EE offers 4G mobile broadband with a choice of either the 4GEE WiFi or 4GEE WiFi Mini hotspot.
If you’re looking for 4G mobile broadband on EE, you can currently choose from two portable hotspot devices: the 4GEE WiFi and the 4GEE WiFi Mini. Both devices allow you to get up to 20 devices connected to the internet through EE’s 4G network. You can choose from a range of plans with between 15GB and 50GB of data per month.
In this article, we’ll review and compare the two 4GEE WiFi hotspot devices and what you’re able to do with each one. We’ll also look at EE’s 4G mobile broadband plans, at the alternatives to 4GEE WiFi and at the coverage available on EE’s 4G broadband service.
Contents
4GEE WiFi vs 4GEE WiFi Mini
In the UK, EE offers a 4G mobile broadband service with a choice of two portable hotspot devices: the 4GEE WiFi and the 4GEE WiFi Mini.
Both of the 4GEE WiFi portable hotspot devices work in much the same way, allowing you to share a 4G mobile broadband connection with up to 20 other devices. You’ll get dual-band Wi-Fi 5 connectivity (802.11ac) with EE’s high-speed 4G network powering the underlying connectivity.
In terms of differences, the main trade-off between the two devices is how much you care about portability versus the battery life of your hotspot. With the 4GEE WiFi Mini, you’ll get a smaller and more portable device but the battery life is reduced from 15 hours down to 8 hours. The maximum download speed available is also slower on the 4GEE WiFi Mini (300Mbit/s instead of 600Mbit/s).
4GEE WiFi | 4GEE WiFi Mini |
---|---|
Get up to 20 devices connected to the internet with all-day battery life (up to 15 hours) and the fastest available speeds. |
Get up to 20 devices connected to the internet, with a cheaper and more portable device. Up to 8 hours battery life. |
Available for £10 upfront on a 24-month plan or for £80 upfront on a 1-month rolling plan. | Available for no upfront cost on a 24-month plan or for £40 upfront on a 1-month rolling plan. |
Fairly light and portable. The 4GEE WiFi pocket hotspot weighs 150g and measures 6.6 x 9.6 x 1.88 cm. | Even lighter and more portable. The 4GEE WiFi Mini weighs just 85g and measures 6.3 x 9.2 x 1.33 cm. |
Contains a 4,300mAh battery, giving up to 15 hours usage on one charge. | Contains a 2,150mAh battery, giving up to 8 hours usage on one charge. |
Offers up to Category 12 LTE speeds (up to 600Mbit/s download and up to 100Mbit/s upload). | Offers up to Category 7 LTE speeds (up to 300Mbit/s download and up to 100Mbit/s upload). |
For more information, see the full technical specifications of the 4GEE WiFi and 4GEE WiFi Mini as listed on the EE website.
EE 4G Mobile Broadband Plans
You can currently get the 4GEE WiFi and 4GEE WiFi Mini on a choice of six mobile broadband plans from EE. Data allowances range from 15GB to 50GB per month. The download allowance is shared across all of the devices that connect through your 4GEE WiFi hotspot.
Depending on the device you choose and the contract length you sign up for, there may also be an upfront fee on your plan. On a 24-month contract, you’ll pay £10 upfront for 4GEE WiFi and nothing upfront for 4GEE WiFi Mini. On a 1-month rolling contract, this increases to £80 for 4GEE WiFi and to £30 for 4GEE WiFi Mini.
The following table shows a list of EE’s mobile broadband plans:
Service | Data Allowance | Contract Length | Upfront Price | Monthly Price |
---|---|---|---|---|
24 month contracts | ||||
4GEE WiFi Mini | 30GB Data | 24 month contract | £0 | £20/month |
4GEE WiFi | 30GB Data | 24 month contract | £10 | £20/month |
4GEE WiFi Mini | 50GB Data | 24 month contract | £0 | £25/month |
4GEE WiFi | 50GB Data | 24 month contract | £10 | £25/month |
4GEE WiFi Mini | 50GB Data | 24 month contract | £0 | £30/month |
4GEE WiFi | 50GB Data | 24 month contract | £10 | £30/month |
1 month contracts | ||||
4GEE WiFi Mini | 15GB Data | 1 month contract | £40 | £22/month |
4GEE WiFi | 15GB Data | 1 month contract | £80 | £22/month |
4GEE WiFi Mini | 30GB Data | 1 month contract | £40 | £30/month |
4GEE WiFi | 30GB Data | 1 month contract | £80 | £30/month |
4GEE WiFi Mini | 50GB Data | 1 month contract | £40 | £35/month |
4GEE WiFi | 50GB Data | 1 month contract | £80 | £35/month |
According to EE, their 30GB data plan tends to be the most popular with customers. However, heavy data users may prefer the 50GB plan.
If you’d like a data allowance that’s larger than 50GB per month, this is available on 4GEE Home which is EE’s 4G home broadband product. Alternatively, larger allowances on 4G mobile broadband may be available on other mobile networks like Three and Vodafone.
Alternatives
If you’re mainly using your 4G broadband service is a fixed location, EE offers an different product called 4GEE Home.
With 4GEE Home, you’ll get a 4G-powered home broadband router. This works in much the same way as a 4G mobile broadband hotspot but the device is much more powerful. You’ll get stronger wi-fi connectivity with a range of up to 30 meters (versus just 10 meters on 4GEE WiFi). You can also connect up to 32 devices at the same time on Wi-Fi and there’s the ability to plug in wired devices through an Ethernet connection. The ability to plug in an external 4G antenna is also available to improve download speeds and coverage.
Service | Data Allowance | Contract Length | Upfront Price | Monthly Price |
---|---|---|---|---|
4GEE Home | 100GB Data | 18 month contract | £0 | £35/month |
4GEE Home | 100GB Data | 1 month contract | £100 | £35/month |
4GEE Home | 300GB Data | 18 month contract | £0 | £45/month |
4GEE Home | 300GB Data | 1 month contract | £100 | £45/month |
4GEE Home | Unlimited Data | 18 month contract | £0 | £50/month |
4GEE Home | Unlimited Data | 1 month contract | £100 | £50/month |
4G home broadband products are also available from Three and Vodafone.
If you’re looking for an alternative mobile broadband product that you can use on-the-go, you should also consider the mobile broadband services from Three and Vodafone. It’s currently possible to get unlimited data from £22/month on Three and from £28/month on Vodafone.
Coverage
2G, 3G & 4G Coverage
Customers using either a 4GEE WiFi or 4GEE WiFi Mini hotspot will get access to 99% population coverage on EE’s 4G network. This is equivalent to over 90% geographical coverage, with EE aiming to increase this to 95% by the end of 2020.
Before signing up for the service, we’d strongly recommend checking the coverage in your area. You can do this by entering your postcode on EE’s online coverage map:
Check EE Coverage (ee.co.uk) →
The 4GEE WiFi and 4GEE WiFi Mini hotspots only support 2G, 3G and 4G coverage on EE. If you’d like access to 5G coverage as well, consider getting the 5GEE WiFi service instead.
For more information, see our in-depth guide to the coverage on EE. You can also read our overview of how mobile coverage works in the UK.
International Roaming
If you’re travelling abroad, you can continue using your 4GEE WiFi or 4GEE WiFi Mini through EE’s international roaming service.
When travelling to one of 48 European countries, you can use your normal mobile broadband data allowance at no extra cost.
When travelling to a country outside of Europe, additional roaming rates will apply for using your mobile broadband service.
More Information
Please see EE’s official website for further information about the 4GEE WiFi and 4GEE WiFi Mini hotspots.
John Studley said:
I have just got a 4GEE Wifi Mini when renewing my contract with EE.
I do not have a sim card to insert. Do I need this to use the wifi mini?
Ken replied:
Hi John,
Thanks for your comment. Yes, you’ll need a SIM card to be able to use your 4GEE WiFi Mini. If you didn’t receive one, I’d recommend getting in touch with EE’s customer support team.
Hope this helps,
Ken
Trevor BOUCHER said:
Hi can i use any network phone to recieve wifi from this device
Ken replied:
Hi Trevor,
Yes, you can 🙂
Ken
Anton said:
Good afternoon, I need to reboot the router programmatically, how can I do this ?! does it have telnet in it?