View the best prices 🔥 on the 4G Hub: broadbandsavvy.com/deals/4g-hub/ Read our full review of the Three 4G Hub: broadbandsavvy.com/three-4g-hub-review/
Thanks for the review! Just purchased this and found similar speeds, except the latency was around 60-90 which isn't very good... Apart from that, fab!
That's great to hear about the speeds. To improve the latency, you could try putting it on a windowsill on the other side of your house, to try and see if you can find a better line of sight to the 4G mast. You could also try to use an external antenna to improve your signal. And of course, use a wired connection when latency is important, if you're not already.
@@broadbandsavvy the ZTE M801A has much better performance and latency, especially with the new firmware. It's currently being sold off cheap because the new model is out. I got mine for €189
May I know what speed you get testing on your phones' 4g network? I'm using a Huawei p30 pro on 5ghz WiFi tether to xbox and keen to know if the dedicated sim router performs significantly better or not
We get quite similar speeds, maybe 10% slower. You might get a better ping on your Xbox with this router because you can plug it in, rather than having to use 5GHz WiFi.
Good review and it looks like an excellent product. The only thing that puts me off, is the fact that it's a ZTE product. I believe that ZTE products have been blacklisted in the US. Because of this I'd be drawn to the 4G+ router for an extra few pounds per month. The 4G+ router is made in Taiwan which is better for peace of mind personally. Just a couple of questions. This router / sim deal is very cheap on 3, do you own the router or have to return it after the contract ends? Secondly, I've read some people say this is unlocked, have you had the opportunity to try it with different SIM's?
You own the router at the end of the contract, which is quite good. We are also under the impression that this router is unlocked, however we have not personally tested with a different SIM. It's worth noting that the 5G Hub is locked, however.
We found it to be quite good for gaming as shown in the video, although we have very strong 4G signal. I'm not sure what Nat types are supported, we only tested using a PC.
Thanks for the review, can you confirm if there's settings in the firmware related to external antenna use? As some providers seem to lock this feature
We didn't look at that, but I would guess that it's not locked, as we've spoken to quite a few customers and haven't heard any complaints about this. We are getting the 5G Hub in to review soon, so we will check if they've locked it on that device - I'll reply to this comment in a few days. Can't imagine they would lock it on 4G but not 5G, although it's possible. Either way, Three's 14 day money back policy is quite good if you want to see what the router is like.
is it better to just buy the data sim and then get your own router as i keep seeing the hawuei B818 cat19 router that is meant to be one of the best 4G routers, or wont it make any difference in performance over the supplied router with three network?
It shouldn't make any difference to performance, but you should read the terms and conditions of the data SIM carefully, and look for any hidden fair usage limits. You also don't get the benefit of the 14 day return policy that Three offers with this bundle, meaning it might be more difficult to back out if the speeds/latency aren't as good as expected.
I have this router and I am getting the same speeds throughout the day.. but I think it must depend if their is a high or low customer level in your area. You can get the router and you have fourteen days to try it out. Hope this helps you.
I got this one today. I got excellent mash. Do you think 3 will cap data, i am skeptical it’s my first time giving 3 a shot. I have 30 days to change my mind. So can someone who using this thing for sometime help me shall I keep it or not? I don’t want after 30days 3 did something vile!
Great video thanks, just what I was looking for. I’ve also read the write up, could you please advise if the two external antennas are SMA connectors as with older Huawei routers? Thanks
@@Nocturnalphil123 I believe that you will need a male connector. Here is a picture of the back: broadbandsavvy.com/wp-content/uploads/20220114_102010-min-1.jpg
Has anyone else noticed a huge increase in download speed over the last three months. I have been testing it a lot during this time and I was getting between 50 and 60 Mbs and now I am getting between 130 and 180 Mbs. No external or internal antenna, just sits on a upstairs window sill about 2 miles from the tower which is not in line of sight.
@@Ionstorm i never knew about 4G+ Thanks for the information. The service is exceptional. let's hope it continues after the supposed merger with Vodaphone next year.
@@John-fj3qw yes 4G+ is the steps tone between 4g and 5g, unfortunately I moved to O2 and their speeds are awful regardless of whatever G they feel like giving, even had 3mbit on 5g. At home I'd get 150+mbit on smarty (3) 4G+ and on O2 now I get 1-5mbit...brilliant company haha
Hello there I’m moving to flat where the normal broadband seems to offering really slow speeds would this be good option for me and my girlfriend,I do lots of gaming?
Hi Todd, we found that the hardware is more than capable of delivering a great gaming experience, provided you use a wired connection. The main thing that matters is your 4G signal - we happen to have very good coverage at our address. Fortunately, Three let you return the router within 14 days for any reason, provided the router is not damaged of course, allowing you to test and see what the speeds/latency is like.
I used to use sky broadband, my tv and hifi amplifier were connected to sky wifi device , im no longer with sky, will this device replace my sky wifi device without any connection issues ? My amplifier is connected thru wire connection to sky wifi device, wondering if this is anything different
Is the Sky WiFi device you're referring to a router, and is this the router you're currently using? If you're no longer with Sky, you should be fine, I'm assuming you're using another router. The 4G Hub will replace your router.
I have a three 4g mifi device and it’s horrible in speed, does anyone know if I could use that same SIM card in my mifi and use it in a 4g home broadband device like the one in the video?
I have this router and use the Ethernet cable supplied to go direct into my ps5 within a meter apart from each other! I get 60-100mbps down and 10-20mbps up with a ping of around 60 However in game my latency I’d ridiculous and fluctuates between 90 and 999 making it near impossible to game on! We have strong 4g and full signal! I’ve even tried opening the ports used for cod but to no effects, any suggestions
The first thing we would do is narrow down the problem, by testing your ping over Ethernet on other devices. For example, play some games on a PC or another console and see if the issue is the same. If you narrow down the issue to your PS5, then look into different settings you can change on the console or your router's admin panel to try and fix the issue, or contact Three and see if this is a problem that they have fixed for other customers as well.
@@broadbandsavvy thank you for the reply! I live in a lodge on a holiday park in Northampton and went around each socket with the router and pc to find the best location to house the 4g broadband router! I’ve tried playing the ps5 wirelessly which does improve gaming somewhat until another device is activated. I’ve set up a static IP address for the ps5 and created port forwarding for the call of duty ports and also tried placing the ps5 in the DMZ but still fluctuates immensely! Maybe the antenna could work to get a better signal from the nearest mast……
hi mate decent vid that, my wired router coming from copper phone line is only reaching speeds of 40mbs the kids are screaming cos there gaming is pants, quick question ,im on ee (best reception by far in my area)4g contract on my phone n when I test the phones mobile broadband speed in a sweet spot in my living room I can get roughly 100mbs speeds if I buy a decent dual band LTE enabled mobile router and put a 4g ee sim init ,will It get better speeds than my mobile phone or will it be roughly the same,? if the speeds are decent my kids will be able to game better and I will cancel my broadband deal, any advice would be apreciated.
@@broadbandsavvy thank you for your reply. Picking one up today so will let the kids test it. Hopefully the ping is lower on the router than on my phone Internet. Its supposedly a decent router so we will see. Thanks again for your reply. 👌👍
@@broadbandsavvy yes mate got one . My wired broadband router was giving me 40 Mbs. With this minter I'm getting 100Mbs of download speed and im getting 35Mbs of upload speed. My ping is 38 on one test but on another online test the ping was 4 with 108Mbs download n 36 upload. The speeds are minted just hope the ping doesn't effect my lads xboxes when they are gaming. Thanks for the advice mate really appreciated
@@AndreikVlogs hi mate get an ee sim n test the speed in your phone. I tested the speed in mine and in a sweet spot in my house I got 100mb of speed. Bought the a decent mobile router found a better sweet spot in the attic. Got speeds of 160mbs . Rapid
Thank you for reviewing this, I am interested in their 1-12 months plan. Are you able to confirm that the once the contract is over, the data plan (aka Unlimited Data) stops (period). I don't intend to do any Go Roam, calls, text or Go Europe etc. Just purely data only. Will the sim card still work even after 1 month plan is completed? (i.e. continuously charge me by the megabyte) or does it completely stop. thanks
When you buy a 1 month plan it will renew automatically every month, it won't go onto a per-megabyte plan, or anything like that. Therefore, you'll need to contact Three and arrange to cancel the data plan when you're finished using it. Once you cancel, the SIM will completely stop working.
@@broadbandsavvy Thank you for the very quick response. Makes sense now, I always wondered what was the catch with the separation of the pricing and contracts along with the excessive information about credit scoring and setup Direct Debit. Now it makes better sense so the consumer is liable to turn it off at the expense of the inconvienence and time spent. With Pay as you go, unlimited data immediately ends service. I guess Pay Monthly is different as both applications differ very much on this. Many thanks, it helps me make a more informed decision as I plan to use Ring/Arlo security cameras
@@wibbans2452 Three also sells a 5G Hub router for a similar price, which you can plug an external antenna into. However with the 5G Hub, you have to sign a 24 month contract.
Those speeds seem to be vastly different to those advertised for the 4G Broadband Hub on the 3 website. Is this a different product?: 4G Hub Connect up to 64 devices and enjoy speeds of up to 100MB a second with our new Home Broadband Hub. And there's no need to wait for an engineer - it's plug and play. So as soon as tomorrow you could be browsing, streaming, and sharing. Performance and speed Maximum download speed: 600MBps Typical download speeds: 50MBps-100MBps Wi-Fi 5 certified for greater performance on modern devices LTE band support: 1,3,7,80,20,32
As Three states, you can get up to 600Mbps with this router in theory. In most cases, your speeds won't be quite as high as what we achieved on Ethernet, because as we mentioned, the test was performed in an area with extremely good 4G signal. In most cases, you'll get closer to 50-100Mbps, as per Three's estimates.
Currently it's a decent bit more expensive, especially on the 12 month plan, so it's not the best choice if you don't live somewhere with 5G. However, we will be reviewing it soon hopefully.
View the best prices 🔥 on the 4G Hub: broadbandsavvy.com/deals/4g-hub/
Read our full review of the Three 4G Hub: broadbandsavvy.com/three-4g-hub-review/
THANK YOU so much for sharing this video, may seem simple to some people but for me to setup my mum's system this was valuable....thanks
Thanks for the review! Just purchased this and found similar speeds, except the latency was around 60-90 which isn't very good... Apart from that, fab!
That's great to hear about the speeds. To improve the latency, you could try putting it on a windowsill on the other side of your house, to try and see if you can find a better line of sight to the 4G mast. You could also try to use an external antenna to improve your signal. And of course, use a wired connection when latency is important, if you're not already.
@@broadbandsavvy the ZTE M801A has much better performance and latency, especially with the new firmware. It's currently being sold off cheap because the new model is out. I got mine for €189
Exellent review😊
May I know what speed you get testing on your phones' 4g network? I'm using a Huawei p30 pro on 5ghz WiFi tether to xbox and keen to know if the dedicated sim router performs significantly better or not
We get quite similar speeds, maybe 10% slower. You might get a better ping on your Xbox with this router because you can plug it in, rather than having to use 5GHz WiFi.
Is the coverage good throughout a property ie if router in living room is service good in a bedroom
It was for us in a four-bedroom house. Should be fine without any extenders if your house isn't massive.
Hello, what do you think about the zte mf29s2 device? Does it support G4? Thank you
Not sure, we haven't looked at that device.
Good review and it looks like an excellent product. The only thing that puts me off, is the fact that it's a ZTE product.
I believe that ZTE products have been blacklisted in the US. Because of this I'd be drawn to the 4G+ router for an extra few pounds per month. The 4G+ router is made in Taiwan which is better for peace of mind personally.
Just a couple of questions. This router / sim deal is very cheap on 3, do you own the router or have to return it after the contract ends?
Secondly, I've read some people say this is unlocked, have you had the opportunity to try it with different SIM's?
You own the router at the end of the contract, which is quite good. We are also under the impression that this router is unlocked, however we have not personally tested with a different SIM. It's worth noting that the 5G Hub is locked, however.
thx that was very helpfull, bought it :)
Hey do you use the 4g hub for gaming? And if so does it support Nat Type 1 or 2?
We found it to be quite good for gaming as shown in the video, although we have very strong 4G signal. I'm not sure what Nat types are supported, we only tested using a PC.
Thanks for the review, can you confirm if there's settings in the firmware related to external antenna use? As some providers seem to lock this feature
We didn't look at that, but I would guess that it's not locked, as we've spoken to quite a few customers and haven't heard any complaints about this. We are getting the 5G Hub in to review soon, so we will check if they've locked it on that device - I'll reply to this comment in a few days. Can't imagine they would lock it on 4G but not 5G, although it's possible. Either way, Three's 14 day money back policy is quite good if you want to see what the router is like.
is it better to just buy the data sim and then get your own router as i keep seeing the hawuei B818 cat19 router that is meant to be one of the best 4G routers, or wont it make any difference in performance over the supplied router with three network?
It shouldn't make any difference to performance, but you should read the terms and conditions of the data SIM carefully, and look for any hidden fair usage limits. You also don't get the benefit of the 14 day return policy that Three offers with this bundle, meaning it might be more difficult to back out if the speeds/latency aren't as good as expected.
Do u have any issues with the speed during the afternoon when the network is congested?
I have this router and I am getting the same speeds throughout the day.. but I think it must depend if their is a high or low customer level in your area. You can get the router and you have fourteen days to try it out. Hope this helps you.
I got this one today. I got excellent mash. Do you think 3 will cap data, i am skeptical it’s my first time giving 3 a shot. I have 30 days to change my mind. So can someone who using this thing for sometime help me shall I keep it or not? I don’t want after 30days 3 did something vile!
As long as you're using it for within the terms and conditions (ie, not for business purposes) you should be fine, they won't limit your data.
Great video thanks, just what I was looking for.
I’ve also read the write up, could you please advise if the two external antennas are SMA connectors as with older Huawei routers?
Thanks
Good question, we can confirm that they are SMA connectors.
@@broadbandsavvy does that mean we need sma male or female aerials
@@Nocturnalphil123 I believe that you will need a male connector. Here is a picture of the back: broadbandsavvy.com/wp-content/uploads/20220114_102010-min-1.jpg
@@broadbandsavvy thanks for that👌
Check first that the settings are available in the UI otherwise attaching external antennas may yeild no results
Has anyone else noticed a huge increase in download speed over the last three months. I have been testing it a lot
during this time and I was getting between 50 and 60 Mbs and now I am getting between 130 and 180 Mbs. No external or internal antenna, just sits on a upstairs window sill about 2 miles from the tower which is not in line of sight.
They likely updated to 4G+ in your area and or 5g. (4g+ will give you 100-200mbit easily).
@@Ionstorm i never knew about 4G+ Thanks for the information. The service is exceptional. let's hope it continues after the supposed merger with Vodaphone next year.
@@John-fj3qw yes 4G+ is the steps tone between 4g and 5g, unfortunately I moved to O2 and their speeds are awful regardless of whatever G they feel like giving, even had 3mbit on 5g. At home I'd get 150+mbit on smarty (3) 4G+ and on O2 now I get 1-5mbit...brilliant company haha
john, where abouts you live?
Hello there I’m moving to flat where the normal broadband seems to offering really slow speeds would this be good option for me and my girlfriend,I do lots of gaming?
Hi Todd, we found that the hardware is more than capable of delivering a great gaming experience, provided you use a wired connection. The main thing that matters is your 4G signal - we happen to have very good coverage at our address. Fortunately, Three let you return the router within 14 days for any reason, provided the router is not damaged of course, allowing you to test and see what the speeds/latency is like.
@@broadbandsavvy yeah I looked and spoke to three themselves they confirmed that the 4g signal is very good they said it’d be good for gaming
how is ethernt such a big differance ti wifi, and would a mesh system be better added to it
We did the WiFi test under less than ideal conditions, quite a long way away from the router. A mesh system might be a good idea, we didn't try that.
I used to use sky broadband, my tv and hifi amplifier were connected to sky wifi device , im no longer with sky, will this device replace my sky wifi device without any connection issues ? My amplifier is connected thru wire connection to sky wifi device, wondering if this is anything different
Is the Sky WiFi device you're referring to a router, and is this the router you're currently using? If you're no longer with Sky, you should be fine, I'm assuming you're using another router. The 4G Hub will replace your router.
What does the green flashing lift mean. Usually it's blue. Help. I keep buffering
That light is related to your signal strength. It might be worth moving the router somewhere else with better signal if possible.
I have a three 4g mifi device and it’s horrible in speed, does anyone know if I could use that same SIM card in my mifi and use it in a 4g home broadband device like the one in the video?
I have this router and use the Ethernet cable supplied to go direct into my ps5 within a meter apart from each other!
I get 60-100mbps down and 10-20mbps up with a ping of around 60
However in game my latency I’d ridiculous and fluctuates between 90 and 999 making it near impossible to game on! We have strong 4g and full signal! I’ve even tried opening the ports used for cod but to no effects, any suggestions
The first thing we would do is narrow down the problem, by testing your ping over Ethernet on other devices. For example, play some games on a PC or another console and see if the issue is the same. If you narrow down the issue to your PS5, then look into different settings you can change on the console or your router's admin panel to try and fix the issue, or contact Three and see if this is a problem that they have fixed for other customers as well.
@@broadbandsavvy thank you for the reply! I live in a lodge on a holiday park in Northampton and went around each socket with the router and pc to find the best location to house the 4g broadband router! I’ve tried playing the ps5 wirelessly which does improve gaming somewhat until another device is activated. I’ve set up a static IP address for the ps5 and created port forwarding for the call of duty ports and also tried placing the ps5 in the DMZ but still fluctuates immensely! Maybe the antenna could work to get a better signal from the nearest mast……
@@broadbandsavvy I’ve also run a dns benchmark and found that open dns is best for my location which I have changed to accordingly
@@aaronwebster8780 Did you get similar issues when gaming on a PC in the same location?
hi mate decent vid that, my wired router coming from copper phone line is only reaching speeds of 40mbs the kids are screaming cos there gaming is pants, quick question ,im on ee (best reception by far in my area)4g contract on my phone n when I test the phones mobile broadband speed in a sweet spot in my living room I can get roughly 100mbs speeds if I buy a decent dual band LTE enabled mobile router and put a 4g ee sim init ,will It get better speeds than my mobile phone or will it be roughly the same,? if the speeds are decent my kids will be able to game better and I will cancel my broadband deal, any advice would be apreciated.
You should be able to match those speeds with a good 4G router. Remember that it's latency/ping that matters most for gaming.
@@broadbandsavvy thank you for your reply. Picking one up today so will let the kids test it. Hopefully the ping is lower on the router than on my phone Internet. Its supposedly a decent router so we will see. Thanks again for your reply. 👌👍
@@broadbandsavvy yes mate got one . My wired broadband router was giving me 40 Mbs. With this minter I'm getting 100Mbs of download speed and im getting 35Mbs of upload speed. My ping is 38 on one test but on another online test the ping was 4 with 108Mbs download n 36 upload. The speeds are minted just hope the ping doesn't effect my lads xboxes when they are gaming. Thanks for the advice mate really appreciated
Where are u living guys ? Don't know what speed will i get in my flat in London
@@AndreikVlogs hi mate get an ee sim n test the speed in your phone. I tested the speed in mine and in a sweet spot in my house I got 100mb of speed. Bought the a decent mobile router found a better sweet spot in the attic. Got speeds of 160mbs . Rapid
Thank you for reviewing this, I am interested in their 1-12 months plan. Are you able to confirm that the once the contract is over, the data plan (aka Unlimited Data) stops (period).
I don't intend to do any Go Roam, calls, text or Go Europe etc. Just purely data only. Will the sim card still work even after 1 month plan is completed? (i.e. continuously charge me by the megabyte) or does it completely stop.
thanks
When you buy a 1 month plan it will renew automatically every month, it won't go onto a per-megabyte plan, or anything like that. Therefore, you'll need to contact Three and arrange to cancel the data plan when you're finished using it. Once you cancel, the SIM will completely stop working.
@@broadbandsavvy Thank you for the very quick response. Makes sense now, I always wondered what was the catch with the separation of the pricing and contracts along with the excessive information about credit scoring and setup Direct Debit. Now it makes better sense so the consumer is liable to turn it off at the expense of the inconvienence and time spent.
With Pay as you go, unlimited data immediately ends service. I guess Pay Monthly is different as both applications differ very much on this.
Many thanks, it helps me make a more informed decision as I plan to use Ring/Arlo security cameras
Is it possible to get 5g router with an antenna thats giving me good internet speed
Cuz right now im about 30-40 mbits and i cant play games while the others in family are watching on the tv and phones
@@wibbans2452 Three also sells a 5G Hub router for a similar price, which you can plug an external antenna into. However with the 5G Hub, you have to sign a 24 month contract.
just received one of these, totally expected the usb port to work like on the huawei, nope... port is just useless.
I get a worse reception with this than the previous model
that's zte's router... MF286R to be exact.
Good point, we've updated the title.
i cant play any games when i connect the router to my xbox 😢
We'd try to connect using an Ethernet cable, if you haven't already.
Just received mine been without broadband for 4 days typical 3 no antenna ffs joke
Those speeds seem to be vastly different to those advertised for the 4G Broadband Hub on the 3 website. Is this a different product?:
4G Hub
Connect up to 64 devices and enjoy speeds of up to 100MB a second with our new Home Broadband Hub. And there's no need to wait for an engineer - it's plug and play. So as soon as tomorrow you could be browsing, streaming, and sharing.
Performance and speed
Maximum download speed: 600MBps
Typical download speeds: 50MBps-100MBps
Wi-Fi 5 certified for greater performance on modern devices
LTE band support: 1,3,7,80,20,32
As Three states, you can get up to 600Mbps with this router in theory. In most cases, your speeds won't be quite as high as what we achieved on Ethernet, because as we mentioned, the test was performed in an area with extremely good 4G signal. In most cases, you'll get closer to 50-100Mbps, as per Three's estimates.
You should’ve bought the 5G router. Because even if you dont have a 5G signal you can use 3g and 4g on it.
Currently it's a decent bit more expensive, especially on the 12 month plan, so it's not the best choice if you don't live somewhere with 5G. However, we will be reviewing it soon hopefully.
What is that annoying ticking sound on your video I have to go its doing my head in!!!!!!!!
There's no commentary, so you can mute the video if the audio annoys you.
Any idea as to why my 3g/4g symbol is continuously flashing blue?
Likely bad signal, try it in a different location if possible.