A large percentage of mobile phones owned by Australians fall into the category of mobiles known as smart phones. Whether you own an iPhone or an Android based phone, smart phones are capable of many great things; one important feature being the ability to tether the phone to a laptop or desktop computer.
Tethering a smart phone allows you to use the device as a modem by using your phones 3G Internet connection in place of a traditional Internet connection. This is perfect for people who require a backup connection in case their ADSL or cable connection goes down. Unfortunately, it’s far from the ideal solution. If you’ve been considering the purchase of a portable wifi device instead of tethering your mobile phone to your computer, here are some great reasons to go ahead with your purchase.
Portable wifi can be shared amongst other people in your household. The majority of all portable wifi devices allow up to 5 concurrent connections (and in some cases more) per device. If your household is just like any other in Australia, it’s highly likely you have more than one computer in the home. Once you take into consideration all the laptops, mobile phones, gaming consoles and new tablet PCs such as the iPad that are used in your home, having to rely upon 1 connection isn’t practical. In fact, it can be utterly frustrating for those unable to get online.
A portable wifi device can alleviate all those problems and it will allow everyone to get online regardless of which device they’re using. Furthermore, you can take your portable wifi device with you on holidays, to work or anywhere else you can get a mobile phone signal.
It’s also very affordable and with wireless Internet becoming more and more competitive, prices are falling by the month and speeds and data allowances are increasing dramatically. There are now many portable wifi plans that come with more than enough data to allow you and your family to enjoy portable wifi all month long without fear of excess usage fees or being capped (being capped refers to having your Internet speed reduced).
Having a portable wifi device is much more convenient than tethering your mobile phone to your laptop. You simply turn it on and once it connects, you’re ready to do whatever you need to do online. Tethering your mobile on the other hand can require you to pay an unlock fee in addition to configure hard to understand software on your computer.
If you value your time and money, opting for portable wifi makes common sense.