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 £21/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 |
| 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 £4/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 price plans, 3 similar 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.
Pat Cutforth said:
My new 4GEE router will only receive Mail (in Apple Mail) and the technical advisor told me yesterday (after much consultation with colleagues) that this router cannot send mail. It is only possible with “home broadband” rather than the mobile router you show on this page. Is this right? I have to go into my website on the internet to send mail now. I was with Plusnet, with a tiny router and the SMTP name “relay.plus.net”.
Ken replied:
Hi Pat,
Thanks for your comment. EE doesn’t provide their own POP/IMAP/SMTP email server for use with 4GEE Home. However, this doesn’t stop you from using another email provider like Gmail or Outlook.com. For instance, if you sign up for Gmail, they’ll give you IMAP and SMTP access. This will allow you to send emails using your favourite email client when using 4GEE Home.
Hope this helps,
Ken
Pat replied:
Thank you for the explanation that there is no EE SMTP server provided. However, if I use my gmail account, will I still have to log in to Gmail on the internet as I do with my website? Or can I use it with Apple Mail on my iMac? Could 123Reg provide me with an SMTP address? I need to keep my email address as it is linked to my website and part of my business. Sorry for all the questions but it is wonderful to hear from someone who knows what they are talking about instead of helpless helplines.
Ken replied:
Hi Pat,
Thanks for your comment. You can set up Gmail to work with the Apple Mail client on your Mac (use the IMAP/SMTP settings in order to do this). Alternatively, like you said, it’s possible that 123Reg will also provide you with a SMTP server that you can use. If they’re hosting your domain & website, I imagine this is a service should they offer.
Ken
Keith said:
Please also bear in mind the built-in failure after a minimum period of time on the Alcatel EE 4gee router. It could easily fail just after your contract expires meanng you haveto buy a new contract rather than rool over on a 30 day. My second EE Alcatel has just failed and I’m out of contract. EE dont want to know unless I sign up again. They cant even tell me if it is the sim or router that has packed up…….. They have tried insisting I take the router to my nearest ee shop 25 miles there for it to be sent away to be tested…………………….meanwhile no connectivity
James said:
Would there be an issue in putting one of the new EE unlimited sims on a sim only contact into the 4g router. Is it still compatible?
Ken replied:
Hi James,
Thanks for your comment. I haven’t tried this myself, but I don’t see why there would be any problem with doing this. The only thing to be aware of is EE’s fair usage policy which only allows you to tether 12 devices. This might make it slightly less suitable for use as in your home broadband router.
Ken
Ian Pawson replied:
I have done this with a TP-Link router and it works ok. You can even send and receive sms messages via the web interface.
The main problem I have is that EE use carrier-gradate NAT so the ip address you are given is NOT visible to the internet. Thus incoming data connections are not possible! For example this stops me from remotely viewing my security cameras.