PLDT Home Wifi vs. GLOBE at Home Wifi

After my PLDT home wifi had some (no sim)signal issue after a few months, its for warranty service and will be out for sometime so I decided to get a Globe at home wifi(B310A) to check if its better. Both uses 3G/4G mobile signal for its connection, you cant compare the signal as it is location based, signal strength will depend on where you live, so we will skip that one.

ROUTER:

The PLDT router can be mounted on a wall and is smaller compared to the Globe router other than that I dont see anymore advantages, both has a LAN port, The Globe one has 2 external antenna socket hidden on its back, but i doubt if it is working as this is a budget router, i tried buying an antenna for this router but according to most online store and comentaries this B310A model they used don't work unlike its full featured brother model B315 with 4 LAN port and USB works according to sellers. Both router does not have a battery but is powered by a 12volts 1ampere power supply adapter and the Globe router consumes a measly 3watts compared to the other running on 5watts, its not meant to be carried around but it is to be plugged inside the house 24/7. Like typical routers, both automatically turns on if you plug the power adapter, this is good after a power outages or flactuation happens, you dont need to manually turn it on like those mobile wifi gadgets. Both are in 1,999 pesos price range

One big advantage of the Globe router is its almost a full featured router with customizable DHCP server that seems to be absent in the PLDT router which is mostly just an access point and provide internet to connected devices, connected devices seems isolated and can't see each other inside the network, I used my PLDT router for my IP cameras, IPcamera are connected to the router so I can access the camera remotely away from home or even locally, and it seems impossible to connect a wifi only connection IPcamera on it as my smartphone can't seem to see the camera or even access it via locally, it need to have internet connection for me to access the camera despite Im already within local network that supposedly my smartphone just access my IPcameras locally and does not need to go out in the internet, this maybe intended so you wont end up using it a a full blown router plugging a switch and several PC on it
Unlike the Globe router which seems to not have those issue, once connected to the router, I can access the IPcamera within the network, it is evident due to fast speed streaming as compared to remote connection via internet, its single LAN port also inscribe as LAN/WAN which means you can use it as a full blown router


The PLDT router also has a very slow bootup and it has a bad issue of its mobile connection freezing up randomly after a few days it is left running 24/7, you have to manually reset or turn off/on the router so it will reconnect again properly, it will not connect again on its own if you left it like that, this is also experienced by other user on other blog commentaries, it could be fixed by a firmware update, but as of this writing there no solution to that bug.

PROMO:

The PLDT router has better promo, aside from PLDT's owns promo of large MBs data cap it offers, you can also use a wide range of SMART promo along in it, you can basically have 30days internet for as low as 300pesos, unlike the Globe router after some latest update upon this writing, a lot complained since they change some promos validity duration, like a 500 peso promo which is for 30days was limited to now just 15 days validity, and you need to spend 1,000 peso minimum to have a 30days internet.

If you ask my opinion which is better, well, I prefer the Globe router hardware only, while I like the PLDT/SMART network along its promo. You could buy brand new openline router model similar to the Globe one(Huawei B310/B315) and plug a SMART sim on it but it cost about 4,000 pesos (prices varies) in the market. Do remember though that PLDT/SMART sim that comes along with it on these home wifi cannot be bought anywhere, it comes with the modem, so goodluck if your sim died out, yes you can replace it with ordinary SMART sim and would work but you cannot avail exclusive large MBs the built-in sim offers, like the famload promo.

After a year of using it, its actually expensive to use one especially if you are a mid range data user like spending 1,000 pesos a month, better yet just get an internet line provider and enjoy unlimited internet than a measly data MBs you could get with these modems, my relatives just got themselves a line like Converge with cost them 1,000 pesos a month, and they can use it unlimited and no data capping. If you live somewhere in the province and there is no line available I guess you have no choice but to use one of these, its also good backup when your internet line provider is broken down and you needed internet for your computer as just using a lan cable for connectivity would suffice. Its decent enough to play pc online games with it, online gaming does not eat up too much MBs anyway not unless its asking for a major update. And you can place it in a good signal spot for your devices so you dont need to go outside or by the window to play mobile games and mobile data eats up a lot of battery especially indoors, imagine your smartphone talking to a cell site outside and kilometers far away, and your home wifi modem is doing that for you.

DC Uninterrupted Power Supply XH-M232

This is the XH-M232, a 12volts DC Uninterrupted Power Supply(UPS), i've been looking for this kind of device to power my router, so it will still supply internet during black outs, unfortunately this is the only or few model that does direct DC power supply available in the market, yes you can use the typical UPS for computers but its inefficient as it goes into AC DC AC DC conversion just to power your DC routers which mostly run on 12v, and its an expensive option too aside from the limited size the battery storage you can use. The XH-M232 gives you the choice on what powersupply to use or size of the battery that suits your needs, I used mine on my router which is about 12v 2amps real world data, used its supplied powesupply rated at 12v 3amp, a battery of 12v 10ah. The idea is the router will use battery power during power failure, and the powersupply charging the battery and powering the router. During a power failure, the router draw power from the battery and once power is restored, powersupply will power the router and automatically charge the battery until its full.

The downside of this device is its slow to switch from powersupply to battery vice versa as my router gets restarted during the process, thus its more proper to call it a automatic transfer switch, or battery backup power than the term "Uninterrupted" power supply, still its better to have working router during blackouts than nothing at all, though it could work with no problem with devices that do not restart like an aerator for an aquarium, lights or fans.

Low-cost Volt Amp Meter

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Generic low-cost Solar Controller

This is the SEMPER generic blue PWM Solar Controller kw1210 10ampere, one of the cheapest solar controller you can get, it pretty much looks like other solar controller out there, except this has a flimsy button and plastic body/panel and there is no heat sink in the back unlike others, just a metal back plate that gets really hot during its peak voltage.

I just stick an old heat sink in the back and heat dissipates properly, I used to remove and keep heat sinks and fan of defective video card and motherboard before I dispose them for this purposes.

It's surprising its circuit is simple, it does not have much bells and whistle inside unlike the other solar controller I got. But don't make it fool you, this controller just works and is consistent. Its a good entry level controller, for those who wants to enter and play with solar power, better get these cheap controller, it's better to play actual real world data than just reading on those papers.

It also has a LCD(no backlight) control console which you can see the system/battery voltage and other like adjusting float charge voltage, discharge stop/start. You can also select lead acid battery type, such as sealed, gel and flooded. Obviously its not as efficient as more expensive controller like MPPT but this controller just works.

You can watch a video here how it behaves if you are interested.

DC Voltage Step Up/Down Regulator Module AT35

This is the low cost AT35 DC buck boost module, it can be used for any DC electrical applications, I used mine in my solar power systems, it can absorb 5v to 30volts of power then converts it to a stable voltage up to .5v to 30volts depending on the set value, by default it is in 12v but make sure to measure it with a volt meter or a multimeter before plugging in any of your devices, it may be set into a higher voltage settings and blew up your devices, its heat sink passive cooling can handle up to 3 amperes, it can go upto 4 amperes but external cooling may be required.

Green led will lit for standby, Blue led if there are devices plugged in into the output. I bought it as it is like no case but bare circuit board.

Solar Controller as a DC Uninterrupted Power Supply

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Solar Controller as a Battery Charger