4 Advice to Choose a 5g Dongle

Hi all,

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For the upcoming holidays season I&#;m obviously packing my Beryl (MT) as repeater in between free wifi hotspots.

But on the move I would like to use a 4/5G LTE USB dongle with the Beryl. So far I&#;ve been usb tethering but I think an USB dongle is more elegant and less messy.

Any suggestions for a proper USB dongle to work with my Beryl? Should be for sale in Europe for use with European (data) 4/5G SIM.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions!

If you're struggling to get a reliable fixed broadband connection in the home, an 'over the air' alternative comes in the form of a wi-fi dongle that can deliver 4G and 5G home broadband.

With a reliable 4G or 5G signal, you'll be able to use one of these devices to access the internet on all your home devices. Read on to find out how they work. 

Check our guide to the best and worst mobile networks to see how providers are rated for network reliability, value for money and more. 

How does 4G and 5G home broadband work?

Instead of using lines, 4G and 5G broadband dongles use the same signal as your smartphone to access the internet. As such, it can be an ideal solution for those who struggle to get a good signal from their traditional ADSL/Cable internet service provider (ISP).

Where 5G coverage is available, it's possible to get an even faster connection via mobile broadband, though this is still less widespread than 4G.

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Use Which? to search for faster, more reliable broadband services

What is a wi-fi dongle?

A wi-fi dongle is a simple USB device that provides this wireless internet connection for individual devices, such as your home laptop or computer. It works in a similar way to a 4G or 5G router, to effectively deliver mobile broadband as an alternative to a fixed connection.

How much does a wi-fi dongle or router cost?

While 4G and 5G broadband used to be more expensive than standard fixed-line broadband, prices have become far more competitive in recent years, and unlimited data plans are more common.

You could pay as little as around £10 per month, but this will likely be for a limited amount of data. Expect to pay around £20 a month for unlimited data. 

If you do pick a plan with a data cap, be wary of how much you're using. With high charges for going over your data allowance, it's important to be aware of how much data common online activities use. The table below provides some examples:

Activity

Data usage

Web browsing (60 pages)

140-240MB

Stream music/radio (1 hour)

35-135MB

Netflix (1 hour, SD)

300-700MB

Netflix (1 hour, HD)

3GB

Skype/video call (1 hour)

350MB

Download 100 e-mails

10MB

Download 100 documents

200-500MB

How can you access mobile broadband at home?

For most people, there are three ways to access mobile broadband in your home:

• By 'tethering' your smartphone - This setting essentially turns your smartphone into a wi-fi hotspot, allowing a small number of connected devices to quickly connect to the internet. Most mobile providers will allow you to tether as much data as your plan allows for, though some may have a separate (lower) data limit for tethering so it's worth double checking the terms of your contract. Our guide on

  how to set up a mobile wi-fi hotspot

  can help you get started. 
• By using a mobile broadband 'dongle' - This is a small 4G- or 5G-enabled device which connects to your devices via USB or wi-fi to get you connected. This can usually allow more traffic than tethering.
• By using a dedicated router - providers such as Three and EE have dedicated routers capable of handling many more devices and traffic than tethering or dongles can.

Our mobile coverage map will give you more information about 4G and 5G coverage in your local area.

Which mobile networks offer wi-fi dongles and mobile broadband?

Each of the 'big four' mobile networks - EE, O2, Vodafone and Three, offer 4G and 5G mobile broadband. This may be via a wi-fi dongle, or a home router.

Contract lengths vary from one month up to two years, and data limits can run as low as just a few gigabytes, so it's important to choose a service that best fits your needs.

How fast is 5G home broadband?

For those who want a quicker connection, and have strong 5G coverage in their area, 5G will almost always be preferable to 4G, even if it's a little more expensive.

The speed of 5G mobile broadband connections vary, but Three claims an average download speed of 150Mbps for its 5G Home Broadband product - faster than most standard fibre packages. This would be more than suitable for larger homes where many devices are connected to and using the internet at the same time.

While 5G is now available in far more areas of the UK, if you're not currently covered by the new superfast standard, 4G mobile broadband could still be a good alternative.

How fast is 4G home broadband?

With 4G, download speeds are comparable to, or a little faster than standard fixed-line broadband. According to OpenSignal data, the 'Big Four' (EE, O2, Three and Vodafone) were able to achieve an average speed of 21.33Mbps, which is faster than many ADSL (aka standard) broadband products. 4G broadband is very unlikely to reach the speeds that fibre broadband can reach, with some fibre providers offering up to 1,000Mbps (1Gbps) for your home - but it should be sufficient to comfortably stream or download content with a strong enough signal.

Average 4G speeds in the UK compared

The company is the world’s best 5g Dongle supplier. We are your one-stop shop for all needs. Our staff are highly-specialized and will help you find the product you need.

Music album (50MB)

tv SHOW (500MB)

HD TV show (2.5GB)

Film (800MB)

HD film (4GB)

EE

14 sec

2 min 24 secs

12 min 2 secs

3 mins 51 secs

19 mins 45 secs

Three

18 secs

3 mins 8 secs

16 mins 2 secs

5 mins

25 mins 40 secs

Vodafone

22 secs

3 mins 41 secs

18 mins 53 secs

5 mins 54 secs

30 mins 14 secs

O2

27 secs

4 mins 38 secs

23 mins 45 secs

7 mins 25 secs

30 mins 14 secs

Average 4G speed

18 secs

4 mins 38 secs

15 mins 45 secs

4 mins 56 secs

25 mins 16 sec

*Based on Openreach speed data.

Also, the speed you will get from your 4G broadband is dependent on many other factors, including how far you are from a mobile mast and how strong the signal is. If you experience patchy mobile service at home, then it is likely that you will experience similar issues with 4G broadband, affecting the speeds you can achieve.

Find out how fast your connection is using our Broadband Speed Checker tool.

Is 4G or 5G home broadband right for me?

Mobile broadband has become far more appealing now that prices have dropped and 5G is becoming more widespread.

Perhaps the biggest advantage is its ability to deliver a reliable internet connection to areas of the country that struggle with a consistent fixed-line connection &#; either due to a lack of availability, poor speeds, or a limited range of (often expensive) providers. In this situation, a mobile broadband connection through a 4G or 5G router or wi-fi dongle could be the ideal alternative.

If you do have a good range of available fixed line providers for your property, however, the simple answer is to shop around, weigh up your options, and choose a provider that offers the best value for money. Use Which Broadband Compare to get started.

Crucially, you'll also want a good service. Read our mobile network provider reviews and guide to the best and worst broadband providers to find out which come out on top.

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