EE offers 4G home broadband from £35 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 £35 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. It’s possible to get a broadband plan from £35/month with 100GB of data on an 18-month contract or with 50GB of data on a 1-month rolling plan.
There’s typically no upfront cost when taking 4GEE Home on an 18-month contract. Meanwhile, one-month rolling contracts have 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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). Alternatively, a larger 1,000GB monthly data allowance is available on EE’s 5GEE Home (£70/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 £35/month |
| Data: | 100GB - 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 100 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 | £29 | £30/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 | 300GB Data | 18 month contract | £0 | £50/month |
Vodafone GigaCube 4G | 300GB 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. EE has their own 5GEE Home service which comes with a Huawei 5G CPE Pro router. You can also get Three’s 5G Home and Vodafone’s GigaCube 5G service.
On 5GEE Home, EE’s faster 5G-enabled home broadband service, an average download speed of 150Mbit/s is available (this is around five times faster than 4GEE Home). On 5GEE Home, you can get a 1,000GB data allowance for £70/month:
| Service | Data Allowance | Contract Length | Upfront Price | Monthly Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 5GEE Home | 1000GB Data | 18 month contract | £100 | £70/month |
Three’s 5G-powered home broadband service offers unlimited data from £29/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 | 24 month contract | £0 | £29/month |
Three 5G Home | Unlimited Data | 12 month contract | £0 | £34/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 | £50 | £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 and EE).
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
| How much does 4G home broadband cost on EE? | You can get 4G home broadband from £35/month on EE. A number of different packages are available, depending on how much data you want each month (e.g. 100GB data for £35/month, 200GB data for £40/month, 300GB data for £45/month and 500GB data for £50/month). Other mobile networks may offer better value deals (e.g. Three offers unlimited data from £20/month). |
|---|---|
| How much will I need to pay for the 4GEE Home Router? | You can get the 4GEE Home Router for free when joining EE’s 4G home broadband service on an 18-month contract. On the flexible 1-month contract option, there’s an upfront fee of £100 payable for the router. |
| What speeds will I get on the 4GEE Home Router? | In theory, the 4GEE Home Router supports up to Category 7 LTE download speeds (up to 300Mbit/s download and 100Mbit/s upload). In reality, however, EE says average download speeds will be closer to 31Mbit/s in practice. |
| On how many devices can I use EE’s 4G home broadband service? | You can connect up to 32 devices to your 4GEE Home Router using a wi-fi connection (including your laptop, tablet, smartphone, smart TV or other smart home devices). Additionally, you can connect 2 more devices using a Gigabit Ethernet connection. |
| Does the 4GEE Home Router support 5G? | No. The 4GEE Home Router only supports 4G technology. If you’d like access to 5G broadband, you can get 5GEE Home instead (this comes with the 5G-ready Huawei 5G CPE Pro router). |
| What coverage will I get on 4GEE Home? | EE offers 99% population coverage and over 90% geographical coverage in the UK. You should use their online coverage map or their combined line checker to see what is available in your area. |
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.
Maria said:
Hi Ken
Told I can get up to 31mbs download speed with 4G EE router and external antenna in Northleigh Devon. Looking to buy a house there but slow broadband is a big issue with BT guaranteeing only up to 1mbs and no plans to upgrade in the foreseeable future. Mobile coverage also rubbish as EE only provider in the area with good 4G outdoors and patchy indoors. I know it’s probably a difficult question to answer but should I take a leap of faith and give it a try? House is very expensive and in the middle of nowhere so I don’t want to be left out in the wilderness (so to speak) without decent connection! Any advice would be very much more appreciated.
Ken replied:
Hi Maria,
That’s a very good question! Given the amount of money you’ll be spending on the home, I’d definitely recommend you try it out in person (e.g. perhaps using an EE SIM card in your 4G mobile phone when you next go to view the property). I certainly wouldn’t rely on EE’s coverage checker here, especially as the 31Mbit/s figure is an average for the whole of the country.
Ken
Paul said:
Hi Ken, recently got the EE 4g router and have an unlimited data sim in it. I have noticed that the download speed via the 4g router v my iPhone (both on EE) differs greatly. The iPhone, using the same server on speed test gets over 150 mbps and the router gets only 35-40 mbps using the same test server. I even have the external poynting antenna attached which doesn’t improve things. Do you have any idea why this big speed difference exists? Something to do with the modem CAT of the router v iPhone ? Is there any way I can improve this say buy a different higher performance unlocked router?
Thanks in advance
Paul.
Ken replied:
Hi Paul,
Thanks for your comment. It’s unfortunate that you’re getting much better speeds on an iPhone than through your 4GEE Home Router. The LTE Category is certainly one possible explanation – e.g. I believe the iPhone 11 supports up to Category 16 LTE (up to 1Gbit/s), whereas the 4GEE Home Router only supports Category 7 LTE (up to 300Mbit/s). It may not be the only explanation, however, e.g. it might be worth testing out different positions for your antenna to see if this helps you to get a better download speed. Alternatively, I know a couple of people have had good success with the Huawei B618 (a Category 11 router) but it’s a fairly expensive buy at £240 and there’s no guarantee it will necessarily improve the download speeds for you.
Ken
Paul Lambi replied:
Hi Ken, thanks for the information. I have done some more research and also now purchased the B618 router after your recommendation and having seeing others also taking about it in forums. Very happy to report that thanks to the CAT 11 modem and the 4 x MIMO in the 618, our stats have now jumped to:
110 download and 37 upload
The fastest I’ve seen is 164 down and 40 up, but that was at 6am this morning.
The router also reports using a 4G+ connection and has good noise levels in the stats. Strangely the connection was worse when I used the external antenna, but that’s down to losing 2 of the antenna when using an external .
Overall very very happy with the night and day difference this has made, thanks to better hardware in the 618 vs the EE Alcatel.
Thanks again for your help!
Paul
Peter Cumming replied:
Hi Paul,
I’ve found this thread incredibly helpful but I don’t quite understand what you mean by…
“Strangely the connection was worse when I used the external antenna, but that’s down to losing 2 of the antenna when using an external.”
Is the network signal more powerful (ie. better download/ upload speeds) when you’re not using the external antenna?
Ken replied:
Hi Peter,
Thanks for your comment. I’ll just jump in and add my response here, but feel free to add further to this @Paul!
The Huawei B618 uses 4×4 MIMO. This means it uses 4 internal antenna to improve the maximum possible speeds available on the router (more info here, albeit a fairly technical document). However, when you use an external antenna on the Huawei B618, it only supports 2×2 MIMO (as there are only 2 TS9 connectors on the device). Therefore, the maximum possible speed is slower when you use an external antenna, though you can sometimes still be better off overall due to having a stronger & more stable signal.
Ken
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