Three broadband deals compared: mobile, home, 5G and more

Three broadband deals are a pretty interesting alternative to the popularity of regular broadband. Despite the fact that they work entirely off SIM cards and 4G networks, they can be produce some broadband-competing speeds.

Whether its due to the flexibility of the contracts, the affordable pricing or the ability to move them around your house with ease, Three broadband deals have a certain allure.

Of them, possibly the most interesting are Three 5G broadband plans or the Three mobile options. The 5G ones, while not widely available, give you access to a whole new realm of speeds and latency and don't cost you anymore than regular 4G.

And for those interested in Three Mobile broadband deals, there are pay as you go options, cheap plans and more. Really, Three is just very customise-able in its different plans.

Of course, Three broadband lacks the reliability that you get with regular broadband deals considering you're working off 4G/5G airwaves but if you want something flexible or easy to set-up, they're pretty helpful.

Three 4G home broadband:

For those considering investing in Three broadband deals, 4G home broadband will be the obvious choice. It's powerful, affordable, portable and with Three, comes an unlimited data cap.

4G home broadband plans work by inserting a SIM card into a router, working a lot like your phone does when you put it into tethering mode. This means you're connecting through airwaves instead of cables like you do with traditional broadband.

Three currently has two different 4G home broadband plans, a more powerful and impressive router and a smaller, cheaper option:

4G Hub
While Three used to supply a number of different kind of routers, it now just has one for home broadband - the 4G Hub. This router keeps things simple, allowing for 64 devices to connect to it and use its access to the internet. There is no set-up required and it can come with a 24 month, 12 month or 1 month contract.

Three Mobile broadband:

Huawei E5573bs-322
We know what you're thinking...catchy name right?! Well the Huawei E5573bs-322 is Three's cheapest router, with prices starting from as low as £9 a month or £39.99 if you go PAYG. Where this option really strives is its customisation options. You can choose data, pricing, contract length and whether its a contract or PAYG. It won't be as powerful as the above but it is cheaper and far more portable.

Three 5G broadband:

If you're lucky enough to be living in an area where Three gets 5G speeds, you can use Three's home broadband routers to access these upgraded speeds. However, this is slightly limited with a small number of locations having access for now.

Those locations include: Aberdeen Abingdon-on-Thames, Aldershot, Aldridge, Balloch, Barrow-in-Furness, Basildon, Bath, Bedford, Birkenhead, Birmingham, Blackpool, Borehamwood, Bradford, Brighton, Brookmans Park, Cannock,Cardiff, Caerdydd, Chatham, Clayton-le-Woods, Coventry, Crawley, Cullingworth, Derby, Doncaster, Dundee, Glasgow, Gorebridge, Grays, Grimsby, Guildford, Heanor, Huddersfield, Inchinnan, Ipswich, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Nottingham, Plymouth, Reading and Sheffield. 

But the good news here, is that all of Three's home broadband plans are both 4G and 5G compatible. This means you're paying one price no matter which speeds you can access. So even if you don't like in a 5G area, getting a home broadband plan could result in you having 5G broadband speeds down the line.

In terms of how much faster 5G will be, it has the ability to exceed some of the faster regular broadband plans currently around, giving downloads in seconds, allowing for HD streaming from multiple people and never having issues on video calls or other connected activities. 

Three SIM only deals + router combo:

The most complicated but probably cheapest option to get a Three home broadband set-up is to invest in a cheap Three SIM only deal. Once you've done this, simply buy a router to put into it and voila, you have your own personalised version of the options above.

While this is slightly more complicated, it does allow you to choose your exact price, contract length and data cap as well as decide which kind of router fits your needs best.

This can work with any SIM and router combo so use our SIM only deals and Wi-Fi router guides to see the available combos or see Three's top SIMs below.

How fast is Three broadband?

Due to Three operating on the signal of a network through a SIM card, it is hard to pinpoint an exact speed cap. Unless you live in an area with poor signal, it is likely to be in an area where it can match fibre. With a few devices connected, expect to be able to perform SD streaming activities and work from home with ease.

What other networks offer broadband?

All four of the main networks offer broadband. While both O2 and Three are relegated to the world of mobile broadband, EE and Vodafone offer a bit of everything:

- Vodafone:
If you're able to get traditional broadband installed then Vodafone's Superfast plans will actually be one of your best options. It offers some of the cheapest pricing around for fibre internet.

If you would prefer something more portable, Vodafone also offers mobile broadband plans like dongles and portable routers.

- EE:
Like Vodafone, EE has a wide range of choices when it comes to internet. You can get EE's regular fibre plans including speeds all the way up into the 200Mb+ range.

EE also has some of the best 4G home broadband and mobile broadband plans.

- O2:
Realistically, O2 is the weakest of the four networks when it comes to internet plans. It is the most customise-able but one of the more expensive options and rarely offering unlimited data.

Should I replace my existing broadband with Three?

This will be very much dependent on what you actually need from an internet plan. If you require reliability and quick speeds then Three's broadband plans might not be right for you.

However, if you need something on a temporary basis or you're more focused on getting cheap bills and having something portable then Three could well be the way to go.