Novatel Wireless MiFi 4510L Review - The Best 4G LTE WiFi Hotspot?
by Brian Klug on July 14, 2011 5:20 AM ESTCellular Performance
Because the underlying hardware inside the 4510L is almost exactly the same as the SCH-LC11, in practice the two should perform almost identically given the same cellular environment. Specificially, the two use the same MDM9600 which is a category 3 device capable of downstream throughput of up to 100 Mbps on a 20 MHz channel. We’ve already comprehensively covered Verizon’s 4G LTE network in another piece, which I’d encourage interested minds to check out for more detail.
I tested the 4510L for a long time in Phoenix, AZ; San Diego and Los Angeles, CA; and Dallas, TX. I ran just north of 300 tests connected to 4G LTE and just shy of 100 connected to EVDO, both while moving and standing still in almost every kind of cellular RF environment. As usual, I’ve created histograms to show network performance on the 4510L for both 4G LTE and 3G EVDO.
Verizon 4G LTE Performance:
If fact, the SCH-LC11 and 4510L do perform very similarly on the downstream side of things, showing a nice distribution with some occasional tests over 20 Mbps. On the upstream side, I found that the two CA markets I tested had substantially faster upstream throughput of over 10 Mbps at times. Latency is sub 100ms almost all the time, except for a few odd outliers.
I didn’t explore EVDO as much because we’ve shown Verizon Wireless 3G speeds a number of times, and the 4510L doesn’t deliver anything out of the ordinary here. On average, downstream throughput on EVDO isn’t very fast, usually between just shy of 2 Mbps and 500 Kbps. Upstream is usually south of 1 Mbps, and latency is usually above 100 ms.
Verizon 3G EVDO Performance:
EVDO is definitely showing its age in an era of LTE, and I find myself psychologically avoiding it at all costs after being spoiled by 4G LTE for any length of time.
The cellular side of the 4510L is rock solid and completely stable, most of the instability reported online likely stems from the WLAN configuration. I never experienced any disconnects or problems that were periodic or recurring, save one errant powercycle. Then again, I didn’t have any such problems with the SCH-LC11 either, again probably because I changed the WLAN configuration to something that makes sense for me personally and seems much more stable.
I also wanted to explore what other things work over 4G LTE that I didn’t get a chance to do before. Chief among those were how well an Xbox 360 would deal with the hotspot. I explored online gaming using Halo: Reach (which worked perfectly) and also Netflix.
Watching Netflix HD (720p30) content on the Xbox 360 over the 4510L is completely possible, though it’ll eat bandwidth like no other. With the 2 GB plan and a 3.6 Mbps 720p HD Netflix stream, for example, the MiFi can blow through the month’s data in an hour and a half. It does work, it’ll just be expensive. I burned through over 16 GB in one day using Netflix.
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quiksilvr - Thursday, July 14, 2011 - link
Wouldn't it make sense to pay for speed instead? I guess the LTE network needs to be more widespread in order for this to work, but it just seems like a sick joke. Oh here's 10 Mbp/s, enjoy it for an hour a month!>:(
Brian Klug - Thursday, July 14, 2011 - link
That's actually *exactly* what AT&T's plans for LTE are. Part of their plan will involve QoS enforced speed tiers just like any other ISP. That was part of what was leaked a while back, you can see for yourself here: http://twitpic.com/5q42gxAlso speeds will be between 8-12 Mbps on AT&T's 700 / 1700 / 2100 MHz LTE deployment.
zanon - Thursday, July 14, 2011 - link
Of course it makes sense, on every network. Bandwidth caps and QoS tiers are what all connections should be, it's what actually is limited. Datacaps exist because it makes it easier to both milk people for more money, and to limit disruption to outdated existing technologies. Given the control concentrated into so few hands however it's very hard to see anyway to get this situation fixed.mlosee222 - Thursday, July 14, 2011 - link
Good review, you are spot on about the lack of configuration options in the web front end. My device is never further than arm's length and it would be great to turn down the wifi power. I actually learned how to write an android app specifically so I could keep track of my data usage and view connection stats on my phone without being logged in the browser interface. Its functional but the GUI is about as pretty as a linux shell.I don't have LTE in my area yet, although I got to use it a little bit in Vegas. In my experience the 45010L had trouble switching between 3G/4G and required a reboot to get the signal back. I did about five speed tests in Vegas; never broke 5mb and latency was never below 100ms.
LTE just went live in Salt Lake and my area *should* be getting it soon. The last couple weeks I've periodically seen phantom LTE signals with good stats (-60 dbm, 8 snr) but am so far unable to connect. I'm not sure if its a real signal or if the device is lying to me.
I actually use the 4510L exclusively for the data plan on my Nexus S. I don't mind carrying another device in my pocket since I get a data connection that actually works reliably. In my opinion, its a good idea to decouple the data connection from the phone. Tethering a PC is mandatory for my workload and I don't like the red tape carriers put in the way of using phones as a hotspot. That, and its nice to get LTE with a phone that has only an HSDPA antenna.
Overall I'm satisfied with the 4510L. I haven't really experienced LTE yet, although I'm tickled pink with the 3G connection alone. Then again, I'm just happy to get away from the stone-age, overloaded TMobile towers.
jrs77 - Thursday, July 14, 2011 - link
http://www.huaweidevice.com/worldwide/productFamil...The Huawei E5830 has all you want. It supports all bands, has a neat web-interface to configure it, has no sim-lock and supports USB-storage. Oh... and it's dirt-cheap for $80 and can connect up to 5 clients simulatanously.
dreddly - Thursday, July 14, 2011 - link
cool. this sounds like what I need. Our LTE is missing in CanadaBrian Klug - Thursday, July 14, 2011 - link
Maybe next we will check out one of these, I carry around a couple of Huawei modems for personal use that I've never really reviewed or anything. Their Mobile WiFi lineup seems to be gaining a lot of traction lately.-Brian
ggathagan - Friday, July 15, 2011 - link
But it doesn't list as a 4G/LTE deviceyelped - Thursday, July 14, 2011 - link
Sorry for being off-topic, but what's up with Anand's Evo 3D review? The self-evident answer is that he seems pretty busy lately.Thanks.
Brian Klug - Thursday, July 14, 2011 - link
He's working on it, just busy ;)-Brian