Finally, what many were waiting for happened - Kinetics came out with a built-in 3G / 4G modem.
A few years ago, a Zyxel Keenetic LTE router was produced with a built-in modem that supported only 4G (in my mother's dacha there is one and has been providing video surveillance for two years). Now there are two models with support for all 2G / 3G / 4G networks:
Keenetic Runner 4G (Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz, network 100 Mbps),
Keenetic Hero 4G (Wi-Fi 2.4 / 5 GHz, 1 Gbps network, USB).
Two 4G antennas in routers are removable and this is no accident - for better reception of the cellular network signal, you can connect an external MIMO antenna to the SMA connectors. The set includes a 12V 2A power supply, a flat Ethernet cable, instructions and an adapter for a sim card.
The SIM card slot is located on the back, next to the Ethernet ports. SIM format - MicroSIM (adapter for NanoSIM included).
The front panel has five indicators (one of which is configurable) and a configurable button. Keenetic Hero has a USB port and one more button on the side.
I hoped that routers have a mode for the completely lazy - you plug in a SIM card and the router works without any settings at all, but no, the initial setting is still necessary.
However, the minimum setting is reduced to a few clicks of the "next" button. One of the stages involves downloading and updating the firmware. By default, the name and password of the Wi-Fi network are set, written on the label located on the bottom of the router case.
Due to the fact that the modem is built-in, routers have fine settings for connecting via a mobile network and displaying many parameters of this network. You can even select the 3G / 4G bands.
Signal levels are displayed (common and for two antennas separately), base station ID, cell sector and even the distance to it.
There is work with SMS (you can read and send messages).
USSD commands are supported, you can check the balance of the sim card.
Due to the fact that Kinetics have their own cloud KeenDNS server, you can read and send SMS and check the balance remotely from anywhere on the Internet through a browser or mobile application.
The price for the older Keenetic Hero model was made very attractive - 8990 rubles. This is only 1100 rubles more expensive than Keenetic Viva, which is similar in hardware (Viva has two USB ports and four Wi-Fi antennas, Hero has one USB port and two Wi-Fi antennas, all other parameters are the same).
Perhaps the main model for using this router is the use of the mobile Internet as a backup in the presence of the main high-speed connection. However, in some cases, the mobile Internet can be the main one (in the country or in a private house).
A simple Keenetic Runner just asks for dacha video surveillance and other technical applications, but the price was set at 6,990 rubles. This is 5000 rubles more expensive than Keenetic Start similar in hardware (Runner only has twice as much RAM) and 4100 rubles more expensive than Keenetic 4G with a USB port. It is very expensive. If the price of the Runner drops to at least 4,990 rubles, there will be an excellent replacement for the Kinetics 4G with a USB modem connected to it.
Keenetic routers are unique in many ways. Perhaps their main feature is a single firmware with the same capabilities for all models - from the cheapest to the oldest (the models differ only in "hardware"). These routers support the MESH network (you can install several routers in a large house and they will provide a single Wi-Fi network with a seamless transition), remote control (in including through the mobile application), support for several Internet sources with auto-switching in case of failures, filters (including children), many settings, convenient interface. It's great that models with a built-in modem have finally appeared. Keenetic Hero will certainly become popular, Keenetic Runner also has every chance for this if the manufacturer lowers the price.
© 2020, Alexey Nadezhin
For ten years I have been writing every day about technology, discounts, places of interest and events. Read my blog on the site ammo1.ru, in LJ, Zen, Mirtesen.
My projects:
Lamptest.ru. I test LED lamps and help figure out which ones are good and which are not so good.
Elerus.ru. I collect information about domestic electronic devices for personal use and share it.
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