AT&T had presented many 4G mobile hotspots to the public for its data plan. The AT&T Unite Pro and AT&T MiFi Liberate are two hot models. However, for those who are unfamiliar with AT&T products, they may don’t know the two mobile hotspots. If they want to buy a 4G mobile router from the two routers from AT&T, they may ask: What’s the difference between AT&T Unite Pro and Liberate? Which one is better to buy? We will review the specs of the two LTE routers to find the answers.
AT&T Unite Pro VS Liberate Appearance
Made by Novatel Wireless, the MiFi Liberate is probably the most interesting-looking hotspot, whose shape is sort of like a folded paperback book—it’s basically a flat rectangle with a big circular bump on the back. The AT&T Liberate is constructed from faintly patterned matte black plastic, along with shiny black plastic around the 2.8-inch display. There’s a Power button on the top left, a microSD card slot on the bottom, and a SIM card slot on the back that’s accessible when you remove the battery. The capacitive 2.8-inch color TFT LCD features 400-by-240-pixel resolution.
The AT&T Unite Pro was available much later than MiFi Liberate, and Unite Pro comes from Netgear model Aircard 781s. Like other Netgear 4G LTE Routers, the Unite Pro has a touchscreen with a data usage meter, and the Home and back buttons are at the side of the screen. The power buttons are on the top edge side while the opposite side located the USB 3.0 port and two connectors for external antennas. The back cover can be opened to insert the SIM card and the battery is removable for batter exchange.
AT&T MiFi Liberate VS Unite Pro Specs
| Model | AT&T Unite Pro 781S | AT&T MiFi Liberate |
| Product type | LTE Mobile Hotspot | LTE Mobile Hotspot |
| Category | LTE Cat.4 | LTE Cat.3 |
| Chipset | Qualcomm MDM9225 | Qualcomm |
| Data rates | DL 150Mbps/UL 50Mbps | DL 100Mbps/UL 50Mbps |
| Supported 4G LTE frequency bands | B2, B4, B5, B17 | B2, B4, B5, B17 |
| WLAN | 802.11 b/g/n, dual-band 2.4GHz & 5GHz | 802.11 b/g/n, 2.4GHz |
| Max support users | 15 users | 10 users |
| MIMO | 2 x 2 MIMO | |
| Connector for external antenna | Two, TS-9 jacks | NO |
| Buy Antenna | AT&T Unite Pro External Antenna | NO |
| App management | Netgear Aircard APP | |
| SIM type | Micro SIM | Standard SIM |
| Battery | Removable, 4020 mAh | Removable, 2600 mAh |
| Dimensions | 112 x 68 x 19mm | 4.1 x 2.9 x 0.9 inches |
| Ethernet Port | No | No |
| Datasheet download | AT&T Unite Pro Datasheet | AT&T MiFi Liberate Datasheet |
| User Manual | AT&T Unite Pro User manual | AT&T MiFi Liberate User manual |
| Firmware download | ATT Unite Pro Firmware | AT&T MiFi Liberate Firmware |
| Drivers | ATT Unite Pro drivers | AT&T MiFi Liberate drivers |
| Reviews | AT&T Unite Pro review | AT&T MiFi Liberate review |
| Price | 269.00USD | 129.00USD |
Conclusion
From the specs table, we can see the Netgear Aircard 781s(AT&T Unite Pro) is more advanced than the MiFi Liberate. The AT&T Unite Pro support LTE cat.4 and it could achieve download speed up to 150mbps. The WLAN feature is more advanced. The battery of Unite Pro is more powerful and there are two connectors for an external antenna. When the AT&T MiFi Liberate was presented the first time, it may be the most advanced, but now it’s an old model and some technical features can’t meet the requirements from end-users and the upgrading LTE networks. However, as a basic LTE mobile pocket WiFi, its price is very attractive now. If you just need a decent LTE hotspot, it could be considerable, but if you concern the LTE surfing speed and want more powerful features from a mobile hotspot, the AT&T Unite Pro should be considered.