Can mobile Internet replace the home Internet? I check on the example of the LTE Archer MR600 router

TP-Link Archer MR600 is an LTE router with only three points in the user manual: you insert a microSIM card, screw the antennas and connect to the power supply.

Finished. The device sends a WiFi network throughout the apartment or house. Does this solution work just as well as home Internet cable?

There are still a lot of regions in Poland without access to the cable Internet network. For many households, the solution is a wireless LTE network offered by telephone service providers. The question arises whether this technology is already reliable enough to fully meet the expectations of the whole family. One where we have demanding players, as well as lovers of movies and series in high quality. I decided to check it on my own example.

Archer MR600 - from the technological perspective of troglodytes.

Not everyone has to be passionate about technology. Not everyone knows how to set up a home WiFi network. IP, SSID, masks, gateways, VPN - for most household members this type of password sounds as enigmatic as the spells from the bulky, dusty book of magic. Fortunately, nowadays even a technological leg is able to put a secured, secure WiFi network in your own home. In addition, within ... 30 seconds.

To create a WiFi network with the Archer MR600, three simple steps are enough. First of all, you insert the microSIM card into the pocket in the router housing. Exactly the same one that you got from the mobile operator and which you put into your smartphone. Then screw on the two antennas included in the kit. Finally, connect Archer to the power supply. Finished. The router turns itself on, and after a while it sends two home WiFi networks - 2.4 GHz for older devices and 5 GHz for newer devices.

For this, such a WiFi network is immediately protected by a password. Both the names of both networks and their password are on a sticker under the router. Of course, nothing prevents you to create your own network name and password in the admin panel. However, this is a task that a person without any experience will rather take on.

Archer MR600 - from the perspective of a typical Internet user.

How does TP-Link Archer MR600 work? Using two external antennas, the router receives the LTE wireless network in the same way as a mobile phone does. Then the device amplifies and reproduces the signal, already as a home WiFi network, using internal antennas. The real range of such a stable, efficient WiFi connection is about 30 meters, including walls, excluding reinforced concrete. Of course, for larger houses or flats, you can use WiFi signal amplifiers to provide network coverage in additional rooms, in the garden, in the attic or in the basement.

However, you can't clearly write about the quality and speed of the Internet connection itself. We are talking about LTE network, differing in parameters depending on the location, number of transmitters nearby, location of base stations, number of other LTE network users around, weather conditions, telephone operator's offer, and even day and night time. TP-Link Archer MR600 supports the modern LTE 4G + Cat 6 standard, allowing connection to the network with a maximum speed of 300 Mbps. In practice, this value will be radically different, precisely because of the variables described above.

Living in one of the further districts of Katowice, my wireless network was characterized by the parameters: 8 - 47 Mbps download, 2 - 27 Mbps sending, 12 - 22 sec. ping. I used the Orange Flex microSIM card. Even taking the worst measurements I have obtained as the basic ones, this type of network is enough to browse websites, read Spider's Web, use Netflix, buy online or watch YouTube. All the needs of a typical Internet user should be met at a high level. There is no question of reading images on the site or white pages of the browser.

Archer MR600 - from the perspective of a fan of films and series.

In accordance with the above obtained values ​​(week of measurements, always one during the day, the other at night, rejection of extreme one-off values), using the Archer MR600 we can easily treat Netflix showing in high quality HD. Of course, unless your home network will be heavily influenced by other users, e.g. those downloading large files.

Based on the official Netflix recommendations for TV applications, 5 Mbps is the suggested value for HD video streaming, while 25 Mbps is the suggested value for 4K video streaming. This means that even using the LTE router in the worst time perspective, I can still afford a new movie or series in high quality. In turn, YouTube content plays by default in 720p quality, but switching to 1080p does not cause any jams. Thanks to WiFi with LTE, I watched the Apple conference live, without any unpleasant surprises.

Archer MR600 - from the player's perspective

Playing the Valorant (WiFi 5 GHz) client of the game indicated a lag of 58 - 62 ms. So very acceptable, but far from the dream 30 ms. Unless we are an CS: GO e-sports veteran, the router provides the right parameters for network play. Both on PC as well as consoles and mobile devices. As for the consumption of packages, the hour of online games is in my case an average of 125 MB of data. Not really that bad, especially comparing it to watching movies and series.

PUBG Mobile (iPhone), Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Switch), Call of Duty Warzone (PS4) and Valorant (PC) - the delay in each of these games allowed for comfortable gameplay without a lag feeling. It is worth adding that any platform dedicated to video games can be connected to the LTE router using a cable and a LAN socket. In this way, we additionally care about the stability of the network connection.

Archer MR600 - from the perspective of a home admin.

Although the router works immediately after connecting to the network, its administration panel allows for some useful modifications. Enjoys the ability to connect and split the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands into one WiFi network. For this we can block any connected device or set the default network. Thanks to this, older machines such as printers will be connected to the 2.4 GHz band, while more resource-hungry devices such as TVs or laptops will be paired on the 5 GHz bands.

Dedicated software allows you to set up a guest network, and also offers parental control. The introduction of profiles is a great solution. Thanks to them, we can assign limits not to individual devices, but to entire groups of devices belonging to a particular household member. Useful for children who can't part with the tablet, smartphone and computer.

A system of priorities in accessing the network is also a practical solution. If we feel like it, we can make our gaming console be considered a device at the top of the list, unlike our sister's laptop. An interesting addition is access to SMS messages when the microSIM card is inside the router.

Can mobile Internet replace the home Internet?

This question depends primarily on the contract with the operator and his communication infrastructure. If we have a sufficiently large data packet to use and the telecom uses the so-called funnel only as a last resort, the tested solution successfully replaces the fixed cable internet. Especially the copper one, still pulled by TPSA, physically not allowing a network faster than 10 or 20 Mbps. It is hard to believe, but places with this type of restrictions occur not only in the villages and in small towns, but also in some parts of Warsaw.

I have used LTE Internet for the last two weeks. I only had problems in two cases. First of all, when I wanted to download a great game to the PS4 memory. Secondly, when I was doing network endurance tests while playing, downloading files and watching Netflix. However, during the natural use of the home network by three household members, surprisingly, we did not come across any major problems. Hence the affirmative answer: LTE Internet can serve as a home network as long as we know the limitations of this technology and the needs of all household members.

The text was created in cooperation with the TP-Link brand.

Can mobile Internet replace the home Internet? I check on the example of the LTE Archer MR600 router