The best 4G Home Internet plans in Australia

If you’re unhappy with your current internet plan, you may want to consider 4G as an NBN alternative. Powered by the same mobile networks as our phones, 4G internet (also known as home wireless broadband) is an affordable, easy way to get online that bypasses the NBN entirely.

In this guide, we'll look at the major 4G internet plans available in Australia, and let you know which one is the best NBN alternative.

4G home internet is roughly equivalent to an NBN 25 plan, making it a good internet option for households of one or two people. While these speeds are fast enough for most online activities, they may not be suited for more demanding users.

Whether or not 4G (or 5G, for that matter) home internet is good also depends on network coverage where you live. If you're in a metropolitan area with solid coverage on your phone, chances are you'll have equally good coverage for your home internet. On the other hand, if you're in a black spot (or live in a rural area), you might be better off with a fixed wireless NBN plan or satellite internet.

If you want to get the most out of a 4G Home Internet plan, the Optus Plus Everyday Basic 4G plan is the way to go. It's got no contract, no data caps and a higher speed limit than all the other options. It's only $10 more expensive than the standard pricing of the cheapest comparable plan.

Optus is the only provider that offers 4G home internet plans with speeds of 25Mbps. Every other provider - including TPG, iINet, Vodafone, and SpinTel - has a slightly lower speed cap of 20Mbps. For comparison, 25Mbps is the maximum speed on an NBN 25 plan.

The only potential snags here are that you do have to factor in an extra $216 to pay out the cost of the modem if you leave before your first 24 months are up and the fact that it does rely on Optus' 4G network for coverage. If you live in an area with notoriously iffy coverage from Australia's second-biggest mobile provider, then maybe this plan might not make sense.

Even though this is our pick for the best 4G  internet plan in Australia right now, it isn't going to suit the needs of every Aussie. For a sense of what an NBN plan at the same price can offer, check out the widget below.

The TPG 4G Home Wireless Broadband plan is the cheapest 4G Home Internet plan available in Australia at the moment. It costs $39.99 per month and includes unlimited data and speeds of up to 20Mbps. The $39.99 per month cost, though, is promotional pricing. You'll get $15 off for the first 6 months when you sign up for a new plan, after which the price will rise to $54.99 per month. 

TPG does offer a modem free of charge, but if you switch providers before 24 months you'll have to return the modem within 21 days to avoid a fee.

Here's a look at the 4G internet plans you can get right now:

The vast majority of 4G home internet plans have unlimited data and speeds capped at either 20Mbps or 25Mbps. These plans also have the benefit of not requiring installation.

If there are only one or two people in your household, speeds of 20 to 25Mbps could still be all the speed you need. 20Mbps is fast enough to stream 4K video on Netflix, for example. That said, you'll want to avoid a 4G home internet plan if you're a gamer or regularly download or upload large files. When it comes to speed, these plans are roughly equivalent to an NBN 25 plan.

However, many NBN plans can reach much higher download speeds. NBN plans also have faster latency which is a must for online gaming and are less prone to congestion than mobile networks.

If you're looking for a faster NBN alternative, you may want to consider 5G home internet instead. While 4G-based internet plans max out at 25Mbps, the slowest 5G home internet plans you can get start at 50Mbps.

There are currently three 5G home internet speed tiers available: 50Mbps, 100Mbps, and uncapped. 50Mbps and 100Mbps plans are equivalent to NBN 50 and NBN 100 plans, respectively. On the other hand, uncapped plans can go as fast as network conditions allow.

In our testing, we've seen speeds over 300Mbps on Optus' 5G uncapped home internet, and speeds of over 400Mbps on Telstra.

Of course, you'll need to have 5G coverage to get a 5G home internet plan. Telstra has the widest 5G network, covering over 87% of the Australian population. Optus is second best, followed by Vodafone.

SpinTel and Yomojo 5G home internet plans are powered by the Optus network, while TPG and iiNet are all powered by Vodafone.

Mobile broadband is another 4G-powered internet solution, but it isn't designed to replace your home internet connection in the same way that 4G and 5G home internet are.

Mobile broadband plans tend to have much smaller data limits, although there are now a couple of plans with 400GB. As such, mobile broadband plans are better suited for those who need a dedicated internet connection on the go, or a backup connection.

Here's a look at SIM-only mobile broadband plans with at least 70GB:

You'll need to pair these with a portable modem (also known as a pocket WiFI). Providers like Telstra, Optus, and Vodafone all offer these. Alternatively, you can also put your mobile broadband SIM in a tablet or an old phone.