Why use a MiFi hotspot instead of WiFi?
What is a MiFi hotspot? And why you should be using one for internet access instead of a traditional Wi-Fi connection.
What is a MiFi hotspot? And why you should be using one for internet access instead of a traditional Wi-Fi connection.
You likely connect your phone and other devices to a Wi-Fi network every day. We don’t think twice about using Wi-Fi whether at home or when out and about, but perhaps we should. Our previous article details many risks of using public Wi-Fi networks. But we live in a connected world, so if Wi-Fi is not the best solution these days, what is the alternative? There’s a new kid on the block in the form of MiFi hotspots.
The term “MiFi,” which is pronounced as “My-Fi,” is derived from the phrase “My Wi-Fi. They are often referred to as a portable hotspot, a mobile hotspot, or a mobile Wi-Fi device. A MiFi hotspot is a portable device that provides wireless internet access to devices like smartphones, tablets, and laptops. It is a small, battery-operated Wi-Fi station that you can take anywhere and share internet access to many devices simultaneously. Most allow between 10 and 40 devices to connect at the same time.
The hotspot creates an internet connection over a 4G or 5G mobile network. Unlike traditional internet or broadband connectivity, it requires no cables or fixed infrastructure.
A MiFi device has enhanced security measures, advanced device management features, and internet access speeds up to 3 Gbits/sec. This makes it ideal for AR/VR users, first responders, mobile workers, home workers, remote offices, high-speed streaming, gaming and many others.
Setting up a MiFi hotspot is really easy. The hotspot comes with a slot for the data SIM card, which you insert yourself. After you turn on the MiFi, it automatically creates a Wi-Fi network. You then connect your smart devices to that Wi-Fi network, just like you would with any other Wi-Fi network (The MiFi will have a preset Wi-Fi network name and password.
The MiFi device is powered by an internal rechargeable battery, which can support active use for up to 24 hours before recharging. You can also keep the device charged using a laptop’s USB connection, a portable external battery or a mains supply. For most MiFi devices, replacement batteries may be purchased if you want to switch them out when one runs out.
Essentially it is when you enable the personal hotspot capability that most phones come with. However, there are many downsides to using your phone as a personal hotspot:
Wi-Fi is a network protocol to connect smart devices to the internet. When Wi-Fi is referenced today, it typically means sharing a fixed-line internet connection via a Wi-Fi network. The likes that you have at home, in your office or in the likes of coffee shops and train stations.
MiFi is a device which creates an internet connection over mobile networks. It then shares that internet connection to smart devices through its own Wi-Fi network.
While technically not correct, you can view Wi-Fi as being the wireless connection for fixed-line internet services (such as broadband). In contrast, MiFi is a portable device that provides wireless internet access over mobile networks.
One of the fundamental advantages of using a MiFi hotspot compared to Wi-Fi is its portability. You can take it anywhere, anytime. You have shared internet access via your hotspot as long as you have 4G or 5G mobile service. Whether that be in a hotel, in a coffee shop, on a train or out in a field. You no longer have to hunt down a public Wi-Fi network to connect to. In fact, you can now get all of your devices online where there are no public Wi-Fi services.
If your MiFi device is network unlocked, then you can travel abroad with it as well. As long as you have a data SIM which works in the country you visit, you have the same internet access as in your home territory.
Our Inseego M2000 is a network unlocked hotspot that you can take anywhere with you. Read our blog to see how it performed on a 6-hour train journey from Lincolnshire to Southampton. Spoiler alert! it performed astonishingly well; 10X better download speed than a mobile phone and with no phone battery drain worries.
MiFi devices allow you to connect at least 10 and as many as 64 computers, phones, iPads, and gaming consoles to the mobile broadband hotspot it generates, depending on the MiFi you pick. All while maintaining fast internet speeds for each device.
A MiFi device provides high-speed internet connections, particularly if using a 5G network. Most traditional broadband connections you will connect to with a classic Wi-Fi connection offer around 30Mbits/sec. You’re then sharing that with many other users. 5G networks promise internet speeds of more than 1Gbit/sec. While those speeds are coming, today, you can achieve speeds 20X faster than a traditional broadband/Wi-Fi connection. In our offices, we have obtained more than 600Mbit/sec with the Inseego M2000.
Unlike traditional Wi-Fi, MiFi devices will function even if there is a power outage since they run on rechargeable batteries. Modern MiFi devices can provide up to 24 hours of uninterrupted internet access in one recharge cycle.
One of the main advantages of using a MiFi hotspot compared to Wi-Fi is that a MiFi hotspot is user-friendly. You no longer have to hunt down the password for the Wi-Fi network where you currently are. Your MiFi hotspot will have the same Wi-Fi network id and the same Wi-Fi password wherever you use it. Connect to it once, and then wherever you go, turn it on, and you are instantly connected. No more hunting around on menus, posters or blackboards for Wi-Fi passwords.
When you access the internet from your phone through a mobile 4G/5G network, your phone will be using more battery than if you are accessing the internet over a Wi-Fi connection. So to preserve your phone battery, it is always best to connect to the internet over Wi-Fi. Why not let a MiFi hotspot do the heavy lifting of connecting over the mobile networks and then let your phone connect to the internet via Wi-Fi to the MiFi?
Wi-Fi connections, especially the public ones, are prone to various security threats like Man in the Middle (MitM), Network & Data Breaches and myriads of others which we have discussed in detail in our previous article. On the other hand, MiFi eclipses traditional Wi-Fi in providing Enterprise Grade security. MiFi or pocket Wi-Fi devices provide better encryption and additional assurances, which guard against cyber attacks that jeopardize our privacy.
Once you have purchased the MiFi router, it is often cheaper to run than a traditional broadband internet circuit, particularly if you want the latest high-speed fibre internet connection. Fibre broadband connection will often set you back more than £30 per month, and you will be locked into a multi-year contract.
Contrast that with data SIM cards. You can pick up a 5GB data-only SIM card for just £6 per month. With the Net4Connect data SIM, you can get unlimited 5G data for just £25 per month. Many data SIM cards allow you to pay on a month-by-month basis, so do not lock you into any long-term contracts.
Remember, one of the main advantages of MiFi is its portability. If you take it abroad with you, you can pick up a data SIM at your port of arrival, insert it into your MiFi hotspot and then you do not need to worry about any mobile roaming charges for the SIM in your phone or other connected devices.
We discussed the raw speed a 5G MiFi hotspot can give you earlier. Let’s consider another scenario. Have you been in an airport or public place, sharing a Wi-Fi connection with many others? In some locations, you share that same internet connection with hundreds, if not thousands of other users. That means you are only getting a fraction of the bandwidth. That’s no good if you want to jump on a Zoom call or stream a movie from Netflix. With your MiFi hotspot, all that 5G bandwidth is yours and yours alone. Make that Zoom call or watch that movie in glorious high-definition without a problem.
Traditional Wi-Fi has served us well for many years. But it’s starting to show its age. If you need a secure, high-speed, portable internet connection wherever you go, seriously considering a MiFi hotspot makes sense.
Check out our award-winning hotspot, the Inseego M2000, a 5G MiFi mobile hotspot device, which provides multi-gigabit download speeds up to a whopping 2.7 Gbps, 5G Mobile Broadband & advanced 4G LTE fallback, and Wi-Fi 6 connections for up to 30 devices. And all this with a battery keeps you up and running all day.
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