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VPNs for ad-blocking Families on the move and folks who regularly travel for work still require the kind of bandwidth and consistency tethering can’t offer. With that in mind, we’ve rounded up the very best pocket WiFi and WiFi dongles you can get in 2023 for 4G and 5G internet on the go. There are 4G WiFi devices with better battery life if that’s a major consideration. Still, if you’re able to take advantage of super-fast 5G speeds, Telstra’s 5G WiFi Pro is one of the better portable solutions currently available on the market. No need to worry if you can’t get Telstra 5G yet either, as the Telstra 5G WiFi Pro also supports 4G, so you can expect the same reliable 4G speeds when you’re not within 5G coverage. The one downside to Telstra’s 5G pocket WiFi is that it doesn’t come cheap. It will set you back a whopping $598 outright, or an additional $16.63 per month over 36 months if you add it to your monthly mobile broadband bill. Here’s a small selection of Telstra’s most popular mobile broadband plans that the Telstra 5G WiFi Pro is available on. Available on either a 12-month, 24-month or 36-month postpaid plan, this portable WiFi router boasts 5G and WiFi 6 connectivity with support for up to 32 connected devices. It’s also got a 4500mAh battery with fast-charging and 2.4-inch touch display that can be used to manage the device with minimal hassle. While eagle-eyed readers may notice that this one comes in a little cheaper than its Telstra counterpart, we’re gonna give the edge due to the more comprehensive coverage. As with Optus’ 4G Pocket WiFi modem (seen below), the ZTE 5G Portable WiFi Modem is designed to be paired with one of the telco’s mobile broadband plans. Here’s a round-up of what those currently look like: Optus no longer offers its pocket WiFi devices on a month-to-month payment plan so the 4G WiFi modem will cost you $99 upfront (but it does come with 50GB data). After that, you’re required to recharge every month or switch over to a postpaid mobile broadband plan. Here’s a look at Optus’ month-to-month prepaid and postpaid mobile broadband plans. At only 6 hours battery life (and running on the Vodafone network), this might not be the best choice for those who travel to remote areas for work. Still, it does offer up to 16 connections at once, and if you’re living in a metropolitan area, you shouldn’t really struggle to get Vodafone reception these days. The Vodafone Pocket WiFi 4 4G is available as an upfront payment of $99. That gets you 60GB of data to use over your first 30 days after which you’ll need to recharge or switch over to a month-to-month mobile broadband plan. The one downside is that the M2 isn’t 5G ready. If you’re keen to take advantage of those next-gen speeds, you’ll need the more expensive M6 ($549 over a 12, 24 or 36-month period) or M6 Pro instead ($748 over a 12, 24 or 36-month period). Not only is are these two 5G capable, they can be connected to your existing home router (via Ethernet) to bring 5G speeds to your home network, too. You can grab the Nighthawk M2, M6 or M6 Pro on any of the plans below. Spintel offers the Netgear AC800S for $1 per month on any of its mobile broadband plans. Here’s how much Spintel charges for access to its 4G mobile broadband plans. One of the most popular choices in Australia is Telstra’s branded 4GX USB modem. This lightweight plug-and-play dongle will connect you to the Telstra 3G/4G network via your laptop’s USB port. Once plugged in, you can connect up to 5 devices to the WiFi network. The Telstra 4GX USB modem costs as low as $2.75 per month on a 36-month mobile broadband plan but you can also opt for a 12 or 24-month plan if you want to pay it off quicker or simply pay $99 upfront and sign up for a month-to-month mobile broadband plan or prepaid plan (more on that below). It’s available for purchase outright only but you can use it with a month-to-month mobile broadband SIM if you don’t like the idea of recharging every month. After your included 4GB is used, you’ll need to recharge with a prepaid mobile broadband plan through Optus. Prepaid data SIMs start at $30 for 25GB through Optus and include 200GB of rollover data (essentially a pool of your monthly unused data). If you end up using more data than anticipated, you’re not locked to prepaid. You can always pop a postpaid Optus data SIM in the same dongle if you’d prefer to get a bill. Here are some of the most popular mobile broadband plans from Optus this week. Once you’ve purchased the device, you’ll need to remember to recharge your Telstra prepaid mobile broadband plan every 14 - 28 days or every 12 months if you’d prefer a long-expiry option. Here’s a quick look at some of Telstra’s most popular prepaid mobile broadband plans. The Telstra Prepaid 4GX WiFi Plus offers 8 hours of battery life and can support up to 10 connected devices at once. Some WiFi dongles use a SIM card to generate a portable WiFi network when plugged in (effectively the same as tethering from your smartphone), others enable the connected device to access the internet, without generating a WiFi signal of their own. Then there are pocket Wi-Fi devices, portable modems that generate a WiFi signal when powered on. USB WiFi dongles are most commonly intended for a single user while pocket WiFi devices encourage multiple connections. Most of the Pocket WiFi and WiFi dongles listed below are available as an add-on to a mobile broadband plan while others are available for an upfront cost on a prepaid arrangement. In our firsthand experience, Telstra and Netgear’s range of Nighthawk modems have been fast and dependable portable solutions whether you’re on a postpaid or prepaid internet plan for your mobile broadband needs. But if you only need to use mobile broadband connection on the odd occasion, you might be better served with cheaper external WiFi adapter (or USB WiFi dongle). In that category, we’d recommend Telstra’s 4GX USB modem for reliable speeds and the Optus 4G USB modem for a portable prepaid internet connection on a budget. Optus is the first provider to offer unlimited data on its 5G Home product but that’s still a home broadband solution, not a portable WiFi dongle. Still, if you really need unlimited data on the go, we recommend checking out an unlimited mobile plan provider like Felix Mobile, which allows you to tether your phone’s WiFi connection using a personal hotspot.
