The best 4G home internet plans should function as a simple solution for getting broadband in your home. Most plans in 2025 offer unlimited data and utilise a modem that can be moved around your home, limited only by 4G signal strength and where you can plug the power in. It's a great option for small households without a serious need for fast speeds.
Australia's 4G networks service both mobile and broadband plans, and are operated by Telstra, Optus or Vodafone. 4G broadband is beamed to your home via the network used by your service provider, and as it's a type of wireless internet, you may find your internet to be faster if you place it somewhere specific in your home.
A 4G internet plan comes in two types: the most common being home internet, involving a modem-router for use only at your residential address, and the other being mobile broadband, which can be used on-the-go via a SIM card (that can be slotted into a mobile modem-router or a device like a tablet or laptop). Neither 4G internet type takes long to set up, and both are relatively simple.
Today, with the best 5G home internet plans becoming more accessible across Australia, 4G home internet is less attractive, as as it's naturally a lot slower than 5G. You'll still find 4G broadband to be more readily accessible, but a 5G broadband plan will offer a much more satisfying home internet experience with less buffering and faster loading times.
It's also worth considering that the best NBN plans will offer much higher speeds than what 4G can achieve, along with much lower latency, making the difference when performing online video calls or playing multiplayer games. Fixed-line internet types tend to offer this, however if you've been particularly unimpressed by your home's NBN connection, be it constantly failing or non-existent, we'd recommend looking at the best NBN alternatives.
Best 4G home internet plans
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The below 4G home internet plans are best suited for households where fixed NBN plans are not available or are prone to dropouts. Keep these in mind as alternatives to 5G home internet and fixed wireless NBN plans where those are not available.
Best overall 4G home internet plan
Best premium 4G home internet plan
Best 4G mobile broadband plans
The below mobile broadband plans are best suited for people who want an internet connection on the go separately from their mobile phone’s data plan.
Best big data mobile broadband plan
Best cheap mobile broadband plan
4G home internet FAQ
What is 4G home internet?
4G home internet utilises wireless networks operated by Telstra, Optus and Vodafone. Rather than being a portable internet service as part of a phone plan, 4G home internet is intended for stationary use inside of a home and isn’t meant to be used on the go (this is the defining trait of mobile broadband).
With this in mind, 4G home internet is massively different to the NBN. Although fixed wireless NBN utilises a mix of 4G and 5G technology to service regional and rural homes with internet, 4G home internet completely skips the network serviced by NBN Co and instead goes through Australian telcos and Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs). Because there’s no fixed connection to a port in the wall of your home involved (apart from power), 4G is typically faster to set up than an NBN connection.
What is 4G mobile broadband?
Mobile broadband is similar to 5G and 4G home broadband plans, in that Mobile Broadband relies on the same networks, but the main distinction between the two is that the modem router provided with mobile broadband plans are designed to be portable, while the modem that comes with 5G and 4G home internet plans need to be powered from a wall outlet at a set address.
There are plenty of mobile broadband plans on the market that don’t come with a modem at all. Instead, they come in the form of a SIM card that’s designed to be slotted into portable devices such as laptops and tablets.
Overall, mobile broadband plans tend to offer significantly less data for equivalent costs compared to home wireless plans, so it’s worth considering how important mobility is for your situation before signing up.
What are the pros and cons of 4G home internet?
Pros:
- Can be moved around the home
- A good option if you don’t have access to a fixed line NBN connection
- Competitively priced against low-speed NBN plans
Cons:
- Some plans carry low maximum download speeds
- 5G is a better choice – if you can get it
- Less modem-router choice flexibility than the NBN
What can I expect from 4G internet?
More than anything else, the main issue with 4G home internet is its reliance on mobile data. While you can plug it in anywhere, it will need to work off 4G signals. That means if you live in rural or remote areas of Australia, or in a 4G blackspot, you will find yourself running into slow or non-existent internet.
To counter this, make sure you test the mobile speeds where you live first, with a service such as Speedtest. If you find that you’re getting next to no internet there, consider signing up to an NBN plan if it’s available to you.
If you want an even faster connection, 5G home internet plans are also available. However, you will then need to be in an area where a 5G mobile tower is available. Most home internet plans are both 4G and 5G compatible, and will simply work on what is in your area.
How much are 4G home internet installation fees?
Because there is no need to have anything installed or have any engineers come around, 4G home broadband is completely free to have set up. Wherever you get your 4G broadband from, the company will send you your router and you set it up yourself.
Does 4G home internet come with data caps?
The answer depends on which provider you sign up with, and what plan you choose. Most (if not all) 4G home internet plans come with unlimited data usage, but you are likely to get a maximum download speed data cap. This is similar to the NBN, which comes with various download speed tiers.
Does 4G home internet work as well as the NBN?
Broadly speaking, 4G home internet is a solution to getting internet in your home, but it’s not perfect – especially compared to the NBN. Low maximum download speeds put it far behind alternatives such as 5G home internet and fixed-wireless NBN, making it really only a worthwhile option when these other internet types aren’t viable.
There is the benefit to being able to put the 4G modem wherever you want in your home, but on top of not getting the higher speeds of fixed-line NBN plans and the lower latency that comes with a fixed internet connection, it’s hard for 4G home internet to stack up against a competitively priced NBN plan.
We recommend looking around at NBN alternatives alongside 4G home internet plans if you’re after the best network access in your household, along with NBN plans if your home can be serviced by one.
Is a 4G home internet plan the right choice?
4G home internet is a great alternative to the NBN in situations where you may want a more reliable connection, particularly if your NBN plan is prone to outages. However, a 4G home internet plan will be much slower than 5G home internet plan, to the point where you'll likely be frustrated in your home when trying to access the internet from multiple devices.
While the fastest 4G home internet plan you'll find caps out at 25Mbps, 5G home internet plans tend to be capable of much greater speeds – up to 600Mbps on Telstra's 5G plan under optimal conditions, in fact (though you'll likely get between 50mbps and 300Mbps most of the time).
If you're in an area serviced by a 5G network, you may want to look into picking up one of those speedier plans. If you want an internet plan on the go, it might be worth picking up a mobile broadband plan.
