If you’re a business person, traveler, working professional, or someone in an area without access to cable or satellite internet, you’re better off getting a SIM Card router.
But your presence here means you aren’t sure which router with a SIM slot to invest in. There’s a lot you should be wary of when selecting one of these. Moreover, the availability of many options makes things worse.
Fret not. I got 16 routers that take SIM cards and used each device for 7 days. I tested them thoroughly for speed, coverage range, consistency, reliability, and of course, multi-carrier compatibility. Out of 16, these 7 performed as intended & make it to the list:
- Best All-Around: Netgear LAX20
- Best Runner-Up: Cudy LT500D
- Best Portable Router: NRadio C2000
- Best From TP-Link: TP-Link TL-MR100
- Best for Multiple Carriers: Alcatel HH41NH
- Best for North & South USA: Huawei B311-521
- Best Under Option: D-Link DWR-921_E
To get you the best, I also surveyed 19 personnel using LTE routers for years to understand their requirements, challenges, and preferences and asked for their recommendations.
7 Best WiFi Routers with SIM Card Slots in 2023
I assure you that this list entails models in all categories, both in terms of price and features. So you can expect feature-laid and pricey models on the top and gradually moving to mid-tier and ending on entry-level ones.
1. Best Overall: Netgear LAX20
- Supported Carriers: T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon
- Internet Speed: Up to 300 Mbps
- Wireless Standard: Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)
- Number of Devices Supported: 20
- Band Frequency: Dual Band
- WiFi Range: Up to 1,500 Sq Ft
- App Support: Yes
Starting with a high-performance model, Netgear LAX20 promises to deliver top Wi-Fi 6 speeds alongside excellent carrier support to let you make the most of your internet. It’s the first 4G LTE router by Netgear and is compatible with the major carriers in the country.
Let’s discuss whether its top-tier specs fare well in real life.
Carrier Compatibility & Speeds
Network availability is the primary concern behind switching to these routers, so recommending a 5G model inaccessible to most isn’t an option. It is where this 4G LTE-enabled Netgear LAX20 comes in.
Compatibility with major telecom operators like AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile makes it suitable for everyone.
This 4G-operated dual-band Wi-Fi 6 router boasts a massive speed cap of 1,800 Mbps, distributed over its two bands as follows:
| 5 GHz: 1200 Mbps | 2.4 GHz: 600 Mbps |
Considering its maximum speed capacity, I paired the router with my trusted T-Mobile 22GB internet plan, and the results were impressive.
In my living room, 5 feet from the router, downloads and uploads are clocked at 129 Mbps and 33 Mbps. While over 30 feet, respective speed values dipped by around 25%.
Such speeds are more than ideal for any of your heavy-bandwidth activities like online gaming and streaming, alongside tasks like sending emails, social media, and others.
WiFi Coverage & Devices Capacity
The two-antenna setup in Netgear LAX20 has a claimed coverage of 1,500 Sq Ft. The numbers weren’t very far away from reality, where the router could cover a maximum area of 1,370 Sq Ft. But the thing is, unlike most WiFi routers, it lacks beamforming support, but signals were stable across my setup.
Moving on, looking at their 20 device support claims, I wasn’t very impressed, as it’s the bare minimum for any network setup. And there’s no MU-MIMO support, so I could connect only with 12-14 devices simultaneously without weakening the signals.
Nevertheless, a family of 4-5 people should get well nourished by this router.
Ports & Wired Connectivity
Netgear LAX20 boasts a decent port setup with one WAN and four LAN ports with up to 1 Gbps speed capacity. I established wired connections with my available devices like computers, mobile devices, and gaming consoles, where speeds were recorded at 305 Mbps and 57 Mbps, respectively, for downloads and uploads.
Aside from increased speeds, no-interference signals over the connection make it viable for games like Destiny 2, Fortnite, and Valorant.
Security & Other Features
Security is not over the top when you talk about its basic features. With WPA3, guest access, auto-firmware update, and VPN support keep most of the data shared over the network encrypted.
Besides, you can upgrade to Netgear Armor for more advanced security and parental control by paying a couple of dollars every month. It includes advanced features like malware detection and elimination, intrusion blocking, and others.
Conclusion
To conclude, Netgear LAX20 is undoubtedly the best 4G LTE router with a SIM card slot. Although it doesn’t support many devices at a time, the numbers are enough for your home use. Plus you get Wi-Fi 6 support and decent coverage.
- Works with LTE on most carriers
- Fast Wi-Fi 6 connection
- Has 2 external antennas
- Decent coverage range
- Nice build quality and design
- Middling device support
- Expensive
2. Best Runner-Up: Cudy LT500D
- Supported Carriers: AT&T and T-Mobile
- Internet Speed: Up to 150 Mbps
- Wireless Standard: Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac)
- Number of Devices Supported: 20
- Band Frequency: Dual Band
- WiFi Range: Up to 1,200 Sq Ft
- App Support: Yes
Next on my list of routers that uses SIM card is Cudy LT500D. Compared to my previous recommendation, it costs lesser, has four external antennas, multi-VPN support, and improved security options but comes with Wi-Fi 5 standard.
Does it matter? Learn the differences between WiFi 5 and 6.
Carrier Compatibility & Speeds
Unlike previous recommendation, the Cudy LT500D is compatible only with AT&T and T-Mobile with a maximum download speed capacity of 150 Mbps. The dual-band router boasts an aggregated speed of 1200 Mbps, distributed over its two bands as:
| 5 GHz: 867 Mbps | 2.4 GHz: 300 Mbps |
To test its performance in real-time, I paired my trusted AT&T Unlimited premium plan to get download and upload speeds of around 102 Mbps and 22 Mbps, a tad faster than the previous TP-Link router. Such speeds are ideal for playing online games on mobile devices and streaming HD movies on Netflix and YouTube.
WiFi Coverage & Devices Capacity
Regarding coverage, the router had a decent performance, courtesy of its four powerful antennas. Although there isn’t any mention of numbers, the cellular antennas should easily cover your 1,000 Sq Ft apartment with ease.
These detachable antennas enhance the router’s sensitivity and improve the signal quality of WiFi and 4G LTE. However, its claimed device capacity of 20 was a letdown. And a lack of MU-MIMO has contributed to this.
Nevertheless, I could establish decent connections on 15 devices at a time, provided I was only engaged in my office-related tasks. The video calls, however, didn’t stutter once and my hourly meeting went smoothly.
Ports & Wired Connectivity
The Port setup of this SIM-supported router is decent, with three LANs and one WAN/LAN port that passed on faster signals on my connected devices. I had my mobile connected, which ran games like PUBG and Apex Legends at 60 FPS, and streamed UHD movies on my Dell Xps laptop.
Security & Other Features
Security is a standout aspect of this device, supporting multiple VPN protocols, including OpenVPN, WireGuard, PPTP, L2TP, and IPsec VPN. It lets you establish a connection to the VPN server and transport all your online traffic and data without compromising your identity and encrypting them at the same time.
Other than that, there are others like DNS encryption or NextDNS for privacy protection, manipulation, and eavesdropping of DNS data.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Cudy LT500D is a viable wireless router with a SIM card slot. Its speeds and coverage are above par and transmit strong and stable connections to your devices. Its only limitation is its incompatibility with Verizon and lesser coverage than my previous recommendation which takes it down to the second position.
- Good coverage
- Decent speeds
- Great security features
- Stable throughput
- Incompatible with Verizon
3. Best Portable Router: NRadio C2000
- Supported Carriers: AT&T & T-Mobile
- Internet Speed: Up to 150 Mbps
- Wireless Standard: Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac)
- Number of Devices Supported: 128
- Band Frequency: Dual Band
- WiFi Range: Up to 1,000 Sq Ft
- App Support: Yes
If you’ve been looking for an unlocked portable WiFi router with a SIM slot, your search should end with NRadio C2000. With a Type-C port, it’s easy and convenient to charge it whenever and wherever you want.
Carrier Compatibility & Speeds
The travel-friendly WiFi hotspot router supports T-Mobile and AT&T carriers. So, stability and efficiency wouldn’t be an issue. In terms of speeds, this dual-band Wi-Fi 5 router boasts a maximum speed of 1200 Mbps, distributed over its two bands as follows:
| 5 GHz: 867 Mbps | 2.4 GHz: 300 Mbps |
In my tests with AT&T, the download and upload speeds were decent, valued at 49 Mbps and 19 Mbps, respectively. The speeds, however massively dipped in areas of weak connection at 38 Mbps and 9 Mbps, which should get your basic internet tasks done.
On the other hand, in strong connectivity areas, you can stream YouTube videos on your mobile devices and smart TV, alongside working on basic office tasks.
Besides a 4G LTE connection, you can pair it with a high-speed cable internet connection if you have the facilities. With a theoretical throughput capacity of 1200 Mbps, your devices can access faster internet.
WiFi Coverage & Devices Capacity
The high-gain internal antenna setup of the NRadio C2000 can cover an area of up to 1,000 Sq Ft. In my real-time tests, the numbers stayed at around 600-700 Sq Ft, which isn’t bad for a device this size.
Moving on, the device delivered a decent performance regarding multi-device handling capacity. At a time, I connected 20 devices and enjoyed streaming, sending emails, and more. The results were much of an improvement over my previous recommendation.
Ports & Wired Connectivity
NRadio also boasts a decent arrangement of ports that allows connecting any of your bandwidth-hungry devices like a repeater, PC, smart TV, and gaming console.
There are two ethernet ports, and connections upon it yielded download speeds of around 135 Mbps, while upload speeds fared at 31 Mbps. Besides, the connections stay stable and efficient.
Security & Other Features
The security of this device isn’t great, taking it a few steps beyond my previous recommendations. It does entail some basic features like WPA2 and VPN, whose primary purpose is to maintain a safe passage for the data travelling through the network.
Conclusion
In conclusion, NRadio C2000 is a good wireless WiFi Mobile Hotspot device that delivers a decent job in most respect apart from security. It performs well when installed among the wave of decent signals but falls much behind when signal quality gets weaker.
Nevertheless, it can be a viable companion for those who travel a lot and need a network connection all the time.
- Portability
- Decent port setup
- On par speeds
- Decent coverage
- Easy to install
- Not compatible with AT&T prepaid cards
4. Best Brand Value: TP-Link TL-MR100
- Supported Carriers: T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon
- Internet Speed: Up to 300 Mbps
- Wireless Standard: 802.11b
- Number of Devices Supported: 32
- Band Frequency: Single Band
- WiFi Range: Up to 1,000 Sq Ft
- App Support: Yes
If you are in quest of a reliable yet simple and budget-friendly router, TP-Link TL-MR100 should stay on top of your model to-consider list. It costs around $70, is easy to set up, and just requires a SIM card with a working data plan, and your devices will receive a stable and consistent WiFi connection.
Carrier Compatibility & Speeds
The TL-MR100 works with major LTE telecom operators in the country, including AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile. Its maximum speed cap is 300 Mbps, concentrated over its single 2.4GHz band.
I paired it with the AT&T Unlimited premium plan to get the most out of it, and the speeds were impressive. With a strong signal in my building, I got over 55 Mbps to download speed. At the same time, upload speeds clocked at around 15 Mbps.
The upload speed might not be suited for high-end tasks like gaming or streaming on multiple devices, but it works well with ones that don’t consume massive bandwidth, like sending emails, surfing social media, and others.
WiFi Coverage & Devices Capacity
TP-Link hasn’t disclosed any information regarding the maximum range of the router, but the router had a decent performance in my tests. At a stretch, it could envelop a 700-800 Sq Ft area, a small-sized one-bedroom apartment. The signals were although stable despite lacking technologies like MU-MIMO and beamforming.
Moving on, the claimed device-holding capacity of this device is around 32, and my test results weren’t very far from that. If your devices are running light-bandwidth tasks then the numbers should go as high as 25, while it dips to 10 if you are streaming movies or playing casual online games.
Ports & Wired Connectivity
The Port setup of TP-Link TL-MR100 isn’t as vast as in Netgear LAX20, but its two LAN ports do a decent job when it comes to wired connections. I noticed an improvement in speeds when I plugged my gaming consoles into them. Other than that, a coaxial port powers up your router.
Security & Other Features
The firmware with this TP-Link router is pretty simple to operate with not many things going on. Its TP-Link HomeShield basic inculcates features like guest access, WPA2, VPN, and auto-firmware update.
And similar to the Netgear model, you can access its premium security features with TP-Link HomeShield Pro at a $5.99 monthly or $54.99 yearly subscription.
Conclusion
Overall, TL-MR100 is a simple and affordable router that can be used with a SIM Card. You can consider it useful for light to medium usage. It’s an extremely simple setup, and decent performance is its plus point. But it lacks in some ways.
- Decent speeds
- Good range
- Easy to install
- Stable firmware
- Affordable
- Single band
- Older WiFi standard
5. Best Carrier Compatibility: Alcatel Link HH41NH
- Supported Carriers: 4G LTE Unlocked Any GSM Standard Sim
- Internet Speed: Up to 150 Mbps
- Wireless Standard: 802.11b
- Number of Devices Supported: 32
- Band Frequency: Single Band
- WiFi Range: Up to 1,000 Sq Ft
- App Support: Yes
If you are somewhat of a vagabond and need a router that is a companion anywhere you go without spending much, then Alcatel Link HH41NH is a device worth looking into. It costs around $80 and brings a range of decent features like compatibility with most 4G LTE connections, decent coverage, and multi-device handling capacity.
Carrier Compatibility & Speeds
Its compatibility with most major cellular network providers is something that makes this device worth investing in. The maximum supported download speed the router supports is 150 Mbps, with upload speeds of 50 Mbps.
My tests with T-Mobile Business Unlimited select at my client’s workspace were decent, as the respective download and upload speeds fared at 86 Mbps and 17 Mbps, respectively. There isn’t much speed change compared to my previous recommendation, so you may use this to undertake similar tasks.
Despite its decent speeds, it hits me that the device takes a long time to stabilize if there’s a sudden power outage. Aside from that, signals stay consistent and effective throughout the day.
WiFi Coverage & Devices Capacity
The Alcatel Link HH41NH, despite boasting a two-antenna setup, could manage to only an area of up to 700 Sq Ft, despite claiming a 1,000 Sq Ft coverage. It might rise or dip depending on the area where you reside. Try to remove most interferences and obstructions to extract the most out of this device.
Similar to B311-521, the lack of MU-MIMO and beamforming affects the router’s multi-device signal transmission ability. Still, I could enjoy the network on 28 devices at once which were mostly used in my home workspace for attending video calls, sending emails, etc. While others were used by my family to stream YouTube videos and Spotify audio.
Ports & Wired Connectivity
In this department, Alcatel achieves decent scores, with two Gigabit Ethernet ports. Such speeds are applicable only when you pair with a cable internet.
Security & Other Features
Security isn’t great over but entails a few handy features like VPN passthrough, WPA2, and guest access. With the VPN passthrough, you can access a remote network by staying behind the router’s firewall, keeping your identity safe.
Other than that, guest access lets anyone access the internet temporarily. while WPA2 keep the data encrypted.
Conclusion
To conclude, Alcatel Link HH41NH is mostly a mid-tier router that has a SIM card slot and takes care of most of your internet needs. Although you can’t play high-end online games with it, other than that, any light tasks like HD streaming, email sending, and web surfing. But it lacks majorly in security features and MI-MIMO as well as beamforming.
- Decent speeds
- Easy to install
- Good device handling capacity
- Decent coverage
- Less secured
6. Best for North & South Regions: Huawei B311-521
- Supported Carriers: Major 4G carriers in North and South America
- Internet Speed: Up to 150 Mbps
- Wireless Standard: 802.11a
- Number of Devices Supported: 32
- Band Frequency: Single Band
- WiFi Range: Up to 1,000 Sq Ft
- App Support: Yes
Moving on, presenting you with Huawei B311-521, which you can get if you live in the North or South America region. Compatibility with most cellular networks, up to 150 Mbps speeds, and more than 32 device support should be complacent with most of your internet needs.
Carrier Compatibility & Speeds
B311-521 is compatible with most 4G LTE carriers in North and South America, so get a decent data plan and get your devices up and running.
Its wireless speeds are, however, not disclosed by the manufacturer, but with any 4G LTE connected, its download speeds are limited to a maximum value of 150 Mbps.
So, to test how it performs in a real-life scenario, I paired it with my friend’s AT&T Unlimited extra plan, which got me a high-speed network until 50GB.
Over my smartphone, the downloads and uploads fared at 98 Mbps and 19 Mbps, respectively. So, playing games and streaming movies on your mobile phone should breeze through with the availability of such speeds.
WiFi Coverage & Devices Capacity
Similar to speeds, there hasn’t been much information available on the internet regarding coverage but in my tests, the one antenna setup could cover a maximum area of 700 Sq Ft. with this installed, most of your small space should get filled with decent signals to undertake your internet-bound tasks.
Aside from that, the router’s performance was above par regarding its device handling capacity. Despite lacking key technologies like MU-MIMO and beamforming, connections over 26 devices stay stable. But I experienced major lags when it moved beyond 30.
Ports & Wired Connectivity
Huawei B311-521 entails a sole Ethernet port with a maximum speed capacity of 1 Gbps. This gets more relevant when paired with a Fiber plan, as you get to experience near-Gigabit speeds. Nevertheless, you can still plug in your laptop or smart TV to get speeds much faster than wireless.
Security & Other Features
Security isn’t great with this SIM card-supported router, and there’s nothing much on offer, free or paid. However, with features like VPN (PPTP and L2TP) and WPA2, the data travelling between server and client stays encrypted and in turn, safe.
There is a Hunawei AI Life App, using which you can toggle through the security options and update your firmware on a periodical basis.
Conclusion
Huawei B311-521 seems like a pretty basic SIM-based router when you go through its spec sheet. But, in real life, it performs decently well in every respect, be it speed, coverage, or device-handling capacity. However, it lacks majorly in security features.
- Decent speeds
- Great device-handling capacity
- Decent coverage
- Easy to install
- Lacks of security features
7. Best Budget Option: D-Link DWR-921_E
- Supported Carriers: T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon
- Internet Speed: Up to 300 Mbps
- Wireless Standard: 802.11n
- Number of Devices Supported: 15
- Band Frequency: Single Band
- WiFi Range: Up to 8,00 Sq Ft
- App Support: Yes
If you are someone stuck in archaic copper connections delivering subpar ADSL2+ speeds, then you’ll be glad to see D-Link DWR-921_E. It promises excellent online connections with two-antenna support, compatibility with major cellular networks, and a maximum download speed of 150 Mbps.
Carrier Compatibility & Speeds
Compatibility with major LTE operators always comes in handy, so you can afford to stay active on high-speed plans and complete most of your tasks with ease. And considering the theoretical download speeds of 150 Mbps, T-Mobile Business Unlimited select plan seems like a viable choice.
The areas with decent connections recorded download and upload speeds at around 73 Mbps and 31 Mbps, while it dips to 45 Mbps and 15 Mbps where signals are weak. So, find the best place for your router and it will allow you to HD streaming, web surfing, mobile gaming, and other light tasks.
WiFi Coverage & Devices Capacity
D-Link DWR-921_E boasts a two-antenna setup that claims to cover a maximum area of around 800 Sq Ft. However, in real-time the numbers turned out at around 500 Sq Ft, which to be honest isn’t great. It could barely cover the area where all my networking devices are kept, which isn’t more than what anyone needs.
Other than that, similar to all my recommendations, the device lacks MU-MIMO and beamforming, which affects its device handling capacity. Despite the manufacturer’s claims of connecting 15 devices, numbers could go as high as 10, which is ideal for a small networking setup.
Ports & Wired Connectivity
This is the area where DWR-921_E takes a lead over most routers that support SIM cards. There are four LAN ports with Gigabit speed capacity, which means you must have a Fiber connection to get the most out of it.
However, with a 4G LTE connection in place, you can experience much faster internet with wired connections, numbering at around 143 Mbps and 41 Mbps, respectively for downloads and uploads.
So, you can plug in four of your bandwidth-consuming devices like computers, laptops and others to experience much better streaming quality on them.
Security & Other Features
Security features have also seen a major improvement over most routers in this list. To start with, there’s a WPA2 to encrypt most of your datasets transferred over the network.
Other than that, there’s an SPI (Stateful Packet Inspection) firewall and NAT (Network Address Translation) firewall that keeps away most external threats and prevents access to any malicious websites.
Conclusion
To conclude, D-Link DWR-921_E is a good budget routing device that scores decent scores in certain departments while somewhat lagging in others. Which is why it’s put at the bottom in the list.
- Excellent security features
- Four Ethernet ports
- Decent speed
- Easy to install
- Middling coverage and device-handling capacity
Frequently Asked Questions
No, telecom operator compatibility is an important factor. Most routers I mentioned in the list are compatible with major cellular network providers in the country, but few of them work only with one or two. So, have a detailed inspection of the spec sheet and check if it supports the network you’re subscribed to.
There is a micro SIM slot in the rear panel of the router, into which you must plug a micro SIM with a data plan. Once you do, the route communicates with surrounding network towers to access the internet and produce a reliable wireless signal. You can share the internet with your family and friends without making an effort.
Yes. If you’re a fan of Netgear routers and looking for one with a SIM card slot, you could get LAX20. It’s ranked #1 on this list.
There are many benefits of a 4G LTE router, the important one being the convenience. If you shift your house, you can take the internet connection alongside, which is impossible with ADSL or cable connection.
Verdict
A wireless router along with a SIM card slot lets you connect to the internet without any hassle. It becomes an advantage when you have downtime in your internet connection, go on a trip, and wish to use the internet on several devices.
However, if you still can’t make your decision, here are my suggestions:
- If you want the best of both worlds, i.e., a router that performs equally well with both cable and 4G LTE connections, and there’s no budget restriction, Netgear LAX20 is the best SIM card router available today.
- Next, if your only focus is to get a router that delivers faster speeds with cellular networks without spending much, Cudy LT500D should be an ideal choice.
- Finally, NRadio C2000 is a top travel-friendly portable router on a budget that offers a decent range of features.
With that, I would like to draw curtains on my guide. I hope my above list helps you make an informed decision. If you’ve got any queries, feel free to ask them in the comments below. Also, don’t forget to tell me which one you chose.
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