In addition to the per-Gigabyte plan, Verizon has a handful of other ways to get connected. AT&T's plans allow for accessing its low-band 5G network that is available nationwide as well as its faster, higher frequency millimeter-wave network (what it calls "5G Plus") that's currently available in parts of 36 cities around the country. That sounds like a prime opportunity for some great 5G hotspots, if anyone offered one. But that doesn't explain T-Mobile's position. It’s as easy to use as hotspots get, with just one button and a small display. Verizon has four unlimited plans, and you get 5G access included on the top three of those: Play More, Do More, or Get More Unlimited. The fact is that, if a 5G network is available to you and these hotspots actually work as intended, they could be pretty cool little devices to have. The biggest obstacle to 5G adoption by consumers right now is a simple one the large majority of people can do nothing about: where they happen to live. If you’re a minimal internet user with lite activities such as streaming music, surfing the web, and checking emails, then you’re definitely covered without a problem. This is largely available only on T-Mobile right now, thanks to its Sprint merger. T-Mobile offers 5G on all plans, including older ones and those from Sprint. MiFi 8000 supports gigabit internet speeds with a maximum of 24 hours of battery capacity and can be fully charged within three hours. PCMag.com is a leading authority on technology, delivering Labs-based, independent reviews of the latest products and services. . The nation’s biggest wireless carriers all sell standalone mobile hotspots, at least to some degree. Our expert industry analysis and practical solutions help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology. Also, Verizon offers $45 for 16 GB per month as well as $65 for 30 GB per month. If you want to get signed up ahead of the full rollout, US Cellular offers three main postpaid plans — Basic, Everyday, and Even Better. However, if you are subscribed to Verizon’s $70 and $80 monthly plan, you won’t have the mobile hotspot inclusion. Hands On With the OnePlus Nord N10 5G. Verizon also allows access through the More Everything Plan and the Verizon Plan. For the 5G hotspot alone, data plans start at $85 a month. For the purposes of keeping the pricing simple, we're going to look at the cost as if each line is the same plan. The nation’s largest carrier sells four standalone mobile hotspot devices. In a nutshell, your hotspot data connects to a router while prepaid data doesn’t.Â. NetZero makes it clear that mobile hotspot images in its site are for illustrative purposes only, and what you get may vary depending on availability. It shares your internet connection with your friends, family, or colleagues, or other devices that you own so they too can access the internet. There are several other plans available from Verizon, including a few prepaid plans that start at $40 per line for 5GB data, or $50 for 15GB. For other alternatives, you can purchase one of AT&T’s Wireless Internet bundles. You can check the whole list of cities where 5G is available here. When it comes to 5G, T-Mobile's story is much simpler. The Unlimited Extra plan costs $75 a month for one line, or you can get a four-line bundle for $160. One of your best options right now is to pick up the Netgear Nighthawk LTE Hotspot for just $8.34 per month. All include unlimited talk, text and data in the US, Mexico and Canada. The next step up, Extra, is $160 a month ($40 a line). Finally, spending $75 will give you 7GB of data for two months. AT&T Exceeds its Commitment to Offer 15 5G-Capable Devices in 2020 We haven’t quite reached the point where all new phones are 5G-ready, though it seems like more and more launches are climbing on board. Tech is expensive, and tech companies need to get as much as they can out of early adopters as possible to justify their investments. You can also spend $40 to get 4GB of data for two months, or $50 for 5GB of data for the same time period. Paying $17.95 a month gives you 1GB of data, and $27.95 a month increases that cap to 2GB. Boost Mobile sells one standalone mobile hotspot. While he's a fourth-generation Manhattanite, he now lives in Queens with his wife and daughter. It also allows you to stream videos in HD over a cellular connection. You can also get 15GB of data for $45 a month, 20GB of data for $55 a month, or 30GB of data for $75 a month. It’s a convenient, pocket-sized router with a bright screen that displays battery percentage, speed, and how much data is left on your plan. AT&T's alternative, the Netgear Nighthawk, is also an expensive device at $500, with an additional $70 per month for a data plan. Sprint provides you with the flexibility to choose between three mobile hotspot devices. This is 5G on the brand new Samsung Galaxy S10 5G in front of my hotel. Once you’ve activated the mobile hotspot on your phone, you can locate the hotspot signal or network using the device that you want to connect to. US Cellular offers just one mobile hotspot for sale. These are the plans you'll need at each of the carriers, iPhone 12 and 12 Pro with 5G, HomePod Mini launch and more: Everything Apple just announced, iPhone 12 and 12 Pro: Apple makes 5G official, one of the carrier's latest unlimited plans, added the ability to mix and match unlimited plans on a family plan, recently expanded to now cover 250 million people, Want that iPhone 12 with 5G? If you want to proceed, perform with extreme precaution, especially if you’re completely a newbie to this process. You’ll need a 5G device and a 5G-ready mobile or data plan to connect to Telstra 5G. It offers all the perks of both plans -- including the discount on a connected device and the Disney Bundle -- but bumps up the 4G LTE hotspot data to 30GB a month, per line. Straight Talk has several mobile hotspot plans, starting with 1GB a month for $15, and 2GB a month for $25. For more than a decade, that was the role of PC cards, USB sticks, and wireless hotspots. AT&T and Verizon are expected to add midband 5G in the future, with both anticipated to be active bidders in a Federal Communications Commission auction for more of this valuable spectrum later this year. Depending on your plan, hotspot data provides you with an unlimited internet connection. The company's new nationwide network, which it launched on Tuesday during Apple's iPhone 12 event, will be available to everyone. With simple and straightforward hotspot data plans, Sprint offers you suitable hotspot packages for $30 per month for 10 GB worth of hotspot data, $50/month for 50 GB, and $60/month for 100 GB. Editors note: We will keep this list of 5G plans updated as plans change and more launch. The display of third-party trademarks and trade names on this site does not necessarily indicate any affiliation or the endorsement of PCMag. Low-band 5G offers the best coverage and provides the foundation for 5G, though speeds are often not much better than a good 4G LTE signal. Being on the T-Mobile network, all Metro plans have access to 5G. Just look at the kinds of speeds you can get on a 5G connection. Other packages include a $60 monthly plan for 50 GB of hotspot data and a $100 monthly plan for 100 GB of hotspot data. We delete comments that violate our policy, which we encourage you to read. The prices are not bad, but you can certainly find better ones with more data for a little more money. When it comes to the next-generation networks, T-Mobile is actually the furthest along in the US. A perfectly reasonable amount of video streaming would use up more data in a month than any of the available plans offer, which is especially frustrating given that 5G plans in other countries offer much more data per month.