Huawei launched the E5151 portable WiFi router in India earlier this month, here we have the complete review of the device. We already reviewed the Huawei E5331 a Mi-Fi device earlier this year, the successor has an Ethernet port to connect your modem so that you can use this as a WiFi router. Is the device better than its predecessor ? Let us dive into the complete review to find out. Box Contents
The device comes in a tiny box, here are the list of box contents
- Huawei E5151
- Micro USB cable for PC connectivity and charging
- Quick Start guide
- Safety Information booklet
Design and Hardware
The device has a nice pebble shape and has LED indicators for Ethernet, Signal, Wi-Fi, Battery and SMS. Huawei could have added a tiny LED screen. There is a power button next to it that can be pressed for a few seconds to switch ON the device. There is a LED breathing light between the indicator and the power button, which is the power indicator. The device is compact at dimensions of 92.8 mm×63.5 mm×16.3 mm and weighs about 150 grams including the battery. The build quality is good and it has matte finish on the top and the bottom.
The device has plastic finish on the sides and there is a lanyard hole on one side.
On the back there is a RJ 45 Ethernet Port to connect your broadband modem so that the device could be turned into a WiFi router. There is a tiny micro USB slot next to it that could be used for charging and PC connectivity.
You can easily remove the back cover, which reveals the battery. The SSID and the password are present on a sticker on inside of the back cover. You can change them later from the settings.
Once you remove the back battery, you get to see the full-sized or a mini SIM card slot. There is also a reset button on the right corner to rest the device to the default settings. 
The LED indicators can change their color for several indications. The signal bar changes to red when there is no-no signal, changes to orange if the signal is weak and stays in green when the signal is strong. Likewise the battery indicator changes to red when the battery is low and stays green when there is juice left. When the device is charging, it blinks green. The messages indicator glows green when there are unread messages and turns red when the inbox is full. If you don’t use the device for a long time, it goes to stand by mode, and the LED power indicator next to the power button starts blinking slowly.
Software
You also get a dedicated WebUI of the settings page that lets you set up the connection once you install the bundled software once you plug in the device into a PC. The software can only be installed on a Windows PC, but the device works with Mac and Linux PCs too. Once you have installed the software, you get a shortcut for the custom IP that takes you to the settings page. Once you login, you can see the connection status, statistics, check SMS, update the firmware and adjust the device settings.
The Wi-Fi Router supports 802.11 b/g/n connectivity. You can restrict the mode from the settings and also change various other settings including the DHCP, system password and more.
The network settings lets you change the preferred mode to 2G only, 3G only or Auto. This is much useful for people who only uses 2G data.
The statistics page shows the download, upload and total volume and also the duration for the current and total time period.
The WebGUI also lets you read the SMS and also send SMS. Wish Huawei offered an option to view phonebook details to check the contact details stored in the SIM card and option to use USSD to check the data balance.
Connectivity
The connectivity is pretty good on USB and WiFI. You can connect up to 10 devices at a time, unlike the E5331 that supports only 8. The device supports up to 21.6 Mbps Mbps download speeds and 5.76Mbps upload speeds, which is pretty good. We did not face any connectivity issues. The device gets a bit heated on prolonged use, which is common for 3G devices.
Conclusion
Overall, the Huawei E5151 3G Wi-Fi router is a good device, which is compact and offers a range of connectivity options such as WiFi and USB and also acts as a WiFi router. With a 1500 mAh battery, Huawei promises up to 5 hours of battery life, that similar to the E5331. We got about 4 hours of battery life. Wish Huawei offered a bigger battery and a display for better details, instead of LED lights. At a price tag of Rs. 4,999 (MRP), the Huawei E5151 is a bit costly compared to other portable 3G Wi-Fi routers in the market. If you need a portable 3G router with an Ethernet port, but can compromise on the lack of display, go for it.
Pros
- Compact design
- RJ 45 Ethernet Port
- Good connectivity
Cons
- No display
- Battery life could be better
- Bit costly