Huawei E589 LTE Mobile WiFi from Smart

Ever since 3g mobile internet became popular, I was already literally connected almost 24/7! I remember using my first colored phone, the Sony Ericsson T68i way back in college to access the internet via GPRS/WAP. It was a big deal to have internet-on-the-go back then!

Then 3g mobile internet came. I brought my laptop with my USB dongle stick everywhere I go so I can work anywhere. I would even work while I was in the car! Unlike now, that wasn't common before. I wasn't contented with the USB dongle so I imported a gadget from the US called the Windy31. It's a USB device that let's you share the internet connection you get from your USB dongle through your laptop or PC via WiFi. Effectively, these are the first generation 3g internet mobile wifi transmitters. A few more years after, the Mobile wifi devices came. It lets you connect to the internet via 3g and can accommodate around 5 devices at a time.

Huawei E589 from Smart: LTE for All!

Now, a new super cool mobile WiFi device will soon become a need to most of us -- the LTE enabled Mobile WiFi! Smart is offering this device very soon. The specific model of that device is Huawei E589. Here are the specs: (source)
*Platform: MDM9200    
*LTE/4G/3G/2G Multimode
*LTE 2600/2100/1800/900MHz
*UMTS 2100/900MHz
*Support 100Mbps download speed
*Support 50Mbps upload speed
*Battery life up to 6 hours
*WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
*MicroSD slot, share file on Micro SD card
*OS: Win7, Windows XP, Windows 2000, Linux, Mac.

Connection stress test: 3 devices video streaming at the same time!

The most important spec for me is the device being LTE able and the fact that it can connect up to 10 devices all at the same time! Here's another cool feature.. just recently, I attended a Smart event and they did a demo of the device. I was shocked on how long the range of the device was!! We were inside Hard Rock cafe in Glorietta 3 and they walked to the CDRking area and they were still connected to the mobile WiFi! Now, that's the 3rd selling point of the device! This is why I am going to upgrade as soon as it is available! Also, the device is backwards compatible meaning, you still can use the usual 3g / hspa / hspa+ connections whenever you are in an area with no LTE signal.

LTE Mobile Wifi Speed Test

My only issue before with mobile WiFis was the battery life. My old Huawei E5832 can give me around 3-4 hours of internet time. This new E589 boasts around 6 hours of internet time. How can you maximize your usage when you can only squeeze 4-6 hours of battery juice? My solution? An arsenal of battery packs! Other than those in the photo below, I bought extra batteries for my MiFi.

The left most one is a 5000mAh battery pack I got from Hong Kong. It can charge USB devices. The middle one is a Mili Powerpack. It has a lower power capacity at 2000mAh but it can charge USB devices and an iPhone (3g/3gs).

I'm getting very excited with this LTE MiFi device. Also, Smart is expanding their LTE coverage very fast! To specifically know where a strong LTE connection is, they distributed LTE sticker pins to establishments. Initial establishments where they placed the LTE sticker pins are:
Hard Rock Cafe Glorietta 3 (Makati)
The Old Spaghetti House (Valero St. Makati)
Barcino Restobar (Fort Bonifacio)
TGI Fridays (Robinsons Galleria)
and
Orchard Road Restaurant (SM Megamall)

Other than that, Smart is also the first telco in the world to use 3 bands! Band 850MHz, 1800MHz and 2100MHz.


Cheftonio
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