Three 5G Home Broadband Review Zyxel NR5103e Vs ZTE MC801a 

Hi Imran I have had this myself and is a known bug with the router/firmware a rather annoying one. There is a max failed login for security but in my case and many others were not putting in wrong credentials. A reboot of the router fixes it for a while.

Hi Saad thank you for your feedback glad you found it helpful 👍 In answer to your question I’m not 100%sure I know they work with Smarty Sims which also use Threes network I don’t have any other Sims to test with to be sure. As Three are giving you a 30day money back guarantee you could always sign up and test with the Sim you want to use and then cancel

Hi Aaron, It’s difficult to find exactly online the ant ports but I use it Main 1 - top port Aux 1 - next port down Main 2 Aux 2 Works fine I have also tried swapping them around did not make a lot of difference.

Thank you sir

Has your router arrived yet?are your speeds faster now,hope so!

Hello, could you kindly provide us with an update regarding your new router, the MC888, please?"

​@@jasonemanuel9070 I just got the ZTE mc888 I'm in NW8 London and I tested it this morning and I've got 702.94 Mps download and 150Mps upload placing it close to the window

I'm so pleased with my speed fastest I've ever had,must be four months now,mc888 I can certainly recommend

For me the MC888 is not an improvement over the MC801A. I'm not sure why, but its maxing out at 70 download compared to 280 on the MC801A, weaker signal strength too. I can see that Zyxel have now launched a NR5103ev2 router which is much smaller at the base, so I'm going to try that as it'll fit nicely on the shelf.

That’s good stuff you must be close to a mast getting those sorts of speeds! It can be effected by weather conditions as with any wireless technology the other day my local mast got taken out by a lightning strike.

@@nsmmedia Yeah I am in Corby, and I believe one is close by judging by a recent geo check on the local area. This seems to be a big fat red hot spot apparently. I am rather pleased.

Hi Neil thanks for the comment feel free to email me info@fttppro.co.uk and I will be happy to advise your further.

Panasonic KX-TGH260 has a link to mobile/Link2mobile/Link2cell. Can connect a mobile via bluetooth and uses it as a landline.

some mobile routers allow you to plug in a landline telephone which uses the internet to make calls.

Hi in answer to your first question what's important to note is with the ZTE the external ant ports only boost the 5G signal and not 4G which as 5G NSA relies on 4G for upload speeds may mean you end up with better download speeds but not that good upload. The Zyxel features a 4x4 MiMO internal antenna which may end up providing a better overall experience. The Zyxel overall provided better performance for me as per the video and offers more flexibility and features. It all comes down to your location and how good the 4/5G signal is for indoor coverage if you live near a mast and get excellent 5G signal then the ZTE will perform fine but if your in an area where indoor coverage of 4/5G is not great then the Zyxel combined with a proper external antenna will provide the best experience. If your based in the UK and looking to use Three's network (either direct or via a MVO like Smarty) then your best option is to sign up to Three's home 5G broadband on a temp monthly contract where you can try it out before spending money buying a router outright as you really don't know what your experience will be like until you try. In answer to your question about WiFi on the ZTE you can not separate /turn 2.4 and 5Ghz independently and the channel selection is limited for 5Ghz vs Zyxel you can have separate SSID's for 2.4 and 5 and change them independently. In terms of SMS feature if buying a fully unlocked generic version that should have all the features enabled .

@@nsmmedia Thank you so muchhh this reply helped me a lot, I may just go for the ZTE, as the download speeds are slow, but I’ve not had any issues with it personally as I’ve been using my phone as a hotspot, and I wouldn’t be using threes network I’ll be using (EE) and I feel being able to have it out and not hate how it looks would be better for me, especially since it would allow me to place it in a better spot so again thank you soo so much 😭 xx

@@cw0rth your welcome and it will defo be an improvement over using your phone as a hotspot! I take it 4/5G is the best internet you can get at your location? Feel free to checkout my website fttppro.co.uk and to reach out via email info@fttppro.co.uk if you would like me to look at your options for broadband.

⁠​⁠@@nsmmediaIt is, also! I got the ZTE router, however they didn’t send an unbranded one like in the listing it’s a Three one, and I’m using an EE sim, it works since it’s unlocked, but I can’t switch on the antennas, and the box won’t connect to 5g? Or am I just missing something, because in network information it only shows information for 4g, so I believe it’s only connecting to 4g? And yea, it’s definitely better than using my phone, only because I can connect more devices, but I find the connection drops constantly which is so annoying 😭 which it never did on my phone, only if it randomly decided to stop sharing it and thank youu, I’ll check the links. x

Hi Chris thought I had covered this in the video apologies if I haven’t. To confirm : On the Zyxel Nr5103e you get 4x ts9 external ant ports providing a 4x4MiMo connection when used with an appropriate antenna such as Potnting XPOL 5G V2 4x4 MiMO antenna. Using all 4 ports like this boosts both 4 and 5 g signal and their is a switch to only use the external antenna. I use this combo and it give me excellent 4 and 5G signal with the antenna mounted high on the roof facing the nearest mast. On the ZTE MC801 router on the other hand this only has 2 TS9 external ant ports which only boost 5G signal and no switch to only use external ant. As 5G uses 4G for its upload I get worse results with this router using the same external antenna as 4G signal uses the internal antenna which is not great indoors in my location. You can read more about my external antenna setup in my blog fttppro.co.uk/three-5g-home-broadband-review-2023/

@@nsmmedia I’ll have a look 👀 I’m after the ones that just screw in and supposedly give better signal. I’m only using the 5g router from three until I move house anything from 3 months to 12 so it’s handy with being able to do 30 day rolling contratct. Also the router it says I have ordered is the newer one.

Hi! Community Fibre will provide broadband via a full fibre connection which is much better than 5G providing better latency and reliability I would recommend going with them. You can find out much more info on Full Fibre broadband on my website fttppro.co.uk

Hi Patryk thank you for your commend. The power supply that comes with the Zyxel router is 12v 3A and states max power draw is 36W that would be the max power draw and in reality the day to day power consumption will be less than this prob around 5-10W. The ZTE is very similar in this regard as well.

@@nsmmedia thank you very much for taking a time to reply. My Asus router has power supply rated max 33W and it draws only 8W during normal operation. I hope that this one will be similar. 8-10W is ok for running 24/7 in a van or boat, but 20W would be too much. Pity the only way to find out is to actually buy it and measure... Funny thing with Three- I can't order it if I provide a postcode which does not have 5G coverage. Obviously this router will connect via 4G when 5G is not available.

No worries. If you use my refferal link aklam.io/87y4pp - then follow the instructions once on the Three store select the 5G home broadband enter a postcode that has 5G and then later on when going though checkout it asks for your address etc. this is how I ordered it even though I’m not officially in their 5G coverage area. It’s got a 30 day money back guarantee so if it’s not suitable you can cancel and send it back

The refferal link gives us both upto £40 cash back btw

@@nsmmedia thank you for confirming what I thought. I wanted to order using your referral link but after half an hour I gave up. It doesn't let me change the delivery address to any other that the one I provided as an installation address which has 5G coverage. I tried to choose "pick up from store" thinking that they will deliver that to the store, but it does not let me select any store which doesn't have it in stock, meaning none within reasonable distance. I'll try to figure something out tomorrow.

Hi Steve The Zyxel does and also allows you to Setup a separate guest network. The ZTE is more limited in WiFI settings.

@@nsmmedia thanks for your help.

Hi Funkyronster, Thanks for your comment. The ZTE is fanless and although the Zyxel does have a fan inside I’ve never heard it come on myself even under heavy load and in a warm location in my conservatory.

@@nsmmedia Many thanks. One more question if I may - with 5G only in towns and cities, and me in a motorhome, 4G will the main source of my data - which one do you think has the best 4G performance, bearing in mind I intend to use the internal antennas whichever one I buy.

I would say the Zyxel is the best for 4 and 5 G performance with its 4*4Mimo internal antennas. The band locking also comes in useful for getting the best speeds out of the mast your connected to. It also has the better WiFI performance.

Hi Iceyy it all depends on your setup and location. In terms of getting the best 5G speeds the Zyxel gives you the most flexibility in terms of using a 4x4 External Antenna and band locking etc. I find with 5G height makes a huge difference so having a properly mounted external antenna high up outside your house will help get you the best signal strength and quality. In terms of speed within your house to your devices of course using a wired connection will always give the best speed and reliability there are better WiFI solutions that you can use instead of the built in WiFI. Also the option of using your own Router and putting the Zyxel into bridge mode may improve overall performance. There are other 5G routers out there that may give better 4/5 g speeds and offer more features such as cell locking I have not had any hands on experience with other 5G routers so could not comment.

@@nsmmedia I really appreciate the reply , but ive got a little problem. Where can i find the Zyxel one because i just went to the Three3 shop today and they only had the ZTE smaller one you showed in the video and they also had no clue of this zyxel one when i asked , so i would appreciate you telling me where i can find and buy the Zyxel one Thanks.

It’s a bit of a lottery when you take the package wether you get the ZTE or the Zyxel one. If you want to buy the Zyxel yourself just search for Zyxel NR5103e they come up on eBay and CeX etc

@@nsmmediaHey, i was wondering if when i buy this product online , would i be able to already use it with unlimited wifi or do i need to buy some sort of sim card to activate it seperate from the seller .

Hi Iceyy, If your buying the router yourself you will then need to buy a data sim card. If the router your buying is unlocked then you can put any Sim in from any provider ie Three, Vodaphone, EE, O2 etc

Hi Benjamin It features a Mediatek T750 chipset you can find out more in their blog www.mediatek.com/blog/3-uk-5g-fixed-wireless-powered-by-mediatek-t750

The antennas in the routers are generally better than the ones in your phone and you would want to place the router in the window high up as possible facing the local mast.

Hi Starcade90, I have not had any hands on experience with it yet but from the specs and pictures looks to be an updated version of the NR5103e but only has 2 External Antenna ports and only 1GbE vs 4 Ext Ant ports and 2.5GbE network ports on the V1.

@nsmmedia OK, thanks, mate. I bought one yesterday off ebay for £115.

Hi Empaolo, this very much depends on what the coverage is like on your area. With online gaming latency is key best case you can get 20-50ms latency on a 5G connection. However due to the nature of the beast the expletive may not be consistent. It all depends on what other broadband options you have available at your address feel free to reach out to me info@fttppro.co.uk and I will be happy to look into your options.

@@nsmmedia I sent a email Thanksss!!!

Yes you can either use a 4*4 MiMO antenna like I have or two 2*2 MiMO antennas

Thanks for the reply. Would you space them apart maybe? Or side by side. I already have a 2x2 mounted externally. Wasn't sure if I should purchase another 2x2 or a 4x4. Any idea what would work best. Thanks again.

No worries. I have only had personal experience with using the Poynting XPOL-5GV2 4x4 antenna which for me when mounting it high outside took me from fair 4G and hardly any 5 G to excellent 4&5G! With 5G it’s height that makes the difference.

In terms of 5G routers I've only had hands on experience with the Zyxel NR5103e and ZTE MC801a as featured in the video and I would still recommend the Zyxel over the ZTE especially if you are wanting to use an external ant.

@@nsmmedia thanks

Tethering from a phone does technically work but you will get better performance from a dedicated router. I would only really recommend tethering for short periods temp use.

Hi Barnaby both routers have 2 network ports that by default both act as LAN ports so can be used to connect to your smart tv. If you need more network connections you can use a network switch.

@nsmmedia so I just plug a Ethernet cable in from the router to the tv and choose wired connection on the tv?

Yup that’s right

Hi Carl, is this for the Zyxel or the ZTE?

that's interesting Alan what router model is the new one you have?

@@nsmmedia ZYXEL NR5103E ROUTER i found the pro 2 much faster. Checked with someone i know at three he said they have a problem with band management . You should flash the unit to V10.

That is interesting I’ve not had a pro 2 to test against. I usually use band locking on the Zyxel locking on bands 3,32 and n78 which give me the best speeds but my local mast only has a 300mbps backhaul so even 4G can max out those speeds.

@@nsmmedia It seems three know of the LTE fault on the router and are only sending out the last model now ZTE MC801

Oh right I see that’s interesting to know

Technically you can and even a Smarty sim works in these routers. The thing to note is these routers remain the property of Three so they may ask for it back at the end of the contract although if your using another Three Sim they may let you keep it.

@@nsmmedia That was my plan to use Smarty SIM. I have just signed up for 1 month with 3 which comes with the 5g router. I have a feeling that I have to send it back when the contract is over

Yes they will ask for it back especially if you cancel after a month or two. You can buy these routers 2nd hand off EBay and CeX at reasonable prices if you find a deal. At least with the Three monthly contract and there 30 day money back guarantee you can try it out first to see if it’s any good where you live 👍

Hi Serge, I believe they are unlocked but firmware updates don’t work unless you have a three (or MVO) sim inside.

​@@nsmmediathanks for the reply :) does it really matter if I can't get firmware updates... As long as I can connect to a 5g network

Well I suppose it’s a double edge saw on one hand not having firmware updates means you won’t get locked down further but you also won’t get any bug or security fixes

Thank you for your feedback glad you enjoyed the video. In answer to your questions, 1) It appears the Zyxel FWA510 and NR5103e are identical hardware wise just different firmware. 2) The TS9 connectors I can say for certain work for both 4 and 5G bands The best way to try the service out risk free is to sign up to a temp contract which comes with a 30 day money back guaranteed

Is that the Zyxel or the ZTE your referring to?