EE offers 4G mobile broadband with a choice of either the 4GEE WiFi or 4GEE WiFi Mini hotspot.

EEIf 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.

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:

ServiceData AllowanceContract LengthUpfront PriceMonthly Price
24 month contracts

4GEE WiFi Mini		30GB Data24 month contract£0£20/month

4GEE WiFi		30GB Data24 month contract£10£20/month

4GEE WiFi Mini		50GB Data24 month contract£0£25/month

4GEE WiFi		50GB Data24 month contract£10£25/month

4GEE WiFi Mini		50GB Data24 month contract£0£30/month

4GEE WiFi		50GB Data24 month contract£10£30/month
1 month contracts

4GEE WiFi Mini		15GB Data1 month contract£40£22/month

4GEE WiFi		15GB Data1 month contract£80£22/month

4GEE WiFi Mini		30GB Data1 month contract£40£30/month

4GEE WiFi		30GB Data1 month contract£80£30/month

4GEE WiFi Mini		50GB Data1 month contract£40£35/month

4GEE WiFi		50GB Data1 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.

ServiceData AllowanceContract LengthUpfront PriceMonthly Price

4GEE Home		100GB Data18 month contract£0£35/month

4GEE Home		100GB Data1 month contract£100£35/month

4GEE Home		300GB Data18 month contract£0£45/month

4GEE Home		300GB Data1 month contract£100£45/month

4GEE Home		Unlimited Data18 month contract£0£50/month

4GEE Home		Unlimited Data1 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.

Your Comments 17 so far

We'd love to hear your thoughts and any questions you may have. So far, we've received 17 comments from readers. You can add your own comment here.

  • 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

  • Mike said:

    Can you leave the 4GEE wifi mini connected to the mains supply permanently?

    I find that the 8 hour battery life is insufficient

  • Maureen O'Donnell said:

    I only use my mini hi fi in my caravan. I won’t be using it again til April and I pay monthly. Can I postpone payment tol April please?

    • Ken replied:

      Hi Maureen,
      Thanks for your comment. I’d recommend getting in touch with EE Customer Services on 07953 966 250 if you’d like to make a change to your plan (or you can dial 150 from your EE handset if you have one).
      Ken

  • arch said:

    Can the 4gEE home be put into bridge mode. I want to use Netgear Orbi as a mesh and I understand that running two routers degrades the performance.

    • Ken replied:

      Hi Arch,
      Thanks for your comment. From what I’ve seen before, I don’t believe the 4GEE Home Router is able to operate in bridge mode. Happy to be corrected however if things have changed…
      Ken

    • Ken replied:

      Hi Sarah,
      Thanks for your comment. Yes, the 4GEE WiFi hotspots will produce an encrypted wi-fi hotspot which is protected by a password so only you (or anyone you share the password with) will be able to access it. It should be safer than using a public wi-fi connection, as the wi-fi hotspot is private and the communication in the background happens over 4G.
      Hope this helps,
      Ken

  • Graham W said:

    Hello Ken and thank you for all your very clear and detailed explanations of mobile technology. I think you have easily met and surpassed your mission statement.

    I have a very poor broadband service due to being on the end of a long line of copper wire and, I believe, a lack of bandwidth. My service provider charges me just short of £40 pcm for this service.
    Download Average 1.15 Mb/s, Best 1.26 Mb/s, Worst 0.28 Mb/s
    Ping Average 1011 ms, Best 36 ms, Worst 1811 ms

    I am not a big user of the internet averaging 3.2 GB pcm but occasionally a big data download, for example: I had to make 3 attempts before successfully updating the maps in my satnav via my i5 laptop.

    I am considering switching over to mobile broadband because I hope to get a better service and because I would be able to take it with me when touring around UK in my camper van.
    You cover the various 4G broadband routers very well but I have found no advice on accessing the internet by tethering a mobile phone to my laptop. So my question:
    I can see a 3 mobile mast 2 km away. If I bought a Cat 4 LTE phone, a used Microsoft Lumia 640, am I likely to get a useable download speed? A Lumia 950 is LTE-A, Cat 6 and not much more expensive.

    I would miss my Nokia 6210 though I have only had it 19 years!

    • Ken replied:

      Hi Graham,
      Thanks a lot for your comment! I covered the issue of tethering vs dedicated mobile broadband in a blog post here, but in short: it’s absolutely fine just to tether from a smartphone. There are some good value smartphone SIM cards with unlimited data which would be ideal for this purpose.
      With regards to whether you’ll be able to get a usable speed, this is unfortunately something I’m unable to say! You’ll really need to try it out for yourself, possibly using a Pay As You Go SIM if you don’t want to sign up for a new contract just yet.
      Ken
      Ken

  • Donald Draper said:

    I HAVE JUST ORDERED the Huawei AS I UNDERSTAND THE 4G Home Router is out of stock . The primary use is for home internet for which I see the product I have purchased is less good, Can I swap the router I have bought for the 4G Home router when thesis available?

    • Ken replied:

      Hi Donald,
      Thanks for your comment. It isn’t normally possible to swap your device at a later date, though this is something you could try and negotiate directly with EE if you like. As an alternative, you can always keep the SIM card provided by EE, but you could place it in an unlocked home broadband router that you’ve purchased yourself. Unfortunately, stock of unlocked 4G routers is currently running a little low in the UK but something like the Huawei B525 or Huawei B618 is normally a pretty good choice.
      Hope this helps,
      Ken

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