One of my greatest frustrations with using a mobile hotspot (aka mifi) has been how it runs out of battery power at periods when I need it urgently. The average mifi just does not have the battery capacity to deliver long-lasting Internet connection. Which is why I decided that it was time for me to get myself a mobile hotspot with a big battery.
Standard mifi devices have a 1500mAh battery built in. Which is no surprise that their battery life sucks. I would often go to bed with my mifi fully charged and running, and by the time I am awake in the morning, it is either dead or greatly depleted. Don’t ask me why I leave it on all night: who has the time to switch off a hotspot every night?
To help solve battery life issues, smartphones have gotten bigger batteries over the last few years. Most smartphones now come fitted with a decently sized battery. It has become increasingly difficult to find a smartphone with poor battery life. Not that they do not exist, but you really have to be bottom-of-the-barrel broke to settle for one.
The solution to poor battery life on mifi devices was simple, as far as I was concerned: give them bigger batteries. Surely, someone must already be doing that, I thought to myself. And so, I went hunting.
Did I Find Any Mobile Hotspot With A Big Battery?
Yes! I found a handful. There are mobile hotspot devices out there with a 3000mAh battery. I even found one with a monster 6400mAH battery!
Huawei E5577S: 3000mAh Battery
First on our list is the E5577s from Huawei. It packs double the battery capcity of standard mifi devices. That is, 3000mAh. The product listing says this will deliver 12 hours of shared Internet access on a full charge. Not bad at all.
It will connect you to 10 devices simultaenously. It supports the following LTE frequencies: 1(2100), 3(1800), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), and 20(800).
How much does this mobile hotspot with a big battery cost? Anything between $100 and $125. You will find it on online stores like Amazon, AliExpress, Jumia, and others.
Huawei E5785: 3000mAh Battery
Huawei E5785 has a 3000mAh battery and is specificed to provide 12 hours of usage while connected to a maximum of 10 devices.
Supported LTE bands are: 1(2100), 3(1800), 5(850), 7(1600), 8(900), 20(800), 32(1500), and 38(2600).
For the specs, this model has a nice price tag: $100.
Huawei E5788: 3000mAh Battery
This one is badass in a different way. While it has a 3000mAh battery, its maximum download speed is 1 Gbps. So you get why that is special, the others have maximum download speed of 150 Mbps or 300 Mbps. Now, you get it.
Which is why you should be willing to pay the $420 price tag. Plus, it looks different too, so if you want to carry around a mobile hotspot with a big battery and a touch of style, this is what the doctor ordered.
Suppoorted LTE bands are: 1(2100), 3(1800), 4(1700), 7(2600), 38(2600), 40(2300), 41(2500), and 42(3500).
NETGEAR AirCard AC797: 2930mAh Battery
This mifi by Netgear has a 2930mAH battery and is popular in the United States. One wonders why it wasn’t simply rounded up to 3000mAh. Anyway, it qualifies as a mobile hotspot with a big battery. So, what should you expect?
Expect maximum of 11 hours of us, connect to up to a whopping 32 devices (some e-commerce stores say 15). Maximum download speed is also a notch above the rest – 400Mbps. It supports the following LTE bands – 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(1700), 5(850), 7(2600), 12(700), 14(700), 29(700), 30(2300), and 66(1700).
How much does the Netgear Aircard AC797 mobile hotspot cost? A hefty $230.
Huawei E5885: 6400mAh Battery
The manufacturer says this mobile hotspot with a big battery will provide you with 25-hour uninterrupted Internet service on a full charge. That’s exactly the kind of thing I am talking about. A mifi device that I can charge once a day and not worry. In addition, the E5885 can connect up to 32 Wi-Fi enabled gadgets at a go. No kidding.
It supports the following LTE bands: 1(2100), 3(1800), 7(2600), 8(900), and 20(800).
Big battery and big specs must mean a big price; right? Definitely. The Huawei E5885 is avaialble at e-commerce stores for between $125 and $150. I found it on Jumia, but it carries a rather steep price tag there. You might be better off ordering directly from foreign e-stores.
Huawei E5372Ts: 3560mAh Battery
Huawei E5372Ts has a 3560mAh battery, connects 10 devices at the same time, and will provide a maximum of 10 hours of usage.
Supported LTE bands include: 1(2100), 3(1800), 7(2600), 8(900), and 20(800).
This mifi has a pocket-friendly price tag too. You will find it on AliExpress and other stores for between $60 and $70. I found it on Jumia too for a comfortable price, though it will be shipped in for you too – probably from an AliExpress source.
Wrapping Up
And it is a wrap. If you want a mobile hotspot with a big battery, you now have a list to pick from.
Of course, all of the above mobile hotspots are 4G LTE devices. They all have big batteries to make your shared Internet experience much better. They all offer a minimum of 10 hours of usage on a full charge. That is almost a full working day. Not bad at all.
Nearly all of them are manufactured by Huawei. It looks like this Chinese company has the mobile hotspot market on lockdown globally. Of course, there are other brands available, if you search hard enough.
Is huawei the company producing mifi devices?
None supports band 28, Glo. Shame!