4G or 5G LTE/SIM Router/Hotspot Recommendations Please

Saga

Between BT Openreach and the ISPs I am having a nightmare trying to get new fibre broadband line set up and working. Currently tethering my phone and getting about 30 download and 5 upload Mbps. but would be content getting a 4G or 5G router and PAYG giffgaff rolling SIM as I don't want to get locked into contract. I don't game online so latency not a massive issue.

Can you please recommend a router up to around £100 (£150 max) that is unlocked, if only 1 ethernet port that's acceptable, USB tethering would be great, doesn't have to be a pocket hotspot, APN SSIDs WPA etc can be configured eg via 192.168.0.1.

Happy to post this in another forum such as 'Home› Phones & TV› Broadband & internet access' if it's better suited there. Tx

alanwsg

ZTE MC7010's seem to be quite popular, there's someone selling them on Ebay - not brand new, but not used either.

I bought one, put a '3' SIM in it, plugged it into my Asus router and it worked straight away.
Can't speak about the 5G performance as there's no signal here at the moment, I get 60Mb/s down & 10Mb/s up on LTE.

I've had it running for a month just fine so I'm ditching my Plusnet FTTC when the contract expires in Feb - the Scancom SIM I got works out at £6.50/month. A Smarty unlimited SIM may be a better option than Giffgaff.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/204570626146?hash=item2fa15c0862:g:haUAAOSwq8tkgggx

There's a wealth of knowledge about them aound ...

https://www.ispreview.co.uk/talk/forums/mobile-broadband-and-fixed-wireless.106/

QrizB

There's a recommendation in this post for the ZTE MF286D:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/80465853/#Comment_80465853

My son's a student in a shared flat. They don't have wired broadband and their landlord won't allow them to have it installed (no idea why not, they just won't). Last term he struggled through tethering his phone. At the start of this term he bought a MF286D for about £40 on eBay and an £8/month TalkMobile SIM with a 50GB data plan.

The router and SIM have worked out great for him, but once he started sharing with his flatmates the 50GB plan wasn't up to it as they burned through it in two days. He's switched to an unlimited plan!

Saga

Thanks for these quick replies! Will look into these.

Saga

alanwsg said:

ZTE MC7010's seem to be quite popular, there's someone selling them on Ebay - not brand new, but not used either.

I bought one, put a '3' SIM in it, plugged it into my Asus router and it worked straight away.

Why would the ZTE MC7010 need to be plugged into a router?

gefnew

This with a cheap sim could fit your needs.

4G Unlocked Mobile WiFi Router - 150 Mbps - White £23.00 - Free Delivery | MyMemory

alanwsg

Saga said:

alanwsg said:

ZTE MC7010's seem to be quite popular, there's someone selling them on Ebay - not brand new, but not used either.

I bought one, put a '3' SIM in it, plugged it into my Asus router and it worked straight away.

Why would the ZTE MC7010 need to be plugged into a router?

It's just a modem, it doesn't provide WiFi, just a connection to the mobile service.

You can just plug it straight into a P/C - it works, I've tried it. 
But then the P/C is the only thing you can use.

Saga

alanwsg said:

Saga said:

alanwsg said:

ZTE MC7010's seem to be quite popular, there's someone selling them on Ebay - not brand new, but not used either.

I bought one, put a '3' SIM in it, plugged it into my Asus router and it worked straight away.

Why would the ZTE MC7010 need to be plugged into a router?

It's just a modem, it doesn't provide WiFi, just a connection to the mobile service.

You can just plug it straight into a P/C - it works, I've tried it. 
But then the P/C is the only thing you can use.

Glad you said this! I would have just assumed all these devices communicate with laptops etc over wifi!

Cisco001

https://uk.webuy.com/product-detail?id=snetzyxnr5103ev2unl&categoryName=mobile-broadband&superCatName=phones&title=&queryID=2052292aaf291c6e7fb9fb2f7933b686&position=5

alanwsg

Saga said:

Glad you said this! I would have just assumed all these devices communicate with laptops etc over wifi!

You can have that if you want, but good quality 5G WiFi routers currently have eye-watering prices.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/NETGEAR-Nighthawk-Unlocked-Reliable-Anywhere/dp/B0BPCS4BZ5

john1

Full discussion on MSE forum here