A family member is moving into a new home soon, and for various reasons I've recommended that they purchase a 4G router instead of continuing to use landline broadband:
- Mobile data is insanely cheap- the provider that I've suggested they use have an offer on PAYG (Pay As You Go [prepay]) that gives completely unlimited data as long as the SIM card is topped up £10 every 14 days;
- Using 4G is cheaper than landline broadband- £20/month for 4G or £24/month for landline broadband;
- I've measured the 4G speed from within a house visit, and the speed I got was 90 Megabits/s. The maximum speed on the £24/month landline broadband is ~16 Megabits/s. I've already confirmed with the mobile provider that purchasing a SIM card on a PAYG package and using it exclusively for 4G Internet does not violate any of their terms.;
- The cost of the 4G router would be earned back in two-three years
I've been searching for a 4G router for them to use, but however most seem to be portable routers.
There are a couple of home 4G routers that I've found:
The idea of replacing home broadband with 4G hasn't caught on yet, possibly because in many countries landline broadband is faster than 4G.
I'm currently leaning towards the Huawei router, but are there any others which are better? I use a Huawei smartphone so I know they are a reliable brand.
Some requirements:
- Should be readily available- no 'oh look, someone wants to browse a website, let's connect to 4G';
- Should have the ability to wall-mount, or alternatively attach a 4G signal booster aerial;
- Should be suited to home networking (don't want a portable router);
- Be at least Wireless N, if not Wireless AC
- Not portable- Portable 'MiFi' routers often have a very low WiFi signal range. This device will be used in a home, in place of a standard WiFi broadband router.