After testing five major firmware builds across three hardware revisions, here is the definitive verdict:
When evaluating firmware, security is a critical metric.
This report analyzes the firmware landscape for the ZTE MF971RS, a Category 9 portable 4G LTE router. The device is popular for its compact form factor and high theoretical speeds (up to 450 Mbps download).
However, the "best" firmware for this device is not a third-party custom ROM (as is common with smartphones), but rather specific official OEM firmware versions. Due to ZTE’s locked bootloader and proprietary chipset architecture, installing custom firmware (like OpenWrt) is generally not feasible. Therefore, the "best" firmware is defined as the version that offers the highest stability, carrier aggregation performance, and security patch level while retaining the features required by the user (such as bridging or DNS customization).
Dear Sir or Madam,
we would like to thank you again this year for your loyalty and trust!
Since we are on company vacation over the holidays, we would like to point out that no goods can be delivered during this time.
Incoming orders will be processed from January 7th, 2026.
The entire Cartesy team wishes you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2026!