6 is not the limit. Here is a good overview to get an idea of what is on the market:

 

https://grouptestwinner.com/best-4g-lte-router/

 

Finally the warning again - if you want to use the Thunder and want to buy a router, check if the router can use BAND 40 (B40) also know as 2300MHz frequency (4G TDD LTE B40 (2300MHz)) ⚠️⚠️⚠️ . Not all routers can do this. If you buy for instance this router on Lazada shown two postinge before the Thunder will not be slower but not work at all because it can't use Band 40. But I also realise that I had luck with my router. I didn't know anything about the existence of the Thunder at this time.

 

If you want to check if a phone or tablet can use B40, you can do so at

 

https://www.gsmarena.com

 

for example. Search for your model. Then at NETWORK press EXPAND on the right side and you should see number 40 under 4G as shown in the last picture. Please understand that I cannot guarantee the correctness of the data shown there.
 

[Mickeymaus]

The story continues... In the meantime several of my friends have the Thunder and I bought the yearly one for 999 Baht.

 

I also finally upgraded the firmware of my router from version 1 to version 19 (see picture). It wasn't easy to find the version 19. I had to look at the ftp servers of D-Link. The highest one on their websites is 16. 

 

The speed increased a bit. I have now up to almost 64 at the Ookla app. Testmy.net was up to almost 52. I prefer the Ookla app for speedtest and this is always set to the same 3BB server here in Chonburi. The first speedtest picture is Ookla and the second one testmy.net. 

 

But now the big news. A friend of mine wanted the TP-LINK MR600 and so I ordered it for him at Lazada. Got it for a good price - see last pictures. He still has 3BB VDSL at the moment. So no problem if I test it for a couple of days. It arrived today. 

 

By the way. I found a 5G router - not so expensive anymore. But no ratings yet.

 

https://s.lazada.co.th/s.Rq6T1

Next will be the test of the TP-LINK MR600 with CAT 6 (my D-Link router has CAT 4).

 

[degrub]

CAT5e will be more than capable for what you are doing. 
 

[Mickeymaus]

1 hour ago, degrub said:

CAT5e will be more than capable for what you are doing. 
 

What I am doing? What you think? But I guess you are talking about network cables. I am talking about CAT 4 and CAT 6 LTE ????. 

 

[degrub]

All i am saying is you don’t need to go to the higher spec cat6 for any of the lan ethernet runs. Cat5e is more than enough for 1gbit/sec ethernet cabling, and even good enough for higher ethernet speeds over shorter distances.  The only reason to go to higher spec s if there is high level of electrical noise in the room. Residential installation would not usually have that concern.

[Mickeymaus]

5 minutes ago, degrub said:

All i am saying is you don’t need to go to the higher spec cat6 for any of the lan ethernet runs. Cat5e is more than enough for 1gbit/sec ethernet cabling, and even good enough for higher ethernet speeds over shorter distances.  The only reason to go to higher spec s if there is high level of electrical noise in the room. Residential installation would not usually have that concern.

There is a misunderstanding. This topic has nothing to do with networks and cables. It is about SIM Card routers. CAT whatever number stands there for a wireless LTE connection technology. This topic has nothing to do with Ethernet. 

[NextG]

23 minutes ago, degrub said:

All i am saying is you don’t need to go to the higher spec cat6 for any of the lan ethernet runs. Cat5e is more than enough for 1gbit/sec ethernet cabling, and even good enough for higher ethernet speeds over shorter distances.  The only reason to go to higher spec s if there is high level of electrical noise in the room. Residential installation would not usually have that concern.

You can read a little about it here: https://www.telcoantennas.com.au/buying/smart-guides/guide-to-choosing-a-modem-router/

[degrub]

7 minutes ago, NextG said:

You can read a little about it here: https://www.telcoantennas.com.au/buying/smart-guides/guide-to-choosing-a-modem-router/

I see. The LTE folks adopted the same name for their bandwidth levels as the wireline folks use for interconnections. Thanks for that and apologies for the confusion. Cheers !

 

[Mickeymaus]

Let's compare the 2 routers. On the first two pictures the TP-LINK MR600 is on the left and the D-LINK DWR-921 on the right. 

 

D-Link DWR-921 Version C3

 

CAT 4 (150/50 Mbps) 
Wifi 2.4 GHz  - no 5 Ghz
5 LAN ports max 100 Mbps
2 detachable antennas

 

TP-LINK Archer MR600 Version V3 EU

 

CAT 6 (300/50 Mbps) 
Wifi 2.4 + 5 GHz (parallel) - max 300 Mbps at 2.4 GHz, max 867 Mbps at 5 GHz
4 LAN ports max 1000 Mbps
2 detachable antennas

 

What I don't like at the MR600:

 

Graphical User Interface is boring, not many colours, not enough contrast. 

 

Wifi 5 GHz Channels only 36, 40, 44, 48 are available. I have the EU version. It is said that the US version doesn't have this restriction.

 

Custom firmware like DVD-WRT or OpenWRT does not seem to be available. No problem with the D-Link.

 

LTE Signal Strength shows only 25, 50, 75, 100 percent. So not the more exact percentage value that the D-Link shows. BUT the MR600 shows you the values for RSRP, RSRQ and SNR as shown in picture 3. I skip the explanation because it is very technical. My values are not excellent but still considered as good. More information for instance here:

 

https://poynting.tech/articles/signal-strength-measure-rsrp-rsrq-and-sinr-reference-for-lte-cheat-sheet/

 

What I am missing at both is a USB 3.x port. My not SIM LTE routers have at least USB 2.0. Good for connecting hard drives or SD Cards.

 

 

LTE Carrier Aggregation:

 

If you use LTE you have to understand Carrier Aggregation used to increase the speed. Here you have FDD bands and TDD bands. At FDD you combine 2 or more bands to increase the speed. At TDD it uses a special technique to achieve this with only one band. The MR600 does this automatically or you can select the bands manually. As shown in the last picture the TOT Thunder uses only band 40. No other band can be combined with it. But this is no problem since the router doesn't use the FDD but the TDD technique to increase the speed in this case. Enough technical things for today...

Next will be the performance test results with the TP-LINK MR600.

 

[Mickeymaus]

Speedtests finished. 

 

The Ookla app was at all tests in this topic used with the same 3BB test server in Chonburi to be comparable. The monthly Thunder for 199 Baht has expired and in the meantime I am on the yearly Thunder for 999 Baht. There is no speed difference. It is not the case that I get less speed because it is cheaper.

 

The previously tested iPhone 6S Plus has CAT 6 like the MR600 but performed worse. The iPhone and the D-Link CAT 4 router could not handle 4K videos with 60 frames per second. 4K videos with 24 frames were no problem. Despite higher speedtest results at the D-Link CAT 4 router after the firmware upgrade to version 19 it was also not able to play 4K videos at 60 frames per second without stopping and buffering. 

 

The best Ookla speedtest results were:

 

D-Link DWR-921 with up to 64 Mbps (with latest firmware)  - router is the speed limit. 

 

TP-Link MR600 with up to 112 Mbps (no newer firmware available) - router is the speed limit. 

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Plus with Android 11 with up to 150 Mbps. I guess this is the maximum speed of the Thunder. At least I couldn't find any other speedtest with higher results for the Thunder on the Internet. Here the Thunder seems to be the speed limit. 

 

Back to the TP-LINK MR600. The first picture shows the speedtest results with the TP-LINK MR600 with the Ookla app with the 3BB Chonburi test server and the second (because some people like it more) with testmy.net and a server in Japan.

 

 

Video (YouTube) 

 

The CAT 6 MR600 had no problems at all with this. Even 4K videos with 60 frames per second were no problem. There was even capacity left for other things. You can see this in images where you see black areas in Network Activity showing that nothing was downloaded because the buffer (in the row below) was full. You can see at some images the Network Activity is 0 at certain times - no more data was needed at this time. The pictures were taken from the TV. 

 

To summarise it. The TP-Link MR600 is not cheap but does a great job. With all tested devices normal Internet usage was no problem. Used like this it was impossible to notice any difference. But when it came to high and sustained download speeds the tablet was the fastest followed by the MR600. Only these two allowed 4K videos at 60 frames per sec without stopping and buffering. And of course you also benefit if you have other servers that offer high download speeds. In terms of upload speeds none of the tested devices had high upload speeds because the Thunder (and also the Dtac) seem to be limited at around 8 Mbps. The tested True and AIS packages didn't have this problem, but the download performance at my location was not good. 

 

As always - don't forget that this is the situation at my location with my devices and I was the only user. I have to admit that I had luck with the Thunder ????????????. If you have any questions please ask. 

 

[bamnutsak]

AWESOME thread. Thank you.

 

That Gemini Man YT video looks almost fake, like a video game, in 4K/60 FPS.

 

 

 

 

[jerrymahoney]

I bought a TP-Link 4g router with AIS sim card because my wife's family home has a nice outer building but with no WIFI from the main house. Works OK.

 

I regularly travel within Thailand and, when using a hotel WIFI, always get the notice that the WIFI is not private and that others can maybe get the signal.

 

So for the first time next week, even though the hotel says free in-room WIFI, I will pack the TP-Link router to use in the Bangkok hotel room with LAN cable so I don't have to set up VPN for financial info websites that I might use.

 

And no WIFI for that.