In today’s information driven world, staying connected to the Internet has become more of a necessity than a luxury. An important device that makes this possible is a wireless router. However, there are so many router choices in the market and it can be hard to find one that will suit your needs perfectly.
In this post, we’ll review the Huawei Honor WS831. It’s one of the top feature-rich wireless routers currently available for home users and has superfast Wi-Fi connectivity, the ability to monitor Internet traffic in real time, and many other useful functions. Read on to learn about its features, strengths and downsides so that you can make an informed purchasing decision.
WS831 Huawei Honor Wireless Router Features and Benefits
- Powerful Hardware Supports Reliable Performance
The Huawei Honor WS831 packs an impressive punch when it comes to hardware features. As a dual-band router, it supports Wi-Fi coverage on both the 802.11ac/n/a and 802.11b/g/n standards.
On the lower frequency band of 2.4GHz, speeds can go up to 300Mbps. When using the 5GH frequency range, the router supports top tier speeds of 867Mbps. Keep in mind that these are maximum speeds for respective standards, and Wi-Fi bandwidth fluctuates a great deal in the real world (it’s generally lower than the cap speeds.) In spite of this, support for higher tier bandwidth always means faster speeds.
The WS831 Huawei Honor wireless router also comes with a Hi5650H dual-core 1.GHz processor and 128MBs of DDR3 flash memory. All of these powerful hardware components combined makes this unit five times faster than traditional wireless routers.
- Secure Network Encryption and User Friendly Interface
Like most routers on the market, the Huawei Honor model WS831 protects your Wi-Fi network from intruders using the WPA/WPA2-PSK encryption. In addition to network encryption, this router offers the following security features:
- An anti-brute force algorithm
- Visitor/stranger monitoring
- Wi-Fi isolation
Setting up the router is easy and you can do it from your smartphone or tablet using the HiLink App. This web management utility software supports mobile operating systems like iOS 6 or later versions and Android 2.3 and above.
Using the intuitive interface is a breeze. There are many customization settings that allow you manage the router. The software enables you to view network status, set up a VPN sever, manage connected devices, enable parental control, create guest Wi-Fi networks, toggle from sleep to standard modes, share media files, as well as diagnose and optimize your Huawei Honor WS831 wireless router.
- Practical and Compact Design
For people who care about aesthetics, the WS831 Huawei Honor router features a lovely design. It looks like a sleek, white jewelry box. This compact design is lightweight and takes up very little space. The cube design of this router, apart from being pleasing to the eye, plays more of a functional role since it allows for vertical heat dissipation. To keep the circuit board and its components cool, cold air enters through the bottom as heated air leaves through the vent openings at the top.
- Expandable Connectivity Options
Although this router primarily supports wireless connectivity, you can expand your network to wired clients using the two 100Mbps LAN ports located at the back. There’s a WAN port as well to connect to your internet source such as a broadband modem. In addition, a USB 2.0 port is included to host a printer or external hard drive.
- Intelligent Bandwidth Monitoring
The WS831 Huawei Honor features all the common features you would expect to find in a traditional router such as guest networking, access control, file sharing, and printer serving. As an added bonus, users also get QoS customization. This intelligent bandwidth feature is a great addition for networks with multiple clients since it makes traffic prioritizing possible.
Dimensions
The WS831 Huawei Honor wireless router measures 3.54” x 3.54” x 3.54” (L x W x H) inches and only weighs 28 grams.
Pros
- Fast wireless router with reliable performance and powerful hardware
- Supports both cabled and wireless connectivity
- Operates via HiLink App for easy set up and network management
- Encrypted wireless connectivity for TCP/IP, DHCP, UPnP, PPPoE, HUAWEI and HiLink protocols
- Space saving and compact design with built-in antennas
Cons
- There are only 2-LAN ports on the router, which is less than what other units provide. However, users can always resort to a switch when support for more wired clients is required.
What’s in the Box?
- The mini-wireless Huawei Honor WS831 router
- 1 Network power cable (blue in color)
- Owner’s manual
Consumer Ratings
The WS831 Huawei wireless router has yet to amass consumer ratings as of the time of writing this review. However, this does not come as a surprise since the product has only just been released into the market. Given its top tier features and low price, we think it’s only a matter of time before this router tops consumer ratings.
Conclusion
If you’re looking for a flexible router under $100, the Huawei Honor WS831 is a great choice. It is elegantly designed, fast, easy to use, flexible and supports reliable performance. Even advanced users looking for more freedom with customization options will appreciate the numerous network settings offered by the HiLink App. Overall, this wireless router makes a good buy when you consider the features it offers at its amazingly low price.
You can buy the Huawei Honor WS831 at GearBest: http://www.gearbest.com/m-goods-id-174773.htm
COUPON CODE: HWS831 $39.99
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100MB ports is a bit of a downside, given the fairly decent spec for the rest of the device – it has plenty of ram/storage with 128M / 16M flash.
SD5650H may not get WRT support though anytime soon.
Price is fair though for an AC router.
Their competition – the Mercury MW1200R is about half the price though, and has more ports, albeit with less flash space. The MW1200R also supports open/ddwrt.
Firmware for the WS831 here –
http://consumer.huawei.com/cn/support/downloads/detail/index.htm?id=41823