I need to get one today. Will get a base and satellite so that when we move back to our house eventually I can get wifi in outbuildings.

Before I head to the shops I’d love to know what the differences are between models. Prices seem to vary considerably but it’s not easy from the info online to work out what makes them different aside from brand and prettiness. So what should I be looking for to distinguish them?

In the last week or so I’m starting to get occasional glimmers of 5G on my phone if that’s relevant.

If you have to get one today you are going to be limited to what stock is local.

Perhaps it would be easier for you to tell us what options you have available to buy now?

Stock for collection will show on most if not all of the likely retailers.

5G routers are quite expensive iirc ~£350 start point.

Got a Netgear Nighthawk M6. You can’t go past a name like that. I feel all special ops now.

Oddly enough that’s not dissimilar to my efforts to get it to connect with Chromecast 😟

Seems to be a contradiction in your question. By mobile router, do you mean:-

1. a 4G or 5G modem with a wireless access point piggy-backed on to it (described as mobile broadband by most operators).

2. A compact router that takes an ethernet connection and makes it wireless, used for travellers in hotels mostly?

You won’t get either of the two options above in a base station and satellite format.

To be honest, if you’re getting glimmers of 5G you’ll probably be able to average speeds >100mbps on 4G so that’s the road I’d be going down. You can probably sign up in an EE shop and walk out with one of their 4G routers, which are pretty good.

But then you’ll need to plug it into something else to get wireless further away, so budget on a pair of mesh stations too (the Google Wifi stuff is on offer at the moment).

Sorry to hijack.
My zte mobile 4g Mifi thingamy, it’s a ZTE MF971R, which gets decent reviews.
I’m getting between 5-10mbps DL, and a lot less up, with 4 bars signal on smarty.
My mobile phone is on Vodafone, again, with 4 bars 4g and is speed testing at 20-35mbps DL.
Could it just be the networks, or are there better modems out there?

Suppose I could put my vf SIM in it,.

Hmmm… I thought I was just going to get a mesh system like the Orbi setup with a SIM card in the back like I’d been borrowing from my father in law.
When I got to the shops they explained that those systems no longer have a sim slot and I’d need a different type that does plus a data plan – we don’t have an option for a fixed line, there’s none available. It’s perfect for travelling as it can be plugged in or battery powered. It’s 5G compatible and I can buy satellites later if needed. It gets much better signal than our mobile phones on the same network.

I’m getting between 5-10mbps DL, and a lot less up, with 4 bars signal on smarty.

That’s miles below what 4G can deliver, however as to why that is probably one of two things:

1. The cell you are in is busy and that’s all the network will let you have as it has to share the cell’s capacity with other users
2. Your operator / tariff is capping your throughput for commercial reasons as in if you want more you have to pay for a higher grade tariff.

Probably 1 though….

Could it just be the networks, or are there better modems out there?

Network. You can have the world’s fastest, sexiest, best named modem but if the cell you are in is already congested, you’re never going to get good throughput.

You may have bought one but if not, and you’re looking for an industrial solution for the long term look at the zyxel outdoor routers. We use one at one of our sites, sits on a pole connected via ethernet to the internal network and also has it’s own AP. Gets 70mb down in a 3 bar location on 4g. Costs around 300 but it’s a one off if you want something that can replace wired internet.

you might want to look at stuff that’s designed for use in motorhomes etc…

Home

That’s miles below what 4G can deliver

If reeksy is the person I’m thinking of, he’s out in the wilds of Scotland, far from civilisation hence no physical line and building a house so it needs to be a mobile connected router for now.

Not quite. I’m in Queensland, among the gum trees. Really hard to get any coverage. It’s actually no better than ten years ago.

In that case, investing in a Zyxel pole mounted router or similar makes even more sense! You could happily replace wired internet with it assuming you can get a good deal. Before we got a new mast nearby we could get Vodafone around 8mb down when no one stood at ground level could even get a signal.

Already got the Netgear one I mentioned earlier.

I had a pretty good mifi that I used for holiday purposes with Smarty unlimited but I found that my phone used as a hotspot was much quicker. Really only use it for browsing and of course providing useful replies on STW.

In that case, investing in a Zyxel pole mounted router or similar makes even more sense!

Yes, look for one with a high gain antenna and try and mount it as high as you can.

https://www.boostersdirect.com/product-category/gsm-band/4g-signal-booster/

I have a phone signal booster, but have been told that it won’t boost data signal and that i would need a separate booster to improve it… we’re struggling to get 1mbps at times.

Can anyone explain what the difference between the data and ‘phone’ signal is that means we potentially need two boosters?

Can anyone explain what the difference between the data and ‘phone’ signal is that means we potentially need two boosters?

There are several different mobile standards in use (2G, 3G, 4G, 5G) all of which use slightly different bits of spectrum. 2G is the original voice only GSM service to which they added limited data capability (GPRS etc). If your booster is 2G only you’re not boosting the main data bands which are 4G and 5G in the UK.

You’d just buy a UK 4G booster which should do everything for you, not heard of people having to use two simultaneously.

We only have 3G 4G and 5G here. 2G was shut down in 2018.
Our booster is 3 and 4G.
I’ll need to get in touch with the retailer of the booster … I may be misremembering what other kit he recommended for data improvement.