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Telstra 5G Wi-Fi Hotspot Pro $479 (RRP $599) @ Telstra

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Telstra 5G Wi-Fi Hotspot Pro $479 (RRP $599) @ Telstra
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damoo on 14/05/2021 - 10:46 telstra.com.au (525 clicks)
Last edited 14/05/2021 - 12:34 by 2 other users

Decent discount, given everywhere else appears to be $599.

Tip: If you were interested in signing up to a 5G mobile or mobile internet plan to go along with this modem- the good guys and jbhifi have several promos going on at the moment.

I know pricematches aren't ozbargain deals- but if you were interested in stacking this telstra discount for the modem AND one of the jb or goodguys deals I don't see any reason why you couldn't.

For instance- the good guys (who do pre purchase pricematching like JB) currently offer a $250 egift card if you sign up to a 12 month 150gb 5G mobile broadband plan:

https://www.thegoodguys.com.au/telstra-mobile-and-broadband-…

(Under "latest Telstra deals", turnoff adblocker).

No reason you couldn't get a pricematch from goodguys for this modem @ $479 and then use the $250 egiftcard on the modem.

= $229 modem cost + 12 months (150gb) of 5G internet for 69/month is pretty good?

Computing Mobile Broadband Modem Telstra

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closed Comments

  • congo on 14/05/2021 - 10:49
    +8

    Or just buy a cheap 5G phone and use hotspot.

    • damoo on 14/05/2021 - 11:03
      +2

      They don't support all the 5G bands, nor allow you to plug in via ethernet etc to improve coverage and range etc.

      • congo on 14/05/2021 - 11:06

        you can get those small travel router things if you need ethernet.

        • damoo on 14/05/2021 - 11:12
          +3

          what do they cost? (ones that transfer at full 5G speed?)

          Incidentally what does a cheap 5G phone cost?

          Presumably this hotspot would wipe the floor with any cheap 5G phone in regards to range of signal?

          • congo on 14/05/2021 - 11:15
            -1

            @damoo: The router thing would be less than $30.
            The 5G mobile, one option that is avaliable now would be - LG Velvet 5G 128GB Aurora White $488
            https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/623099
            or you could wait for a sale of a chinese 5G mobile.

            • damoo on 14/05/2021 - 11:26
              +5

              @congo: I think you'll find your $30 travel router max's out at 300mb/s- probably cutting your 5G speed in half.

              If you are trying use a mobile phone as a home modem, you're gonna be pretty limited for options if/when you don't have strong signal around your house.

            • parker2004au on 14/05/2021 - 12:00
              +8

              @congo: Not all devices are made equal.

              This Telstra modem is a CAT20 device which potentially allows higher network speeds.

              The higher the CAT rating the higher the cost the phone will probably be so whether or not you can get a "cheap" CAT20 phone to be able to do a do a apples to apples comparison - then LG Velvet 5G is a CAT16 device going by GSM arena.

              I'm not an expert on this topic but prior to NBN I could only get 4G and after being disappointed with 4G speeds using a Huawei B525 (CAT6), I got a to a Netgear AC800S (CAT12) I consistantly got better speeds - could of been better antennas/device but that's one thing I noted.

              • congo on 14/05/2021 - 17:24

                @parker2004au: I don’t use wifi or Ethernet.
                I have the LG V50 plug into my PC via USBC.
                I can get over 250/40 speeds which is faster than my NBN 100/40.
                What CAT speed is 250/40?

                I had a spare LG phone lying around so it wouldn’t be ozbargain-like to buy another device like this posted by Op. Other people here maybe in similar situation.

    • b3au on 14/05/2021 - 11:18
      +3

      If you want a bit of 'futureproofing', this modem supports mmWave (I think it's the only device in Australia that does right now)

    • Mitch889 on 14/05/2021 - 12:27
      +4

      Hotspoting from a phone doesn’t have nearly the reliability, speed or flexibility (ie. Ethernet) of a proper hotspot like this.

      • GeneralSkunk on 14/05/2021 - 16:05
        +3

        Also you can usually plug in external antennas to improve reception, can’t do that with a phone.

        • Mitch889 on 14/05/2021 - 19:55

          Yep I’ve done that with my M1 Nighthawk. Was able to get a weak Telstra signal out at a property in Big Desert VIC where no ones phones could!

          Wasn’t much, but enough for basic browsing, messaging and Wifi calling.

          • GeneralSkunk on 14/05/2021 - 20:55

            @Mitch889: Cool. Yeah we’re moving rural in a week, will do some testing but I’d say end up with a setup like that. I’ll be sticking with a Netgear unit like that too, I think. Faster + lower latency than NBN satellite.

          • ToodlesNoodles on 21/05/2021 - 11:13

            @Mitch889: +1 for the nighthawk. Its a beast. I managed to finish my entire 100gb data plan in a day.
            So I bought 2.

        • CB2 on 15/05/2021 - 07:16

          Just be aware that Telstra has blocked external antennas from registering on this model in the firmware, either intentionally or unintentionally. I've had two of these that I've tried to get working with a variety of roof mounted external antennas on my rural property as there is 850MHz 5G in the area. The antennas are never recognised despite working with every other modem. There is no way to switch to external antennas on the touch screen or web interface, nor are they detected automatically. Other people reporting the same problem. Telstra support is useless and ZTE never replied to any of my questions. There was still no fix for this last I looked 2-3 months ago. I moved on to another model.

          • Mitch889 on 15/05/2021 - 07:32

            @CB2: That’s really good info!

          • GeneralSkunk on 15/05/2021 - 09:48

            @CB2: Thanks for that, good to know. That’s for this Telstra 5G modern (not the Nighthawk), right.

            I wonder why they’d do that..

            • CB2 on 15/05/2021 - 14:58

              @GeneralSkunk: Yep for the Telstra ZTE MU500. No idea. It literally comes with a sticker on the modem when you buy it pointing out the external antenna ports. I think it was likely a mistake but their firmware team moves at geological pace in a cave somewhere impenetrable to support enquiries so I gave up.

              • bobzor on 16/05/2021 - 12:50

                @CB2: Hi CB2, nice to know someone else in my predicament.

                I have spent 5 months trying to get them to understand that this device doesn't register when antennas are plugged in.

                I am trying to narrow down variables.

                Did you get your antennas from Campad Electronics?

                Did you switch to the Nighthawk M5 ? And if so does it recognise antennas?

                ^ this is my next course of action after speaking to the Telstra Tech Bar in Chadstone today.

                Only downside of Nighthawk M5 is no mmwave (but mmwave not out yet so not a big issue right now)

                • CB2 on 25/05/2021 - 08:08

                  @bobzor: Hi bobzor sorry didn't see your message until now. I am in a different predicament to yours. The only 5G in my area is the new n5 850MHz long range. I live quite rural in a black spot, my nearest telstra tower with line of sight is 11km away. To my knowledge, the only modem to support 850MHz 5G with external antenna support was supposed to be the MU500 - but we both know how that turned out. I ended up having to use a bit of imagination, so I bought a Huawei 5G CPE PRO 2, pulled it apart and wired in some SMA stand-offs to the motherboard and drilled holes to mount them to the back of the modem. It's fiddly but works a treat. I'm using a Poynting XPOL-2-5G.

    • damoo on 14/05/2021 - 11:06
      +8

      Your posting history makes quite the contradiction to that statement.

      • Damonator84 on 14/05/2021 - 11:27
        -7

        42mins, 1upvote. Hhmmmmm.

        • damoo on 14/05/2021 - 11:30
          +9

          27mins since your comment and 5 down votes.

          Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

  • b-t on 14/05/2021 - 11:06

    Very tempting actually. Can someone that's replaced their home internet with 5G make a comment on this?

    I just received an email yesterday from Telstra telling me that my cable broadband will be disconnected next month (with absolutely no indication that they are interested to put me on a similar plan). I'm currently paying $59.95 for 112/4 on cable, but they want me to pay $110 for 100/20 on NBN…

    Given that 5G is portable as well as potentially 3x the speed of NBN at only $69, seems like seriously a steal. But surely, there's gotta be some drawbacks right? I've checked I'm in an 5G-enabled suburb but I don't have a 5G phone to test the speed or coverage.

    • yahoo on 14/05/2021 - 11:14

      I use mobile broadband to replace home internet for more than 2 years. 4g/5g mobile broadband is much faster than tranditionial home internet. only drawback is limited data, just signed 300G/ month jbhifi testra plan last month with free Telstra 5G Wi-Fi Hotspot Pro

    • congo on 14/05/2021 - 11:17

      You cannot get unlimited 5G plans?
      Most plans are about 200GB-300GB of data.

    • BLAIL on 14/05/2021 - 11:20

      I have the Telstra 200GB Mobile Broadband plan, thinking of upgrading to the 400GB plan as it's only $10 extra on what I bought previously. I'm getting anywhere between 60-110 mbps download on 5G but only 10-20 upload. The reason for this is i'm on the edges of 5G coverage, I thought i'd take the risk anyway as when i'm using Telstra 4G - it doesn't go higher than 30-40 mbps.

    • bnh on 14/05/2021 - 11:29

      Check your coverage at rfnsa site. You will be surprised the blank spots still around.

    • Transparent on 14/05/2021 - 11:51

      I'm using this at home but only have 4G in my area.
      Got it free with the Good Guys $60 plan.
      Works very well, Typically 150-200Mbps d/l speeds

    • b-t on 14/05/2021 - 11:56

      Thanks all for the responses and considerations.

      I guess it all boils down to how much data I use in a month. Though it seems like the $69/mth plan last month for 300GB is a much better deal. Maybe I'll hold off and wait for a similar deal hopefully haha.

    • simb24 on 14/05/2021 - 12:47

      I'm on telstra cable 100/5 for more then 2 years. Didn't get why it is so big difference with your price. Probably cos I have landline bundle with cable.

      • b-t on 14/05/2021 - 12:54

        Yeah it was because I also originally had a landline bundle, and then Telstra's technician came and completely ripped out my landline connection for some odd reason and decided to continue charging me the bundle price (which I believe is $79.95).

        I told them that it's bs that you charge me for that price and I don't even have a landline and they gave me a compromise which was to provide free speed boost + $20 credit indefinitely, bringing me to $59.95.

        But even at $79.95 -> $110.00, that's pretty steep, no?

        • simb24 on 14/05/2021 - 13:10

          Telstra is infinitely greedy tipical business

        • Gandalf the Thrifty on 14/05/2021 - 16:23

          I swapped over from cable early and got same price on nbn, but they put me on 25plan. Complained and got 100/40 for same old price. But now they have caught up with me and pushed onto new pricing starting in couple months and reduced to 100/20.

    • skinny on 14/05/2021 - 18:48

      2 weeks ago, I replaced my Optus NBN (top plan with speed pack) that became quite flaky recently. My area is not listed for 5G in Melbourne, but I got 5G and 2x the performance of my Optus NBN. All I had to do was to unplug 1 blue cable that came out of the Optus modem and replace it with the cable coming out of the 5G modem - no config change to my Netgear router.

      The only negative of the $69 Telstra plan I am on is the 300GB limit with max speed.. make sure you can live with it.

      In summary half the cost, twice the speed and no changes to network is my experience.

    • terrys on 17/05/2021 - 14:56

      I'm getting up to 170 Mb/s down and 18.95 Mb/s up on the edge [according to Ookla's map] of a 5G zone with the modem and my mouth held in the right way, however ping times are averaging ~ 30ms and often, especially if the unit is low [desk height] only getting ~ 90-100 down and 1-3 Mb/s up!, 422 Mbps and another ridiculous low upload speed [ not captured in screen-shot] near Furness Ave/Marion Rd [5043] and 373/29 in the city.

      My FTTN offers 74Mbps on a clear day with all tweaks available. If you're gaming, the ping times on mobile will make you weep [plus you'll need a VPN as all mobile in Aus is using CG-NAT] unless you are on top of the source however for all other browsing needs I'm well pleased.

      Note, I'm comparing this to ABB so I'm not coming from the woeful service others have reported from the usual subjects…

  • helnandez on 14/05/2021 - 11:08

    I signed the deal with 200g data so far so good.

  • skinny on 14/05/2021 - 11:11
    +6

    I signed the JB-HIFI $69 per month (12 months) on 300GB/month with this modem free.. so far so good

  • tedibaba on 14/05/2021 - 11:22

    Optus has better deals

    • terrys on 14/05/2021 - 17:59

      I haven't met anyone who has used any Optus service then tried any other provider who would go back.

    • Mitch889 on 14/05/2021 - 19:56

      Lol, Optus.

  • joeiwu on 14/05/2021 - 11:23

    Is this locked to Telstra? Will it work with Optus 5g?

    • damoo on 14/05/2021 - 11:29

      I've read on other threads that they are unlocked, but setup to use the telstra 5G bands by default out of the box. so you'd just need to adjust the settings…. but I'd double check before purchase.

    • Transparent on 14/05/2021 - 11:53
      +2

      Not locked. I tried an OPTUS sIm in mine and it works.You don't get the fancy " XXXGB left this month" data on the screen though

  • busymoddingskyrim on 14/05/2021 - 11:26

    What's online gaming on these like?

    • netsurfer on 14/05/2021 - 11:49

      Bad in my area…. (no 5G coverage).

    • azukay on 14/05/2021 - 12:19
      +1

      Gaming in general is fine on 5G provided you have a good line of sight. However, you may have problem with some games, as every mobile broadband provider uses CGNAT. So unless you buy a VPN with private IP address you can have problems with some games.

    • skinny on 14/05/2021 - 18:53

      while the bandwidth is good, pings are slower on 5G (at least for me). This may impact some latency sensitive games

  • C0mbat on 14/05/2021 - 13:54

    I got this for free on a $69 (JB HiFi applied the $10 per month discount immediately to take it down to $59pm) 12 month mobile broadband plan with 150gb. JB and TGG have this promo on quite regularly.

    • 0jay on 14/05/2021 - 14:06

      What's the hardware like?

    • sakurakiks on 25/05/2021 - 07:57

      I just spoke to JB yesterday and they were only offering a different 4g device, not a 5g one. Not sure if it's a different deal, or I'm getting jipped…!

      • C0mbat on 25/05/2021 - 10:37

        Likely a different deal. I definitely got the 5g one.

  • Anestitos on 14/05/2021 - 14:42
    +2

    Great unit. Got this free with JB couple weeks back, on plan. $69/mth 150 + 150Gb/mth for 12mths. $10 disc from live chat. $59 300Gb /mth. bonus data continues after 12 mths. Speed average 460 up, 40 down. Super happy.

    • skinny on 14/05/2021 - 18:53
      +1

      How did you get the $10 discount?

    • sakurakiks on 25/05/2021 - 08:18

      could you possibly share a pic of the device/ screenshot of the transaction? The staff in store told me of this same plan (different from the 150gb offer on their website/discussed above), but they are only now giving me a 4g device. Maybe it's out of stock? (doubt it lol)

      ahh but then again, the deal the staff gave me was $69, 150+150gb, 12month but also with $350 gift card.

      I'd prefer what you got though, the 5g modem is worth much more, and it future proofs yourself.

  • bargainparker on 14/05/2021 - 20:16

    Can this work without battery like Netgear Nighthawk M2?

    • skinny on 14/05/2021 - 20:49
      +1

      No, but the charge is limited at 68% to preserve battery

  • Anestitos on 14/05/2021 - 20:19

    I just got on Telstra messenger once got home. First agent i got, applied it for me. Was a bit surprised, but worked. Might be agent dependant.

  • Anestitos on 14/05/2021 - 20:21

    NO. It needs to have the battery in it.

  • lneepoch on 09/06/2021 - 12:44

    Steer clear of TGG in Fyshwick ACT. They weren’t interested in honouring this one. Not within their profitability margins.

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