Using Mighty Mobile Unlimted Plan in a Router

BlackLab on 26/03/2026 - 13:26

Has anyone been able to get a Mighty Mobile phone plan working in a portable wifi router?

We're going to be moving house so I purchased a 5G portable wifi router and Mighty Mobile unlimited plan instead of signing up to a new 12 month fibre connection.

I got it working for a few days but it stopped working and doesn't want to connect with the Mighty Mobile sim (2Degrees works fine). I can use the MM sim in a phone so it just seems to be the wifi router that's an issue.

Looking for ways I can use the MM plan otherwise I'll need to switch to starlink or something else for a few months.

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  • Liger Zero on 03/04/2026 - 18:54
    +6

    I often dislike @NovaAlpha's comments but this time he was bang on. I don't think you should be abusing the plans in the first place, but if you are it is a bit dumb to contact the company for support. They'll obviously flag your account at the least, or start imposing restrictions, clarifying their TOC which is now happening.

    This is literally like contacting the IRD for tax avoidance advice. lol

  • MartinPrince on 26/03/2026 - 16:18
    +1

    Works fine for me in the Huawei B525 but that's a 4G router. Haven't tried it in a 5G.

    • BlackLab on 26/03/2026 - 16:24

      Good to know.

      I'm using a ZTE U60 Pro, which is 5G router. I can set it to 4G but it still doesn't work with the MM sim.

  • ace310 on 26/03/2026 - 17:01
    +1

    Maybe this is helpful

    • BlackLab on 26/03/2026 - 22:03
      +2

      It’s working now!
      I went back through all the comments and made a few adjustments based on the feedback.

      I'm now getting 463Mbs Down / 79.9 Mbps Up

      The key settings I'm using are:
      Under Network → Mobile Network

      Network Selection
      * Network Mode: 5G NSA

      APN
      * APN Mode: Manual
      * APN: vodafone
      * Username: [blank]
      * Password: [blank]
      * Authentication: NONE
      * PDP Type: IPv4
      * ✅ Set as default

      Under System → Developer Option
      * Country/Region Code: NEW ZEALAND

      • ace310 on 26/03/2026 - 22:22

        Glad it worked.

    • BlackLab on 26/03/2026 - 17:07

      Thanks. I've tried those settings but it still comes up with "No Service" (when using the MM sim)

  • NovaAlpha on 26/03/2026 - 22:50
    +1

    I kind of regret sharing my trick (using 5G SIM to replace your broadband), as the more people who contact Mighty Mobile (or perhaps other vendors) about setting this up on a router, the easier it is for them to detect and enforce some sort of ban/block.

    If you're going to set this up, and it's not strictly within their TOS, then why would you contact them and potentially risk ruining this for everyone else?

    Not to mention, I already listed those instructions in my original comment in the other post, so that's all you need to make it work.

    Anyway, at least Mighty Mobile allows hotspot tethering in their TOS, which essentially is just what a router does. Worst case scenario, you just run hotspot tethering on a phone with good a good modem that can deal with multiple concurrent connections.

    • Alan6984 on 26/03/2026 - 22:59
      +7

      That's mostly fair comment, but it's doesn't seem like a new 'trick' to use a SIM (5G or older) in a router to replace broadband - lots of people have been doing that for many years now, and some of the telcos (Skinny for sure at least) used to (maybe still do) explicitly advertise that as a product / service?

      Apologies if I'm missing something here.

      • NovaAlpha on 27/03/2026 - 12:39
        -3

        I’m not convinced that this has been widely done for years. Most telcos that offer mobile plans explicitly prohibit using them in routers or for hotspot-style home internet in their terms of service. So even if people are aware of the idea, I doubt many have actually tried it at scale. There have already been comments on Cheapies pointing out that it breaches TOS, which would suggest they're not using this method. While some are willing to take that risk to save money, I suspect most people aren’t—and would stick with fiber or other options.

        On top of that, the typical plans aren’t especially compelling. Speeds are often capped around 10–50 Mbps, and pricing tends to sit around $60–$65/month. That’s not dramatically cheaper than an $80/month fiber plan—and in some cases, it’s even more expensive. There may be a small group opting for 5G over fiber, but they’re likely compromising on performance without gaining meaningful savings. Overall, using 5G as a primary home connection still feels niche and far from mainstream adoption.

        That said, the situation would likely change if a widely known deal emerged offering unlimited 5G data at full speed for around $33–$44/month (depending on promos like BYGOF or current pricing). At that point, it becomes significantly more attractive than most fiber plans. The cost savings alone would be enough to draw in users—even those who would normally avoid breaching TOS.

        If someone has already done the legwork—testing multiple 5G routers and recommending/sharing optimized setups—that lowers the barrier even further. And that’s where the risk comes in: as adoption grows, the likelihood increases that providers like Mighty Mobile will notice and start enforcing restrictions, potentially shutting it down for everyone.

        It’s one thing if this stays relatively niche, with technically capable users who can troubleshoot and configure things themselves. But if it reaches the point where everyone starts calling telcos for help setting up routers, that’s when it becomes a real risk.

        As an example, I was one of the few people who knew about the Z Sharetank location spoofing trick. I even shared detailed instructions on how to do this on your rooted Android device. This isn't something that a normal user would be able to perform, as it's not just rooting that you need, but location spoofing related Xposed modules, etc. If I hadn't share that trick, I doubt there would have been as many people using it. In the end, Z caught onto this, implemented new detection methods to catch people spoofing their location and also their petrol prices stopped becoming competitive (which could be due to many reasons, but I suspect people abusing Sharetank is largely one of those reasons).

        In fact, Sharetank even noticed my instructions on Cheapies and tried to get a mod to remove the thread and ban me. Luckily, that didn't happen. But my point still stands.

        • Alan6984 on 27/03/2026 - 13:15
          +3

          I had a ten-second look, and I was right - Skinny offer this, and have been for many years:

          https://www.skinny.co.nz/broadband/

          In fact, Woosh used to offer Wireless Broadband about twenty plus years ago, although I think that was probably over GSM and / or WCDMA, and required you to use an antenna of sorts

          Of course, everything is new when you've never seen if before :-)

          • ABCDEFG on 27/03/2026 - 14:15
            +2

            @Alan6984: I'm with Alan on this. Had to check my purchase history to see when I did it but I setup my 4g router with a pay-monthly sim and yagi at the bach at the beginning of 2019, and plenty of others on Geekzone and other forums were doing the same thing.

            • Alan6984 on 27/03/2026 - 14:30

              @ABCDEFG: I asked around the office, and quite a few of the guys had either done it themselves, or set it up for a client at some point over the last ten years or so mostly Skinny, but some on 2Degrees with a NetGear 4G (maybe 5G, but it was a few years ago) router. In fact, I now have to admit, I have too, although I'd completely forgotten. We had a client where I set it up as a failover internet connection in case their fibre / ONT was down, with the primary router handling routing / failover, and I'd completely forgotten I'd done that :-O

              I even found someone who used Woosh back in the day too. Apparently it worked well where they were, but the speed was quite variable depending on where they positioned their antenna - sounds like it was akin to making sure your satellite dish was correctly orientated. They lived in Howick at the time, so clearly it wasn't just CBD and immediate suburbs.

              Looks like 4G / 5G router-modems are actually even more common than we had thought.

            • Alan6984 on 27/03/2026 - 15:31
              +1

              @NovaAlpha: Nah - it was your 'discovering' something new up above that we are talking about.

              I don't think anybody has been arguing about the economics of it?

                • NovaAlpha on 27/03/2026 - 17:51

                  @NovaAlpha: Out of curiosity, I just did a quick lookup. Fixed wireless only makes up 20% of the market and that's including 4G as well, which is not good enough for me personally to be used as a fixed home connection. Of that 20%, 5G takes up only a small chunk of it (see the pie chart).

                  https://www.tcf.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/TCF-Annual-Report-…

                  So clearly, not enough people knows about using cheap 5G plans (without any performance compromise) paired with cheap 5G equipment to widely adopt it.

                  • Alan6984 on 27/03/2026 - 19:11
                    +2

                    @NovaAlpha: Okay - I think it might be best if we leave you there.

  • rapt on 02/04/2026 - 17:18
    +1

    "We're getting in touch to let you know about an upcoming change to hotspotting on Mighty Mobile plans.

    From 4 May 2026, Mighty Mobile will be introducing hotspot limits across our plans. This change will apply to all Mighty Mobile customers. "

    Email received today - goes into more detail about the limits etc being imposed.

    • Latex Fist on 02/04/2026 - 19:44
      +10

      What happens when people don't think, and contact the company they're trying to take advantage of about how to take advantage of them. 🤦

      • LupinS on 05/04/2026 - 12:01

        They can easily see who is using a router (or a massive amount of data).

        They were turning a blind eye while they had capacity. But cell towers are limited. .pre people signing up means .orr data being used which means more restrictions.

        Really if anything it was likely the people not adhering to the T&Cs who have made them both look harder and implement those hotspot limits.

    • Fox419 on 02/04/2026 - 18:16

      Yup, I saw this too.
      Not surprised tbh, I think they had to act when people were contacting about how to use it for home internet.

      I have used hotspot when home fibre was down/outage. Otherwise it has been 100% my moblie daily driver, so not a huge impact to me.

  • Huntakillaz on 26/03/2026 - 23:57

    Just get a cheap 5G phone (or your old one) and a FritzBox router > USB Tether to the router and it works, without you needing to violate their T&C

    • LupinS on 27/03/2026 - 00:14

      I haven't even got that far yet. Just tethered to my desktop if I need any speed, and using that to share to everything else.

      And I don't even bother with that half the time and just hotspot from my phone. Which requires even less effort. But doesn't keep my phone charged.

      • Huntakillaz on 27/03/2026 - 00:16

        Yeah the router gives you wifi for the other devices, Ethernet ports and will keep the phone charged while minimal usage and drain on the phone

    • coffeee on 02/04/2026 - 22:31

      yea the 5g router imei will show up as a not a phone.

  • coffeee on 02/04/2026 - 22:23

    Hi there,

    We're getting in touch to let you know about an upcoming change to hotspotting on Mighty Mobile plans.

    From 4 May 2026, Mighty Mobile will be introducing hotspot limits across our plans. This change will apply to all Mighty Mobile customers.

    WHAT'S CHANGING?

    Hotspotting will still be included on eligible plans, but there will now be a set amount of high-speed hotspot data available on each plan:

                                                              STARTER: 5GB* 
                                                          FAST:         25GB
                                                          FASTER:    50GB 
                                                          FASTEST:  250GB

    *On the Starter Plan, your data allowance is capped at 5GB. You can use all 5GB for personal mobile use, or you can hotspot as much of this 5GB as you choose. Once your 5GB has been used you will need to purchase a data add-on.

    WHY ARE WE MAKING THIS CHANGE?

    Most Mighty Mobile customers use hotspotting occasionally for personal use, like connecting a laptop or tablet when they're on the go.

    Adding hotspot limits helps us keep things simple and transparent, brings more clarity to how hotspotting is intended to be used, and supports a better experience across the network for all customers.

    WHAT HAPPENS IF I GO OVER MY HOTSPOT LIMIT?

    If you use more than your plan's included hotspot allowance, your hotspot may be slowed. Hotspotting is designed for personal mobile device use only.

    Please note that using your Mighty Mobile SIM in devices like modems or routers isn't permitted.

    If hotspot use is excessive and outside our fair use policy, we may contact you and, if necessary, restrict, suspend, or disconnect your service.

    WHAT DO I NEED TO DO?

    You don't need to do anything right now. These changes will take effect automatically from 4 May 2026.

    For more information, keep an eye on our website and Help Centre.

    Thanks for being with Mighty Mobile.

    The Mighty Mobile team

    • Huntakillaz on 02/04/2026 - 22:47

      Wonder if they'll refund those at least partially if you've paid for months in advance on the 365 plans

      • Peter Wyngarde on 03/04/2026 - 04:10
        +2

        ii. If we consider that the change will have a detrimental effect on you we will give you 30 days’ notice of the change or, where that is not possible, as much notice as possible. Where a change is made that will have a detrimental effect on you during the period of your Plan, you may cancel your existing Plan and request a pro-rata refund of any prepaid fees paid for the remaining period of your Plan, provided you notify us of your intention to cancel within 14 days of receiving notice of the proposed amendments.

  • Nythic on 04/04/2026 - 11:57

    Here is another way: sign up for One NZ 5G Wireless Broadband ($65 per month) for a year. Get a free modem.
    After a year ask to cancel and they are probably going to give $10 monthly discount.

  • Alan6984 on 26/03/2026 - 16:34
    -2

    Have you contacted Mighty Mobile and asked them what might(y) be the problem?

    You never know, it might be some obscure setting that you have to change in the router.

    • BlackLab on 26/03/2026 - 17:01

      Yep tried that. They said it's only allowed in a mobile device, not a router.

      • Alan6984 on 26/03/2026 - 17:23

        They said it's only allowed in a mobile device, not a router.

        Maybe that's the issue if you shook hands on a deal where you agreed not to use it in a router?

        • BlackLab on 26/03/2026 - 18:08

          Yes, quite possibly.
          However there are lots of people using it in a router. I’m trying to work out if it’s blocked at the network (IMEI), a device issue, or a sim issue.

          MM won’t provide any support if your using a router so they can’t help be diagnose the issue.

          • Alan6984 on 26/03/2026 - 22:38

            @BlackLab: Okay - well, good luck!

            • BlackLab on 26/03/2026 - 22:41

              @Alan6984: Got it working now. It was an issue with the settings on the device.

              I've added the details in a comment above for reference if anyone else need them.

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