TP-Link TL-MR105 4G LTE WiFi Router, 4G Router, Plug&Play, SIM Card Slot, 2 LAN/WAN Ports for Ethernet Cable, Up to 32 Devices, Parental Controls, Guest Network, Home/Remote, 300Mbps Wireless

A good item but could be improved by a notification light on the front panel for SMS messages, it would also benefit from the ability to plug in a phone handset. TP-Link are great with routers but when dealing with mobile sim card dependant items they are a little lacking in their design from mobile phone makers as in order to use this properly with multiple wireless devices you need a high rate or unlimited data plan and these come with unlimited call and texts that this device makes hard to use on the SMS side and impossible for the call side. Data only plans I have found to be more expensive than plans including voice and SMS. After 1 month of using this I have had good signal strength throughout my house, the colour is great as it needs to be mounted in a window for best mobile reception and being white in sunlight prevents it from getting too hot, the power cable is not long enough for window mounting so have had to find a way to extend it (it was easier to move a mains extension to the plug than extend the power cable). Having to log on the router home page to check for messages is a pain so you can't really use the message side. Mobile broadband is good for singles or those with lower internet (non gamer and no HD streams) but you can't really plan how much data you will need, for example you tube does let you pick different resolutions but does not specify how much data you will need to watch a video. Not many singles and couples really need fibre band-with. As I am using this with an unlimited internet plan that gives me calls and texts unlimited too I have tried to switch to a Motorola FW410 4G (after only 1 month) which did not provide as good a signal throughout the house but was able to use all 3 parts of my plan - calls, texts and internet. unfortunately the hot-spot side of this item packed up after only 5 days of use, it was a hot-spot not a router. This TP-Link router is a good reliable solution for data only with limited SMS function. If calls are required on top (like with my requirement) you may need 2 sims and 2 devices (and 2 accounts/bills), 1 to handle calls and texts (a basic Nokia 105 mobile will do this for around £20 equipment cost) and this router which gives the added bonus of being able to accept add on aerials which can be either indoor or outdoor mounted further improving mobile reception (did not need these and have not tried these, may need after house move). Most people already own a mobile so should not have this issue, the use of a non smartphone is due to battery life, recharge interval and better reception. My circumstances: due to probate (death of the home owner who paid the broadband bill) I will be leaving this house soon, could not justify a 2 year broadband contract and mess around with number changes when I move. This mobile system means I pay less for phone services (no line rental), get the bandwidth I need, have uninterrupted number portability and choice (albeit limited) of my own equipment. Landlines are lv ike TV licences, a thing of the past that you don't need (if you don't use TV) and there are newer alternatives to consider. This way I only have to inform of number change once which with the house move is required anyway.

I didn't expect that to be so good. I need a router for a remote location with no Internet access so I can run a cctv camera and thought I'd try this. I am using a three network sim for data and I have to say, this is quite impressive. It's very easy to set up, change the password and off you go. I'm not in a really great signal zone here but it picks up a good signal and speeds on devices are acceptable, OK not as good as my deco wifi mesh obviously, but good and it should work well in the location I need it to work in because the signal is much better there and I'll use an external antenna. In fact, I'm writing this review on an old Sony Xperia phone and prior to writing I was surfing and downloading stuff from. Google play etc and it's been really good. I suppose if I went to the far side of the house it might not be so good, but that's why you have mesh wifi to cover dead spots, if you can be within a reasonable distance of the router, it should be fine. It comes equipped with two antenna ports for SMA plugs and two Ethernet ports for connection of devices and I will utilise an Ethernet port for my cctv camera so wifi connection won't be an issue. I'm genuinely impressed with this device for what they cost and what it does. Clearly, a satisfactory result will depend on a few factors for each individual case, but given a decent signal area this can perform quite well in comparison to home WiFi networks like talktalk etc. I believe it can handle up to 32 devices connected at a time so it's good for most applications, but I don't see it performing well for really data hungry applications, gaming etc, but for surfing and general social media, emails etc it's great. So if you want to be 'off grid' as far as subscription wifi in the home goes, this is a good alternative for less data hungry set ups. And, of course, it's great for those areas you can't get standard wifi installed. For me, it will be part of an off grid solar powered set up with storage batteries. Give it a go!

Does the job and is easy to install. Ok product but there are better

I’ve been using the TP-Link TL-MR105 N300Mbps WiFi 4G Router for a few weeks now, and I’m genuinely impressed with what it offers at this price point. If you need a simple, sleek design and no-frills 4G router for your home, office, or while traveling, this is a great choice. ✅ Easy Setup & User-Friendly Setup was a breeze—just insert your SIM card, plug it in, and it’s ready to go. The web interface is clean and intuitive, even for beginners. I had it up and running in under 5 minutes with zero technical hiccups. ✅ Stable 4G Performance Speeds are consistent for general use like web browsing, streaming, and video calls. While it’s not designed for heavy gaming or ultra-fast downloads, it works well for day-to-day needs. The connection remains stable even with multiple devices connected. ✅ Compact & Travel-Friendly The small footprint makes it ideal for small spaces or travel. I used it on a weekend trip where WiFi wasn’t reliable, and it worked flawlessly with a local SIM. 🔍 A Few Trade-Offs (But Not Deal-Breakers) • It only supports 2.4GHz WiFi (no dual-band), so you might see interference in crowded areas. • There’s no built-in battery, so it needs to stay plugged in—keep that in mind if you’re planning to use it on the go. • Advanced users may miss features like VPN support or robust parental controls. ✅ Final Thoughts For anyone looking for a reliable, affordable, and easy-to-use 4G router, the TP-Link TL-MR105 is an excellent option. It’s especially useful as a backup internet source or in rural areas with limited wired options. While it doesn’t have all the bells and whistles, it delivers solid value and dependable performance.

This router is compact and it runs cool. I'm using an Ethernet cable to a desktop PC but WiFi is an option. On inserting the nano SIM and plugging into the mains everything was setup within two minutes without me having to do a thing. Initially speeds were very slow, around the 1 Mbps despite having full signal on Vodafone. On going into the settings, you can manually select from the available bands and this has made a significant difference. I am now getting up to 20 Mbps at night and 5-10 Mbps at peak times. The router wants to latch on to band 20 but by forcing it onto bands 1 or 8, I can get the aforementioned speeds. The TP-Link interface is brilliant, you can send and receive text messages from the SIM/router and customise how the device works, including turning off/on the LEDs, setting up parental controls, wireless options, access to the cloud and more. It's important to remember that this is a category 4 router so it can only access one frequency at a time from your chosen network provider, some other routers combine different bands to improve speeds. That said, having the ability to manually select a band, as this router can, has the potential to boost your bandwidth but 4G does still have its limitations, most notably network congestion at peak times. If you have realistic expectations and don't expect lightening fast speeds, this router is a great option for around the £50 mark. I for one am pleased to be finally free from the shackles of Virgin Media and its 18 month contracts, mediocre performance, inflation-busting annual price rises and negotiations with the retentions team. Check CellMapper and the official coverage maps before taking deciding what network to go for. Speeds on a basic 4G smartphone will be similar to what this router can deliver, so this could be used for testing. I've also found signal strength to be comparable or slightly better on this TL-MR105 model. For web browsing, email, social media and YouTube, this is sufficient for my needs. 5G routers are getting more affordable but for many, this device will deliver a respectable performance for much less.

Just ok !

Setup was simple and trouble-free. I found it easiest to first connect to my PC via a network cable. It invited me to upgrade its firmware. After that completed, I changed the SSID to something which doesn't give away what kind of router it is, and I also turned off UPnP which is another security risk. Results varied, but I typically get 10 - 20 MB/s download speed from a full strength 4G signal with the router situated upstairs. This is fine for home office use and I find I can stream normal definition TV on my PC or my PVR. Some mornings, it slowed to a crawl, despite having a strong signal. I'm sure that's down to the capacity of the local cell, rather than a fault. The overall performance is good enough for me but I don't do online gaming or stream 4K. Of course 5G is available in many areas now but those routers are 4x the price so it would have been an expensive experiment! I haven't taken the plunge and cancelled the land line service yet but it is tempting! To its credit, the router has 2 LAN ports, so it's feasible if you have a wired gateway device such as a Hive home hub, or a networked printer with no wi-fi. Depends a lot on whether you need a land line number and/or constant high performance. PS looking at various provider's T&C's, all have a "fair usage" policy for data SIMs and some explicitly forbid use in a router (how do they know? Lots of connected devices and/or high usage). In some cases e.g. Smarty these conditions only apply to unlimited data tariffs, which seems reasonable. Update: our home network is an eero mesh so it was a simple matter to switch over to use this router. After a month’s trial there weren’t any problems (apart from being a bit slow sometimes), so the expensive ADSL contract is gone! We couldn’t shop around for other broadband providers without a full fibre installation which would have involved drilling, digging and re-wiring. That’s an option if our needs change but at the moment we’re saving hundreds a year compared with the old service. As we are not big streamers, 100GB/month is enough.

This little device has made life much easier here in mid Wales. My old internet connection has been getting slower over the last few years despite the advent of fibre. The last mile of copper cable really let the side down and we were luchy to get 2.5MB/s. I decided to go for a 4G router/modem with a Sim card from EE. This TP-Link unit does the job well and links up with the TP-Link Mesh system that serves the house and the litttle Airbnb dome in the garden. I now get about 32MB/s and currently pay EE £20 a month for the privilege. The unit was easy to set up despite the lack of a 3 pin plug on the power supply, they really should fit one on all electrical goods sold for use in the UK, thankfully I had a shaver adaptor. Also I have a clear view to the mobile mast and some people could find that they need an external aerial to get a decent signal.