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A 5G router has a built-in cellular modem that connects to 5G cellular service. It creates a Wi-Fi network in your home or place of business, relying on a 5G signal rather than a wired internet connection. You'll get one if you sign up for 5G home internet.
You can now buy a 5G router, which is different from a 5GHz router or a Wi-Fi 5 router. But while 5G might sound great, it's not necessarily the best idea for your router. Here's what you need to know.
What Is a 5G Router?
A 5G router is a 5G modem and router. In other words, it's a cellular modem that happens to provide Wi-Fi. It's not a standard Wi-Fi router. Think of it like a more powerful mobile hotspot that isn't mobile. You'll plug it in at home and connect it to a cellular carrier like AT&T, T-Mobile, or Verizon. The router will then broadcast Wi-Fi in your home, and everything on your home Wi-Fi connection will be connecting to the internet through a 5G connection.
You can only use this if you have 5G internet in your area.
Unfortunately, the naming for Wi-Fi and cellular protocols is often similar and confusing. A 5G modem connects via 5G cellular signals; it has nothing to do with Wi-Fi 5 or 5GHz Wi-Fi, which are separate things---although a 5G modem probably supports both.
The first 5G router we heard of was the D-Link 5G NR Enhanced Gateway, announced at CES 2019. In an earlier version of this article we published in 2019, we recommended against buying a 5G router, largely because you likely didn't have 5G in your area yet. 5G is now much more widely available, so the calculus has changed, and you might want a 5G router---but, if you do, you should start by picking a 5G home internet service.
5G Router vs. 5GHz and Wi-Fi 5 Routers
5G and 5 GHz Wi-Fi aren't the same things. Wi-Fi 5 is something totally different, too.
With a name so close, it's easy to get confused. 5G is cellular service like your smartphone uses. And 5 GHz refers to the wireless spectrum your Wi-Fi router can use. You can't take your existing Wi-Fi router and connect it to 5G cellular service. And you can't take this device and connect it to your existing home Internet provider to give your house Wi-Fi. You need 5G service in your area to take advantage of this device. And Wi-Fi 5 is an older generation of the Wi-Fi standard than Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 7.
5G Router vs. 5G Mobile Hotspot: What's the Difference?
A 5G router is stationary and designed to stay plugged in at your home in a single spot, just like a standard Wi-Fi router. It provides Wi-Fi in one physical location.
In contrast, a 5G mobile hotspot has a built-in battery and is designed for travel and other on-the-go use. It connects to 5G or another cellular network and creates a Wi-Fi hotspot, giving all your devices access to a strong Wi-Fi signal in places where you just have cellular service.
How to Get 5G Home Internet
5G service is now widely available in the US. The promise was that 5G would be amazing enough to transform your home internet connection. The theoretical limit to 5G service is 10 Gbps, which should be transformative since most FIOS and some cable providers top out at 1 Gbps. Additionally, carriers can potentially roll out 5G in rural areas where it's cost-prohibitive to lay down FIOS or better cable lines.
Let's slow down and cut through the hype. If you want raw speeds ten times as fast as the fiber connection in your neighborhood, the reality is 5G hasn't lived up to the hype in the real world. To get those incredible speeds, you'll need to be in a dense urban area near a dense network of specialized towers. Those are exactly the places where you're likely to have a good wired internet option.
However, 5G has provided another option in places where you might normally be stuck with one wired internet provider, like Comcast. Having choice could be transformative. Depending on your area, 5G home internet packages might be competitive in speed or even faster than a fiber or cable connection, and they might even cost you less every month.
Many cellular carriers now offer 5G home internet packages. For example, you can get T-Mobile 5G Home Internet or Verizon 5G Home Internet in some areas. They may be a good option depending on your area---just don't expect them to be ten times as fast as a wired internet connection. Check out each service's website to see if they are currently available where you live.
T-Mobile 5G Home InternetVerizon 5G Home Internet
5G Internet Service Will Probably Come With a Router
Don't go out of your way looking for a 5G router. If you do want 5G home internet service, your cellular carrier will likely provide you with a router as part of your internet package. For example, T-Mobile provides a 5G Gateway Device, and Verizon provides its own 5G Home Router. Since this is cellular service and not just plain Wi-Fi, the carriers will have control over what devices can connect.
A 5G modem like this could make sense. If you have 5G in your area, this will allow you to connect to it and then broadcast the Internet to your other devices that don't have cellular radios of any kind (such as your laptops). They would benefit from the fast speed, and you wouldn't have to buy a new laptop or an add-on modem.
However, you don't have to go out of your way to find one---if you sign up for 5G home internet, you'll likely be provided with a 5G router. If you're router shopping and you don't have 5G home internet, you should buy a standard Wi-Fi router.