Dear all,
does anybody test the 5G mobile router ZTE U50 with a GL.iNet - Router? I am using a AXT 1800. I have already read that the ZTE U50 also works without a battery, i.e. directly on the power cable, which would be very helpful for me. The only question is whether it will be recognized by the AXT1800 as either a tethering device or a modem?
I have tried several 4G routers and 4G sticks in the past and not all of them worked with the AXT1800.
Thank you very much for your experience!
SHC
We haven't tested that. Sorry.
I think if the U50 supported (USB) RNDIS protocol, it can be connected to AXT1800 and will be recognized as a tethering device.
Hi Bruce,
thanks for your reply. I contacted the technical support of ZTE and wait for their answer.
It's not entirely clear from the manual. It only says that you can connect to the Internet via USB and then configure the device using an IP address.
I'll wait and see what the support team says.
Hi Bruce,
ZTE could not give me any information, as the U50 model is intended for network operators and they can implement their own software. However, I found a store that was kind enough to test the device with a GL.iNet Mango and was able to confirm the tethering function. Can I assume that it will also work with my AXT1800?
If so, I'll take the risk and order the device from this retailer.
Thanks, SHC
As this is a mobile router, which means it is host. It generally works as tethering. In such case it should just work with our router.
Currently I am using a Huawei E5786 which is a mobile router (4G / LTE), too. But with this router there is no tethering possible. That's why I was asking this.
I ordered now the U50, will test it und let you and the community know. 
ZTE MU5120 works with Beryl AX with USB Terherting. The USB power output is not sufficient for high 5G usage and the battery discharges
I now have the ZTE U50 here and have tested it together with the AXT 1800. Tethering is indeed possible, but as muckel already wrote, the power is not quite sufficient. The U50 can also be operated without a battery, but according to the manufacturer, the device then requires up to 3A of power. When I operate it with a battery, the battery can drain with high 5G usage.
I am therefore now looking for a way to supply the U50 with sufficient power while still connecting it to the AXT 1800. One option would be to the AXT 1800 in repeater-mode (connection to U50 via WiFi), but I would prefer tethering-mode without a battery (to reduce problems with hot batteries).
I am therefore currently looking for active USB hubs that can supply up to 3A of power to the data ports, and I am experimenting with USB split cables that draw additional power from a second USB port or power supply. However, this has not been successful so far. I'll let you know if I find a solution.
I have tested the same combination of router and modem and it works fine for a few minutes as “tethering (android)” and then the glinet would show a banner that the tethering device is connected without internet.
I also have the idea to use an USB powered hub, but the 3A requirement may be difficult to achieve. In my personal anecdotal experience this is usually not a hard requirement and I have seen devices topping their power pull at 30-40% lover values so I hope this one may be a similar case.
Otherwise u50 seems to work well on its own, but I need some vpn tunneling so I have to use it as a modem connected to another router.
Btw a no-longer supported asus ax68u failed to recognise the u50 and I am happy glinet does a better job.
Hi ivantech,
I have been in extensive contact with ZTE's tech support because my U50 keeps restarting when running without a battery, even though the power supply can definitely deliver 3A and more. This is initially independent of operation with a GL-iNet router.
After several conversations and inquiries, I received the following information:
" We have confirmed that the problem you reported is due to a software bug, and our development team is currently working on a fix. The update containing the fix is expected to be officially released in early August. We would like to inform you that updates, are delivered to devices via OTA (Over-The-Air)."
I am waiting for this update and then I test it again.
Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find a USB hub that delivers 3A either. I've contacted all the well-known manufacturers, but none of them have been able to offer me a product. The USB specification simply doesn't allow for this.
But if the U50 works without a battery, I can at least connect it to the GL-iNet router via Wi-Fi. It's not ideal, but it's better than running the router on battery power for weeks while I'm on vacation.
Thanks,
SHC
Hey SHC,
I tested on my own and reached to similar conclusions.
Good news is that you can use an USB C OTG adapter (mine is supporting PD 60W - 5V 3A should be possible if the charger is able to deliver that and usb 3.2 - irrelevant since U50 is usb 2.0) to have the device powered on while tethering over USB. I tested this on a windows pc since my glinet router is not currently powered on or connected and will re-try with the router soon.
When the battery is in the U50 is charging according to the battery light and works relatively well - I have only noticed occasional packet dropped when doing continuous ping to a server on the internet. There is no package drop for a paralel ping to the modem’s LAN interface (the default address for the default gw 192.168.0.1). I didn’t notice if battery is discharging, didn’t keep it plugged in long enough.
When battery is out of the device, it appears to be working while idle with a slowly blinking blue battery light. However when I pull some traffic, e.g. running a speed test the modem would restart about the time it reaches 200Mbs. I am not sure if this is due to the bug you mentioned or because the power supply is too weak. I don’t have an USB power meter around now to check the power consumption, but I will do soon when I am back home.
Cheers
Hello ivantech,
Yes, my experiences are very similar, and I have communicated this to ZTE. Therefore, I hope that the software update will bring about an improvement.
Which OTG adapter are you using? I have also tested several, but without success. I am currently running the U50 with a battery on a power supply and connecting the U50 and the GL-iNet router via Wi-Fi. Therefore, the adapter would help me a lot.
Thanks!
SHC
This is the one I found in my cables bag and tested with U50.
Thanks!
