Huawei Wingle E8231/E8231s-1 Data Card: Easy Wi-Fi Hotspot for up to 10 devices

The Wingle E8231/E8231s-1 data card is a USB dongle manufactured by Huawei Technologies that lets you create a Wi-Fi hotspot for up to 10 devices by using a 2G/3G SIM card for your data communication needs. It is powered by plugging in to the USB port on a laptop or directly on power adapter with a USB output socket.

Huawei Wingle E8231

I ordered the E8231 in May 2014 when it was retailing in Flipkart for Rs. 1,999 inclusive of all taxes. The delivery was quick, and I had the device in my hands just the next day. The box includes the data card and a quick start guide.

Setup

Setting up the device is simple and easy. Remove the back cover and insert a SIM card into the card slot, plug it in to a USB port on a laptop on a power adapter with a USB output socket. The device will connect to the network-enabled SIM and create a Wi-Fi hotspot to which up to 10 devices can connect.

Performance

Running on a Balong 330 Chipset the device handles up to 10 connections seamlessly while providing a download throughput of 21.6 Mbps and upload throughput of 5.76 Mbps. The device functions as expected and doesn't face any connection drops.

Display

There is no display on this device. There are two LED lights, one to indicate the power status and the other to indicate the Wi-Fi connectivity status.

Internal Storage

There is no option for storing any data in its internal storage.

Expandable Storage

There is no option for additional storage.

Battery

The device does not have a built-in battery but is powered by a standard USB port.

Connectivity

The device supports a single 2G/3G SIM card on the HSPA+, HSDPA, GSM, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, HSUPA networks. On the WLAN front it supports Wi-Fi 802.11. It allows multiple devices to connect to the internet using its Wi-Fi hotspot with a total throughput of 21.6 Mbps.

SAR (Specific Absorption Rate)

The maximum SAR value for this device is 1.131 W/kg.

FCC ID

The FCC ID for the device is QISE8231S-81 and the reports are available here.

Warranty

The product comes with a 1-year manufacturer warranty on the device.

Conclusion

My experience with the data card has been good. I haven't faced any connection drops, and the speed throughput is good of the mobile network connection is good. For anyone looking for a solution like this, I would highly recommend it.

The user manual is available here at ManualsLib and here at the FCC ID database.