The EE 4GEE WiFi Mini is one of the better-looking mobile hotspot devices on this list, and its compact design means it can be easily carried around with you. The 1500mAh offers up to 50 hours on standby and six hours when connected to the internet.

Mobile broadband lets you use a mobile signal to broadcast a Wi-Fi network that your gadgets can connect to. So if you’re somewhere that doesn’t have Wi-Fi and you need to get online with a laptop or other device that doesn’t have a SIM card, you can do so with mobile broadband. What’s the difference between 4G mobile broadband and 5G mobile broadband? These devices are both sold direct from those networks, and can be bought alongside a data-only SIM. However it’s also possible to buy dongles separately from other stores and then get a data-only plan to use with them. Not everywhere has public Wi-Fi networks, but most places do have mobile signal, so with mobile broadband you’ll be able to get your gadgets connected to the internet almost anywhere.Note that while we've analyzed and rated the technical performance of each hotspot, we haven't touched upon the running costs, which will vary according to your provider. As with smartphone SIM cards, you'll need a data contract and pay for the service, either a monthly rolling contract or a pay-as-you-go SIM, which can be a more affordable choice if you only need to use these devices sporadically. There are quite a few mobile Wi-Fi dongles to choose from, but below we’ve detailed the best options, starting with the 5G models and followed by the 4G ones. The best 5G mobile Wi-Fi dongles Its top such device is the Netgear Nighthawk M6, which is the only one of these to support 5G. As such, you’ll get far higher speeds with the Netgear Nighthawk M6 than with the other O2 mobile broadband devices. And one-month mobile broadband plans free you from contracts, allowing you to enjoy all the benefits of mobile broadband, without committing to a lengthy plan. These clever devices take a single mobile broadband connection and broadcast it over a personal WiFi network meaning you can connect up to 10 WiFI-enabled devices at once.All of the Mobile WiFi devices below also enable you to connect to your PC or laptop using a USB cable.

The Alcatel Link Zone MW70 is a router that offers a range of features for wireless internet connectivity. This router does not support Ethernet WAN or DSL WAN connections, but it does have a SIM card slot for mobile data usage. It is not compatible with 3G/4G USB modems, and does not have dual SIM support. The coverage still isn’t perfect. The leading operator (EE) has made decent inroads and currently provides over 92% of the UK population with 4G, but that still leaves a number of areas which won’t get a 4G signal. While O2 is currently hovering around 70%, Vodafone’s last update put it at 68% and Three’s coverage is at around 63%. That depends on whether you want to get one device online or lots. A dongle can typically only connect one device to the internet at once, and it needs to be a device that you can plug the dongle into, and which supports dongles – which in most cases means a laptop or desktop. To use a dongle you’ll also need to insert a SIM card loaded up with a data allowance. If you buy a dongle from a mobile network, then this will typically come bundled with it.If you’re hoping to get your laptop, tablet, Nintendo Switch, or other portable gadget online when out and about – or simply hoping to get anything online when there’s no Wi-Fi available – then a mobile Wi-Fi dongle is the device for you. Mobile broadband frees you from the confines of a fixed Wi-Fi network, allowing you to get devices like tablets, laptops, and portable consoles online wherever you are, just as long as there’s a mobile signal available. Yes, it’s possible to get a dongle on a plan with unlimited data. You can also choose to get a lower data limit though and thereby pay less per month. It’s worth figuring out how much data you need. Is a dongle easy to set up? Calls to 05, 08 and 07 special numbers including calls and texts to Jersey, Guernsey and Isle of Man landline or mobiles

The selection of networks that offer one-month mobile broadband plans may change over time, but you can see the current options above. At the time of writing they include Three, Vodafone, O2, and Virgin Media. What mobile broadband devices are available on one-month plans? There are several factors to consider when aiming to whittle down the choice of the best mobile hotspots to just one. While4G mobile broadbandcan certainly be fast it can also be expensive. We’ll get into specific costs in the section below, but suffice to say it still tends to be more expensive than 3G. It also often has quite strict data limits, which are less of a factor with standard Wi-Fi.

Beyond that, you need mobile coverage– ideally 4G, or 5G if you have a 5G dongle. And you need a compatible device to use it with, the most common being a laptop. How fast are dongles? For dongles, there’s the Alcatel Dongle 4G on O2, and the Vodafone 4G Mobile Dongle. Is unlimited data available on a one-month mobile broadband plan? Then there’s the Netgear Nighthawk M1, which tops out at 4G speeds and 20 connected devices, but this is still very fast, and like the Netgear Nighthawk M6 it has a touchscreen. It’s battery powered, so it doesn’t need plugging in itself, and its 2,150mAh battery offers 8 hours of active usage time, so it can see you through a full work day. If you’re not using it then you’ll get up to 300 hours of standby time.