Best mobile wifi hotspots for broadband backup UK (2026): 4G and 5G MiFi compared
A mobile wifi hotspot, often called a MiFi, is a pocket router with a SIM inside: it shares a 4G or 5G mobile signal over Wi-Fi with laptops, tablets and other devices. In a broadband fault, or a power cut that takes your router down, a charged hotspot keeps a household online for as long as its battery and the local mast hold out. We compare UK units on the maker's quoted battery life, whether they are sold unlocked, Wi-Fi bands, and screens or wired ports. We have not used or timed any of them; every figure is credited to its source.
By Tom Calder · Updated 21 October 2026 · 6 products, all price-tracked
Our picks by type
Photo: AmazonTP-Link M7750
The longest maker-quoted runtime of any unit here, for 4G backup.
as of 21 Oct 2026, 10:37 BST · Details
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.co.uk at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
Photo: AmazonNETGEAR Nighthawk M3
A 5G backup with a removable battery you can swap for a charged spare.
as of 21 Oct 2026, 10:37 BST · Details
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.co.uk at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
Photo: AmazonTP-Link M7005
A simple 4G backup for a phone or laptop or two during a broadband outage.
as of 21 Oct 2026, 10:37 BST · Details
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.co.uk at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.All 6 compared
| Hotspot | Network | Battery (maker) | Devices | SIM | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
5G Sub-6 plus 4G LTE Cat19 · 5185 mAh, removable · Nano SIM, unlocked (maker) A 5G backup with a removable battery you can swap for a charged spare. | 5G Sub-6 plus 4G LTE Cat19 | 5185 mAh, removable | — | Nano SIM, unlocked (maker) | £349.99 at Amazon as of 21 Oct 2026, 10:37 BST · DetailsProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.co.uk at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.In stockCheck price → |
Our verdictOur verdictResearched NETGEAR sells the M3 unlocked and says it works with all major 5G and 4G operators, so you choose the SIM and plan. Its removable 5185 mAh battery is quoted at up to 13 hours, and a charged spare can be swapped in during a long cut. Two TS-9 ports take external antennas if indoor signal is weak. Best for A 5G backup with a removable battery you can swap for a charged spare. Good
Worth knowing
Who shouldn't buy it: 4G is enough where you live; the TP-Link 4G units cover basic backup. | |||||
4G LTE-A Cat12, 600/150 Mbps · 3280 mAh · Nano SIM The longest maker-quoted runtime of any unit here, for 4G backup. | 4G LTE-A Cat12, 600/150 Mbps | 3280 mAh | — | Nano SIM | £149.99 at Amazon as of 21 Oct 2026, 10:37 BST · DetailsProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.co.uk at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.In stockCheck price → |
Our verdictOur verdictResearched The biggest battery in TP-Link's 4G line-up, at 3280 mAh with a quoted 15 hours per charge. It adds Cat12 4G, 2.4 and 5 GHz Wi-Fi, a screen and a microSD slot. A sensible 4G backup, as long as you accept it depends on a nearby mast keeping power in a wider outage. Best for The longest maker-quoted runtime of any unit here, for 4G backup. Good
Worth knowing
Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you need 5G or a wired Ethernet connection. | |||||
 4G LTE, 150/50 Mbps · 2100 mAh · Nano SIM A 4G backup with a small screen showing battery, signal and data use. | 4G LTE, 150/50 Mbps | 2100 mAh | — | Nano SIM | £69.99 at Amazon as of 21 Oct 2026, 10:37 BST · DetailsProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.co.uk at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.In stockCheck price → |
Our verdictOur verdictResearched A pocket 4G unit whose display shows battery level, signal, data used and the Wi-Fi password, which saves hunting for settings in a power cut. TP-Link quotes up to 10 hours per charge from 2100 mAh. It also takes a microSD card. It only helps while a nearby mast still has power. Best for A 4G backup with a small screen showing battery, signal and data use. Good
Worth knowing
Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you want 5 GHz Wi-Fi or the longest runtime TP-Link offers. | |||||
 5G plus 4G, up to 3.4 Gbps down (maker) · 4680 mAh · Nano SIM A 5G pocket router with a touchscreen and a wired Gigabit port. | 5G plus 4G, up to 3.4 Gbps down (maker) | 4680 mAh | — | Nano SIM | £399.98 at Amazon as of 21 Oct 2026, 10:37 BST · DetailsProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.co.uk at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.In stockCheck price → |
Our verdictOur verdictResearched TP-Link's 5G model, with Wi-Fi 6E, a 2.4 inch touchscreen, a Gigabit WAN/LAN port and two TS-9 ports for external antennas. It has a 4680 mAh battery, but TP-Link gives no runtime figure, so plan around a charger or power bank. Whether 5G beats the 4G units depends on coverage where you live. Best for A 5G pocket router with a touchscreen and a wired Gigabit port. Good
Worth knowing
Who shouldn't buy it: 4G speeds are enough where you live, since the 4G units do the same backup job. | |||||
4G LTE, 150/50 Mbps · 2400 mAh · Nano SIM A simple 4G backup for a phone or laptop or two during a broadband outage. | 4G LTE, 150/50 Mbps | 2400 mAh | — | Nano SIM | £44.99 at Amazon as of 21 Oct 2026, 10:37 BST · DetailsProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.co.uk at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.In stockCheck price → |
Our verdictOur verdictResearched TP-Link's screenless 4G pocket unit, with a 2400 mAh battery the maker rates at up to 12 hours. You read its state from three lights and change settings in a browser or TP-Link's app. Wi-Fi 6 runs on 2.4 GHz only, which covers basic browsing and calls. Like any mobile hotspot it needs a nearby mast that still has power. Best for A simple 4G backup for a phone or laptop or two during a broadband outage. Good
Worth knowing
Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you want a screen, 5 GHz Wi-Fi or 5G speeds. | |||||
 4G LTE-A Cat6, 300/50 Mbps · 2100 mAh · Nano SIM Buyers who want 5 GHz Wi-Fi on a mid-range 4G unit. | 4G LTE-A Cat6, 300/50 Mbps | 2100 mAh | — | Nano SIM | £109.99 at Amazon as of 21 Oct 2026, 10:37 BST · DetailsProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.co.uk at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.In stockCheck price → |
Our verdictOur verdictResearched Adds Cat6 4G and a choice of 2.4 or 5 GHz Wi-Fi over TP-Link's 150 Mbps units, plus a 1.44 inch screen and microSD slot. The quoted runtime is the shortest here at 8 hours, so for a long outage keep a charger or power bank ready. Best for Buyers who want 5 GHz Wi-Fi on a mid-range 4G unit. Good
Worth knowing
Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if battery life matters most; the M7750 quotes 15 hours with similar features. | |||||
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Before you buy
Start with the network, because it decides what a hotspot can do and what it costs to run.
The four TP-Link 4G units here use LTE or LTE-Advanced, with TP-Link quoting download rates from 150 Mbps on the M7005 and M7352 up to 600 Mbps on the M7750. The TP-Link M8550 and the NETGEAR Nighthawk M3 add 5G, which is faster where it exists but falls back to 4G where it does not, so check your network coverage map for your postcode before paying for 5G. All six take a nano SIM and need a data plan on top.
Buy unlocked, and check the listing says so.
A unit sold through a mobile network may be locked to that network's SIMs, which defeats the point of a backup if your usual network is the one with the fault. NETGEAR states that the Nighthawk M3 is unlocked; for the TP-Link units, look for SIM-free or unlocked on the listing you buy from rather than assuming it. Keeping two networks in the house, one in the phone and one in the hotspot, guards against a single operator's fault. It helps less in a power cut, because some operators share masts and a mast without power serves none of them.
Battery figures are the makers’ own, measured in their conditions.
TP-Link quotes up to 15 hours for the M7750, 12 for the M7005, 10 for the M7352 and 8 for the M7400, and gives no runtime figure for the M8550. NETGEAR quotes up to 13 hours for the Nighthawk M3, whose 5185 mAh battery is removable, so a charged spare can be swapped in. Treat them as upper limits: more connected devices, a weak signal and 5G all shorten them. Every unit charges from USB, so a power bank extends it; NETGEAR says the M3 needs a USB-C charger of 15 W or more, with none in the box.
A screen, on the M7352, M7400, M7750, M8550 and Nighthawk M3, shows battery, signal and data used without opening an app; the M7005 has none and relies on its app and lights. The M7750 and Nighthawk M3 offer both 2.4 and 5 GHz Wi-Fi, the M7400 lets you choose one or the other, and the M8550 adds 6 GHz Wi-Fi 6E. The M8550 is the only unit here with a built-in Ethernet port; the Nighthawk M3 needs a USB-C adapter for a wired device. TP-Link rates its 4G units to operate between 0 and 35°C, so a cold car or a sunny windowsill is the wrong place to keep one.
Finally, plan for what a hotspot cannot fix.
Ofcom has said that mobile masts commonly have limited battery backup, so in a wide power cut the signal may fade within hours even though your hotspot is still charged. A battery-backed router only helps if your broadband line keeps working; lines that rely on a powered street cabinet can drop when the cabinet loses power. Digital landlines also stop in a power cut without a backup, which is why Ofcom expects providers to offer one to people who depend on the phone. Keep the hotspot and your phones charged, and keep a battery radio for official advice in a long outage.
We verify every product's specifications against at least two independent sources, re-check its UK price and stock on a schedule where we can track it automatically, and cross-check safety-relevant claims against official guidance. Every review is labelled Researched or Used and reviewed by us: where we've bought a product, or been sent it free, and used it ourselves, its review says which; where we haven't, our verdict is a considered spec-and-evidence comparison, not a hands-on test — and commissions never change a ranking either way. Read our full methodology →
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Common questions
Will a mobile wifi hotspot work in a power cut?
The device itself will, because it runs from its own battery and charges from USB, so a power bank or power station keeps it going. What may not last is the mobile signal. Ofcom has said that many mobile masts have limited battery backup and can stop working within hours of losing mains power, especially in a wide cut. For a short, local outage a charged hotspot is a sound backup; for a long regional one, expect the signal to weaken or fail and plan around that.
Do I need a dedicated hotspot, or can I just use my phone?
A phone's personal hotspot does the same job for one or two devices and a few hours, and it costs nothing extra. A dedicated unit makes sense when several people need to work at once, when you want to spare the phone's battery for calls, or when you want a SIM from a second network kept in reserve so that one operator's fault does not take the whole house offline. If your need is occasional and light, start with the phone.
What is the difference between unlocked and network-locked hotspots?
A network-locked unit only accepts SIMs from the operator that sold it; an unlocked or SIM-free one accepts any UK network's SIM. For a backup you want unlocked, so you can hold a SIM from a different network to your phone and swap if one operator has a problem. NETGEAR states the Nighthawk M3 is unlocked. For other units, look for SIM-free or unlocked on the listing before you buy, and keep the receipt.
Is 5G worth paying for in a backup hotspot?
Only if your home has a 5G signal to use it. The TP-Link M8550 and NETGEAR Nighthawk M3 support 5G and fall back to 4G where there is none, so without 5G coverage you would be paying for speed you cannot reach. Check your network's coverage checker for your postcode. Both makers quote faster peak speeds on 5G, but for email, video calls and streaming during an outage, a good 4G signal on a 4G unit is usually enough.
How long will the battery really last?
The figures on this page are the makers' own, measured under their test conditions: TP-Link quotes up to 15 hours for the M7750 and as little as 8 for the M7400, NETGEAR up to 13 for the Nighthawk M3, and TP-Link gives no figure for the M8550. Expect less with more connected devices or a weak signal that makes the radio work harder. Because every unit charges over USB, a power bank is the simplest way to stretch a long day.
Does a hotspot come with a SIM or data?
No. The units compared here are the hardware only; you add a nano SIM and a data plan from the network of your choice, which is an ongoing cost on top of the device. Options include a pay-as-you-go SIM topped up when needed, a rolling monthly data SIM you can cancel, or a pay-as-you-go SIM kept active with occasional use. Check the plan allows use in a router or hotspot, as some phone tariffs restrict tethering.
