Having an Internet connection is essential in many situations today. Most users have stable internet on their mobile phone thanks to data plans. This allows you to view from almost anywhere. Now this does not happen when we are going to use a tablet or laptop. Perhaps we do not have a Wi-Fi network and need an alternative to be able to connect to the Internet. In this article, we will talk about the possibilities MiFi (4G or 5G router) and Tethering (Internet sharing with mobile phone via WiFi) . Let's explain its positive and negative points.
Range 4G modems can be viewed here.
Connect to the Internet through a router or Wi-Fi
Устройство Wi-fi is, in fact, a portable 4G router that we can take with us and use anywhere. Of course, you need to keep in mind that it works through a SIM card. A 4G or 5G router will require mobile coverage in the place where we want to connect other devices. Thanks to this 4G or 5G router, we will be able to connect via Wi-Fi to any wireless device, be it a smartphone, a tablet, and we will even be able to provide a Wi-Fi connection to a Smart TV or TV Box. The only thing you have to keep in mind is the bit rate you have contracted because video streaming consumes a huge amount of data.
Thanks to this type of device, we can connect multiple devices at the same time. It basically acts like your home router, but works over the mobile network. This means that it has its advantages and disadvantages as we are going to explain. We also have to remember that there are two types of 4G or 5G routers:
- Wi-fi A: This is a 4G or 5G router with a built-in battery, it is designed to be taken with you wherever you go, so we must carefully monitor its autonomy. Another very important aspect is that Wi-fi limits the maximum number of WiFi clients that we can connect to at the same time, they are usually limited to about 10 clients, although higher-end models have the ability to connect more.
- 4G/5G router : This is a router with a global Internet network with a built-in modem, regardless of whether it supports 4G or 5G networks. A very important aspect is that here we will have to connect it to an electric current in order for it to work, it does not have a built-in battery. We also have to take into account that we do not have a limit on the number of simultaneous WiFi clients, it is ideal to have it in our house. Finally, it is quite normal for this type of device to have external antennas, so we will get better performance on mobile broadband.
Once we know the two types of 4G routers, we will see a list of advantages and disadvantages of using a Wi-fi or 4G router compared to using a smartphone using a modem.
Advantages of using a router or Wi-fi
- One of the advantages is that it will be easier for us connect multiple devices without loss of performance. Usually Wi-fi allows you to connect at least 10 devices, however, a 4G router will allow us to connect many more WiFi clients at the same time. This is a good solution for multiple people or for connecting multiple computers at the same time.
- It should also be noted that Wi-fi includes internal battery , so we don't have to constantly connect it to the network. In general, it offers more autonomy than if we shared the Internet with a mobile phone, in addition, we will not be left without contact with the outside world if the coverage stops, because we will still have our smartphone.
- Another obvious benefit is that it provides higher performance . We will suffer less from overheating, loss of signal and win in the quality of communication. After all, this is a device designed solely for this. If our team has external antennas, we will get additional coverage and speed.
- Another advantage is increased security . The Wi-fi device or 4G router has a built-in firewall and advanced features to protect against possible attacks from the Internet.
- Additional Features: Other common features of a Wi-fi or router is that it has Ethernet ports for connecting equipment via cable, which is ideal for connecting laptops, desktops and even Smart TVs via cable. Another noteworthy aspect is the presence in some models USB ports to share files and folders over a local network.
Disadvantages
- The main disadvantage is the cost. As for the modem with a mobile phone, we will have to buy independent device , which can sometimes be quite expensive if we want quality. The modem is completely free, we don't need to buy a 4G or Wi-fi router, and we don't need to buy an additional SIM card or enter into a service contract with Multisim.
- Also problematic carry the device even if it is small. In this sense, it is less convenient than just using a mobile phone. In addition, 4G or 5G routers must always be connected to the mains, they do not carry batteries.
- On the other hand, another important disadvantage is that we have to insert a SIM card . If it is not independent or if we do not contract for the use of multiple SIM cards, we will have to leave our mobile phone without a card.
Connect to the Internet via modem
Another option for connecting other devices to the Internet is through modem . This is a widely used technology since most mobile phones today allow for quick and easy connection sharing. There are smartphones that allow us to choose between broadcasting in the 2,4 GHz band or in the 5 GHz band, depending on the compatibility of the WiFi clients we are going to connect, we can choose one or the other frequency band. The best coverage will be on the 2,4 GHz band, however they will have slower actual speeds compared to the 5 GHz band.
This technology has long been implemented in mobile devices. It was first implemented by Android in version 2.2, which was quite early compared to the current one. This was installed on this system to speed up the connection of devices to the Internet. This has made it easier to use shared connections to access the Internet for almost any smartphone or laptop without a connection. Thus, they acted as modems or modem routers for data transmission.
Today, the possibilities of connecting via a modem are very wide. These include USB or non-USB wireless connectivity. These are Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, so you need at least one of these two devices to connect. On the other hand, data consumption will be the responsibility of the users who offer the connection. With this connection, you can connect several devices that do not have Internet access, so it is not limited to one, this is also known as HotSpot or general connection.
As far as safety is concerned, we must be warned. Just like the Wi-Fi networks we have in our homes, they need to be properly secured. To do this, we will have to set the most secure password that we can come up with or create in an online tool. But it does not end there, because just like in routers, we can set the maximum number of devices to connect, which is highly recommended. If we are confident that only one password will be used, setting the limit to 1 is the best we can do along with the strongest possible password. This will prevent intruders from connecting not only by password, but also by the limit of connected devices.
As in the previous case, it has its advantages and disadvantages. We are going to explain what they are, and in this way we can choose what suits us best according to our needs.
Benefits of connecting with Tethering
- One of the main advantages is that we don't have to buy additional device . We will simply use our mobile phone to share the connection with other computers.
- We don't need to buy a 4G router or Wi-Fi with a built-in battery to connect, we'll just use our smartphone to do it.
- We will not need to remove the SIM card from the mobile phone in order to use it on another device. This is something that many users evaluate very positively, because they do not want to complicate their lives.
- Another advantage is that in general it will easier and faster enjoy. We won't have to configure much and it will be available in seconds even if we haven't used it before.
Disadvantages of connecting using a modem
- One of the main disadvantages is battery consumption our mobile phone. This can be a problem in many situations where we want to work with a computer connected to the Internet via a mobile phone.
- Емкость , which he proposes , is also a problem . It is logical that performance will be lower than Wi-Fi or a router with external antennas, since these devices usually have better reception compared to a smartphone. It's a common thing that we can't connect a lot of equipment and the power goes down.
- The last disadvantage is the fact that there are more simple configuration, which can also affect security, especially if we do not set an appropriate WPA2 or higher password.
As you have seen, we have several ways to connect to the Internet inside and outside the house, usually 4G or 5G routers are used inside the house in a second house or residence where we are not all year round, but we want to connect to the Internet to ip security cameras. We also have Wi-fi, these are the same 4G routers, but with a built-in battery and a small size, suitable for taking them with you anywhere. Finally, we have the ability to share the Internet via Wi-Fi with a tethering on a smartphone, which is the easiest way to do this, but has its drawbacks.