B818 vs Smart Modem 2

Forums › Spark New Zealand (including Skinny and BigPipe) › B818 vs Smart Modem 2

tchart

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#310679 12-Nov-2023 10:58

Found a Smart Modem 2 at an op shop yesterday and decided to try it out. My office currently uses a Huawei B818.

Was surprised to find it’s much slower on LTE. Wasn’t expecting worse performance.

The B818 gets around 125mbps while the SM2 gets around 60mbps. This is on Skinny in the exact same position in the office.

Is this expected?

I see the SM2 is CAT12 while B818 is CAT19 so that’s probably the answer.

Jiriteach

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#3158742 12-Nov-2023 21:40

Really that much difference? I have SSM2's for my backup links that work well but dont see more than 100+. I do on my mobile but thats 5g.
I wanted to try the B818's but on the Wireless Broadband plans - sims are locked to the devices.

-- opinions expressed by me are solely my own. ie - personal

tchart

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#3158773 13-Nov-2023 08:19

This morning B818

Smart Modem 2

The closest "line of sight" tower is about 3km away. We do have another closer by but its behind a hill.

Jiriteach

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#3158774 13-Nov-2023 08:22

Those speeds on the B818 look more like 5g speeds!

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tchart

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#3158776 13-Nov-2023 08:25

Does seem to be very variable on the SM2 (both tests are SM2)

tchart

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#3158777 13-Nov-2023 08:30

And back over to B818

Jiriteach

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#3158779 13-Nov-2023 08:31

Thanks for the comparison. Useful to know and I’ve been meaning to a grab a B818.

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tchart

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#3158782 13-Nov-2023 08:33

Jiriteach: Those speeds on the B818 look more like 5g speeds!

Hey J, yeah I originally had a B816 and was surprised about the jump in speed when I switched to the B818. I was hoping I'd see another bump with the SM2.

The SM2 looks much nicer in terms of UI and tweaking but I cant fault the B818.