At this time, portable routers with 4G or 5G connectivity are in high demand due to the summer holidays that are already here. Today data rates are in the tens of GB, and in many cases can be accumulated from one month to another, so having about 100GB of data is quite common, that is if we do not have a rate with unlimited data. If you want to connect in your second home or take a MiFi to connect with different devices without having to Tether with your smartphone, the best thing you can do is buy a portable 4G or 5G router. Next, we are going to explain how much these devices usually cost, and also what models you can buy depending on your needs.
What should I take into account before buying a MiFi?
Before looking at the prices of portable routers or also known as MiFi, you should think about what exactly you need in terms of technical specifications that you want it to have. Next, we are going to indicate a series of characteristics that you should look at:
- Support for 4G networks and speed: the vast majority of MiFi that we can buy today have support for 4G networks and also the previous standards. The most important thing in this aspect is to buy a device that is 4G category 4 at least. Depending on the category of the LTE 4G network, we can obtain a higher download and upload speed, the more category the MiFi or portable router has, the faster the Internet connection will be.
- Support for 5G networks: there are currently few devices that incorporate this technology, in addition, the MiFi that do support it are extremely expensive compared to 4G models, therefore, our recommendation is that you buy a 4G model so that it will last for many years. years, and when the 5G models drop in price due to their massive adoption, then make the leap to this new technology.
- Simultaneous dual band Wi-Fi: the low and mid-range models only have a WiFi connection in the 2.4GHz band, however, the mid-high range models incorporate a second frequency band operating at 5GHz, in this way, we will be able to obtain a higher wireless speed and take full advantage of the speed of the Internet. Some models have dual band but it is selectable, that is, we must choose between broadcasting in the 2.4GHz or 5GHz band, but not both at the same time. The best thing is that it is simultaneous, however, if it is selectable, you can choose to broadcast in 5GHz, which is faster.
- Configuration touch screen: the most basic models have a display that will show us the general status of the device, such as connected WiFi clients, coverage received from the mobile broadband network, etc. However, the most advanced models have a touch screen with which we can interact to make basic adjustments, very useful in certain scenarios.
- Battery capacity: Depending on our needs, we need the battery capacity to be very large, or it may not be necessary in certain scenarios. If you are going to use the MiFi as a portable router to take everywhere, then you will need a large battery of 3,000mAh or higher, however, if you are going to use it generally at home to have coverage there, then with a smaller battery of about 2,000mAh you will have enough because most of the time it will be connected to the electrical current.
These are the five features you should look at before buying a portable or MiFi router. Depending on your budget and the use you are going to give it, you will have to prioritize some features over others.
Prices and recommendations
Currently there are portable or MiFi routers in all price ranges, depending on the budget we have, we can access some features or others. Manufacturers as well known as Huawei have several MiFi models available, which will provide us with maximum compatibility. D-Link also has this type of device, and especially the manufacturer NETGEAR, the latter has MiFi at the top of the price range of around €450 and even up to €800, because they have all the necessary features for more advanced users .
The most basic MiFi models usually cost between 50 and 100 euros approximately, in this price range we usually find models with a single band and a low-capacity battery, however, for normal navigation use in a domestic environment, they will serve us perfectly.
For example, we have the Huawei E5576 which is a 4G Cat 4 device with Wi-Fi 4 and a small 1,500mAh capacity battery.
In the case of the D-Link DWR-932, this equipment is also 4G CAT 4, with Wi-Fi 4 operating in the 2.4GHz band, but it has more battery capacity, reaching up to 2,000mAh.
We also have other MiFi that are available between 100 and 150 euros, which improve these features to incorporate 4G Cat 6 or higher networks, and with larger batteries. However, if you want something very good (and also expensive), NETGEAR’s top-of-the-line models will satisfy all your needs, even if you are very demanding.
The NETGEAR M2 model has a 4G Cat 20 modem, is capable of downloading up to 2Gbps, has simultaneous dual-band WiFi 5, a USB port, a Gigabit Ethernet port and a large battery that reaches 5,040mAh capacity. Of course, it has a color and touch screen. This model is the best 4G MiFi you can currently buy.
In case you want to have the best MiFi 5G that currently exists, the NETGEAR M5 model incorporates a Qualcomm X55 5G modem to have the maximum speed in the mobile network, it also has a Gigabit Ethernet port, simultaneous dual band with Wi-Fi 6 AX1800 class, a very large touch screen and a 5,050mAh capacity battery.This device is very expensive, but it is the best you can buy.
As you have seen, we have models from 50 euros to 800 euros.Depending on your needs and budget, you can buy one or the other, but always according to the characteristics that we have explained to you.
