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Thanks to 5G, an exciting new alternative to traditional fibre home broadband is starting to emerge.
The next-generation mobile network known as 5G is not merely a super-fast way to get connected from your smartphone, it’s also being positioned as a viable means of connecting to the internet from your home.
In order to connect to 5G home broadband, you’ll need a 5G router. Here’s a rundown of the current 5G router market in the UK.
A 5G router is a plug-in device that enables you to access home broadband using a 5G signal rather than the telephone wiring that runs to your home.
With average real world download speeds of between around 100–250Mbps, 5G home broadband is already faster than standard fibre broadband where available. With peak speeds potentially exceeding 1Gbps in places, it could even potentially compete with top-notch full fibre broadband.
5G also benefits from lower latency than 4G, which should in time make for a fixed broadband-like responsive online experience. Based on the available data, you can currently expect a ping of around 20-35ms, which falls in between a decent home broadband connection (10–20ms) and a 4G broadband connection (around 35-50ms).
But perhaps the key benefit of using a 5G router right now is how quick and easy they are to set up. You can receive it in the post the very next day after you order, at which point you literally plug it in and access the internet. There’s no need to wait around for an engineer to visit.
Given the relatively new nature of 5G broadband, there aren’t an awful lot of options for 5G routers on the market. In fact, until fairly recently there was only really one, albeit rebranded by three different networks. Thankfully, the choice is a little wider now.
If you take out Three 5G Home Broadband, then you’ll receive a Three 5G Hub (also sometimes referred to as the Three 5G Home Broadband Hub), and it supports an impressive max download speed of 4.7Gbps – though Three’s own network tops out at 1Gbps on this device, so for now you won’t see those speeds.
For average download speeds, Three claims that at least 50% of its 5G home broadband customers will get average speeds of 150Mbps during the peak hours of between 8pm and 10pm.
The Three 5G Hub also has two Ethernet ports and four antenna sockets, plus support for up to 64 simultaneous connections. That’s far more than you’re likely to need, and is in line with rivals.
EE offers 5G home broadband via its own-branded 5G router (seen above), the EE Smart 5G Hub, (previously known as the 5GEE Router 2021).
We say 'own-branded', but it appears to all intents and purposes to be a rebranded Zyxel NR5103 router, which can theoretically get up to speeds of 4.67Gbps. That's much higher than the 2.33Gbps of its predecessor and some rivals. Not that you'll be experiencing anything like those sorts of speeds for the foreseeable future.
EE claims that you'll get average speeds of 146Mbps from its Smart 5G Hub, and that it's powered by a chip that switches between 4G and 5G depending on signal strength. Like rivals it can get up to 64 devices online at once.
Note however that at the time of writing this only appears to be available to business customers, but it’s been available to consumers before and may well be again.
The Vodafone GigaCube 5G appears to be a rebranded ZTE MC888 Ultra router, which theoretically offers top speeds of 3.8Gbps, though as with other options your real world speeds will be a lot lower.
Like many rivals, it can get up to 64 devices online at once, so it’s competitive with rivals. Note however that Vodafone used to offer different routers under the same name.
The Huawei 5G CPE Pro (above) was notable for being the 5G router that every UK 5G broadband supplier issued – but Three, Vodafone and EE have all now replaced this with alternative models. You can still get it from National Broadband though, which calls it the 5G WiFi Router.
The Huawei 5G CPE Pro router allows up to 64 devices to get online at once, and also has two Gigabit Ethernet ports, which are handy for console and PC gaming, plus support for external antennas, to boost your signal if needed. It also offers support for download speeds of up to 2,330Mbps, which clearly isn’t attainable right now. But 5G is only predicted to get faster over time, and the Huawei 5G CPE Pro will be ready for it when it does.
National Broadband for its part claims that in urban locations, its 5G home broadband averages download speeds of well over 100Mbps.
Your choice of portable 5G routers is extremely limited at the time of writing. But there are a couple of interesting options if you want to be more flexible or mobile with your 5G broadband connectivity.
The 5G WiFi is the latest mobile broadband device to be launched by EE.
EE's device has a lot going for it, with a massive 6,460mAh battery, a 30-metre Wi-Fi range and the ability to connect up to 64 devices at the same time. Impressively, it also supports Wi-Fi 6, leading to improved efficiency and speeds when multiple devices are connected.
Theoretical maximum speeds of up to 2.33Gbps are supported, but currently you can expect average speeds of around 150Mbps. This doesn’t support external antennas, but that’s typical with portable devices.
The Netgear Nighthawk M6 is a 5G mobile broadband router that’s available from O2 at the time of writing.
It has a peak download speed of 3.1Gbps (though as with all of these devices the speeds on the network will be much lower), and it has a 5,040mAh battery, a 2.4-inch touchscreen, an Ethernet port, and the ability to get up to 32 devices online at once.
If you’re looking to set up a mobile home broadband service, but don’t live in a 5G area, there is another option. A 4G router will work in much the same way as a 5G router, but with lower download speeds and higher latency.
If you sign up for the Three 4G Home Broadband service you’ll receive a Three 4G Hub. It’s technically capable of download speeds of up to 600Mbps, though you almost certainly won’t achieve anything like those speeds given the limitations of the modern 4G network.
Any such issues won’t be down to the router itself though, which is one of the most capable on the market. You can connect up to 64 devices simultaneously over Wi-Fi - the same as most 5G routers - and there are also four ethernet ports for wired connections and two sockets for hooking up a signal-boosting external antenna.
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EE offers the 4G WiFi, which EE claims offers average speeds of 40Mbps. There’s support for up to 32 simultaneous connections, and a 30-metre Wi-Fi range.
5G broadband is much faster and more responsive than 4G broadband, and that gap is going to increase exponentially over the coming years. You should go with a 5G router if at all possible.
The main reason not to is simply that you don’t have 5G coverage in your area, but with 5G coverage increasing all the time, you might soon do if you don’t already.
Check out the 5G coverage checkers for the UK’s 5G home broadband suppliers. These will provide detailed 5G coverage information for your area.
At the time of writing, real world download speeds for 5G broadband tend to fall between 100 and 250Mbps, which is faster than most regular broadband packages. Peak speeds have been recorded of almost 1Gbps in certain places, however, which rivals the fastest full fibre broadband services available in the UK.
Yes, you can. The Three 5G Home Broadband Hub, EE Smart 5G Hub, and the 5G WiFi Router from National Broadband all support external antennas, which you can connect to improve your signal, which is ideal if your 5G signal is iffy or absent without an antenna.
Due presumably to limited 5G coverage, only a few operators are offering 5G home broadband packages, and only in a relatively small percentage of the country.
Because of this, there isn’t an abundance of 5G router options available. This will undoubtedly improve over time as 5G broadband becomes more popular.
Jon has nine years experience of writing and editing copy for leading publications, as well as attending technology shows and events and conducting interviews. Currently working with 5G.co.uk, TechRadar, Trusted Reviews, T3, Digital Spy, What Mobile, Pocket Gamer, and The Gadget Show.
James has been writing for us for over 10 years. Currently, he is Editorial Manager for our group of companies ( 3G.co.uk, 4G.co.uk and 5G.co.uk) and sub-editor at TechRadar. He specialises in smartphones, mobile networks/ technology, tablets, and wearables.
In the past, James has also written for T3, Digital Camera World, Clarity Media, Smart TV Radar, and others, with work on the web, in print and on TV. He has a film studies degree from the University of Kent, Canterbury, and has over a decade’s worth of professional writing experience.
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