There was a time not too long ago when I swore I’d never go back to Airtel. Then, in 2024, I ate my own words. Airtel’s 5G router, combined with some strategic booster deployment near my rural home, delivered an internet experience that made me genuinely question everything I thought I knew about Kenya’s telcos. I streamed live Premier League football without buffering. I worked from home in the village without worrying about data bundles or patchy connections. I even toyed with the idea of relocating there permanently.
But here we are, nearly a year later, and the story has taken a new twist.
Airtel’s High… and Then the Slow Fade
When I first tested the Airtel 5G router, I was impressed. In fact, not just impressed but stunned. Even without a true 5G signal reaching my location, the router was punching above its weight on a 10Mbps unlimited plan. I consistently got 8Mbps+ speeds, and uploads hovered between 3–5Mbps. It was solid. Reliable. Refreshing.
And then came the evenings.
Every day, like clockwork, sometime between 6pm and 11pm, the speeds plummet. Not a small dip but a full-on nosedive into buffering purgatory. Think below 1Mbps at worst, meaning I couldn’t even load WhatsApp texts or Google search results. Sometimes the router disconnects and reconnects on its own, only to show “Connected, No Internet.” That’s not just frustrating. It’s rage-inducing when your only plan for the night is to chill with some YouTube or catch a football match before calling it a day.
I wrote about it back in January 2025. I’m still writing about it now because guess what? It’s still happening to date.
Airtel Was the Better Option… Then Safaricom Moved In
Let’s back up a bit. Why did I go with Airtel 5G router in the first place?
- Better signal quality than Safaricom at the time, especially in my rural home
- Affordable 5G router pricing
- Built-in power backup, unlike Safaricom’s router, which turns into a paperweight during blackouts
- Unlimited plans, making it ideal for a remote worker like me with no access to Safaricom Home Fibre
- And yes, it was much more cost-effective
But a couple of months ago, everything changed when Safaricom decided to install a booster directly in front of my compound. Suddenly, my Safaricom line which once clung to 2 bars of tired 4G now pulls full 5G bars in my home in the village.
So naturally, I started asking myself the unthinkable: Is it time to get a Safaricom 5G router?
What’s Got Me Seriously Considering a Safaricom 5G Router
The Airtel 5G router’s nighttime slowdown is brutal. And persistent. It’s reached a point where I dread evenings because I know I’ll be fighting with my own internet just to watch a short clip on X or TikTok (yes, I’ve recently joined after years of denial lol). The TV might as well be decoration after 6pm.
So now, I’m looking at the Safaricom 5G router, which has recently dropped in price to just KES 2,999. The booster’s proximity means I’d likely enjoy proper 5G performance, not just “improved 4G” like with Airtel. And we all know Safaricom’s speeds are nothing to sneeze at.
Here’s a quick look at Safaricom’s Unlimited 5G plans:
| Plan | Speed | Use Case | Users | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | 10Mbps | Basic browsing, social media | Up to 2 users | KES 2,999 |
| Standard | 50Mbps | HD streaming, gaming | Up to 4 users | KES 4,000 |
| Advanced | 100Mbps | UHD streaming, multi-device | Up to 8 users | KES 5,000 |
| Pro | 250Mbps | Heavy usage, many devices | Up to 10 users | KES 10,000 |
On paper, this is incredible value. But there’s a catch. And it’s a BIG one.
Safaricom 5G Router’s Ridiculous Device Limit
This is where things fall apart. Or at least hesitate on the brink.
Only 2 devices allowed on the 10Mbps plan? Even the 50Mbps package only supports 4 devices at a time? I’ve had to re-read the fine print a few times just to be sure. A typical household today easily has 6+ connected devices: a phone or two, a smart TV, a laptop, a tablet, maybe even a smart speaker or TV box. And that’s just for one person. Imagine living with family or roommates. Limiting usage like this in 2025 is just… absurd. And unnecessary.
Airtel, for all its other issues, lets you connect up to 32 devices. So yeah, this one clause might be the only reason I hold back from jumping ship for now.
What Now?
Honestly, I feel like I’m stuck in the middle of a telco tug-of-war. Airtel gave me freedom when I needed it most thanks to a router I could plug in anywhere, work from the village, and live my quiet digital nomad life. But they’ve fumbled the consistency game, and customer service? Yikes. DM us your details and then vanish? That’s not it. They haven’t responded to my post on X from July 26, which says everything about their customer service.
Safaricom, on the other hand, is finally flexing some rural muscle. And I never thought I’d say this, but they might now be the better rural home internet option, at least in my part of Vihiga County. But they need to stop treating users like they’re still in 2013. Limiting connected devices on an unlimited 5G package just feels stingy and backward.
I’m seriously considering buying a Safaricom 5G router, doing a full test, and sharing that experience too. Who knows, maybe I’ll do a follow-up titled: “I switched from Airtel to Safaricom 5G in the village — was it worth it?” Stay tuned.
Have you tried both Airtel and Safaricom’s 5G routers? What’s been your experience? Let’s talk in the comments.
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