Review: The TCL Linkport IK511 5G gives any budget laptop an internet speed boost

The TCL Linkport IK511 is a 5G adapter that strips away all but the most essential hardware features to keep the device compact. It looks like a portable SSD with a single USB-C connection, and its thinness makes it easy to slip into a laptop bag. It’s far from the fastest 5G connection you’ll find, but getting online quickly without worrying if your hotspot is charged feels more streamlined than simplified.

If you work from your computer or spend much of your life on the road, a good hotspot can be essential for staying connected with friends and family. If you’re a gamer or streamer, you might rely on your internet connection for entertainment. Even with many games working offline, you may still need an internet connection for updates or to verify your license for that game. Others, like photographers or videographers, need a quick and easy way to send files to clients.

Price, availability, and specs

The TCL Linkport IK511 is exclusive to T-Mobile in the US and costs $96 when paid in full. If you want to get the device on a payment plan, payments can be as low as $4 per month over 24 months. If you have a Go5G Next phone line, you can get half off over 24 months ($2 per month) when you add a laptop to your plan.

The TCL Linkport IK511 can be purchased on T-Mobile’s website for delivery, though it may not be available in stores.

The TCL Linkport IK511 can be purchased on T-Mobile’s website for delivery, though it may not be available in stores.

What’s good about the TCL Linport IK511?

Compact and quick to connect

The TCL Linkport IK511 isn’t designed to have a ton of features. Instead, it focuses on a single function: providing a 5G internet connection over USB-C. This is known as a RedCap device, which stands for reduced capacity. With chips like the Snapdragon X35 modem onboard, RedCap devices like this one can connect previously Wi-Fi-only devices, like laptops, to 5G without needing a major hardware upgrade or another device you need to charge, like one of the best mobile hotspots with a battery, screen, and Wi-Fi hardware.

The Linkport IK511 doesn’t have a display or battery onboard, so it only works when plugged in and is controlled through the device it’s connected to. That means you don’t need to charge it like a hotspot, and there’s no battery to go bad. You also don’t need to worry about other people trying to connect to your hotspot.

With the Linkport IK511, all you do is plug it into your laptop’s USB-C port and wait for the connection lights to turn green. The signal light will be green, amber, or red, indicating the signal quality. It would be nice to have more information on the device. However, if you connect to the dongle’s software on your computer, you can see more detailed information, including which 5G band you’re on.

The Linkport IK511 only has a single port, the main USB-C connection, and a small door concealing a SIM tray. In the US, this is a T-Mobile device, and I tested it with a T-Mobile SIM provided by TCL for this review. TCL provides a short USB-C to USB-C cable and recommends against using other cables. However, I used it with another high-quality USB-C cable a couple of times without issue.

When it comes to getting connected, if a device has USB-C, there’s a good chance it will work. I tried the Linkport IK511 with Mac and Windows laptops, and both immediately recognized the device. For gamers, I wouldn’t recommend a cellular connection for competitive play, but for downloading game updates or syncing your saves across devices, this dongle can be handy. Connected to a Steam Deck, the dongle worked without issue and showed up as a wired connection in the settings. It also worked in the Linux desktop environment. My Nintendo Switch did not recognize the dongle.

Setting up the TCL Linkport IK511 is about as simple as it gets, with a few steps to set your password in a web browser, and that’s about it. Out of the box, you need to open the back of the device and slide in a SIM card, but that takes only a minute and doesn’t require screws or ejector tools. You can get into the software by typing the IP address 192.168.0.1 into a web browser. You will need the default password printed on a page in the box.

After that, check for a software update, as a couple were available in the month I’ve had the device. These updates download and install in software, so all you do is press a button and wait a few minutes.

The software shows more in-depth information about your connection, such as which 5G band you’re connected to and how strong your signal is. You’ll also see messages for your account and several nice-to-haves, like port forwarding and VPN passthrough. You can also set it to only connect to LTE or SA 5G if you’re in an area with an unstable connection.

What’s not good about the TCL Linkport IK511

Not quite 5G speeds

It’s not all perfect, and the first thing I want to address is the speed or lack of speed. This dongle isn’t meant to be fast and doesn’t support T-Mobile’s fast n41 mid-band spectrum. You only get support for bands n25, n66, and n71, which are all low-band. Along with a slow USB 2.0 speed for the cable, the TCLs spec table showing 5G download speeds up to 220Mbps and upload speeds up to 120Mbps start to make sense.

In my testing, I saw speeds over 100Mbps down a few times, but most of the time, it was under 100Mbps. This also has a lot to do with the quality of T-Mobile’s connection in your area. When downloading a game on Steam, the dongle didn’t get too hot and kept working as expected. At a local coffee shop, speeds were around 30Mbps down. These speeds aren’t impressive, but apart from large downloads, most people don’t need a ton of speed.

Given the size and sub-$100 price point, it’s not bad, but don’t expect anywhere near T-Mobile’s best 5G speeds. You also shouldn’t expect miracles when it comes to the signal, as the signal level on the dongle was about the same as a T-Mobile phone. This isn’t surprising for a compact device. Still, if you live on the edge of T-Mobile’s coverage area, this may not be the right pick for you, with no connections for external antennas.

Another consideration is that you only get a single device online at a time. With a Wi-Fi hotspot, you can connect multiple devices, but this Linkport IK511 only brings the device it’s connected to online. Since its USB-C port is used for power, you can’t use a USB-C Ethernet adapter with it. Also, given this fairly low speed, it would have been nice to see a USB-A cable in the box or at least an adapter.

Should you buy it?

Make your laptop smarter

If you spend a lot of time looking for quality Wi-Fi connections because you work from your computer or spend a lot of time on the road, like a trucker, a simple 5G dongle like the TCL Linkport IK511 could be useful. Its simple design means you can stow it away in a backpack or laptop bag until you need it. Since setting it up is a matter of plugging it in, there’s not much to go wrong.

While the download and upload speeds aren’t impressive, they’re plenty fast for browsing the web, watching YouTube videos, and downloading updates. If you upload multiple gigabytes of 4K video footage to a server, look for something faster. However, if you want a quick and reliable connection, the TCL Linkport IK511 delivers it.