- Plug-and-play setup
- Impressive speed test performance
- Affordable
- Inconsistent WiFi performance
- Deal-breaking latency issues
- Painful web-portal layout
The ZTE H1600 gets off to such a great start. It’s an affordable WiFi 6 modem router with a slim design that sits vertically to save even more space. All of the ports are there, and every NBN connection type is supported, plus it’s offered by Superloop, Exetel, and Origin. The internet speed tests are also particularly impressive given the antennae-less design.
But then the wheels fall off. As an everyday networking device, the H1600 falls painfully short on the WiFi front. Some apps will work. Others will partially work. And others are basically useless. Then there’s the sporadic appearance of massive lag spikes that make latency-sensitive online gaming and voice/video calls horribly inconsistent.
I thought I’d love the H1600, but after hours of testing, I disconnected it and never want to use it again.
Here are NBN 50 plans from providers selling the H1600:
|
#1
|
Exetel
Extra-value nbn50
$60.99/mth
Min. cost $60.99
|
|
#2
|
Superloop
Extra-value nbn50/20
$67/mth
Min. cost $67
|
|
#3
|
Origin Broadband
Experience nbn® 50
$95/mth
Min. cost $95
Link not supplied
|
What we like about the ZTE H1600 modem router
First and foremost, the ZTE H1600 is a modem router. Practically speaking, it can shift with you to different addresses, and you don’t have to worry about the NBN technology type connecting your new home because it’s compatible. I tested the H1600 as a router with my FTTC connection, and it was initially very impressive.
I’m often judgy of modem routers, particularly cheap ones, because while they can act as both modem and router, that used to mean compromises. Given how small and lightweight the H1600 is, plus the complete lack of external antennae, I wasn’t expecting a whole lot out of it for the $151 asking price that Exetel charged when I bought it as an NBN plan add-on.
The main benefit of buying an NBN-ready router, modem router or mesh WiFi system from an NBN provider is it should arrive preconfigured. Practically, that means it should actually be a plug-and-play device, which was the case with the H1600. In terms of physical setup, the H1600 is built to stand vertically, so it doesn’t take up a whole lot of space.
There are four gigabit Ethernet ports on the back which, if you’re like me, are incredibly useful for compatible priority wired devices. I would complain that there are only four, but that would be unfair because it’s long been the standard. It’s also why networking switches exist. As for other ports, there’s DSL for FTTN and FTTB homes, a couple of VoIP options for those after a home phone, and a single USB 2.0 port for ad hoc network storage, printer sharing or even a 4G modem dongle.
I wasn’t expecting much from the internet speed tests, especially next to my performative go-to Synology RT6600ax router, but the H1600 made a fool of my low expectations. WiFi latency was consistent within three milliseconds across tests, even 25+ metres across the road. Admittedly, that’s also where the download and upload speeds fell off by around 80% and 55%, respectively.
For the other tests, with baseline 97.75Mbps download speeds and 18.97Mbps upload speeds (on an Exetel NBN 100/20 plan), the biggest drop to downloads was 5Mbps and 0.1Mbps for uploads. That’s impressive results inside an apartment that’s prone to WiFi dead spots with networking equipment placed at one end of the home—which, admittedly, you shouldn’t really do—plus those great speeds continued around 13 metres outside the property through a thick external-building wall. If you want more WiFi coverage, the H1600 is mesh-compatible with the ZTE H3601 extender, but I didn’t feel my home network needed it.
After such a strong start, it’s a massive disappointment that the H1600 fell apart in further testing.
What we dislike about the ZTE H1600 modem router
Let’s roll back to the setup process. That lightweight design and heavily encouraged vertical standing loses some of its stability once you start connecting Ethernet cables to your wired devices. More than once I thought it was going to topple over. In fairness, it didn’t fall over during my time testing, though it did look like it was trying to pop a mono at times.
The plug-and-play setup was an absolute godsend even if the ZTE H1600 was apparently incompatible with ZTE’s companion app. Admittedly, the disclaimer there is the H1600 came preconfigured from Exetel and I was connecting to an Exetel plan. Mileage may vary when shifting NBN providers. That said, in my experience with the H1600, it reliably automatically reconnected after multiple power cycles (powered off, then on again) and even a factory reset.
Speaking of the factory reset, while an included Exetel-branded pamphlet advised me not to factory reset, I was eventually advised to ignore that warning after reaching out to Exetel tech support. It’s worth flagging that going with a router or modem router from your NBN provider offers a deeper level of support. In my case, it meant Exetel tech support was able to remotely access my H1600 to perform administrator-level tweaks.
That’s a good thing because the H1600’s web portal is a nightmare to navigate. For context, I’ve comfortably tackled the GUIs of scores of networking devices over the years, and some are better than others. The H1600 is the worst I’ve ever encountered. It doesn’t help that the H1600 I bought from Exetel was delivered with lower-level user login details rather than the admin-level credentials I’m used to. Still, I found some of the more basic settings tucked away in odd places with confusing text that sometimes required a Google search to find someone else’s explanation of what they meant.
The reason I was speaking with Exetel tech support, though—over the course of multiple emails and a phone call—was a WiFi problem I’ve never encountered before. Ethernet was all good. But when I tested multiple smartphones, a tablet, and a Steam Deck, I found inconsistent WiFi performance: some functions worked fine, while others had errors. On the phones, GIFs would fail to load and images refused to send. On the tablet, a couple of streaming services took ages to load or failed to load their content libraries.
Reverting back to my go-to router, the problems immediately disappeared. Connecting to a VPN server (on devices that easily support them) proved to be a workaround. In the end, one of the Exetel tech support people fixed it by tweaking IPv6 settings and changing my default DNS settings to the Cloudflare options (the latter step something I’d previously tried without success). If the second part of that last sentence is confusing, that’s underline my main problem with the H1600: sporadic WiFi connectivity is an absolute pain to troubleshoot, more so if you’re not comfortable digging into device settings.
I was only able to get a relatively speedy solution because I could isolate the problem. Modern networking equipment is designed to be set and forget. More importantly, most recent devices that connect to routers, modem routers and mesh systems are only able to use WiFi, which makes it a big concern for the H1600’s straightforward ease of use.
After that problem was fixed, there were more issues in my latency tests. Using an app like Ookla Speedtest to find latency scores only offers a snapshot score, which is handy but not necessarily an accurate picture of everyday use. The better way to test is with online games and/or voice or video calls, both of which are real-time tasks that are very sensitive to latency variances. I tested with multiple online games across multiple days (on an Ethernet-connected PC), while simultaneously voice chatting on Discord, and I experienced lag spikes, call distortions and VoIP dropouts. Combine those latency issues with the earlier WiFi problems, and I was officially out of patience with the H1600.
ZTE H1600 modem router – Final thoughts
The ZTE H1600 is a pocket-rocket modem router with impressive take-off but it explodes not long after launch. It’s a lightweight modem router whose vertical stand makes it take up a fraction of space compared to its horizontally positioned peers. And the internet speed tests offered a promising snapshot of whole-apartment coverage, even in typically problematic WiFi spots.
As it turns out, though, WiFi consistency was a massive concern and one that required Exetel intervention to rectify. Couple that with the instability during my real-time latency tests, and the H1600 is impossible to recommend. Admittedly, it’s possible the latency issues are resolvable or perhaps I’ve received a defective unit but I did find other reports of similar WiFi issues online, which helped me streamline my troubleshooting with Exetel. Still,I can only review my experience, and the reality is I have zero intentions to ever connect the H1600 to my modem again.
We consider several factors when reviewing networking equipment, including:
- Type: Router, modem router or mesh WiFi system. Supported NBN technologies and plan speeds.
- Design: Size, weight and standing options. Internal or external antennae. Available ports, WiFi version, and single, dual or triband wireless.
- Setup: Plug-and-play configurations vs laborious setup. Companion apps and guided setups are a plus.
- Performance: Ethernet and WiFi speed tests for downloads, uploads and latency. Real-time latency test for online gaming, VoIP and/or video calls. Plus, everyday use like downloading, uploading, browsing and streaming.
- Versatility: Band steering (single SSID), quality of service and other features. Ease of configuration, plus mesh expansion.
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These are the most popular NBN 50 plans with WhistleOut users this week:
|
#1
|
Exetel
Extra-value nbn50
$60.99/mth
Min. cost $60.99
|
|
#2
|
Tangerine Telecom
Value Plus NBN
$59.90/mth
Min. cost $59.90
|
|
#3
|
Buddy Telco
Editor's Pick
Value nbn - Unlimited
$63/mth
Min. cost $63
|
|
#4
|
TPG
nbn50 Unlimited Plan
$69.99/mth
Min. cost $69.99
|
|
#5
|
Kogan Internet
Silver Unlimited
$59.90/mth
Min. cost $59.90
|
|
#6
|
iiNet
nbn50 Liimitless
$69.99/mth
Min. cost $69.99
|
|
#7
|
Dodo
nbn50 Unlimited Plan
$68.90/mth
Min. cost $68.90
|
|
#8
|
Superloop
Extra-value nbn50/20
$67/mth
Min. cost $67
|
|
#9
|
Telstra
Upfront Internet Plan Essential
$105/mth
Min. cost $105
Link not supplied
|
|
#10
|
iPrimus
Standard Plus nbn50 Plan
$84/mth
Min. cost $84
|
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