EE 5G WiFi review

The EE 5G WiFi (previously known as the 5GEE WiFi) from EE is a mobile broadband device, meaning that it’s designed to get your gadgets online while you’re on the move. You can use it at home, but you’d be better off with a dedicated 5G home broadband device for that.

For mobile broadband though the EE 5G WiFi has a lot going for it, including the ability to get over 100 devices online at once, which is more than most rival devices are capable of.

In fact, on paper it’s a bit better than most mobile broadband devices – both 5G and 4G ones, but does it hold up in practice? Read on to find out.

Design

Like most mobile broadband devices, the EE 5G WiFi isn’t much to look at. It’s basically just a white rectangle with a keyhole-like symbol on the front, and a power button and USB-C port on the side.

This is totally fine though – nobody needs a flashy router, and the EE 5G WiFi certainly doesn’t look bad, it’s just very plain.

At 95 x 65 x 10mm it’s also fairly small, which is something that’s important for a mobile broadband device. After all, this is something you’re going to want to carry around with you.

It’s a smaller device than the Vodafone 5G Mobile Hotspot or the Netgear Nighthawk M6 for example, though they both have screens.

Compare EE 5G WiFi deals

Setup

The EE 5G WiFi is – like all mobile broadband devices – very easy to set up. Just make sure it’s charged and has a SIM card in it, switch it on, and it’s basically ready to start broadcasting a network.

It comes with a quick start guide, but quick really is the operative word – this isn’t the sort of tech that you’ll have to spend ages configuring. That’s great, because it means it can just seamlessly fade into the background, getting your gadgets online when needed.

Performance and speeds

EE hasn’t revealed the maximum download speeds offered by the EE 5G WiFi, but it claims average speeds (on 5G) of 146Mbps, which is broadly in line with the average you can expect on a 5G phone.

According to a September 2024 report from Opensignal, EE’s average 5G download speed on phones is 96.8Mbps, while a report from RootMetrics covering the first half of 2024 put its median 5G download speed at 207.5Mbps.

That’s higher than the average you’d get with fibre broadband – though some way short of the maximum of 1Gbps+. Of course, it goes without saying that the EE 5G WiFi is also much faster than a 4G mobile broadband device – those are likely to average speeds of under 50Mbps.

Top speeds on the EE 5G WiFi may well be a whole lot faster than 146Mbps too, and as EE’s 5G network improves speeds could as well. Of course, EE’s 5G network is essential to all of this – if you’re only somewhere with 4G coverage, then the extra capabilities here won’t help much, but fortunately EE seemingly has 5G in more places than rivals at the time of writing, and is rapidly expanding its coverage.

Features and battery

The most notable feature of the EE 5G WiFi is that it supports over 100 simultaneous connections. That’s a remarkably high number for a mobile broadband device – most 5G rivals top out at 64 or less, and many 4G options top out at just 10.

100+ is more the sort of number you’d expect from a home broadband device, not least because most people would be hard pushed to take advantage of that when out and about, unless you want to share your Wi-Fi with everyone in the café or train you’re in. Still, it’s a reassuringly large number.

The EE 5G WiFi has some other decent specs too, including a 30-metre Wi-Fi range, so you don’t need to stay glued to it to keep connected. So this is the sort of device that should never let you down.

One perhaps disappointing spec is that it doesn’t have any Ethernet ports, so you can’t get a wired Ethernet connection. But for most people that probably won’t be a problem, since most connected gadgets support and are just fine on Wi-Fi.

As for the battery, that’s 6,460mAh, which is a reasonable size but nothing amazing. Still, it should last you for a good long while if you’re only connecting it to one or two devices at a time. Make full use of those 100+ simultaneous connections though and we’d expect you’ll probably need to plug in before too long.

Alternatives

Arguably the main alternative is the Vodafone 5G Mobile Hotspot, which tops out at 32 simultaneous connections and has a smaller 4,500mAh battery, though it benefits from a screen, which the EE 5G WiFi lacks.

One other option is the Netgear Nighthawk M6, which is available from O2 and similarly has a screen. This also tops out at just 32 connections though.

Then there’s the Three 5G MiFi. This also tops out at 32 connections and it doesn’t have a screen, but it is very compact and light as a result, and its 4,500mAh battery delivers up to eight hours of life.

That’s most of the 5G mobile broadband options covered, but if you’re mostly going to be using your device at home then you should consider 5G home broadband instead.

It’s also worth noting that most recent tests suggest EE’s 5G is slightly faster than Vodafone’s or O2’s (though actual speeds will depend on your location) – but Three’s is seemingly faster still, and you can get the Three 5G Hub for home broadband.

Plans

The EE 5G WiFi is available on a handful of EE plans, ranging from £21 per month with £100 upfront for 5GB of data on a 24-month contract, to £55 per month with nothing upfront for unlimited data on a 24-month contract.

There are various options in between too, but note that at the time of writing, none of the plans give you unrestricted data speeds – they top out at 100Mbps. So those are some quite high prices, particularly given the speed restrictions.

But EE’s network is great for 5G, and there isn’t a lot of 5G mobile broadband competition in general (and no other options sold by EE at the time of writing), so arguably it can get away with these prices.

Note also that while these prices were right at the time of writing, they might well have changed by the time you’re reading this, so it’s worth checking the latest prices if you’re interested in the EE 5G WiFi.

Compare EE 5G WiFi deals

Conclusion

The EE 5G WiFi is an excellent mobile broadband option. It provides fibre-rivalling 5G speeds to all of your devices, anywhere with an EE 5G signal, plus it supports loads of simultaneous connections, and it’s small and light, so you probably won’t mind carrying it around.

Depending on your needs some alternative devices may be better, and it sure is expensive, but for an excellent 5G mobile broadband device on a network with relatively good 5G coverage and high data allowances, it’s sure to be the ideal option for some.

• Dimensions (mm): 95 x 65 x 10
• Modem: 5G
• Colours: White
• Ethernet ports: N/A
• Download speeds: Averages 146Mbps
• Wi-Fi specs: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax
• Power: Battery powered
• Launch date: Out now