Best 4G routers 2022

Mobile 4G routers have a compact size, a built-in battery and connectors for external antennas, which will allow you to stay connected even in areas with a low signal level. If you are mobile, most of the time you work outside the office or at home, then this is an ideal option for you. But it is worth considering that the range of these devices is significantly inferior to stationary routers and does not exceed 10-15 meters.

Top 10 rating according to KP

Editor’s Choice

1. Huawei E5573Сs

The manufacturer claims that Huawei E5573Сs is capable of providing data transfer at speeds up to 150 Mbps and maintaining a stable connection of 15 devices at the same time. But according to numerous user reviews of this model, only 15 Mbps is available for download and about 10 Mbps for upload, and only 5-7 devices receive a stable signal. This model supports the maximum number of standards: LTE FDD B1/B3/B5/B7/B8/B20. Signal distribution is carried out only in the 2,4 GHz band. There is a slot for mini SIM.

The capacity of the built-in battery is 1500 mAh, which is quite enough for 5 hours of offline operation when distributing a network for 3-5 devices.

Advantages and disadvantages

2. TP-Link Archer C5400X

One word – monster. The manufacturer declares this model as a gaming one.

Compared with a standard router, the C5400X is 1.5 to 2 times the size of a standard router. This model has 9 network ports: 1 WAN port (incoming) and 8 LAN ports (outgoing). At the same time, a combination of ports is allowed to increase their performance, and each of the connectors is sharpened for a gigabit connection. The TP-Link Archer C5400X has two USB 3.0 ports, which allows you to connect any storage devices, network printers, etc. The router is equipped with a Broadcom BCM4908 (1,8 GHz) processor, 1 GB of RAM and 16 GB of permanent memory. TP-Link Archer C5400X provides support for three frequency bands at once: two 5 GHz for modern devices and 2,4 GHz for gadgets of past generations. With a one-time use, it provides throughput up to 5334 Mbps.

To maintain performance and improve network performance, this model uses a whole range of technologies: MU-MIMO and NitroQAM for greater performance, link aggregation system, AirTime Fairness for better traffic distribution, RangeBoost for increased coverage, and built-in TrendMicro antivirus.

Advantages and disadvantages

3. ASUS RT-AC65P

ASUS RT-AC65P has 4 LAN ports, 1 WAN port and one USB 3.1 connector for connecting an external drive. The case has three non-removable antennas with the ability to rotate 180 degrees and tilt 90 degrees. The data transfer rate in a wireless network can reach 1733 Mbps in the 5 GHz band, at a frequency of 2,4 GHz it stops at around 600 Mbps. ASUS RT-AC65P implements MU-MIMO in 3×3 mode, which means simultaneous operation of several devices without loss of speed. A feature of this model is the ASUS QoS function, which allows you to limit the traffic speed for client devices and set network priorities for different applications.

Advantages and disadvantages

What other 4G routers to pay attention to

4. Keenetic Giga KN-1010

The Keenetic Giga KN-1010 model is equipped with 4 LAN ports, one WAN port, a slot for an SFP module, has 2 built-in access points and a 5 GHz frequency band, there is also one USB 2.0 port and one USB 3.0 port for implementing a file server (declared up to 90 MB/s read and up to 47 MB/s write using an appropriate storage drive and USB 3.0 interface). The router is equipped with non-removable, but rather large antennas, inside which, according to the manufacturer, special boards are hidden that provide higher sensitivity compared to other router models. The router has a dual-core MediaTek MT7621AT processor, 256 MB of RAM and 128 MB of flash memory, divided into two blocks to minimize problems when updating the firmware. The kit comes with a power adapter with a power of 30 W, which is much higher than that of adapters in similar models in this price category.

Advantages and disadvantages

5. NETGEAR R7000 Nighthawk

This router model is equipped with a dual-core processor, 256 MB of RAM and 128 MB of flash memory. The NETGEAR R7000 Nighthawk is one of the leading models on the market, featuring a dual-band 2,4GHz and 5GHz access point supporting connection speeds up to 600Mbps and 1300Mbps respectively. On the rear panel of the device are three connectors for external antennas, four LAN ports, one WAN port and a USB 2.0 port. There is a USB 3.0 port on the front panel.

Built-in features: Quality of Service for incoming traffic, Beamforming+ and compatibility with iTunes servers. There is Mac support.

Advantages and disadvantages

6. MikroTik hAP AC Lite

The MikroTik hAP AC Lite model has a single-core QCA9531 processor with a frequency of 650 MHz, 64 MB of RAM and 8 MB of permanent memory, which together can provide overall packet switching performance of up to 480 Mbps. Support for MIMO 2×2:2 technology allows you to achieve 300 Mbps channel speed of the total bandwidth of the Wi-Fi network. The router has standard five Ethernet ports: 4 LAN ports and 1 WAN port, as well as a USB 2.0 port.

Advantages and disadvantages

7. TP-Link TL-MR6400

The TP-Link TL-MR6400 router has 4 LAN ports, one of which combines the WAN function. There is also a slot for a SIM card. The router only supports the 2,4GHz band. The data transfer rate can reach 150 Mbps, and within the Wi-Fi network – up to 300 Mbps. It has two removable antennas, smoothly rotating around their axes and deviating from them by 45 or 90 degrees. As with the higher price range models, there are VPN, Dynamic DNS, IPv6 Tunnel, NAT Forwarding, administration and diagnostic functions. QoS settings allow you to limit the speed of downloading and uploading files, as well as divide connected devices into 3 groups by priority. TP-Link TL-MR6400 provides good network reception and easy setup.

Advantages and disadvantages

8. Asus RT-AX56U

The ASUS RT-AX56U router is based on the Broadcom BCM6755 quad-core processor, equipped with 512 MB of RAM and 256 MB of flash memory. This device provides data transfer rates up to 574 MB/s at 2,4 GHz and 1201 MB/s at 5 GHz. Achieving such speeds was made possible thanks to NitroQAM technology, which increases speed by up to 25%. An equally important factor here is that the router is equipped with the AiMesh function, which helps to expand the coverage of the wireless network. The router model has two antennas rotating 360 degrees, and on the back of the case there is a WAN port, 4 LAN ports, a USB 2.0 port and a USB 3.1 port. If we compare ASUS RT-AX56U with more expensive devices of this class, then it firmly holds the position of “the best model in terms of price / quality ratio”.

Advantages and disadvantages

9. D-link DIR-882

The DIR-882 router is equipped with two multifunctional USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 ports, MIMO 4×4 configuration and total wireless speed up to 2600 Mbps – up to 1733 Mbps in the 5 GHz band and up to 800 Mbps in the 2,4 GHz band GHz.

The router is powered by a MediaTek MT7621A dual-core processor, equipped with 128 MB of RAM. On the rear panel of the device are located: a WAN port and four LAN ports. The signal strength of the antennas is enhanced by TX Beamforming technology, which generates a narrowly directed Wi-Fi signal exactly in the direction of wireless devices. The DIR-882 model can be used to organize a single Wi-Fi space based on several D-Link routers.

The built-in torrent client allows you to download files to a USB drive without using a PC, and the DLNA media server allows you to broadcast downloaded media content to smartphones, tablets and Smart TVs. Remote access to the drive via FTP or SMB protocols is possible.

Advantages and disadvantages

10. Xiaomi Mi Wi-Fi Router Pro

On the rear panel there is a standard set of gigabit connectors: a WAN port, three LAN ports and a USB 3.0 port. The powerful Qualcomm MT7621A processor at 880 MHz is equipped with 512 MB of RAM and 256 MB of permanent memory. This model achieves a maximum speed of up to 1.7 Gbps in the 5 GHz frequency band. Mi Router Pro works with Sonos wireless speakers as well as Dropbox cloud storage. The devices of this model are equipped with a sufficiently powerful cooling system, which will prevent heating when the device is heavily loaded.

Advantages and disadvantages

How to choose a 4G router

In order not to be disappointed in the choice of a device so significant for a modern person, several important aspects should be taken into account before buying:

1. Price. Do not choose the cheapest models. The more expensive the router, the more high-quality, and, consequently, the productive content is installed in it. And from this, in turn, depends on how fast and stable the network can be created using this router. How will it work under load, when more than 5 devices are connected to it, will the speed drop, will there be disconnections, freezes, etc.
2. Purpose of using the router. There are gaming routers on the market, powerful routers for working with “heavy programs” and a large number of users, a standard router for the home. The power will depend on the goal, and the price will depend on the power;
3. The number of external antennas connected to achieve the maximum data transfer rate over Wi-Fi, data exchange with devices in several streams;
4. Give preference to dual-band routers (2.4 GHz + 5 GHz). 5GHz frequency is more offload, the signal will be better;
5. Transfer rate of WAN/LAN ports. In 2021, you should look at gigabit routers;
6. The presence of the MU-MIMO function (multi-threading), if a large number of devices are planned to be connected to the router;
7. Pay attention to the presence of USB ports. If you use additional equipment, then their presence will be very useful to you.