The ZTE MC801A 5G is a 5G Router aimed at users seeking high internet speeds and connection reliability. The Router provides users with the ability to connect multiple devices to the internet via the wireless Wi-Fi connection.
It is suitable for professionals who need a reliable internet connection for their work, as well as for users who need high speeds to enjoy their entertainment activities, such as videos and games. It is also suitable for users living in areas where cable or satellite network connections are insufficient or even non-existent, as the router allows them to connect to the internet via the 5G network.
For internet access, it needs to be connected to a modem.
Enjoy High-Speed 5G
Equipped with Qualcomm Snapdragon X55, which supports 5G network, you can enjoy high-speed internet connection. Downlink rate LTE+5G EN-DC reaches 3.8Gbps.
The 5G network, which offers significantly higher speeds than 4G.
For the device to operate at this speed, there must be corresponding coverage from the mobile network in the area where we are located.
Wide Coverage
The 4MIMO antennas achieve optimal wireless performance. Extend the flexibility of the mesh router to enhance Wi-Fi coverage indoors.
Wi-Fi 6 Technology
Supports up to 32 WiFi-enabled devices, including laptops, tablets, phones, gaming consoles, and many more!
It is Wi‑Fi 6 generation, the most modern Wi-Fi standard that offers speeds up to 40% faster than Wi-Fi 5.
Innovation in the 5G Industry
The 10 Gigabit Ethernet port ensures flexible connection of all types of wired devices. It provides stable high-speed and low-latency 5G network services.
Excellent industrial design
The small and exquisite industrial design, the unique ring, and the improved design make it the perfect tool in your home.
Features:
Ideal for homes with many smart devices.
It broadcasts signal on two frequencies, 2.4 & 5GHz. It offers higher speeds compared to single band and connection of more devices. The 2.4GHz frequency is the most widespread and has a long range. The 5GHz provides higher speed than the 2.4GHz but is more sensitive to obstacles (e.g., walls) that reduce its range. This difference and its more limited use help it to have fewer interferences from other networks.
It has the ability to configure a VPN (Virtual Private Network) so that the traffic from all devices on our network passes through it. The VPN acts as an intermediary between us and the rest of the internet, giving us the ability to appear as if we are geographically in another country and the pages we visit see the VPN address as the visitor and not our own. This provides us with anonymity and access to geographically restricted content. VPN services are usually paid with a subscription. With MAC address filtering, it allows specific devices to connect based on their unique MAC address, blocking any device with a MAC address that has not been designated as acceptable.
Specifications are collected from official manufacturer websites. Please verify the specifications before proceeding with your final purchase. If you notice any problem you can
report it here.
Well, this little router has driven me crazy.
One has a signal of -70dBm, the next one -95dBm, and the next one -120dBm, and it doesn't catch... whatever it wants.
And this happens with both 5G and 4G.
I've ended up constantly being in its menu to know what's going on.
I restored it hoping it would fix it, and look at what happened to the menu!
What kind of nonsense is this?
Not only does the menu look weird, but also any help it had, I no longer have!
Conclusion: Do not dare to restore it and the next time do something other than ZTE
Excellent, no need for any adjustments, you insert the card and finally you have internet. How magical can it be to reach at least 150 mbps in Greece in 2024. For years we struggled with max 2 mbps.
Very good without even using an external antenna like I thought I would need to get a better signal, and the antenna is about 300 meters away and I still get even better reception than in the photo I uploaded. I recommend it
Very good and with stable connection .. the speeds between it and iPhone 12plus do not have a big deviation .. it has some glitches but nothing problematic .. Wi-Fi with short range .. time will tell for the rest ..
Excellent router, where a tplink 4g reached 15-25 in the countryside, this one reaches 70-100 in an area with very poor signal (-105 to -112db) very stable and even outdoors. Especially at the price I got it, it's a steal. In Athens with moderate signal (-100db) it reached 540 easily. Don't think twice, it's the best
Awesome. I am in a village that has speeds up to 50 mbps and only Cosmote works, but with Vodafone I get unlimited 150 mbps with 4G+.
In the city, it reaches 5G with speeds from 500 mbps to 900 mbps, depending on the signal in different areas within the city.
For me, it is definitely worth it and I don't regret buying it.
I pay 30 euros per month for 2 SIM cards with Vodafone and I have unlimited internet both on my mobile and at home.
The additional 5 euros is for the second card I have in the router.
It is simply a LIFESAVER for those of us who do not have optical fiber yet. I have had it for a month and it really worth its money. The only negative is that the sockets for an external antenna break relatively easily, now imagine I had to take it for repair because one of the two sockets broke
Very good, reliable, and fast! Good construction in terms of quality. However, it also has a place for a phone on the back. Something that is missing from the photos. Was there a mistake?
I just want to say that I have an iPhone 15 pro max and inside my house I have up to 40-50mb, the kids with the schools convinced me to get it and thankfully!! In a difficult area (province) with the ZTEmc801A I reach speeds up to 150mb, while with the to-link v2 4g I couldn't go beyond 12-18mb for any reason, I really saved, I'm in an area without internet with some lines of 2-4mb vdsl so think how I felt when I saw 100+mb in my house. It's worth it and more, really.
New update: After two days, I took the router out of the house and connected the PC and I have 800mb and 60 upload but unfortunately I no longer have a good signal inside the house but I got an extender to boost the signal, I will come back for updates when the extender arrives
I have an unlimited Comote connection, and I am on the ground floor with not very good signal. I had a TP-link MR600 4G router, but during peak hours, the speeds would drop to as low as 5Mb/s, while in the early morning hours when the network was free, it would reach up to 140Mb/s. I bought the used MC801a and found my solution. In the exact same spot where the other router was, I now get speeds of 500+ during peak hours, and in the morning on weekends, I have seen speeds of up to 940. It likely reaches the 1Gb ethernet limit. They should have provided it with a 2.5Gb port since its 5G modem has the capability for speeds over 1Gb.
Its WiFi is quite fast, my mobile locks in at 1200Mb on the 5GHz band, but with Ethernet on my PC, I always get higher speeds.
Its menu is not very rich, and it doesn't give you many options for settings. On the other hand, for a regular user, it is practically plug and play.
If you are not getting 5G with a Comote SIM card, put the card in a mobile phone and send an SMS "5G" to 1333 to activate it.
If you want to test to see if you have a good signal at home, download the "Cellmapper" application on a 5G mobile phone and check if you are catching the N78 band with a strong signal. If you are catching the N28 or N1 bands, the maximum speeds will be much lower than what I mentioned in my case.
One thing I will say.... I have tried almost everything from routers and antennas..... I installed it and saw a big difference and very stable speed!!! I had 50-70 and now 140-150 mbps consistently! The speeds I mention are wireless. First day today! I will come back!! After two months, I have to say that it's worth every euro! Stable speeds without any disconnections!
I got it as a test because the 4G routers I use were giving me 14-18 Mbps wifi and I wanted to see how much of a difference it makes - it reaches 160-200 but not during the day when the network is obviously busy. Nevertheless, it is very good. Its menu is very poor, it does not have SIM card management options like disabling the PIN, for example, so it asks for it every time it restarts. So far, it hasn't had any interruptions for 4 days.
In my house, I have a 100Mbps connection and there is no possibility for more. So, I bought this router to test if it fully covers me in real use and to disconnect the fixed internet. I get speeds of 240Mbps and above, with a maximum of around 400Mbps, which is the highest I have seen where I live. It is quite easy to use, even for someone who doesn't know much about settings. It is also convenient in terms of size if someone wants to take it with them on vacation, for example.
So far, everything is perfect, even for gaming (although I don't play FPS games that much to pay attention to milliseconds, but everything runs smoothly).
I use it with Cosmote with an extra SIM in my contract, and essentially, with just 3 euros per month, I have these speeds. It will pay off soon.
*You might need to first insert the SIM into a device and send an SMS to the provider to activate 5G. (If you don't see 5G at first)
Definitely worth its money. In my area, I have 24 lines and it reaches 16-17 download. Now with 4G+, sometimes it reaches 25-60 and other times 100-180. The only problem is that I have 5G on my mobile but not on the modem. I am still experimenting because I have had it for 3 days, but it is definitely worth it.
Update: After 5 days of using the modem, it is simply incredible. Very good speeds. If you don't have fiber and have a decent signal, it's worth going for such a solution.
Update 2: I removed one star because the Wi-Fi signal is not good. I have it in my living room and in the room next to it, I have 2 Wi-Fi lines and many times it disconnects, the speed is noticeably lower, and the ms is quite high
I have it for 3 days now. It replaced a TP-Link mr600v2. In the spot where I have it, the mr600 reached a maximum of 120mbps, this one reaches an average of 350 down and a maximum of 750 down. Upload is 40-60. For reference, my 5g mobile reaches up to 400 in the same spot. Provider is Cosmote with gigamax unlimited
After 6 months, suddenly the 5G card stopped working, while it works fine with the 4G card!
Update: In a question to ZTE, I was informed that in their routers, the user can change the network type to 5G NSA and restart. After doing this, everything works fine.
The problem was solved by switching back from the settings to 5G NSA, due to the fact that OTE is piloting new 5G SA in some areas..... (we had to figure it out ourselves)!
Exactly what the description says. Fast installation and very reliable connection. Very good WiFi compared to what providers give. Speeds depend only on the provider. Worth every euro
Like the previous users, I have had a very good experience so far with the router! With a 5G Cosmote Unlimited connection, I achieve perfect and stable speeds (170-180 Mbps download, 50 upload)!
Same speeds as the phone in the same location (at least for me), wifi 6 (1200mbps), easy and simple menu, works with cosmote unlimited sim card. Stable operation without problems so far. It has an automatic restart setting (this makes me think that it will have some glitches, but so far it hasn't needed a restart in over a month of operation)
Super machine, easy to set up either as a central router or in bridge mode. I chose the second option since I have a FritzBox that I wouldn't change for anything.
Where there is no optical, it is a one-way street (of course, if it catches 5G). If it doesn't catch 5G, get a 4G router for 50 euros. I consistently have 200mbps down and 80 up day and night, and for those interested in gaming, I have a stable ping of 40-60. In the future, I will try it with an external antenna, but for now, it covers me.
The machine is a "dynamite"... In an area where optical fibers have not been installed and with internet speeds (from all companies) that do not exceed 13mbps... it catches 5G signal at 535mbps (on the first try) and everything seems so perfectly crafted. I should add that we use a SIM card from a new mobile connection, with the subsidized program COSMOTE GIGAMAX UNLIMITED (with unlimited data and calls)... The machine simply rocks so far and provides solutions where you would otherwise throw your hands up. I highly recommend it without hesitation.
Translated from Greek ·
Operational stability
Ease of installation
Speed
Value for money
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