With that in mind, here's what you need to know to pick the right service and hardware, along with the top-rated hotspots we've tested.
When we tested Inseego's MiFi X PRO 5G hotspot in an area with a strong T-Mobile 5G signal, we got blazing-fast download and upload speeds of around 600Mbps and 22Mbps, respectively. Impressively, that's faster than many people's home internet connection. Otherwise, its 2.4-inch touch display makes it simple to configure options and a built-in Ethernet port expands its versatility.
This is the hotspot to buy if you're in an area with good T-Mobile 5G connectivity and need top-notch performance. It's not the most affordable hotspot, but its speed and easy operability help justify its premium price.
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$199.99 Amazon
$264.00 T-Mobile
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Inseego MiFi X PRO 5G (T-Mobile) Review
4.0 Excellent
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.
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$299.99 Verizon
$430.00 Amazon
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Orbic Speed 5G UW Mobile Hotspot (Verizon) Review
3.5 Good
jija supply professional and honest service.
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.
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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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$459.99 AT&T Wireless
$459.99 Best Buy
Buying Guide: The Best Mobile Hotspots for 2024
Hotspots are available from all three nationwide carriers as well as several virtual operators that use the larger carriers' networks.
Along with the three major carriers, 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), along with other minor players.
Hotspot plans change all the time. On AT&T and Verizon, your best bet is to add a hotspot to your existing phone plan as a separate line. That gets you the most data for your dollar. If you add a hotspot onto an "unlimited" phone 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 congestion.
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, mostly 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 via 5G in various parts of the country, along with a wide range of smaller, local wireless internet service providers (WISPs). Starlink is worth considering as well.
So, who's using hotspots for now? Traditionally, it was just road warriors—business 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 have been frantically upgrading their networks the last few years, 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 do.
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. Some hotspots support guest networks and access controls, such as MAC filtering and time-based access controls. Those features are on pretty much all dedicated routers nowadays, but you can't take them for granted on mobile hotspots.
You can use hotspots that have big batteries as power banks to charge your phone, or hotspots with microSD card slots as tiny servers to share 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 often report the strength of your signal, your hotspot's name, data usage statistics, and the network password on the device.
If you decide to make the jump, hotspots and cellular modems aren't the only options. Smartphones have a Wi-Fi hotspot mode, and if you have a 5G phone, you might get better performance in that mode than you would with a 4G hotspot. That said, phones support fewer devices at once, have fewer 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 phone 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 M6, but it's quite expensive. If you plan to buy a local SIM to take advantage of much lower local data rates, you may want to buy a cheap phone abroad and tether from it.
Credit approval, deposit, qualifying service, and $10 SIM card, and, in stores & on customer service calls, $35 assisted support, upgrade support or device connection charge due at sale. Equipment Installment Plan: 0% APR. If you cancel wireless service, remaining balance on device becomes due. Availability and amount of EIP financing subject to credit approval. Down payment & unfinanced portion required at purchase. Balance paid in monthly installments. Must remain on qualifying service in good standing for duration of EIP agreement. Late/non-payment fees may apply. Participating locations only. Examples shown reflect the down payment & monthly payments of our most creditworthy customers; amounts for others will vary.
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