Compare Deals and save hundreds of pounds Sim Only Deals Phone Deals Vodafone mobile broadband is a way to use Vodafone’s network to get your devices online when you’re away from home and there’s no Wi-Fi available.
It works by pairing a mobile broadband device with a data plan and a SIM card. You then just put the SIM card in the mobile broadband device, and it can connect to Vodafone’s mobile network, and share the signal with laptops and the like as a Wi-Fi network.
This is generally done wirelessly, and mobile broadband devices often have extensive range, and the ability to get lots of devices online. So if you’re with friends, family, or colleagues, you can connect everyone’s laptops and tablets to the internet.
With Vodafone mobile broadband you’ll be able to get any device online, just about anywhere in the UK (and abroad too). That can help with working, staying in touch with people, web browsing when on the move, and streaming music and videos, among other things.
Of course, you can do all of this on your phone already, but being able to get tablets, laptops, and even portable consoles online when they don’t have SIM cards of their own can be extremely useful.
You can get your devices connected on trains, in cars, while staying in hotels or sitting in cafes, or even out on the street, just as long as your mobile broadband device can pick up a signal from Vodafone’s network.
And mobile broadband connections are more secure than public Wi-Fi, as well as often being faster, cheaper, and easier to get set up.
|
|
Vodafone 5G Mobile Hotspot |
Vodafone 4G Mobile Hotspot |
Vodafone 4G Mobile Dongle |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Modem |
5G |
4G |
4G |
|
Max download speeds |
3.8Gbps |
300Mbps |
150Mbps |
|
Max connected devices |
32 |
32 |
1 |
|
Ethernet ports |
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
Power |
Battery |
Battery |
Connected laptop |
Vodafone currently stocks three different mobile broadband devices, and they all serve different needs. The best of them is the Vodafone 5G Mobile Hotspot, which is the only 5G one offered by the network, so it offers the highest speeds.
Technically, it can reach download speeds of 3.8Gbps, but while the hardware is capable of that, UK networks aren’t. 5G speeds tend to be in the range of roughly 100-250Mbps, which is still very fast, and peak speeds can be a lot higher.
The Vodafone 5G Mobile Hotspot can also get 32 devices connected to the internet, and it has a handy touchscreen, an Ethernet port, and a 4,500mAh battery.
If you don’t need 5G speeds, then you might want to consider the Vodafone 4G Mobile Hotspot, which is a 4G device and doesn’t have a touchscreen, but can still get up to 32 gadgets online at once, and has a compact design and a battery that lasts for up to 11.8 hours when in use.
Finally, there’s the Vodafone 4G Mobile Dongle, which is another 4G device, but this one isn’t battery powered. Instead, you plug it into a laptop or desktop and it’s powered by that device. It can only provide internet to the computer it’s plugged into, but it’s also extremely small and light.
Vodafone has roughly 99% UK population coverage with 4G, which is in line with rival networks, and means you should be able to get a 4G signal in most places.
The network also has a growing 5G network, with this available in a large number of towns and cities, with more places getting it all the time. So while you won’t get a 5G signal everywhere on Vodafone, this service is quite widely available.
Yes, you can. Vodafone sells data-only SIMs which come with a monthly allowance of data (up to unlimited data) but no minutes or texts. These plans are designed specifically for mobile broadband and tablets. So just get a data-only SIM and you can put it in a mobile broadband device that you already own.
As well as Vodafone, you can also get mobile broadband on Three, O2, and EE. Each of these networks have a different selection of mobile broadband devices too (from Vodafone and from each other), so it’s worth investigating them all before making a decision.
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