This is a basic mobile 4G LTE router, with battery.
When I receive it, basically you can tell this is an OEM product without specific branding/logo on it, and upon some searching, you would find the exact same product being sold on auction sites and other sites under different "vendor" or "brand", not a big deal, let's check out its function/features...
- It is difficult to pry open the battery cover and I can feel it's anytime to break any one of those locking tab, it needs to be very carefully to pry open all the tabs around the whole cover, not a great design in the battery cover. The battery is a non-standard proprietary one, which is difficult to find a replacement for it, or a spare for it.
- Also, this router can NOT be powered with only USB power, you must have a battery inside, so, if you lose the battery or it dies, this router won't work anymore.
- The micro-sim slot and the micro-sd slot has NO instruction on how to open it, it takes a while to figure it out how to open, put the card in, and carefully lock it back.
- Note, it doesn't support eSIM.
- The "LCD" screen is NOT touchscreen, it's tiny, only about 1"x1" with basic information displayed. The battery level isn't showed in percentage, only shown in a 5-bar status.
- The traffic/data accumulated on the LCD screen is lost if battery is depleted or taken out, that's a big thumb down, as a mobile router, you probably want to keep track how the data usage/quota is being used, not good if it's lost for whatever reason except manually reset. It's only showing the "download", not both the download and upload or a combo of both.
+ it supports the recent linux distros and Windows 10 without driver, it will connected as a mobile RNDIS connection, but it is only 10Mbps one.
- you can NOT "bridge" the public IP directly to any wifi client or USB client, it always work as a router and wifi/USB client will only get a private IP address, there is some basic port forwarding options inside the admin interface.
- upon real life use of it, I notice multiple, random disconnection and reconnect, I am not sure it's mobile carrier related or router related, but when the connection is unstable, the admin interface is sluggish and slow to load, indicating the processing power of this router isn't powerful enough, and the firmware isn't designed optimized.
* speed is usable, but not the greatest, it doesn't look like to be 4G LTE speed, only about 3G. Of course it will depends on the mobile carrier or the traffic congestion in the area, so I won't add or deduct any point in this, a real life test is only about 15Mbps download/upload.
Overall, it works as an emergency 4G LTE router where you need a temporary or travel internet connection. It is simple to make it up and running.
However, it appears that the processing(processor) power of this router isn't great enough that the admin page is slow or sluggish to be load, and there are occasions that the connections were dropped/reconnected as well. The LCD screen has very limited and basic information to show, no button to further control or scroll for any additional information.
Last but not least, and important to note, make sure you have a plan or way to keep track the data usage, since the accumulated data usage will be lost when no power or battery depleted. As a mobile router, this is not good.
So, if you look for more features, functions, and will probably use a mobile 4G/LTE router for days, this probably worth for 3-star.
If you just need something mobile 4G/LTE router for temporary internet access for quick, maybe just less than a day, this probably is pretty easy and can worth for 4-star.
Mobile hotspots create a small Wi-Fi network that allows you to connect multiple devices to the internet anywhere that you have a cell signal, but figuring out which to get can be confusing. PCMag has been reviewing mobile hotspots for more than 15 years , so you can trust that our coverage is accurate and informed. Our current Editors' Choice winners are the Franklin Wireless JEXtream RG 5G for T-Mobile and the Orbic Speed 5G UW for Verizon thanks to their consistent performance and easy-to-use interfaces, but the other models on this list are also worth considering. Make sure to click through to our full reviews and read to the end for a detailed guide that explains everything you need to know about choosing a hotspot and deciding whether tethering is a viable option for your needs.
Deeper Dive: Our Top Tested Picks
4.0 Excellent
Consistent and fast network speeds
Intuitive web interface
Easy setup
Sturdy build
No Wi-Fi 6E
Lacks an Ethernet port
No antenna ports
The Franklin Wireless JEXtream RG 5G Mobile Hotspot offers an easy setup process, excellent data speeds, and impressive battery life. T-Mobile sells just two 5G mobile hotspots and this happens to be the one with the best performance and lowest price.
This is the hotspot to buy if you're in an area with a strong T-Mobile 5G signal and need top-notch Wi-Fi performance for several devices.
Service Provider
T-Mobile
Wireless Specification
Wi-Fi 6
Number of Devices Supported
20
Battery Life
13 hours, 30 minutes
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$149.99 Amazon
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Franklin Wireless JEXtream RG 5G Mobile Hotspot (T-Mobile) Review
4.0 Excellent
Only hotspot that works with Verizon's latest 5G
Clear, simple on-screen interface
Ethernet port for network output
No external antenna ports
Big and heavy
Battery life is short on fastest 5G
The Orbic Speed 5G UW Mobile Hotspot supports up to 30 simultaneous device connections and works with all the major Verizon 5G bands, including 2/5/48/66/77/78/257/260/261. It delivered download speeds of around 600Mbps during our tests at a location with a robust 5G signal, though we're slightly disappointed by its relative bulk and lack of external antenna ports. The touch screen is quite convenient, however.
If you live in an area where Verizon 5G is prevalent, the Orbic is a good choice. That said, Verizon now sells newer models with more recent modems. For instance, whereas this Orbic model uses Qualcomm's X55 radio, the Inseego MiFi X Pro 5G UW runs on the Snapdragon X62/X65 platform. We look forward to testing it.
Service Provider
Verizon Wireless
Wireless Specification
Wi-Fi 6
Number of Devices Supported
30
Battery Life
jija contains other products and information you need, so please check it out.
11 hours 45 minutes
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$299.99 Verizon
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Orbic Speed 5G UW Mobile Hotspot (Verizon) Review
3.5 Good
Work on multiple carriers
Supports sub-6GHz/mid-band 5G
Easily adjustable settings
Unimpressive battery life
No mmWave 5G
Expensive
We liked the Netgear Nighthawk M6's vibrant touch screen and SIM-swapping flexibility, though middling battery life and missing mmWave 5G support are both downsides. If those are vital to you, the unlocked M6 Pro adds mmWave 5G support and Wi-Fi 6E.
If you don't want to commit to a carrier or frequently need to change SIM cards for travel, this hotspot is ideal. You pay a bit more for the ability to switch providers at will, however, so you can save money by choosing a carrier-specific model.
Service Provider
Unlocked
Wireless Specification
Wi-Fi 6
Number of Devices Supported
32
Battery Life
7 hours, 17 minutes
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$649.99 Amazon
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Netgear Nighthawk M6 (Unlocked) Review
Most of what we said about the unlocked Nighthawk M6 applies to the Nighthawk M6 Pro. It's more affordable because it ties you to AT&T, which is a fair trade-off if you live in an area with good AT&T 5G coverage. As for other highlights, it works with up to 32 devices simultaneously and supports the critical n77 band for access to AT&T's 3.45GHz network (which uses the company's most advanced 5G technology).
If you don't want to compromise on performance and know AT&T is the right carrier for you, this model is a much better value than the unlocked Nighthawk M6. It gets you access to 5G+ (AT&T's mmWave coverage) and supports faster Wi-Fi 6E.
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$91.99 Best Buy
$459.99 AT&T Wireless
Buying Guide: The Best Mobile Hotspots for
Hotspots are available from all three nationwide carriers as well as several virtual operators that use the larger carriers' networks. For instance, you can get hotspot plans from Boost (AT&T/Dish/T-Mobile), Cricket (AT&T), H2O (AT&T), Karma (T-Mobile), Metro (T-Mobile), Net10 (Verizon), and Simple Mobile (T-Mobile) among others.
Hotspot plans change all the time. On AT&T and Verizon, your best bet is to add a hotspot to your existing plan as a separate line. That gets you the most data for your dollar. If you add a hotspot onto an "unlimited" plan, you get up to 60GB of high-speed data with Verizon, 60GB with AT&T, and 50GB with T-Mobile. After that, the carriers deprioritize your data or throttle it unpredictably, depending on local network traffic.
Hotspot plans aren't designed for primary home use. They cost much more per byte than a home DSL, cable, or fiber setup.
The median US home broadband subscriber uses more than 427GB of data per month, likely because of video streaming services such as Hulu and Netflix. All of those Zoom calls are also likely to eat up a data cap quickly. If your needs don't involve video or music streaming, a wireless hotspot might be a viable alternative for your home.
However, there is such a thing as wireless home internet, and it's different from hotspots. It relies on exterior antennas and larger, less portable routers that stay in one location. Recent wireless internet plans are more likely to have unlimited data than hotspot plans. AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon all sell wireless home internet plans in various parts of the country, as do a wide range of smaller, local wireless internet service providers (WISPs). Starlink is worth considering as well.
So, who's using hotspots? Traditionally, it was just road warriorsbusiness people who needed reliable connections for multiple devices without draining their phones' batteries. Now, food trucks and other outdoor-dwelling small businesses use hotspots to light up their point-of-sale systems and get Seamless orders. Vacation home and RV owners might also use hotspots for part-time homesteads. And folks who can't get the carriers' dedicated wireless internet plans might still find they can fall back on hotspots.
The three big carriers are near the end of the first major phase of their 5G rollouts and in many cases, network capabilities have now outstripped the quality of older hotspots running on them. That means recent phones will get better speeds than older hotspots.
Many high-quality hotspots have TS9 external antenna ports to help you improve your signal using inexpensive antennas you can purchase online. TS9 is standard, and these antennas cost much less than cellular signal boosters. Unfortunately, 5G hotspots that support mmWave generally don't have external antenna ports.
Ensure your hotspot supports 5GHz Wi-Fi, which is typically faster and less congested than 2.4GHz Wi-Fi. Our picks typically support both 5GHz and 2.4GHz. Some hotspots support guest networks and access controls, such as MAC filtering and time-based limits. Those features are on pretty much all dedicated routers nowadays, but you can't necessarily take them for granted on mobile hotspots.
You can use hotspots that have big batteries as power banks to charge your . And some hotspots with microSD card slots can function as tiny servers for sharing media over Wi-Fi. That said, we've never found a real use for that media server functionality.
We really like the displays on the front of many current hotspots. They conveniently report the strength of your signal, your hotspot's name, data usage statistics, and the network password.
Keep in mind that a dedicated hotspot isn't the only option. Smartphones have a Wi-Fi hotspot mode, and if you have a 5G , you might get better performance in that mode than you would with a 4G hotspot. That said, phones support fewer devices at once, don't have as many network management features, and can run out of battery quite quickly.
To help narrow your decision, head to our explainer on the tethering vs. dedicated hotspot debate. And check out our tips on how to turn your into a Wi-Fi hotspot.
US hotspots generally allow you to roam in Canada and Mexico, although rates might be high. Be sure to check with your carrier in advance to find out.
One of the only good unlocked hotspots with international bands available in the US is the Netgear Nighthawk M6, but it's quite expensive. If you plan to buy a local SIM to take advantage of lower local data rates, you may want to buy a cheap abroad and tether from it.
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