OVERALL
ALTERNATIVES
SPECS
VS AVERAGE
REVIEWS
Scored using Routers Methodology v3.0
Routers Methodology v3.0
Mathematical & Unbiased Scoring
Products in this category are scored under Frontum Routers Methodology v3.0: the technical score from the specifications is the base, and independent expert and video reviews (up to ±0.5 points), owner opinions (up to ±0.3) and best-of lists (up to +0.3) move it up or down.
Explore Routers Methodology v3.0

Huawei B311 review: 77 specs compared

Avg. price:~£60Wi-Fi version:Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n)Wi-Fi speed:300 MbpsLAN port speeds:1 GbpsMesh Wi-Fi:?

Huawei B311 Review: Compare 77 technical specifications and 2 expert and video reviews to see how this product ranks in the Routers category and whether it is worth buying.

Huawei B311
6.9/10

Overall score

Score
6.9/ 10
✕
What it is
Our main score for this model, 1–10. It combines specs, expert reviews, best-of lists and owners.
How we count it
Parts: Technical score 40%, Reviews score 25%, List score 25%, Sentiment score 10%
Marks: Each part gets a mark out of 10. For reviews, lists and owners, a typical model in this category gets about 8 and the best one gets 10.
No data yet: A part with no data shows "?". It counts as the mark of a weaker model in this category (4 in 5 models with data score higher). This way, models with reviews, lists and owners usually come out ahead.
Score distribution
â–¼
<55-66-77-88-99-10
â–¼ Worse than 75% of models
Score components

40%

6.8

Technical score

25%

6.8

Reviews score

25%

?

List scoreNot enough data yet, so we use 7.5, the mark of a weaker model in this category

10%

6.4

Sentiment score

â–¼Worse than 75% of routers
7.9

Value for money

Value for money
7.9/ 10
✕
What it is
An indicator that combines the router's overall rating with its cost.
When it matters
When you are looking for a router with a good balance between network performance, features, and price.
Score distribution
â–¼
<55-66-77-88-99-10
â–¼ Worse than 73% of models
Score components

70%

6.9

Overall score

30%

10

Price

â–¼Worse than 73%
6.8

Technical score

Technical score
6.8/ 10
✕
What it is
How good the specs are compared with the other models in this category, 1–10.
How we count it
Areas: We rate the specs in each area against the other models in this category.
Weighting: The areas that matter most to buyers count more. The shares are shown under Score components.
Share: The technical score is 40% of the overall score.
Score distribution
â–¼
<55-66-77-88-99-10
â–¼ Worse than 62% of models
Score components

26%

5.3

Wireless

20%

5.0

Ports

18%

8.9

Networking

14%

8.1

Security

12%

7.8

Hardware

10%

7.7

Management

â–¼Worse than 62%
6.8

Reviews score

Reviews score
6.8/ 10
✕
What it is
Average grade from independent test sites, magazines and video reviewers, 1–10.
How we count it
Grades: Each review's own score is converted to 1–10; without one, we grade the review ourselves. Big test sites count more, short reviews half as much as full tests. A video review counts half.
Score: The average grade is 80% of the review mark; the number of reviews is the other 20% (1 review = 5, the typical number in this category = 8, the most-reviewed model = 10).
Enough data: With few reviews, the average grade is pulled toward the typical grade of this category. No reviews yet: 7.7 for now.
Share: Reviews count 25% of the overall score.
Score distribution
â–¼
<55-66-77-88-99-10
â–¼ Worse than 77% of models

6.8

Mark 7.1 is below the typical mark 8.1 of this category, so it cannot lift the score above the technical score

80%

7.3

Average grade

20%

6.3

Popularity

Grades by review (2)
1 review, its grade estimated from the review text. 1 video review, counting half as much as a written test. Reviews count 25% of the overall score.
User ratings collected online are not part of this score.
â–¼Worse than 77%
?

List score

List score
7.5/ 10
✕
What it is
How often independent test sites, magazines and video reviewers put this model in their best-of lists for this category.
How we count it
Points: The model in the most lists of this category gets 10; the others get 8 to 10 in proportion. In no list yet: 7.5. Lists count 25% of the overall score.
Enough data: Every list counts, even a single one. With fewer than 5 best-of lists in the category, this part is left out.
Lists with this model (0)
Not in any best-of list yet, so this part counts as 7.5. Models in a list get 8 to 10.
Not in any best-of list yet
  • huawei-b311
huawei-b311
Where to buy
    N/A~ £60
Best rankings
Available: ranking among products currently available (including other versions of this product).All: ranking among all products in the database.

What owners say about the Huawei B311

Based on 124 owners sharing their experience in online comments

9%positive10%mixed81%negative

Owners value strong reception and easy setup, but slow speeds, repeated outages, and data caps fuel widespread frustration.

What owners dislike

  • Owners report the modem suddenly losing internet after a few hours, showing a red or blue light, or needing repeated restarts before connection returns.28
  • Slow speeds and disappointing downloads22
  • Owners say weak signal in their area leaves the modem unable to connect or only giving slow speeds, and external antennas sometimes don't help.14
  • Owners report high, jumping ping of 120 to 1000 ms, making online games like PUBG and Free Fire lag badly.10
  • Owners say their unlimited plan was capped at around 30 GB per month, after which speed drops to about 384 Kbps.9
  • Owners say the modem worked well for a while, then slowed down or stopped connecting, with some lights failing or the device dying after about two years.9
  • Owners say the modem shows strict NAT, so consoles like Switch and Xbox cannot open ports, and online multiplayer games fail even after port forwarding or DMZ setup.7
  • Owners report the Wi-Fi network not appearing in device lists and LAN connections failing, even after resets, sometimes with the blue indicator on.6
  • Owners say the default admin password is rejected, so they cannot log in to configure the router.5
  • Owners say adding an external antenna gave stronger signal bars but did not improve internet speed, and in some cases speed stayed the same.4

Points mentioned by at least 3 owners, most mentioned first.

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Technical Specifications of router Huawei B311

Technical score
Technical score
6.8/ 10
✕
What it is
How good the specs are compared with the other models in this category, 1–10.
How we count it
Areas: We rate the specs in each area against the other models in this category.
Weighting: The areas that matter most to buyers count more. The shares are shown under Score components.
Share: The technical score is 40% of the overall score.
Score distribution
â–¼
<55-66-77-88-99-10
â–¼ Worse than 62% of models
Score components:

26%

5.3

Wireless

20%

5.0

Ports

18%

8.9

Networking

14%

8.1

Security

12%

7.8

Hardware

10%

7.7

Management

6.8
Reviews score
6.8
List score
?
Value for money
Value for money
7.9/ 10
✕
What it is
An indicator that combines the router's overall rating with its cost.
When it matters
When you are looking for a router with a good balance between network performance, features, and price.
Score distribution
â–¼
<55-66-77-88-99-10
â–¼ Worse than 73% of models
Score components:

70%

6.9

Overall score

30%

10

Price

7.9
Brand name
Huawei
Wi-Fi version
Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n)
This router uses Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n), which is less advanced than 65% of routers and equal to 32.7% of routers.
Wi-Fi bands
2.4 GHz
This router supports 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi bands, which are less versatile than 76% of routers and equal to 21.6% of routers.
Wi-Fi speed
300 Mbps
Market range: <0 Mbps – >6k Mbps
This router delivers 300 Mbps Wi-Fi speed, which is lower than 75.8% of routers and equal to 16.7% of routers.
Channel widths supported
20 MHz + 40 MHz
This router supports 20 MHz + 40 MHz channel width options, which is fewer than 63.7% of routers and the same as 31.2% of routers.
Show more
Wi-Fi security protocols
WPA2, WPA/WPA2, WEP
This router supports WPA2, WPA/WPA2, WEP Wi-Fi security protocols, which are less advanced than 88.9% of routers and equal to 1.8% of routers.
DoS protection
yes
This router includes DoS protection. 9.8% of routers include DoS protection.
SPI intrusion protection
yes
This router includes SPI-based intrusion protection. 4.7% of routers include SPI-based intrusion protection.
MAC address filtering
yes
This router supports MAC address filtering. 1.7% of routers include MAC address filtering.
URL filter
yes
This router supports URL filtering. 2.6% of routers include URL filtering.
Show more
IPv6 support
yes
This router supports IPv6. 8.8% of routers are IPv6-ready.
Dynamic routing
no
This router does not support dynamic routing. 46.2% of routers support dynamic routing.
Inter-VLAN routing
?
VLAN tagging
?
QoS
yes
This router includes QoS controls. 2.4% of routers include QoS controls.
Show more
N. of LAN ports
0
Market range: <0 – >5
This router has 0 LAN ports, which is fewer than 98.3% of routers and the same as 1.7% of routers.
LAN port speeds
1 Gbps
This router offers 1 Gbps on its LAN ports, which is faster than 25.7% of routers and on par with 56.1% of routers.
N. of WAN ports
1
Market range: <0 – >5
This router has 1 WAN ports, which is more than 0.8% of routers and the same as 89.4% of routers.
N. of USB ports
?
Power over Ethernet (PoE)
no
This router does not support Power over Ethernet (PoE). 1.7% of routers can be powered over Ethernet.
Show more
Management interface
Web UI, App
This router uses Web UI, App for management, which is more advanced than 29.7% of routers and equal to 60.9% of routers.
Firmware upgrade method
Web UI, App, Automatic
This router supports Web UI, App, Automatic firmware update methods, which are more convenient than 71.9% of routers and equal to 27.2% of routers.
Traffic monitoring
yes
This router includes traffic monitoring. 13.9% of routers include traffic monitoring.
Guest Wi-Fi network
yes
This router offers a guest Wi‑Fi network. 7.3% of routers offer a guest Wi‑Fi network.
Captive portal
no
This router does not offer captive portal features. 22.4% of routers offer captive portal features.
Show more
CPU clock speed
?
RAM capacity
?
Internal storage
?
Hardware acceleration
yes
This router offers hardware acceleration. 24.9% of routers offer hardware acceleration.
N. of external antennas
?
Show more

Huawei B311 vs the average router

246810TotalWirelessSecurityNetworkingPortsManagementHardware
  • Newer cellular modem
    This router uses a 4G cellular modem, while the average router uses none (external modem required).
    4G vs none (external modem required)
  • Includes SIM slot
    This router has a SIM slot, while the average router does not. 11.5% of routers have a SIM slot.
  • More advanced integrated modem
    This router uses a 4G integrated modem, while the average router uses none (external modem required).
    4G vs none (external modem required)
  • Newer cellular modem
    This router uses a 4G cellular modem, while the average router uses none (external modem required).
    4G vs none (external modem required)
  • Includes SIM slot
    This router has a SIM slot, while the average router does not. 11.5% of routers have a SIM slot.
  • More advanced integrated modem
    This router uses a 4G integrated modem, while the average router uses none (external modem required).
    4G vs none (external modem required)
  • 4 fewer LAN ports
    This router has fewer LAN ports than the average router (0 vs 4). The average router has 4 LAN ports.
    0 vs 4
  • Older Wi-Fi version
    This router uses an older Wi-Fi version than the average router (Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n) vs Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac)). The average router uses Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac).
    Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n) vs Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac)
  • Fewer Wi-Fi bands
    This router supports fewer Wi-Fi bands than the average router (2.4 GHz vs 2.4 GHz + 5 GHz). The average router supports 2.4 GHz + 5 GHz Wi-Fi bands.
    2.4 GHz vs 2.4 GHz + 5 GHz
  • No VPN server support
    This router cannot act as a VPN server, while the average router can. 68.8% of routers can act as a VPN server.
  • 82.9% slower Wi-Fi speed
    This router has a lower Wi-Fi speed than the average router (300 Mbps vs 1,750 Mbps). The average router reaches Wi-Fi speed of 1,750 Mbps.
    300 Mbps vs 1,750 Mbps
  • No MU-MIMO
    This router does not support MU-MIMO, while the average router does. 54% of routers support MU-MIMO.
  • Narrower channel widths
    This router has a lower supported channel width than the average router (20 MHz + 40 MHz vs 20 MHz + 40 MHz + 80 MHz). The average router supports channel width of 20 MHz + 40 MHz + 80 MHz.
    20 MHz + 40 MHz vs 20 MHz + 40 MHz + 80 MHz
  • 11.7% lower review score
    Reviews score
    6.8/ 10
    ✕
    What it is
    Average grade from independent test sites, magazines and video reviewers, 1–10.
    How we count it
    Grades: Each review's own score is converted to 1–10; without one, we grade the review ourselves. Big test sites count more, short reviews half as much as full tests. A video review counts half.
    Score: The average grade is 80% of the review mark; the number of reviews is the other 20% (1 review = 5, the typical number in this category = 8, the most-reviewed model = 10).
    Enough data: With few reviews, the average grade is pulled toward the typical grade of this category. No reviews yet: 7.7 for now.
    Share: Reviews count 25% of the overall score.
    Score distribution
    â–¼
    <55-66-77-88-99-10
    â–¼ Worse than 77% of models

    6.8

    Mark 7.1 is below the typical mark 8.1 of this category, so it cannot lift the score above the technical score

    80%

    7.3

    Average grade

    20%

    6.3

    Popularity

    Grades by review (2)
    1 review, its grade estimated from the review text. 1 video review, counting half as much as a written test. Reviews count 25% of the overall score.
    User ratings collected online are not part of this score.
    6.8 vs 7.7
  • 11.7% lower review score
    Reviews score
    6.8/ 10
    ✕
    What it is
    Average grade from independent test sites, magazines and video reviewers, 1–10.
    How we count it
    Grades: Each review's own score is converted to 1–10; without one, we grade the review ourselves. Big test sites count more, short reviews half as much as full tests. A video review counts half.
    Score: The average grade is 80% of the review mark; the number of reviews is the other 20% (1 review = 5, the typical number in this category = 8, the most-reviewed model = 10).
    Enough data: With few reviews, the average grade is pulled toward the typical grade of this category. No reviews yet: 7.7 for now.
    Share: Reviews count 25% of the overall score.
    Score distribution
    â–¼
    <55-66-77-88-99-10
    â–¼ Worse than 77% of models

    6.8

    Mark 7.1 is below the typical mark 8.1 of this category, so it cannot lift the score above the technical score

    80%

    7.3

    Average grade

    20%

    6.3

    Popularity

    Grades by review (2)
    1 review, its grade estimated from the review text. 1 video review, counting half as much as a written test. Reviews count 25% of the overall score.
    User ratings collected online are not part of this score.
    6.8 vs 7.7
  • 17.9% lower sentiment score
    6.4 vs 7.8
  • 2.7% worse value for money
    Huawei B311 has worse value for money than the average router (7.86 vs 8.1).
    7.86 vs 8.08
  • Older Wi-Fi version
    This router uses an older Wi-Fi version than the average router (Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n) vs Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac)). The average router uses Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac).
    Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n) vs Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac)
  • Fewer Wi-Fi bands
    This router supports fewer Wi-Fi bands than the average router (2.4 GHz vs 2.4 GHz + 5 GHz). The average router supports 2.4 GHz + 5 GHz Wi-Fi bands.
    2.4 GHz vs 2.4 GHz + 5 GHz
  • 82.9% slower Wi-Fi speed
    This router has a lower Wi-Fi speed than the average router (300 Mbps vs 1,750 Mbps). The average router reaches Wi-Fi speed of 1,750 Mbps.
    300 Mbps vs 1,750 Mbps
  • No MU-MIMO
    This router does not support MU-MIMO, while the average router does. 54% of routers support MU-MIMO.
  • Narrower channel widths
    This router has a lower supported channel width than the average router (20 MHz + 40 MHz vs 20 MHz + 40 MHz + 80 MHz). The average router supports channel width of 20 MHz + 40 MHz + 80 MHz.
    20 MHz + 40 MHz vs 20 MHz + 40 MHz + 80 MHz
  • 1 fewer spatial streams
    This router has fewer spatial streams than the average router (2 vs 3). The average router has 3 spatial streams.
    2 vs 3
  • No band steering
    This router does not support band steering, while the average router does. 57.6% of routers support band steering.
  • No beamforming
    This router does not support beamforming, while the average router does. 62.1% of routers support beamforming.
  • 32 fewer connected devices
    This router supports fewer connected devices than the average router (32 vs 64). The average router supports 64 connected devices.
    32 vs 64
  • No VPN server support
    This router cannot act as a VPN server, while the average router can. 68.8% of routers can act as a VPN server.
  • No PPTP server
    This router cannot act as a PPTP server, while the average router can. 66.2% of routers can act as a PPTP server.
  • 4 fewer LAN ports
    This router has fewer LAN ports than the average router (0 vs 4). The average router has 4 LAN ports.
    0 vs 4
  • Less capable NAS services
    This router includes none NAS services, while the average router includes SMB, media server.
    none vs SMB, media server
  • 3.9 W higher power consumption
    This router uses more power than the average router (12 W vs 8.1 W). The average router uses 8.1 W power.
    12 W vs 8.1 W
  • 74.6 mm higher height
    This router is taller than the average router (126 mm vs 51.4 mm). The average router is 51.4 mm tall.
    126 mm vs 51.4 mm

Video reviews

Hands-on testing, unboxing, and real-world video evaluations

7.0
Starmike
≈ estimated
27/10/2020
Unboxing · contents, ports and antenna
Verdict
Huawei B311 is a simple modem whose included antenna is a welcome extra, but it is otherwise unremarkable.
Shop video
Overview video

Expert reviews

In-depth analysis and verdict from leading tech publications

2.0
lucidcomputersolutions.co.uk
≈ estimated
17/12/2021
Real-world test · 4G router
Verdict
The Huawei B311 is a 4G router to avoid: its power lead was EU-style and its web setup page never loaded.

Third-party reviews

What customers like about Huawei B311

  • Built-in SIM slot shares a 4G connection without a fixed line
  • Wi-Fi 4 at 300 Mbps for up to 32 devices
  • Gigabit LAN/WAN port can also take a DSL line
  • Phone socket allows voice calls
  • Budget price with no configuration needed

What customers don't like about Huawei B311

  • 2.4 GHz only, no 5 GHz band
  • Mobile downloads capped at 150 Mbps
  • Only one wired port for PCs or TV boxes
  • Wi-Fi 4 only and no external antennas

Verdict

Huawei's B311 is a plain 4G router for places where no fixed line exists. Pop in a SIM card and it shares the connection over 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi 4, rated at 300 Mbps, with room for up to 32 devices. Mobile speeds top out at 150 Mbps, so it suits a holiday cabin, a flat without broadband or a backup link rather than a busy household. There is a single gigabit LAN/WAN port, which can also take a DSL line, and a phone socket for voice calls. Setup needs no configuration beyond inserting the SIM. The compromises are clear: no 5 GHz band, no external antennas and just one wired port, so a PC and a set-top box cannot both connect without a switch. It is a budget box that does one job cheaply.

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