Unfortunately, this deal has expired 19 June 2022.
*
436°
Posted 20 May 2022
Three 24 month Unlimited 5G Broadband With ZTE MC801A 5G Router - £20pm + £60 Gift Card - £480 @ Three
Shared by
MrSwitch Deal editor
Joined in 2016
15,496
126,474
About this deal
This deal is expired. Here are some options that might interest you:
Nice deal for the 5G broadband, you can choose to add the chromebook for a further £10 per month, effective cost of this deal is £320. With TCB available as well for £100
This also includes a 5G hub:
What is 5G Home Broadband?
5G Home Broadband gives you faster speeds for heavier streaming. It also means you get less lag for your gaming and increased capacity for multiple users. It’s perfect for busy homes with lots of screen time going on. Discover 5G (https://www.three.co.uk/5g) with us.
Can 5G replace my current Home Broadband?
Yes. When you get a 5G Hub, you just plug it in for incredible speeds that give traditional fibre and cable providers a run for their money. There are no appointments, no engineers, and no cables. The whole house can enjoy more of everything, all at the same time.
Can I get Unlimited data on a Home Broadband deal?
Yes - as much data as you’ll ever need with a 4G Hub or 5G Hub. And you don’t need a landline or fibre optic cable to get connected, because our wireless broadband uses our network signal.
Three 5G Hub
This also includes a 5G hub:
- 5G Hub - Our 5G Hub offers plug and play broadband, which means you can start streaming fast. You don’t need a landline or an installation. Plug into a power socket and you’re ready.
- 5G Hub connectivity - Qualcomm 5G SDX55M NSA/SA / Device Theoretical Max – 3.8Gbps Download (Three UK Network – Up to 1Gbps) / Actual speeds will depend on network coverage)
- Wifi connectivity - 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax (WiFi 6), dual-band, 4x4 MIMOConnectivity2x Gb Ethernet, 1x Phone port (Disabled)
What is 5G Home Broadband?
5G Home Broadband gives you faster speeds for heavier streaming. It also means you get less lag for your gaming and increased capacity for multiple users. It’s perfect for busy homes with lots of screen time going on. Discover 5G (https://www.three.co.uk/5g) with us.
Can 5G replace my current Home Broadband?
Yes. When you get a 5G Hub, you just plug it in for incredible speeds that give traditional fibre and cable providers a run for their money. There are no appointments, no engineers, and no cables. The whole house can enjoy more of everything, all at the same time.
Can I get Unlimited data on a Home Broadband deal?
Yes - as much data as you’ll ever need with a 4G Hub or 5G Hub. And you don’t need a landline or fibre optic cable to get connected, because our wireless broadband uses our network signal.
Three 5G Hub
- Dimensions (mm): 182 x 124 x 70
- Modem: 5G
- Colours: White
- Ethernet ports: 2 Ethernet ports
- Download speeds: Up to 3.8Gbps
- Upload speeds: Up to 542Mbps
- Wi-Fi specs: Dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax (Wi-Fi 6) 4 x 4 MIMO (2.4GHz and 5GHz)
- External Antenna: 2 x TS-9 antenna extension ports
- Power: Mains powered
More details at
Community Updates
Edited by MrSwitch, 20 May 2022
78 Comments
sorted byPossibly, but the thinner the wire the more attenuation of the signal which may negate the benefits of having an outdoor antenna. If it was a very short run of wire you might be ok but long runs of thin wire would probably suffer more loss than if you had an indoor external antenna stuck to an upstairs window or skylight.
The problem is compounded by the higher frequencies used in 5g
I am very close to getting this but that is 2years... Also should check the speed in my area.
I am on 4G+ (carrier aggregation) with Vodafone and my speed in the first 2 years was constantly over 100Mb (120Mb most of the time) I am now getting max 80Mbps (60Mbps) Not too happy with the £28 pcm
Also, I was checking the 5G chips like 6 months ago and might be worth checking the chip we have in this router. The speed really depends on that. (edited)
Three speed:
ID Mobile speed:
I'd think twice before committing to 24 months with Three!.
Or get an outdoor router & keep an eye out for super cheap unlimited data sims. Still a fair bit up front but the router is yours and you can experiment with payg sims from other providers. Three are poorly regarded in many areas but I imagine London will be better catered for than most cities. You would still have to run a thin power wire through that door and rely on the wifi signal getting back into the flat.
You're probably being chucked off 5g inside the flat as the frequencies involved don't penetrate or go round walls as much as lower frequency 4g and 3g signals. A window mounted antenna may still be the cheapest option if you have a window in line of site of a 5g mast. Wander round your flat with a phone by the windows to find out.
ebay.co.uk/itm…wcB (edited)
You can use the external antenna ports to do this, but be aware they are poorly soldered and can break.
Currently downloading a few movies as I type this and quick check on fast.com it's giving me 120MB ! Have had a few drop outs and whilst they havent lasted along... annoyingly each time it's been when im online gaming and boots me out the game... especially frustrating on the odd occasion im doing super well !
It doesn’t
Upload is only 4G so yes it will be much slower than the download which is 5G.
1ms latency? Where is the server your testing with? Across the street?
I tried a Smarty 5G sim in my top floor flat in London. It gets like 1 or 2 Mb/s inside, but over 200 Mb/s on the roof terrace. I'm looking to get off BT cos after years of loyalty they are screwing me, as is the way.
You might be surprised. There's no 5G in my area on Three either, but there's 5G in my area and I'm happily using 5G. Their 5G checker seems a bit iffy to say the least. (edited)
Lot of people don't realise how many apps they having running in the background that use data always kill app for better Speed and longer battery if in mobile, best thing about hubs are no app true dedicated data hub (edited)
IME more people complain about Quidco than Topcashback on here. I've certainly no allegiance to Topcashback but in this instance I genuinely feel Three were denying or avoiding payout. They seemed a pretty incompetent bunch back then in 2020 in other respects, lots of empty promises and excuses for poor network performance in my area.
Are you sure that second one is on a mobile connection? 1ms on wireless is surely not possible
hotukdeals.com/dea…527
As for topcashback, don't bank on it with Three topcashback.co.uk/thr…/2/ (edited)
The Three coverage checker is awful, and has been for some time, I'm sure it says no 5G in my area despite living in a major city. Coverage in my area has been OK when I had a phone sim, bit patchy in the sticks but that's to be expected. Home broadband would not be wandering about, so throughput is going to depend on subscribers in my local cell.
3 and I'd mobile use same network , there is a difference between broadband router and mobile phone they use different apn and this can make a huge difference
ZERO ms lol
I blame the Government
There's a useful app called Open Signal which should show you the location of the masts, so you can work out which 'side' of your flat will be nearest to it.
Unless they're sharing masts (I believe 3 & EE used to - maybe still are), you can't guess anything from a different networks coverage. You can't even rely on 3's own coverage guesstimates, we officially have no 5G coverage but actually get anywhere from 117 to 800mbit 5G - usually steady at 270 after finding a sweet spot for the phone we use as a modem. 5G is massively better all round than 4G here.
The only way to know is testing and finding if there are places you get a good enough signal. We have no line of sight to any 5G towers & only get a worthwhile connection in 2 spots in windows.
Think the £3 deal was only available for about a week and that was 3 months ago , but go on three business chat and ask what's available
You can get up to 40-50MB/s upload speeds with a decent 4G signal on Three but clearly you aren't in a great area for 4G.
Even though only 4g is available in my new home 5g is super close and I wanted the future proof router.
Thanks switch 💜
Search for it? You can probably see the data center from your window.
Ask Virgin for a hub 5, upgraded mine 2 weeks ago and it's great.
Thanks for the info! Unfortunately I don't own the flat so drilling through brick is out of the question. Switch to Talk Talk broadband it is!
Thanks. I did do a walk around, and the windows to the south or south east don't give me much. There are no windows to the north due to another flat taking that side.
No problem though, I just switched to TalkTalk 150Mb from BT 300Mb, which will take my bill from 72 to 30. Annoying how BT scalp their loyal customers. I imagine I'll switch back to them once TalkTalk do the same.
Quidco was £75, when I signed up a few months ago and I've not has any issues with it.
Buy a router and use the 'superhub' as the modem. (edited)