Review 3G/4G LTE Wi-Fi Router TP-Link TL-MR6400 With Support for Sim Cards

To organize access to the Internet via mobile operator’s network, now you don’t need to buy a modem, choose a router for it, or use your smartphone as a router in modem mode (which is not very convenient and not always possible). All we need is a TP-Link TL-MR6400 router and a SIM-card of any operator. And in a few minutes we can get fast Internet on all our devices where there is 3G/4G coverage.

TP-Link TL-MR6400 is a usual stationary router, but with a built-in 3G/4G modem and a SIM-card slot. And it is very convenient. It is not possible to connect wired Internet everywhere. Especially in villages, dachas, etc. There are many places where the only way to connect to the Internet is 3G/4G network of one or several operators. And if earlier we had to buy a USB modem for a SIM-card of a certain operator and look for a router that will work with this modem (and this is not always easy to do, I wrote about it here), now you can install TP-Link TL-MR6400 and just insert a SIM-card into it. We can then connect devices to the internet over a Wi-Fi network and with a network cable. Depending on the operators (coverage) available in your region and your tasks, you can choose a suitable tariff and buy a separate SIM-card specifically for the router.

Technical characteristics of TP-Link TL-MR6400 are the most usual. The router distributes Wi-Fi network at a speed of up to 300 Mbps. There are 3 LAN ports and 1 LAN/WAN port. This means that the router can work not only with SIM-card, but also as a usual router with WAN-port Ethernet (you can change the mode of operation).

For some reason, everyone writes that external antennas are used to receive 4G signal. And Wi-Fi antennas are built-in. But on the official site in the TL-MR6400 v3 specifications it’s the other way around: 2 built-in 4G LTE antennas and 2 external Wi-Fi antennas. I don’t know how it is in reality, but the router’s 3G/4G signal reception is better than that of a smartphone.

The setup is very simple. I didn’t even set up the internet connection. I just inserted a SIM card, turned on the router and it immediately started giving out internet. You only need to set a password to protect the router control panel and set the Wi-Fi network settings (not necessary, but desirable). The settings are in English, but it is not difficult to understand them. The control panel is new (in blue colors).

Appearance of TP-Link TL-MR6400

Already by tradition we start with the box 🙂

Inside is the router itself, power adapter, network cable and various papers. Everything is well and securely packed.

The glossy plastic is nice. But the black glossy plastic, from which the cover of this router is made, very much collects fingerprints. Well and dust on it is very noticeable. The bottom part of the router is made of matte plastic. On the top there is an embossed logo of TP-Link company. At the bottom there are indicators that can be seen only when the router is on. They are lit in blue color.

And another photo.

Everything is standard at the bottom – cooling holes, holes that allow you to hang the router on the wall and a sticker with the factory information.

All ports, connectors and buttons are located at the back of the router. There we have a power socket, 4 LAN ports (one of them works as WAN), POWER On/Off button, a separate button for disabling and enabling Wi-Fi and WPS/Reset button. And the most interesting thing is a slot for a micro-SIM SIM-card.

On other sites I saw information that the antennas are removable. But they are not. I don’t know, maybe it depends on the hardware version. Let me remind you that I have TL-MR6400 v3.

How does the TL-MR6400 work with the SIM card?

I just inserted a SIM-card into the slot (the card is new, 4G) and the router started giving out Internet immediately. Three indicators show the signal strength. In my case it was maximum. On the phone in this place the signal is not maximum. So the router has the best reception.

The control panel displays detailed information on connecting to the mobile network. Network mode (3G/4G), signal strength, connection status, etc.

Measuring the connection speed through the router (the laptop was connected via cable):

Incoming speed 47 Mbps. But as I understand, this is far from the maximum speed. I’ve seen reviews that you can squeeze out 70-80 Mbps and even more. I think a lot depends on the operator, signal strength, base station. For some reason the outgoing speed was not great. Only 3 Mbps. But on the phone at the same time was about the same speed. I don’t know what this is due to. Maybe there were some problems at the base station. Usually outgoing speed is almost the same as incoming speed.

The conclusions are as follows: if you have an opportunity to have a normal cable internet – do it. In this case, this router is not very suitable for you. There is no point in overpaying for functionality that you will not use. But if you have a possibility to connect only mobile Internet in your house, at work, etc., then TP-Link TL-MR6400 is an excellent solution.

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Ramón

TP-Link