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Cheap 5G phone for tethering

seractor

Member
Hi everyone, I'm using a sim-only contract on vodafone at my house for home broadband.

I currently use an iPhone 7 as a modem, it's quite fast at about 100GB download and 20GB upload but this iPhone is only 4G.

Since my sim is also 5G, I'm looking to buy a cheap android phone to use as a modem to make internet faster, especially for uploading. Do you recommend any model? Are the modem of these 5G phones all the same?

Many thanks
 
I used a Pixel 4a 5G for something similar, can be found second hand reasonably cheap.

But you could try go get a proper 5G router such as (second hand) Huawei cpe pro 2, available at CeX for around ~150.

5G modems and tech can vary wildly, they certainly do not have the same modem inside.
 
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@seractor
£149.99 for a Google Pixel 6 in black fair condition
 
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I think a 5G mobile router like the one Lucian mentioned is probably best as you can put the sim card into the router plus even get just a data sim which can be cheaper but if you prefer a 5G phone (and you want to go for a new phone) I recommend

a Motorola Moto G54 which is indeed a cheap 5G phone with eSim, NFC, SDcard slot plus 3.5mm jack (if all that is important to you) for £144 (after dicount codes etc) direct from Lenovo -

or

the Motorola G34 5G for £120 (after discount codes etc) also direct from Lenovo -
 

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Unless you need the phone to have internet on the go, I recommend getting a 4G/5G router instead.

I've used a phone for a few months and then moved to a dedicated router (NR5103E, probably not the best anymore) and I think it's a better option. It doesn't aggregate as many bands as a new phone, but you have some control over the bands it uses, can control the WiFi channels, doesn't have weird issues that require a reboot, etc. Essentially and unsurprisingly, a dedicated router does a better job at being a router.
 
I picked up a Samsung A22 5G for my first foray into using 4/5G for my primary home solution 4 months ago (FTTC & Virgin options too unstable, FTTP somehow just out of my grasp at the moment despite various operators available out on the main road). Have since moved down to an older S10 4G for testing as the 5G stability on the A22 has been very erratic.

As Lucian suggests going for a cheap 5G router may be the better option as the modem arrangements have a different approach to mobile phones and provide better signal maintenance. At my flat in the IoW I use a Huawei B535 4G router and that connection has been stable for months which seems to bear this notion out.
 
Just reporting back on my experience with mobile phone tethering. The A22 5G and the S10 4G has now been discounted as a stable option for the home broadband modem as they proved too unstable/unpredictable. I bit the bullet and bought a Huawei 5G CPE Pro 2 Router H122-373 as suggested and the difference is like night and day. I think the external wireless APs have needed restarting more times than the Pro 2! I bought another for the flat too in readiness for 5G becoming available.

As a get out of jail option the tethering is certainly viable but when you've got a house full of nagging women and just want something that provide reliable uptime a router is generally better for one's health! 😁
 
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