USB 4G Dongle with Openwrt on Plusnet Hub One ? BT Home Hub 5?

Hardware Questions and Recommendations
1

Hi,

I have an installation of Openwrt running happily on my Plusnet Hub One (BT Home Hub 5) router. I am currently using wired broadband but my supplier has hoiked the price like a beast so I was thinking of moving to 4G mobile for data (5G reception is no good in my area).

This is an interim measure while waiting for Gb fibre to arrive in the locality which is reported to be before the end of 2026 so I don't want to spend much money.

My questions are:

  1. Can I obtain a USB 4G dongle to use with the USB A socket on the Hub One / HH5 so as to use moble broadband? Is this facility built into Openwrt ?
  2. If so then what is the best cheap 4g dongle to buy ?
  3. What setup is required in Openwrt to achieve this ?

Thanks,

2

Yes.

None. If you're desperate - look for second-hand Huawei e3372h on ebay, avoid their new modifications with -320 and -325 at the end. Or simply use a smartphone.

Depends on the USB modem used.

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3

Thanks for your reply, Andrew. Assuming I do go with a Huawei E3372-320, which I can find easily enough, can you tell me how to go about setting it up for my application ?

Thanks again,

5

If you want to go down this path, look for second-hand old Huawei e3372h but not new ones with -320 and -325 at the end. E3372h-153 or some other regional variants like -620(?) is what you need.
Once the modem is running 21.x stick firmware you will need to follow https://openwrt.org/docs/guide-user/network/wan/wwan/ethernetoverusb_ncm

Some ZTE MFxxx sticks could do the job as well, however they used to sell slightly different hardware under the same model name, so caution must be taken here.

6

Thanks again for your help, Andrew, but are there any current 4G USB dongles that can work with Openwrt ? (The dongles I was looking at were the -320 variant which you mention will not work).

7

They may work, search the forum. I just don't recommend them as they are not as good as the original models were 10+ years ago.
I want to say that it's time to forget about all these 4G CAT4 USB sticks once and for all.

8

So what would you suggest instead ? As I said, I'm using a Plusnet Hub One / Home Hub 5 and would really prefer to connect the 4G device via ethernet instead of USB but all the current devices I've seen are mobile data <-> WiFi routers.

9

If you're in the UK - look for second-hand ZTE MF286D.
Then disable its WiFi and use it in a bridge mode in front of your router.

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10

Have a look at ZTE F50 (it's also intended for 5G), but it's not cheap, runs via USB, and your BTHH5 won't be able to feed it enough juice via the USB port.

The MF286D is a great suggestion, but a PITA to flash, there's plenty of them listed on UK eBay.

11

This looks like a good way forward in general, but the MF286D is only available 2nd hand in the UK and costs from £40 up. Do you think the ZTE 10 would work in place of the MF286D ? The product description is here in case you are not familiar: https://media.dustin.eu/media/d2000010011165254/k10-4g-wireless-router-productdatasheetbrochure.pdf

From that it does seem to support appropriate UK LTE bands for the network I want to use (iD Mobile == 3)

I can order a new ZTE K10 for ~ £20, shipped from Alibaba...

Thanks,

12

if you can't find it at https://firmware-selector.openwrt.org/?version=SNAPSHOT, it's not supported.

and it's a problem because ?
if you're going to flash it, warranty will most likely go out the window anyway ...

13

Hi frollic,

I was replying to the following:

AIUI, there would be no need to flash the device in this scenario, it is only being used as a bridge to the mobile 4G connection, all the routing would be performed by my existing OpenWrt router...

I would rather have a new device and I am ultra cost sensitive at this time because unemployed atm.

Thanks for your reply,

14

I'm sorry to hear that ... :frowning:

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15

I would not invest in any Cat4 modem these days. I also don't see bridge mode mentioned in K10 description.

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16

Just to return to the original question for a moment. Keep in mind that the bthub5a is very much at the end of its life cycle by not, while I realize that this might not be a priority for you right now, it's still something to consider. It's a great device for what it is is/ was designed for, VDSL at up to 50 MBit/s - 100 MBit/s is already pushing it, hard. USB is not great on this device, USB2, ESD issues (crashes, when un/-plugging USB devices), maxium USB power delivery limits. I don't think you'd have much luck retrofitting this particular device with USB 4g/ 5g cards - and it's not as if those would be free either, so there is a significant risk to spend more on trying to make it work, just to realize that it won't do the job.

1 Like
17

Yes, as I said in my original question I will hopefully be moving to full fibre at ~ gigabit speeds before end of '26 so only really need a cheap stopgap solution for now.

I saw the mode selector for the K10 in a YouTube video but it was in the Filipino language. I've ordered one now from Alibaba price £25 inc. tax and shipping so fingers crossed on bridge mode working/being implemented.

When I get full fibre installed I will be transiting to a new router. As SLH indicated in the post below yours, the PH1/HH5 is more than a little dated. I expect this will lead to further questions as to what to buy but the market changes so quickly that it is pointless asking a 18/12 months before the event...

Thanks for your great and helpful replies, Andrew,

18

Yes, as I posted in my reply to AndrewZ above, this is just a stopgap measure until I can transition to a new router when I get full fibre in a year or so's time.

Thanks for your reply,