EE offers 4G home broadband from £25 per month, with average speeds of 31Mbit/s and no need for a phone line.
In the UK, broadband that’s delivered through a 4G or 5G connection is rapidly becoming a feasible alternative to fixed broadband delivered through a phone line or cable.
EE’s 4G broadband service is known as 4GEE Home and gives you access to 4G home broadband from £25 per month. According to EE, average download speeds of 31Mbit/s are available on the service: something that’s comparable to a standard fibre broadband connection.
In this article, we’ll review EE’s 4G home broadband service. We’ll start by looking at the price plans and data allowances available, before looking at the included 4GEE Home Router in more detail. We’ll then look at the level of coverage you can expect in your area, before comparing EE’s 4G broadband service to alternative plans from Three and Vodafone.
Contents
EE 4G Home Broadband Plans
For many people, 4G technology can now deliver similar or even faster download speeds than traditional fixed home broadband.
In the UK, EE is now offering a 4G home broadband service as an alternative to their ADSL and fibre broadband service. With 4G broadband, it’s possible to get download speeds of up to 300Mbit/s. In practice, however, EE says you’ll get “average speeds of 31Mbit/s in some places”, claiming “that’s faster than standard fibre broadband”.
Customers wanting to sign up for EE’s 4G broadband service will need to choose a monthly data allowance for their service. At the low-end, it’s possible to get a £25/month plan with a measly 10GB of data (suitable only for very occasional usage or for use as a backup connection). Most users will want to choose a larger data plan with at least 100GB or 200GB per month.
There’s no upfront cost when taking 4GEE Home on an 18-month contract, as long as you choose a plan with at least 50GB of data per month. An upfront fee of £129.99 applies for the router when you choose the 10GB plan. Alternatively, one-month rolling contracts are also available with a £100 upfront cost for the router.
The following table shows a list of currently available price plans for 4GEE Home:
| Data Allowance | Contract Length | Upfront Price | Monthly Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10GB Data | 18 month contract | £129.99 | £25/month |
| 50GB Data | 18 month contract | £0 | £35/month |
| 50GB Data | 1 month contract | £100 | £35/month |
| 100GB Data | 18 month contract | £0 | £35/month |
| 100GB Data | 1 month contract | £100 | £35/month |
| 200GB Data | 18 month contract | £0 | £40/month |
| 200GB Data | 1 month contract | £100 | £40/month |
| 300GB Data | 18 month contract | £0 | £45/month |
| 300GB Data | 1 month contract | £100 | £45/month |
| 500GB Data | 18 month contract | £0 | £50/month |
| 500GB Data | 1 month contract | £100 | £50/month |
Unfortunately, it isn’t possible to get an unlimited data allowance on 4GEE Home. This is only possible on rival 4G & 5G home broadband services from Three (from £20/month) and Vodafone (£50/month).
Customers taking 4GEE Home on an 18-month plan can get an extra 5GB of data added to their EE mobile phone plan. The 5GB mobile data boost is only available if you have an EE Pay Monthly handset or 12-month SIM-only plan.
Your 4G broadband service will only work inside the UK as international roaming is disabled on 4GEE Home plans.
The monthly price of your 4GEE Home plan will increase every March in line with RPI inflation.
Wireless Router
Customers signing up for 4GEE Home will be offered an Alcatel router that’s custom made for EE. This is a 4G LTE router, allowing you to share an internet connection with up to 32 devices at one time. The router supports 802.11b/g/n/ac wi-fi technology (including dual-band wi-fi on 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequencies). According to EE, this should give you up to “30 meters of wi-fi range”. You’ll also get two Gigabit Ethernet sockets for connecting wired devices to your network.
In terms of mobile connectivity, EE’s router supports up to Category 7 LTE speeds (up to 300Mbit/s download and 100Mbit/s upload). It has a built-in antenna that you can use, with a pair of SMA connectors for connecting an external antenna.
For most people, the included Alcatel router should probably suffice. However, it might be worth considering some alternative routers if you need more connectivity options. For instance, the Huawei B525 router is available for about £120 unlocked. It has 4 Ethernet sockets (versus 2 on EE’s router) and allows you to connect up to 64 devices over wi-fi (versus 32 on the EE router). For a more high-end router, the Huawei B618 (approx £250 unlocked) supports up to Category 11 LTE speeds (up to 600Mbit/s). While you’re currently unable to benefit from the extra speeds on EE’s network, it can help to future-proof your router somewhat. These routers can be combined with an EE SIM-only plan.
Show full specifications for 4GEE Home Router ↓
| 4GEE Home (EE 4GEE Home Router) | |
|---|---|
| |
| Home Broadband Plans | |
| Price: | From £25/month |
| Data: | 10GB - 500GB |
| Unlimited Data: | Not available |
| Contract Length: | 1-18 months |
| Mobile Connectivity | |
| 4G Connectivity: | Category 7 LTE |
| 4G Download Speed: | Up to 300 Mbit/s download |
| 4G Upload Speed: | Up to 50 Mbit/s upload |
| 4G Bands: | LTE bands TBC |
| External Antenna: | Yes, 2x SMA connectors |
| Home Network Connectivity | |
| Dual-Band Wi-Fi: | Yes |
| Wi-Fi Connectivity: | 802.11a/b/ |
| Wi-Fi Devices: | Up to 32 devices |
| Ethernet: | 2 Gigabit Ethernet ports |
| Other | |
| Model: | EE 4GEE Home Router |
| Colour: | White |
| More Information: | See shop.ee.co.uk |
External Antenna
The 4GEE Home router has two SMA sockets for you to connect an external antenna. This can help you to get a more reliable connection and faster download speeds, compared to using the built-in antenna that’s inside the router.
If you like, you can buy an external SMA antenna from websites like Amazon. This can be set up manually to improve your coverage on the service. Our full guide on 4G antennas will tell you what to look for when buying your own antenna.
Alternatively, EE also offers a professional installation service of their 4GEE Antenna for £100. According to EE, the 4GEE Antenna will be “positioned on an exterior wall of your property”. A 5m cable will run from the aerial to your router. You’ll need to be either the owner of your property or will require permission from the owner to use the 4GEE External Antenna.
Alternatives
4G Home Broadband
If you’re looking for an alternative 4G home broadband service, it’s also possible to consider the offerings from Three and Vodafone.
Three currently offers the UK’s best value 4G home broadband service. You can get unlimited data for £20/month with the Huawei B535 (HomeFi Plus) router. This is less than what you’d pay for just 10GB of data per month on 4GEE Home.
The following table shows a list of HomeFi Plus price plans, available at the time of writing:
| Service | Data Allowance | Contract Length | Upfront Price | Monthly Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Three HomeFi Plus | Unlimited Data | 24 month contract | £0 | £20/month with special offer |
Three HomeFi Plus | Unlimited Data | 12 month contract | £29 | £27/month |
Three HomeFi Plus | Unlimited Data | 1 month contract | £79 | £31/month |
The Huawei B535 router on Three supports Category 7 LTE download speeds (up to 300Mbit/s), along with dual-band 802.11ac wi-fi.
Alternatively, for an extra £5/month, the Huawei AI B900 router gives you a built in Amazon Alexa smart speaker. This allows you to use your router to listen to music and to control your other smart home devices.
| Service | Data Allowance | Contract Length | Upfront Price | Monthly Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Three AI Cube | Unlimited Data | 24 month contract | £0 | £25/month |
Three AI Cube | Unlimited Data | 12 month contract | £49 | £32/month |
Three AI Cube | Unlimited Data | 1 month contract | £149 | £32/month |
For more information, see our in-depth reviews of the Huawei B535 and the Huawei AI Cube B900. You can use Three’s online coverage checker to see whether a 4G signal is available where you live.
Vodafone’s rival 4G home broadband service is known as Vodafone GigaCube. Prices start from £30/month for 100GB of data, increasing to £40/month for 200GB of data and £50/month for unlimited data. This is available on a choice of 18-month and 1-month plans:
| Service | Data Allowance | Contract Length | Upfront Price | Monthly Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Vodafone GigaCube 4G | 100GB Data | 18 month contract | £0 | £30/month |
Vodafone GigaCube 4G | 100GB Data | 1 month contract | £100 | £30/month |
Vodafone GigaCube 4G | 200GB Data | 18 month contract | £0 | £40/month |
Vodafone GigaCube 4G | 200GB Data | 1 month contract | £100 | £40/month |
Vodafone GigaCube 4G | Unlimited Data | 18 month contract | £0 | £50/month |
Vodafone GigaCube 4G | Unlimited Data | 1 month contract | £100 | £50/month |
| To show you the most relevant plans, 3 similar but more expensive plans have been hidden. Tap here to show them. | ||||
See our full review of the Vodafone GigaCube for more information, or check the Vodafone coverage in your area.
5G Home Broadband
If you’re living in a 5G coverage area, you can also consider faster 5G-powered home broadband services. These are currently available in the form of EE’s 5GEE WiFi, Three’s 5G Home and Vodafone’s GigaCube 5G.
On EE’s faster 5GEE WiFi service, you’ll get a HTC 5G Hub router. Data plans are available from £50/month, but with just 50GB of data included each month:
| Service | Data Allowance | Contract Length | Upfront Price | Monthly Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 5GEE WiFi | 50GB Data | 24 month contract | £100 | £50/month |
5GEE WiFi | 100GB Data | 24 month contract | £100 | £75/month |
Three’s 5G-powered home broadband service offers unlimited data for £35/month. The service, which is currently available only to customers in London, offers super-fast 5G download speeds on the Huawei 5G CPE router. According to Three, average download speeds on the service should be around 100Mbit/s.
| Service | Data Allowance | Contract Length | Upfront Price | Monthly Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Three 5G Home | Unlimited Data | 12 month contract | £0 | £35/month |
Finally, Vodafone also offers 5G home broadband from £30/month to customers who have a Vodafone GigaCube 5G router. You’ll pay £30 for a 100GB allowance, £40 for a 200GB allowance or £50 for unlimited data. There’s also an upfront cost for your router, which depends on the data plan you choose and how long you commit to on the service:
| Service | Data Allowance | Contract Length | Upfront Price | Monthly Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Vodafone GigaCube 5G | 100GB Data | 18 month contract | £100 | £30/month |
Vodafone GigaCube 5G | 100GB Data | 1 month contract | £325 | £30/month |
Vodafone GigaCube 5G | 200GB Data | 18 month contract | £100 | £40/month |
Vodafone GigaCube 5G | 200GB Data | 1 month contract | £325 | £40/month |
Vodafone GigaCube 5G | Unlimited Data | 18 month contract | £50 | £50/month |
Vodafone GigaCube 5G | Unlimited Data | 1 month contract | £325 | £50/month |
You’ll also get a Huawei 5G CPE Pro router (the same router that’s offered on Three’s 5G home broadband service).
For more information, see our full overview of 4G & 5G home broadband services in the UK.
Coverage
At the time of writing, EE offers 99% population coverage and 90% geographical coverage on its 4G network. According to their website, they’re aiming to increase this to 95% geographical coverage by 2020.
Before signing up for EE’s 4G home broadband service, it’s strongly recommended you check 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) →
You can also use EE’s combined line checker for both 4G home broadband and broadband through a phone line. This will give you an estimated download speed for both types of broadband and will show you the price plans that are available in your area.
For more information, read our in-depth guide to the coverage on EE. You can also read about UK mobile network coverage more generally in the UK.
More Information
For more information on 4GEE Home, please see the official EE website. Alternatively, see our guide to EE broadband or our full guide to 4G home broadband in the UK.
Allan Simcock said:
Do the internal aerials improve performance I am getting conflicting reports from my suppliers i can buy these from amazon.your advise will be appreciated.
Ken replied:
Hi Allan,
Thanks for your comment. There’s more information here in my guide to 4G home broadband antennas but unfortunately, there isn’t a simple answer to your question. Having an antenna can often help to improve the coverage & speeds on your home broadband service, but so much of it depends on your home & nearby networks, as well as where you decide to place the router. As a rule of thumb, an external antenna should give you the best results, with an internal antenna sometimes also helping as well.
Ken
Anthony said:
So I’ve just been through the cancellation with EE and obviously they tried to keep me as a customer. The best deal they could offer me involved a new 18 month contract and a new router had to be delivered. This sounds like madness to win considering I already have a router. They have no option currently to keep your own router and just start a new deal. Clearly they have not thought this through. I was an early customer and probably they dont have many other customers like me coming to the end of their deals. The new deal was only for 200g too which I regularly use up now. If they had offered me something with unlimited data, without a new router and with less commitment that 18 months I would have taken it.
Ken replied:
Hi Anthony,
Thanks for your feedback. Have you considered using one of EE’s unlimited data SIM cards with your existing 4GEE Home Router? You can get unlimited data from £34/month, though it does have a fair usage limit preventing you from regularly using it on more than 12 devices at the same time.
Ken
T Bates replied:
Hi Ken, with this method. If using own unlocked 4g modem and connecting to my local network (google wifi). Could EE see all of the devices connected through the routers or would they just see the two routers connected?
Ken replied:
Hi there,
Great question! I don’t believe EE can see all of the individual devices that are connected to your network. On some of their unlimited data SIM cards, they do say you can only have up to 12 devices tethered at the same time. However, I’m not very clear how they actually determine this and whether they actually enforce it (or whether it’s simply a T&C they have).
Ken
Anthony said:
I’ve had my 4GEE home broadband bow for nearly 18 months and its been great. Can I use a different SIM in this Alcatel Router once my contract has finished or do you lock these to EE? If it is locked how can I unlock it?
Thanks
Ken replied:
Hi Anthony,
I believe the device is locked to EE so you’ll need to get in touch with them to request an unlock. You should, however, be able to use another EE SIM card (e.g. their unlimited data SIM) without unlocking the device.
Hope this helps,
Ken