Portable lte wifi hotspot

The 7 Best Wi-Fi Hotspots of 2023 That Deliver Fast Speeds and Reliable Coverage

Public Wi-Fi is slow and insecure. Isn’t it about time you invested in a Wi-Fi hotspot?

Chances are, you’ve already created a hotspot using your smartphone to get internet access on your laptop or tablet. Although this works in a pinch for quick and easy access to the web, you’ve also probably learned the hard way that extended connection periods will quickly drain your smartphone battery.

A dedicated Wi-Fi hotspot is a more reliable way to get connected anytime and anywhere (just as long as you have signal). Having a separate device means you can use your smartphone for other things, and you also won’t burn through your allocated data. Not only that, Wi-Fi hotspots deliver a more stable connection, they support up to 15 connected devices (or sometimes more), and they have batteries that last for an entire workday.

Best Wi-Fi Hotspots

Best Pay-As-You-Go Hotspot

GlocalMe DuoTurbo 4G LTE Portable WiFi Mobile Hotspot

Best Unlocked Hotspot

NETGEAR Nighthawk M6 5G Wi-Fi 6 Mobile Hotspot

Best Verizon 4G LTE Hotspot

Verizon Wireless Jetpack MiFi 8800L Wi-Fi Hotspot

An Easy-to-Use Unlocked Hotspot

NETGEAR AirCard 797 (AC797) Wi-Fi Hotspot

Best Verizon 5G Hotspot

Orbic Speed 5G UW Wi-Fi Hotspot

Best for T-Mobile

inseego MiFi X PRO 5G Hotspot

Best T-Mobile 4G Hotspot

Alcatel Linkzone Wi-Fi Hotspot

What to Consider

Service Provider & Coverage

In the U.S. Wi-Fi hotspots are typically designed for a specific cellular carrier and require a data plan from a provider like AT&T, T-Mobile, or Verizon to operate. So, make sure the hotspot you settle on is compatible with whatever carrier you use. I recommend adding a hotspot line to your existing phone plan to get the most bang for your buck! Also, be sure to check coverage maps for each carrier in the locations where you plan to use your hotspot prior to making a purchase.

5G Spectrums

Over the last several years, 4G LTE hotspots have been the norm, but more 5G-supported Wi-Fi hotspots have been recently rolling out. 5G cellular networks are made of three different types of signals (low-band, mid-band, and millimeter-wave 5G), which provide different levels of data speeds. The Verge published a handful of useful guides that break them all down. The gist is that millimeter wave (mmWave) 5G can be dismissed, and mid-band (C-band) spectrums are the ones you’ll want for the fastest, most reliable network speeds.

Features and Specifications

A few things you should look out for are support for both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi bands and Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax). Also, the Mobile Internet Resource Center has a helpful and highly informative video that will help you better understand the features and specifications of today’s Wi-Fi hotspots.

Battery

Pay attention to how long the hotspot will last before needing to be recharged. The best hotspots will stay powered on for at least 12 hours. I awarded bonus points to models with USB-C (likely the charging cable you have for your smartphone), as well as the ones that have the ability to charge your other devices using their built-in battery.

Tethering

USB tethering is a useful feature that allows you to connect your Wi-Fi hotspot to your laptop with a USB cable (instead of wirelessly over Wi-Fi). This comes in handy for crowded areas that have a higher potential for congested networks.

How We Selected

I’ve compared dozens of hotspots for 5 years now, and feel confident recommending the best Wi-Fi hotspots available on- and off-contract to keep you connected on the go. Besides factoring in price, overall reliability, and battery life to determine our top picks, I’ve scoured through hundreds of Twitter threads to see which hotspots my fellow remote workers recommend. I’ve been knee-deep in customer and editorial reviews, and I’m an active member of the “DigitalNomad” and “GoRVing” subreddits.

For this guide, we focused on standalone portable Wi-Fi hotspots which differ from mobile routers and cellular modems like the fan-favorite Peplink MAX BR1 Pro 5G which act as a single access point but offers the ability to share multiple internet sources depending on which one is best. Those devices are better suited for RVers and van lifers and oftentimes require multiple components or a large antenna for connecting to mobile networks like Starlink, so we’ve omitted them from this guide.

Podcasters, bloggers, and full-time remote workers Ava Waits and Dylan Houston of “the boondachshunds” published a useful blog with tips on how to stay connected on the road that will likely appeal to people in search of a mobile router and modem setup.

Lastly, even though I’ve listed the full prices of the mobile hotspots we recommend, you can buy most of them in low monthly installments with a qualifying data plan. (Just note that this option isn’t available for our unlocked and pay-as-you-go picks.)

Whether you’re looking for an ultra fast 5G hotspot or an affordable unlocked option to use with your existing plan, there’s a mobile hotspot out there for any use case and budget.

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