What these devices or access points allow us is to connect to the Internet without the need for ADSL or fiber but without the need to use our telephone data rate. We only depend on whether there is 4G or 5G coverage in that place.
How do they work? We introduce a SIM card inside in which we have previously contracted and activated a data rate. We plug the device into the mains (no network cable or outlets or anything similar is needed) Once the card is inside and the device is connected to a conventional outlet, we have to connect to the router’s WiFi network like any other network. They allow several connected devices and the volume of data depends on what was contracted, without further ado.
Models and designs of 4G and 5G routers
There are many models of 4G and 5G routers. It changes the format and, therefore, the use that we are going to give it. It depends on whether we want to use it at home, we want to take it everywhere, or whether we want to use it on a single device or multiple devices.
USB dongle or stick
The classics are the ones that you have surely used or seen at some time. Those USB “pins” that have a dongle format and connect to the computer via USB to give us Internet when we don’t have fiber or ADSL. They became popular almost a decade ago and allowed us to have the Internet when we traveled, for example.
Generally we could connect via USB to the Internet from that specific computer, but today technology has advanced and what they allow is to create a WiFi network that can be accessed from various devices. Currently there are many brands that also sell this USB modem in which we can insert a SIM card and create a WiFi network only by connecting it to the USB of the computer. Once plugged in, we can access from the mobile or from the tablet as well.
pluggable router
But there are also others that are traditional and are connected to the electrical network and are those mentioned in previous paragraphs. These routers are the ones offered by the different companies when we contract a 4G rate at home. A device similar to the one you have for fiber optics but it works with mobile networks. We just have to insert the SIM card, connect it to the power and start using.
Allow multiple connections from different devices. They work like a standard or conventional one and are designed to have at home or to take on a trip, as we have mentioned. We can take you to hotels, apartments.
Portable and wireless
And finally, there are the wireless 4G WiFi routers: they have a battery inside that allows them to work without connecting to any power outlet. It is a kind of wireless device that is previously charged through a battery. The speed depends on the coverage there is in that place concrete and the battery will depend on the model. Generally, they do not need any type of configuration and they simply create the WiFi zone to which we connect from the computer or from the corresponding phone or tablet.
These models use, for example, some hotels to give their clients the possibility of connecting to the Internet in the city where they are without having to depend on the SIM. This is the case of the Room Mate hotels that allow this advantage to their guests in case they do not want to spend their mobile rate and can connect from anywhere in the city. It is a small device that fits in a pocket and that creates a WiFi zone where we can connect five or six devices.
Advantages and disadvantages of a 4G or 5G router
Are they always a good idea? Are they a bad idea? Should we buy one? We review some of their main advantages or their main drawbacks.
Advantages and points in favor of its use
These devices are not designed to work at a fixed point, in a single home. But they have as main advantage that we can take it wherever we want. For example, we can use such a router to take it with us on vacation in an apartment where we do not have fiber optics contracted for the summer months. Or can we use it in hotels if we usually travel for work and we do not want to depend on the public WiFi of these establishments and the dangers of using the same network as thousands of people. In these cases, a 4G or 5G router allows us to connect from anywhere and without installation since most of them we simply have to plug them into the power supply and that’s it.
Easy installation is another of its advantages: most 4G and 5G routers are ready-to-use devices without the need for many cables and complex installation. We simply have to plug it in if we have previously connected the SIM card. In addition, anywhere works: we can plug it into the train socket, in a hotel, in an apartment. We just need to connect them to power.
They are excellent options to use in case of vacations, displacements. Or if you’re going to be in a rented flat for three or four months and you do not want to bet on a fiber installation that you will later have to cancel or transfer or that perhaps has permanence. We can move it as many times as we want. For a trip, for a house where you don’t have fiber coverage…
And they are versatile because the amount of gigabytes does not depend on the device itself but on the contracted rate, and you can even contract inexhaustible rates with unlimited gigabytes.
drawbacks
The main drawback of these routers is that we depend on coverage that is at that point to connect to the Internet. They can be a good occasional option, as in the aforementioned case of hotels or to travel in a city or country that is not yours if you want to have an additional data SIM card with which to navigate free of charge beyond your contracted rate. But for continuous use we can find problems in the 4G or 5G coverage in a house in the countryside, for example, where the speed is not the most adequate or the signal does not arrive well.
Another drawback is that we depend on a number of gigabytes. This was generally the case until years ago, but this inconvenience is becoming less frequent because today there are many unlimited rates that allow us to browse without limits, using as many gigabytes as we want each month and without restriction.
What to look for when choosing one
The operators have 4G rates at home that allow us to contract data for these 4G or 5G routers. For example, Orange offers Unlimited 4G at home. But we do not necessarily have to contract a special rate, but rather any rate with data (prepaid or not) that we like and that we use for this purpose is enough. If the operator does not give us a device, we can buy it ourselves, but we must look at a series of important aspects when choosing one or the other.
Use and design
We have already seen in previous paragraphs that there are different types of routers and not all have the same purpose, not all are designed for the same uses. There are devices designed to be at home or at a fixed point and others that are designed to travel, to take anywhere. It depends on the use you want to give it, we have to bet on one model or another. If you are going to travel, keep it compact and small and light and easy to transport. If you want to use it to travel, it may be USB but also a portable one with a battery that allows you to take it everywhere.
In these cases, we must also make sure that it is resistant. Not only the use that we are going to give it is definitive but also the design of this: that it be small, that it be resistant, that we can carry it comfortably, that it be manageable.
connected devices
It is convenient that we look at how many devices connected simultaneously can be in the same router. It does not matter if we simply want to connect our computer and nothing else, but we must take it into account if we are going to have more devices working with the same WiFi connection. In these cases, we must take a good look at the specifications of the router and the options that it allows.
For example, it will not be the same that we are going to connect alone in a work hotel to that we are in a rural house with friends and there are five or six or seven phones connected simultaneously to that WiFi. The same goes for a portable option that we are going to take on a trip to another country so that the whole family has Internet simultaneously. We have to pay attention to these details.
Autonomy
If it is portable, be careful with autonomy. If we are going to choose a wireless option that works only connected by battery, see how many hours the connected device can last. Whether you are going to travel or just want to work on a train during a trip or you are doing an intense working day in a congress and you want it to work without problem until the end of it.
Most of them last more than five or six hours without any problem, so we won’t have to worry about connecting continuously, but keep an eye on this detail before choosing.
Network compatibility
If you have contracted a rate and an operator that operates with 5G, make sure the router too. Do not lose all the potential that what you have contracted offers you and look for models that are compatible to have more speed and more power.
Having a good download speed will ensure that the 4G or 5G router not only allows us to send messages via WhatsApp, but also that we can have good quality by playing streaming content, downloading, playing online, etc.
Installation and interface
That it is easy to use is important as well as its configuration. Most routers of this type allow you to plug it in and it will start working. Plug in and go. But we must look at all aspects or configuration depending on the level of knowledge we have about this type of device. Most of them just insert the USB or plug in, connect to the WiFi network…
But if we want something more complex we can look for routers from brands that offer us more customization options, Of configuration. Some allow us other functions such as parental control in case of use by children, manage the data limit consumed by each device, see the connected devices, etc.