Smart 5G Max Home WiFi Experience - Stellar primary, backup, or even portable cafe internet
Local mobile telco giant Smart recently dropped the price of its "5G Max Home WiFi" device.
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| Great for work and play |
With its promised speeds, reliability, and overall consistency, it might be the ideal plug-and-play WiFi device that I can use as a backup internet connection at home or a personal hotspot at cafes for work, play, entertainment, and beyond.
I tried it myself and put it to the test, and here's what I think.
Smart 5G Max Home WiFi Experience
The setup
It is EASY. Open the box. Plug it in. Register your SIM here and follow the instructions. That's it.
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| Front and back look |
Once done setting up, we were able to enjoy complimentary unlimited data for all sites and apps for 15 days. Yes, that's for FREE (technically, you will still pay for it, but this is way better than having a device with no included data).
Note: Users may access the OTP for SIM registration at 192.168.1.1/#/sms. We suggest using two devices during registration so you can quickly view the OTP on one device and almost instantly enter it on the other.
Build/Design
Design-wise, the device arrived as a tall, upright rectangular tower built to stand vertically. It is mostly made of polycarbonate materials, which seem sturdy enough to withstand a few accidental light drops.
Compact and portable enough
The front face of the device features the Smart 5G Max Home WiFi logo at the top, with 5G, 4G, and status LED indicators positioned below.
At the back, it includes a WPS button (allowing users to connect devices without a password when needed), a LAN/WAN port, and a barrel jack power input.
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| Top and bottom view |
If there are two areas for improvement, I wish they had added rubber feet or stoppers at the bottom to prevent slipping on smooth surfaces, and opted for a USB‑C port for power—offering better compatibility and serving as a backup in case the included power adapter is lost or damaged.
Generally, this is portable enough to fit in my backpack or tote, allowing me to bring it to places where I need reliable internet without draining my phone's battery on hotspot mode.
Speed and security
Tip: Put the device near the window for the best signal possible.
To make the device secure, we highly suggest changing its password once you are done registering it.
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| 192.168.1.1 interface |
It is easy. All you need to do is go to 192.168.1.1 in your browser and log in using the default username and password found on the bottom of the device.
Afterward, go to WiFi Settings and change the WiFi name and password.
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| WiFi settings |
Generally, the Smart 5G Max Home WiFi admin interface gives you full control over your router's setup and performance. It even lets users help find the optimal location where to put the router for the best experience possible.
Easy setup
From the Network and WiFi menus, you can adjust advanced wireless settings, strengthen security with encryption, MAC/IP filters, and WPS pairing, and even expand coverage through mesh networking.
Meanwhile, the System menu provides tools to restart or reset the device, run diagnostics, manage SIM PIN codes, unlock the unit, and update time or system preferences.
The Security section lets you fine‑tune firewall rules, manage NAT, and configure features like DMZ or SIP ALG for VoIP.
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| Internet Access Time Control |
Users can also set limits on internet access time and date for specific connected devices, effectively serving as a parental control feature.
Moreover, users can also manage the WiFi settings and view messages sent to the router via the HUAWEI AI Life App.
One feature that I can't make work is the Domain Name Filter List that supposedly restricts computers from accessing certain websites. I tried it on my own website, www.gizguide.com, and I can still access it.
Fast and reliable speeds
For specs, Smart claims ultra‑fast speeds of up to 600Mbps, with support for up to 40 devices.
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| Ookla Speedtest result |
Upon double‑checking, the unit is the HUAWEI Brovi 5G CPE H173‑381, which supports 5G SA/NSA with 4G fallback and WiFi 6, designed for home offices, branch setups, and temporary sites.
Up to 600 Mbps of speed!
For signal strength, it features 4x4 MIMO antennas plus an Ethernet LAN port for wired connections.
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| Not bad! |
In our studio—inside a private subdivision with no nearby cell towers—fast speeds are naturally challenging. The highest speed test result I’ve recorded is only around 10Mbps.
On my high‑end 5G‑ready smartphone, I can't even run the Ookla Speedtest app. This is still a win.
Still, from experience, this performance is good enough for casual browsing, research, and light AI queries and grammar checks. YouTube browsing works, but I suggest limiting the quality to HD 720p for less lag.
I can see myself using this during emergencies when my wired fiber internet is down or not working.
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| Steam and game at the same time |
In other locations—like my daughter's school café where I usually spend about three hours a day—the speed is blazing fast.
In central business districts and other areas with strong Smart coverage, connectivity is equally reliable. In fact, the highest speed test I’ve achieved hit 590 Mbps, even while connected to seven devices simultaneously.
At that level, streaming, browsing, gaming, complex AI tasks, and even uploading large files to YouTube can all run at once with barely any noticeable lag. Even for video calls, no problem.
In fact, my wife often connects to this network for her online Teams meetings with video while we wait for our daughter’s school day to end. Her experience has been equally smooth and uninterrupted.
It's a performance tier that showcases the potential of 5G paired with WiFi 6.
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| Watching a Netflix movie |
We noticed several GIZGUIDE readers mention experiencing Smart's Fair Use Policy (FUP) after extended use. Personally, I haven't encountered this yet, even after running the device for about five hours straight with work, streaming, and casual play.
This suggests that for most users who don't push Smart's service to extremes, FUP is unlikely to be a major concern. Light to moderate usage should remain smooth and uninterrupted, with no noticeable throttling.
Pros - Very fast 5G internet in areas with strong Smart signal, connects to WiFi 6, can connect multiple devices, plug-and-play
Cons - No USB-C port, no rubber feet
Our thoughts
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| LED status lights |
This is a flexible and affordable 5G WiFi solution that shines as a backup, portable, or even main internet line.
While speed varies by location, in my experience, it proves to be a stellar and generally reliable option—whether as a primary connection, backup line, or portable café hotspot. Setup is effortless, the design is sturdy and portable, and the admin interface offers robust controls for security and customization.
This device is impressive for streaming, gaming, uploads, and complex AI tasks with virtually no lag.
Again, until November 20, 2026, the device is marked down from PHP 4,990 to just PHP 2,995. After the free data period, customers can reload with UNLI 1299, giving unlimited data for 30 days across all sites and apps.
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