When customers buy a 5G router, one of the first things they do after configuring the APN and getting the router connected to 5G is to do a speed test. Usually they are pleased with the results when they compare the speeds to their slow 4G router or wired broadband connection.

Other times, we get a call to ak why their 5G router is not as fast as their 5G iPhone even though they are being used in the same location and on the same network.

The easy answer is the hardware. Most 5G routers have a modem inside that supports a maximum download speed of 2Gbps, whilst the iPhone uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon X55 Modem capable of supporting 7.5Gbps. So the hardware in the iPhone is superior to the modem in the 5G router.

In comparison, a customer doing a speed test with their iPhone and getting 1Gb download speeds (One Seventh of the hardware capability) and just 400Mbps with their 5G router (one fifth of the hardware capability) can now understand why.

If your iPhone was getting the full 7.5Gbps download speed with your chosen network and location, then in theory your 5G router would be getting 2Gbps download, and on this basis, because the speed is dependant upon the cellular network, if you get one fifth of the hardware capability on your iPhone then you could expect one fifth of the hardware capabilities on your router.