Review: TP-Link 3G Mobile WiFi and Power Bank (M5360)

First off you may notice that the TP-Link 3G Mobile WiFi and 5200 mAh Power Bank (M5360) is a little different to most 3g mobile Wifi devices as it combines two of the handiest portable accessories, with a 3G wireless hotspot and a USB battery pack, into a single unit.

The TP-Link M5360 comes neatly packaged in a slide-out box. Included with the 3G Mobile WiFi are instructions, a charger, USB-to-microUSB  cable and some SIM adaptors which hold the smaller SIM sizes (Micro, Nano) and the M5360 uses the Mini sim size. The 3G Mobile WiFi itself is larger than the normal size mobile hotspot but this hardly unexpected with an additional 5200 mAh battery stashed in there. Overall, it’s 44 x 29 x 100 mm and weights about 150g.

Full Specifications taken from the website

The M5360 3G Mobile WiFi is white with a clear plastic cover over the OLED screen. On the top of the device is a microUSB socket to charge up the Power Bank. With on the right side on the device, is a power button turns the unit on, off and toggles between charging only and simultaneous 3G sharing and charging. There’s a reset button if you need to use, with a covered slots for the SIM and micro SD cards.

On the bottom is USB socket that can be used for charging other devices. With only rated at 1A, so it’s more suited to charging smartphones and small media devices.

All you need to do is to slip a SIM in and power the 3G Mobile WiFi up. As the unit is not network-locked you can use whatever SIM you choose, and helpfully on the rear of the device is all the information necessary for connecting to the WiFi network, including SSID and password. The 3G Mobile WiFi generally self-configures, but if you need to change anything, you can log on to the unit via a web browser and make changes.

I used a 3 sim in the UK, that I was using for this testing the TP Link M5360, everything went very smoothly.

With the small display on the M5360, the screen gives all the usual information about the 3G Mobile WiFi side of the device, that includes the signal strength, connectivity, how many people connected to the device, battery and any SMS messages you get on the device.

It shows the download rate, as well as the upload rate and data volume are shown on it too. The unit supports the usual GSM protocols up to the HSPA+ standards. The M5360 is a little different as with most mobile WiFi devices as it does 11b/g/n and up to 10 clients can connect at one times.

The internal battery of the M5360 will run for over two (normal working days) without recharging. With TP-Link quoting about 16-17 hours under heavy use by a single person and upto 26 hours will lighter use. I’m inclined to agree with TP-Link as I was able to use the 3G Power Bank for two and a half working days of relatively light use before recharging.

In addition to powering the 3G Mobile WiFi, the battery can be used to charge another device as well. There are two options, wireless sharing and charging, and charging only; a quick double press of the power button toggles between the two modes. The 5200 mAh battery is roughly double the size of a smartphone battery, so expect to fully recharge your phone twice from the Power Bank.

The TP-Link 3G Mobile WiFi and 5200 mAh Power Bank is a useful combination of the two. The ability to run the hotspot for a full working day (and then some) with several connected clients is attractive.

Here you can change the default password and SSID for the TP-Link M5360

You can change the default device name and password by login into the TP-Link webpage for it when you are using the device.

You can’t go wrong with this device, I had no problems at all and the battery life will keep you going longer than most smartphones now days.

Priced at around £70 or less if you shop around.