Verizon Hotspot Plans & Speeds: Can They Compete with Home Internet?

Whether you’re constantly on the go, working remotely, or nowhere near Wi-Fi, you can use a mobile hotspot to wirelessly access a reliable and secure internet connection. Even though hotspots are usually used for internet access in a pinch, you could realistically replace your home Wi-Fi with a Verizon mobile hotspot and eliminate your internet bill altogether.

However, even though you can replace your home internet with hotspot data, the question remains, should you? If you dare to downsize on bills and use a mobile hotspot instead of home internet, make sure you have enough high-speed data to cover your internet needs for the month.

What is a Verizon mobile hotspot?

A Verizon mobile hotspot allows you to connect other devices to your phone’s data plan via Wi-Fi. Essentially, using a mobile hotspot creates an internet access point on Verizon’s network to get internet anywhere you get cell service. You can access your Verizon mobile hotspot in two ways: through your smartphone or through a portable hotspot device. 

• Turning on your phone’s personal hotspot basically converts your smartphone into a router, allowing other devices to access your Verizon mobile signal. 
• If you don’t want to risk draining your phone’s battery, you can opt for a pocket-sized portable mobile hotspot device (or puck for short) to act as your access point. A dedicated mobile hotspot device connects to more devices than your smartphone can—making it more convenient if you need to send and receive data across multiple devices. 

Verizon provides a range of hotspot data with each of their unlimited phone plans, but if you want to eliminate your internet bill and depend solely on hotspot data, you might want to boost your monthly data cap with a Verizon data-only plan or a specific hotspot plan.

Verizon hotspot plans and prices

Verizon offers three options for hotspot data:

• Use the hotspot data included in your Verizon unlimited phone plan.
• Pay for a standalone hotspot data plan.
• Pay for a data-only plan.

Verizon offers unlimited and prepaid phone plans ranging in price and hotspot data allowance. When looking at the hotspot allowance for each unlimited plan, it’s important to note that the limit is per line. 

The hotspot allowances on Verizon’s unlimited phone plans won’t be enough to use for your home internet. Luckily, you can boost your plan with up to 150GB/month more through Verizon’s dedicated hotspot plans. 

Verizon caters to all budgets and data needs with four standalone hotspot plans. If you plan on connecting multiple devices to use simultaneously or working from home, 150GB/month with the Premium plan is your best bet. All of Verizon’s hotspot plans promise premium data and (with the exception of the Essential plan) up to 4K UHD streaming when connected to 5G. 

If you decide on a dedicated hotspot plan you’ll need to purchase a portable hotspot device along with the plan. These pocket-sized devices can range in price from under $100 to upwards of $400, or through a monthly installment plan with Verizon. 

Verizon offers a $20/month discount on your standalone hotspot plan if you also have a Verizon unlimited phone plan. But there’s the catch: Only the Unlimited Plus or Unlimited Ultimate plans qualify. 

If you want to stop paying for home internet, you could realistically combine the Unlimited Plus phone plan for $80/month with the Pro hotspot data plan for an additional $40/month, making your monthly bill $130 for a total of 130GB of hotspot data. While that may seem pricey, remember—that’s what you’d pay for both your cell phone and internet combined.

Verizon also offers data-only plans. Most often, people use data-only plans for connected devices like tablets and watches, but you can also add a data-only line to your phone plan and use an extra phone as a full-time Wi-Fi hotspot. 

Although the data-only pricing is more expensive than hotspot data plans, Verizon’s multi-line discount is worth it if you’re considering adding an additional line. You get $30/month off every additional line of data-only service. That means your first line of a 100GB data-only plan is $80/month, and an additional line is $50/month. You don’t need a specific phone plan to snag this discount, making it perfect for extra hotspot data for multiple people.

Verizon hotspot speeds

Verizon offers one of the fastest wireless networks, and its hotspot data can take full advantage of it. If you live in an area with 5G coverage, you can get hotspot speeds up to 1Gbps. For the rest of the country, Verizon hotspot speeds consistently reach around 60Mbps on its 4G LTE network, which means you can easily stream, game, and browse with your hotspot internet connection.

For the standalone hotspot data options, you’ll need to choose at least the $40 Plus plan to get 5G Ultra-wideband access. The Essentials hotspot plan only gets you 4G speeds, which works fine for checking emails, browsing the internet, and streaming in standard definition, but lacks the speed of the higher tiers. 

Data limits

Choosing the right data limit is crucial to making sure you don’t run out before the month is over. Verizon’s unlimited phone plans offer hotspot allowances up to 60GB/month with their top-tier plan, and you can add up to 150GB more with a dedicated hotspot plan or data-only plan. The data limit for each plan (including phone, data-only, or standalone hotspot) refers to premium or high-speed data. Once you reach your limit, your hotspot will still work, but at dramatically lower speeds. You’ll be limited to 600Kbps, which is barely fast enough to stream music and low-quality videos, likely with a lot of buffering. Remember to use your high-speed hotspot data wisely, especially if you plan to rely on a hotspot connection as your main internet source.

If you just need a little extra data to connect your tablet or kindle on the go, an unlimited phone plan is just right. However, to be home internet independent, you’re likely going to need much more data than a phone plan could conjure. For light data users, a hotspot can be an excellent option especially if you do most of your internet-based activities outside of home—say, on a work computer. Heavy data users need a dedicated hotspot plan with 150GB/month to handle data-consuming tasks, like streaming on zoom calls and working remotely.

Can I use a Verizon hotspot for my internet?

You can use Verizon hotspot for your internet if you want to stop paying a separate bill, but make sure it suits your lifestyle. Consider your data needs so you don’t end up out of data before the month ends. 

A mobile hotspot can be an excellent option for light data users, especially if you do most of your internet-based activities outside of the home—say, on a work computer in an office. If you plan on working remotely or consistently gaming, however, you’ll need a hefty amount of data, more than an unlimited phone plan can supply. In those cases, a standalone plan or a data-only plan can more likely cover your internet needs. 

See how much data you use: Before making the switch, check your current internet bill. See how much data your household uses on average. For example, I live in a household with two people, and I work remotely full-time. I often stream music while I work. In the evening, my husband and I often browse on our phones, and we have streaming TV services instead of cable that we typically have on for a few hours. All told, we consume around 300GB of data per month—more than a hotspot would be practical for.

Pros and cons of using a hotspot for home internet

Mobile hotspots are great for remote workers. If you work on the go frequently or find yourself working away from home, you would benefit from a Verizon mobile hotspot. Connect from anywhere, anytime without having to worry about connecting while out of your home office.

Switching to a hotspot for home internet lets you connect almost anywhere. Internet options are limited in rural areas of the United States, but cell coverage is vast. Verizon’s coverage map, including 5G, is extensive, reaching both rural towns and urban cities. You can use a mobile hotspot to avoid suffering slow internet thanks to Verizon’s nationwide network.

A mobile hotspot is cheaper and faster than satellite internet. While opting to solely use a mobile hotspot is slightly more expensive than home internet, it’s still cheaper and offers better quality than a satellite internet plan. However, you may experience some speed variation on Verizon’s cellular network. 

Data plans are expensive. Standalone hotspot data plans or data-only plans are usually expensive because of limited network capacity. However, you get what you pay for. A hotspot for home internet allows you to take your internet with you, wherever you go.

To use a dedicated mobile hotspot, you’ll need to buy a portable hotspot device—and the options are limited. The market for portable hotspot devices is scarce, meaning you have to work with what’s available (and many of them come locked to specific carriers). 

Beware slow speeds. Depending on which Verizon hotspot package you choose combined with your location, you may face slower speeds due to deprioritization or throttling as compared to fiber or cable internet. 

Verizon hotspot devices

All of Verizon’s standalone hotspot plans require a portable hotspot device (puck), basically the key for your Wi-Fi portal. You can then connect multiple devices to your puck for easy internet access. With Verizon’s plans, you can bring your own puck, or purchase one from the carrier. 

The Inseego Mifi X Pro connects to your Verizon data plan and broadcasts a Wi-Fi signal wherever you roam. Unlike your phone, which only allows you to connect two devices at a time, the Inseego connects up to 15 devices simultaneously (and saves your phone battery).

When choosing a portable hotspot device, make sure it’s compatible with your carrier. Or, you can choose to purchase this hotspot device directly through Verizon for  36 monthly installments of $9.72/month (totalling $350). That said, since Verizon does allow you to bring your own puck, you can snag the same Verizon-compatible Inseego Mifi X Pro on Amazon for about $100 cheaper.

A standalone hotspot device makes a lot of sense for multi-person, multi-device households. You can connect your laptop, smart TV, tablet, and many more devices simultaneously. If you spend a considerable amount of time traveling, you can easily take all of your devices and connect them to your portable hotspot without draining your phone’s battery. Thankfully, Verizon offers the strongest wireless coverage, so you can expect coverage basically anywhere in the country.

Verizon 5G Home Internet vs. Verizon mobile hotspot

Your priorities are key when deciding between Verizon 5G Home Internet or a Verizon mobile hotspot. Both Verizon 5G Home Internet and a Verizon mobile hotspot work similarly. Rather than connecting to a fiber or DSL network via a cable routed to your home, both options connect directly to Verizon's 5G cellular network. Verizon Home Internet uses a router, while Verizon mobile hotspot uses a portable hotspot device.

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If you have data-heavy habits like high-definition streaming and gaming, chances are a mobile hotspot household might be a challenge. However, if you champion flexibility in location or are fed up with limited internet options in your area, then a mobile hotspot gives you a viable option. 

It’s essential to know how much data each app or online activity uses so you can decide whether it makes sense for you to replace your home Wi-Fi with a Verizon mobile hotspot. Any connected device that requires internet access will eat up your hotspot data. Here’s an estimated breakdown of how much data everyday internet activities require.

If you like to stream videos in 4K, you could burn through your entire hotspot data allotment in just a few hours, or you could stream over 100 hours of music and SD-quality videos. However, if you can avoid high-data activities, like 4K streaming, it’s possible you can replace your home Wi-Fi connection with a hotspot.

Verizon hotspot FAQs

How do I check my Verizon personal hotspot usage?

Is the Verizon unlimited hotspot actually unlimited?

Can I get a Verizon hotspot without a Verizon phone plan?

Lauren Hannula

Managing Editor

Lauren is WhistleOut's Managing Editor. With over 14 years of digital writing and publishing experience, she's developed a passion for breaking down overly complex topics to offer easy, affordable solutions that help make the most of the tech you already have in your pocket. Her work has appeared in industry stalwarts such as CNET, Yahoo! News, and Forbes.

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