3G Router TP-Link M5250: Review, Characteristics

Today we have on review TP-LINK M5250 3G mobile router with a met battery, and support for SIM-cards of almost any cellular operators. I think within this post so can also consider the TP-LINK M5350 model, as they are practically the same.

This small device from TP-LINK, can for 6-7 hours to distribute the Internet to several of your devices. Essentially, it’s a 3G modem and Wi-Fi router in a compact package that can work independently. It easily fits in your pocket, and you can easily lose it in the car.

TP-LINK M5250 works as follows: insert into the mobile router SIM-card of the operator that suits you best in terms of tariffs and quality of communication. We configure all this stuff according to the instruction, which I have already prepared for you: TP-LINK M5250 mobile router setup instruction (and there is practically nothing to configure there). Charge the battery from the computer, and that’s it, the router is ready to distribute Internet connection for 10 devices (that’s the maximum). As for the speed, the router can work in 2G and 3G networks. The maximum speed is 21.6 Mbps. Also, you can insert a Micro SD card into the router (maximum 32 GB), and use it as a flash drive.

Personally, I think that this is an ideal device for those who need access to the Internet in the car, in nature, and in those places where there is simply no possibility to connect to a home or public Wi-Fi network. Yes, you can access the Internet from a smartphone, and even distribute the Internet via wi-fi. But nowadays not every smartphone survives until the evening without charging, and there is such a load on it. It will need to rustle it every couple hours 🙂 And here we turned on the router, and get the Internet when we need it. There will definitely be no problems with charging the router. Micro USB cable can now be found everywhere: at home, in the car, at work, etc.

TP-LINK M5250 review

Almost the entire router is made of plastic, which looks like rubberized. But no, it’s just embossed plastic. There are inserts of glossy plastic, on the front and on the back panel. They get covered with scratches very quickly, and collect fingerprints.

On the front panel you can see the logo, a button to turn on and off the router, and a glossy panel with three indicators: battery level, status of Internet connection, and the status of the Wi-Fi network. During operation they fade out, and only the charge level blinks. To see all the indicators, you need to press the power button.

This is how TP-LINK M5250 looks in the car:

The back cover is removable. Under it there is a battery and two slots: for SIM-card and Micro SD card. The cover comes off very easily, but it doesn’t come off. Even after dropping it on the grass, I’ve already managed to drop it 🙂 .

That’s basically it. The kit comes with a USB cable for charging, a manual, and adapters from micro-SIM, and nano-SIM to a regular card.

The control panel is simple, in English. You can go to the settings as on ordinary routers. At the address 192.168.0.1, through the browser. I wrote more about it here. Well, and see the configuration instructions, the link was given at the beginning of the article.

Features:

Support for HSPA+, HSPA, UMTS, EDGE, GRPS, GSM networks.
Built-in battery for 2000 mAh.
Support for Micro SD cards up to 32 GB. Detected as a storage device when connected to a computer.
Wi-Fi speed up to 150 Mbps.
Wi-Fi network encryption: WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK.
Antennas are built-in.

Reviews of TP-LINK M5250

The device is definitely interesting. As for the reviews in the network, they are very different. And as usual, contradict one to another. They mostly write that it holds the battery well, up to 10 hours. From the disadvantages: there is no charging adapter in the kit (you can use the adapter from the phone, or charge from the computer), and there is no way to connect the router to the computer in modem mode. But this is a router, it should not be connected in modem mode (although, it would be nice). We buy a wi-fi receiver for the computer, and without problems connect to the Internet.

I would highlight only the glossy parts of the case, which are scratched, and not very informative screen. More precisely, there is not even a screen, but just indicators. It’s good when you can quickly find out what network the router is working in, signal strength, traffic consumption, etc. Therefore, I would probably advise you to buy the TP-LINK M5350 model. They are the same, only TP-LINK M5350 has a small screen, which displays useful information. And if you need 4G/LTE support, you can check out the TP-LINK M7350.

Leave your reviews about TP-LINK M5250 and share your user experience if you already own this device.