Bsnl Prithvi UE100 With TP-Link MR3020 router Review

vspraneeth05

Right off the assembly line
Hi, everyone.

I had purchased a BSNL EVDO connection about an year ago. The modem i provided was Prithvi UE100 and i am happy with the purchase. I live in Bangalore near Hennur Ring Road.
I am currently using the Prepaid 750 Unlimited plan.

I also have another desktop and a laptop a phone and recently acquired a tablet (Nexus 7). My father's idea was to discontinue with the Evdo and take a permanent broadband connection, but the broadband did not give any Unlimited plan without FUP so i was reluctant to switch to Broadband.

So , the only way was to buy a router which has the availability to share the internet from the usb modem through wifi. The idea was simple. There were a number of routers (Lava, Hame, Asus ,D link Tp link and couple of other chinese brands.)to choose from, but was not sure if any one was compatible my usb modem.
So i wrote to all the companies customer care. The replies started coming that it does not support the dongle.

I searched online and found that many other people also also in a similar situation as i am. TP LINK was the only company which assured me a refund if the router failed to work with the modem. (MODEL-TP Link MR3020). I finally got the device form flipkart for about 1400.
View attachment 11662
Link-*www.tp-link.in/products/details/?categoryid=218&model=TL-MR3020

Contents-
Router
Ethernet Cable
USB Power Adapter
A usb cable
Cd resource
A quickstart Guide.View attachment 11663

There are 4 LED indicatore Power, WIfi Internet status and Lan connection, a WPS/Reset button.
View attachment 11664
The first thing that came to mind when opening this box is they sure did try to take a leaf from Apple's packaging book. The main box slides out from the printed cover presenting the router to you in a padded cushion. Underneath that you find the all the bits and pieces. The second thing I noticed was how incredibly short the USB cable was. If you intend to plug this into a wall socket your options for positioning it will be severly limited. I'll assume then the main idea was to power it from one of the machines connecting to it.

I plugged in the BSNL Dongle, connected the lan cable and power it on.
View attachment 11665View attachment 11666View attachment 11667
To configure the rourter open any brower on any device an go to 192.168.0.254
The default username and password was admin which can be changed.
there ware a lot of options to tinker with the router. It Supports b/g/n bands in 2.4 GHz
View attachment 11668View attachment 11669
Then to get connected to the internet navigate to the QUICK SETUP, choose 3g/4g only,enter the details according to your requirements, then enter your username and password. LEAVE THE APN FIELD BLANK do not enter anything. Dail number is #777.
hit next enter the network ssid name, configure your security. Nexts the router will prompt you to reboot

Once it is rebooted You will automatically be connecter to the net and the corresponding LED on router will be blinking.
View attachment 11670View attachment 11671
The range of the connection was pertty descent for its size. I got full network on ground floor and the good coverage on the first floor.

If any one is not getting good signals when using with the computer can use this device to place this router at a higher position and connect through WIFI

This router can also be used to connect with the Lan port.

My advice is to upgrade the firmware for the device from the TPlink website so that it resolves any bugs.

I tedted the device with for dongles

HUAWEI E1732( Connecter Automatically without any need to enter details)--Aircel,Airtel,Tata Docomo
Prithvi UE100 (Required username and password)--BSNL
Zte AC8710 (Required username and password)--TATA Indicom( now docomo )
Huawei EC150 (Required username and password)--Reliance

the router worked fine with all these dongles provides the username and password are correct.

Many people may think that speed may wary when the dongle is connected to the computer and router, In my experience there was not much difference in speed.
I actually used to place the router on the 1st floor balcony and browse and get better speeds of about 150~200KBps.

The tp link customer care were brilliant in support and offered me any assistance i needed.

I would recommend this router to any one who wants to share internet with others using any dongle.
Ths router is extremelly portable,and can also be used in car by powering through the car charger port.

Bottom Line: The TP-LINK TL-MR3020 3G/4G Wireless N150 Portable Router is well designed and efficient in what it does. retail is a small price to pay to have a WiFi network when it’s either a cellular modem or nothing at all.

Up to 150 Mbps speed
Top-loaded indicator lights
Attractive design

When i was writing this review i did not have my Bsnl connection active as i did not pay for this month, I will defenetly update the post with pictures when using with my bsnl

UPDATED ON 9 Aug 1:30
 
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