HOTSPOT FULL
HOTSPOT ANDROID
HOTSPOT PRO

The price of a plan also varies depending on a number of variables, including how much data you are looking to have on your plan, the speed of the connection, and whether you have an existing plan with a given provider. But as with all things tech (and just in general), purchasing outright if you can afford it will almost certainly save you money in the long run.

Almost all cellular providers allow you to pay for expensive hotspots on an installment plan, reducing the cost of even the pricey ones to around $15 a month or lower.

Where 4G hotspots can be found for under $100, 5G hotspots tend to run upwards of several hundred - just for the hardware. You probably won't be surprised to learn that 5G hotspots tend to be significantly more expensive. A major factor, for right now at least, is whether the hotspot tops out at a 4G connection, or is future-looking enough to support 5G. The up-front price of actual hotspot hardware can vary pretty widely. It depends on the hotspot, the network and the service you are paying for but two things are relatively consistent across all the options: You have to buy the hotspot, and then you have to pay for service in perpetuity. Plus, all your data is further encrypted while on the mobile data network, making everything as protected as it can be. It usually can run for hours on battery power and is as secure as your router at home, often with the choice of Wi-Fi Protect Access-3 (WPA-3) level encryption. Like a mobile phone but without the ability to make or take voice calls, a mobile hotspot connects to the internet the 4G or 5G mobile data network and then transmits a fresh, secure Wi-Fi network for you and your friends. Small and light, a hotspot is often no bigger than an Altoids box yet can put you online anywhere you can make a mobile call. ZTE What is a mobile hotspot and how does it work? Still, itвЂ™s a steal for those who need to stay online. It lacks a display but has LEDs and isВ limited to 4G speeds with a maximum throughput of 150Mbps. Whether you're looking for an ultra fast 5G hotspot or an affordable unlocked option to use with your existing plan, there's a mobile hotspot for any use case and budget for that.ZTE Max ConnectвЂ™s can turn a mobile data signal from the AT&T or T-Mobile network into a freshly transmitted Wi-Fi signal to as many as 10 devices.

HOTSPOT ANDROID

And while you can just use your iPhone or Android smartphone as a Wi-Fi hotspot instead of buying a separate device, just be sure that you have the right plan for it so you don't incur any unexpected fees. But if you plan to connect multiple devices to the Wi-Fi hotspot or stream video, consider a plan with more data to avoid potential overages. If you only plan on using your Wi-Fi hotspot for web browsing and staying on top of your work emails while traveling, there's no need to spend a whole lot on data. T-Mobile charges $5 for 500MB of high-speed data per month, $10 for 2GB of data per month, $20 for 5GB per month, and so on, going up to $50. Both carriers have a data cap of 15GB before they start throttling speeds. At the time of publishing, AT&T mobile hotspot plans start at $50 per month, while Verizon charges between $20 and $80 each month. We also factored in whether or not the hotspots could be used with a wired connection, and gave extra points for models that have built-in batteries and USB ports that allow you to recharge all your other devices.ДЄ standalone Wi-Fi hotspot requires a data plan from the carrier of your choice, and plan prices vary depending on the amount of data you choose - that is, unless you choose a pay-as-you-go hotspot. To separate the best from the rest, we compared the following: (Just note that this option isnвЂ™t available for our unlocked and pay-as-you-go picks.) What to Consider

HOTSPOT FULL

Best for Sprint Users: MiFi 8000 Mobile HotspotД®ven though weвЂ™ve listed the full prices of the Wi-Fi hotspots on this list, you can buy most of them in low monthly installments with a qualifying data plan.

HOTSPOT PRO

Best 5G Hotspot: NETGEAR Nighthawk 5G Mobile Hotspot Pro.

Best Pay-As-You-Go Option : GlocalMe G4 Pro.

Best for T-Mobile Users : T-Mobile Alcatel LINKZONE 2.

Best At-Home Hotspot : NETGEAR Orbi Tri-Band Wi-Fi Router.

Best Unlocked Hotspot: NETGEAR AirCard 797 (AC797).

Best for Verizon Users: Verizon Jetpack MiFi 8800L.

Best for AT&T Users : NETGEAR Nighthawk M1.

We've been researching this product category for three years now, and feel confident recommending these nine best Wi-Fi hotspots available on- and off-contract to keep you connected on the go. Wi-Fi hotspots offer a convenient way to keep your laptop, tablet, and all other connected devices online without draining your smartphone's battery and data plan.