D-Link DWR-2101 Review - AX1800 WiFi 6 5G SIM Router

[@T.S-h4k]

Thanks for the fantastic video, like all of your videos it’s been really helpful. We are looking for a solution to stream the odd film and make occasional Zoom video calls from our iPad whilst away in our camper van, but we are a bit put-off by the high price tags of all of the decent sim routers. We would not really need to connect other devices other than the iPad to a router so are not sure how much we need one, but I have heard that a router would help improve the signal we get. So I wonder if you would know if we would get a much stronger signal with a router like the DWR-2101 compared to a sim directly in the iPad?, or would you advise that we stick to just using the sim in the iPad directly? It’d be great if you could help us out with a quick reply. Many thanks.

[@pauldavies961]

If only they had allowed external antennas and the ability to use it without the battery (as far as I'm aware needs to be in the unit but please correct me if wrong). I would love to see these features in the next build!

[@doctorkj5640]

Can it be powered via usb only with battery removed?

[@peterkendall1687]

Hi, although you posted this video a few years ago, I’m hoping you still look at the comments. I have a question that I hope you can answer. I’m looking to use this in France where I have a second home. My village only currently gets 4g. I read a review of this on Amazon from someone who was in the exact same situation as me, and he/she said it didn’t work with local SIM cards as the French networks expected a true 4g connection, not an LTE, so the SIM cards they bought in France didn’t work with this router. Do you have any thoughts on this? Thanks in advance.

[@bruceryan4160]

Can you do a review of the best 5g receiver to use in a motorhome driving round the UK and Europe. As power is not an issue the unit does it have to have a good battery.

[@robertolira9843]

Thank you for this video on your recommendation I have purchased one of this. I have a sim card from Voxi and I am getting over 300mbps, so I am hoping this will be the thing to use in my garden office.

[@nick3795]

I am looking into getting a 5G router but I probably will not be going for a mobile option. Do you have any views on the Zyxel NR5101, maybe Zyxel could send you one for review? Informative video by the way and nice delivery

[@anthonycraig274]

Can you add an Ariel to the D-Link for greater signal?

[@robertolira9843]

Thank you for your video. I purchased this item based on your great video. Been using as my main router with vodafone sim at home with no issues. Just lately I am getting message to say battery temperature . Is this something you have come across ? thanks for your assistance.

[@john-xg4ob]

Can you remove the battery and use the device just plugged-in the outlet? Thanks!

[@GoldenGo_OSe]

Yes you can. But you need to buy a stand-alone powerplug which is compatible with it.

[@john-xg4ob]

@@GoldenGo_OSe Thank you for answering. Have you tried this yourself? Reason I asked is because I want something that I can use at home and just leave in an outlet and then just put the battery if I go out. That way the battery won't be depleted fast.

[@GoldenGo_OSe]

@@john-xg4ob Yes, I have the router myself and I use it without the battery as a fallback solution. But as I said before, you need to find a compatible plug. I tried a iPhone charger and it powered up, but died during load (speed test). The one I’m using now has Qualcomm quick charge 3.0 and had enough juice for it to work no matter what I threw at it. 😊

[@john-xg4ob]

@@GoldenGo_OSe Thanks, a USB-C PD charger head might do the trick. Thank you!

[@GoldenGo_OSe]

@@john-xg4ob No biggie, good luck 👊

[@GRIFF22]

Good review, their website is really short on info. What chipset is it using, I doubt its a qualcomm at this price? What category lte does it support, because most people will still be on 4g+ ? Can the ethernet port be used for passthrough mode, I'd really like to offload this to my Orbi mesh system?

[@nascompares]

Hi buddy. I'll have this router back in the studio later this week (reviewing a bunch of 5G routers and comparing). Ill try to check and cover these queries for you

[@GRIFF22]

@@nascompares That's great thank you. I noticed in the settings video you did that there's IP passthrough, but I don't think that's the same thing. I know a lot of people who want to use these 5g routers want to offload the signal to a more capable router, mainly because the 5g router has to be placed in a window / high up in the building, and that creates issues for living room coverage for example.

[@darrenhill5802]

Will it allow my lad to play fornight in the camper van, therefore I can have some peace? Regards

[@bengrogan9710]

Can you do a data speed, ping metrics and signal strength comparison for these sorts of Sim Routers vs simply tethering a mid-high range phone? Can these justify their spot in the packed traveling bag when you already have the phone?

[@nascompares]

EXCELLENT QUESTION/POINT Ben!! I would need to use a 5G Phone/5G coverage area in order to fully make this point - added to the filming schedule! But in the meantime, to answer your Question a little for now, the main benefits are 1) much, MUCH better shared access across multiple devices using the WiFi/hotspot 2) Thethering is not as consistent in throughput as RJ45/LAN connections (sometimes needs additional system drivers or has higher latency 3) Phones have fewer and weaker internal antennae and therefore the overall available network connectivity (which is then shared to one or more clients) is going to be less than a dedicated router system with more/better antenna. Thanks for the question though, VERY useful comment!

[@nascompares]

Thanks for the vid idea Ben, it's going live on April 20th - kzbin.info/www/bejne/h3iYlImdncx1mac

[@bengrogan9710]

@@nascompares thanks for being so responsive to questions =)

[@nascompares]

I gotta be honest, I was pretty lousy at it before (YT wasn't my full time job and I still had family/social commitments), but trying to get a tad more proactive now that Eddie the Web Guy is on board! Oh and your Q was pretty spot on, can't ignore the gold! Toodle pip!

[@swiftdetecting]

is there any ones like this but also have a 5g antenna port so you can make signal better if u wanted to ?

[@rommelbautista6480]

do you know if i can buy extra battery for this?

[@raykeogh1972]

Netgear has ports for Mimo that cannot take aerial can it ?

[@TheGreendabomb]

Can it power a POE CCTV camera..????

[@Ronnie01964]

I have the same mifi router and i found a bug. Testing speed loses all connections, even a reboot doesn't fix it. A handshake with my phone and it comes alive again.

[@anthonycraig274]

OK, this is news, are you saying USB-3x vs USB-2 there is a difference in charging speed? Really? I thought it was purely for data. Power is controlled by the device and charge point.

[@darrenhill5802]

Can it charge up on 12 v ?

[@waveland]

I have used the 4G Nighthawk off and on the last year, and in the right neighborhood it’s been a lifesaver. Unfortunately I don’t see a sales outlet for either the D-Link or the Netgear 5G hotspots in the US. I found a few kicking around on eBay, but unfortunately that’s all for now.

[@nascompares]

Thanks for sharing. Did you ever experience the battery/restart issue that some had on that device?

[@waveland]

@@nascompares Not to date, though I do not get to use the Nighthawk all that often. I switch between hotspots for streaming, depending on which network has the highest data rate in a particular location..

[@MrSeanys]

can this device be used with the battery removed. i.e. tethered via USB or plugged in to mains electricity with the battery removed?

[@nascompares]

Already answered this before in your previous comment, just didn't want you to think I am ignoring it!

[@MrSeanys]

@@nascompares thank you again!

[@thebobman69]

@Mrseanys , i'm woundering the same thing, what was the response?>

[@MrSeanys]

@@thebobman69 @NASCompares he said it can't be used with the battery removed. My concern was that if I were to use it 24/7 as a home internet router through a 5g cellular connection, that at some point the battery would degrade by constantly being charged and fail. If it were possible to remove the battery to be only used when out and about, this device would be a good long term solution for home and mobile use.

[@kalimotako6954]

The biggest problem I've encountered is the battery. I couldn't find a replacement

[@darrenhill5802]

I can not get this thing to work, it is the SIM card, it won’t fit in properly

[@TedTabaka]

Does not seem to be available in the U.S.A., sadness.

[@nascompares]

I KNOW!!!!! Stupidly annoying as I wanted to buy one for a colleague in NYC (who I owe like 10 favours too at this stage) - and nope, no sign. Couple of specialist retailers over there have it listed, but its imported from Europe and would make delivery and warranty a bit of a nightmare down the road. Do stick around tomorrow/Friday for the performance benchmarks - they are not ground breaking, as 5G is still not as widespread as you might like, so might make you feel better. Cheers for watching.

[@Ronnie01964]

Found another bug: Leave that thingy on for a few days and it doesn't respond to anything, you can't even put it on again, unless you lift up the battery. It is absolutely a worthless router.

[@andaroo79]

Very unstable. This crashed for me regularly. Sent it back to Amazon and replaced it with the ZTE equivalent

[@amirhafizilotfabadi5261]

Thx for info

[@curranhouse]

Alot of these will be used in RV / Campers / Trucks. To not have a wall mount is silly.

[@Zaj88]

I feel like the sound is desynced from the video ever so slightly... is it only me?

[@anthonycraig274]

Pity you couldn’t get your hands on a Netgear M5 to see if it really is worth it.

[@pontifexinstitute]

It's a very pale copy of the ZyXel NR 2101 which is far superior, for a hundred quids difference...🧐

[@richiguru7564]

You have to restart the Zyxel NR2101 around once a day if you use an ethernet cable, the wireless isn't the best latency-wise either. It's a waste of time and money.

[@bellacruz6763]

This couldve been a ~10min video. Informative but I think the script can be better.

[@raquelworthing]

Such a pain in there arse getting the sim in !

[@oldman9916]

I would rather buy phone in same money range

[@georgejaxxin4957]

I guess no test

[@nascompares]

2 others videos published just after this one with tests!

[@Prinxkarz20]

Speed test is more important than to your nonsense talk

[@samihyppia8472]

250 pounds ??? What the hell o.O Its a ripoff !

[@sully86]

Get a hair cut 💇‍♂️

[@nascompares]

48hours after this...80% gone!