A Guide To The Benefits of MiFi Dongle Solutions

You may have seen the MiFi dongle being advertised by your mobile broadband service provider.  If you have, then you may be wondering what this is and how this new technology can help you.  The MiFi dongle actually has a number of benefits that you should know about.  It allows you to broaden the scope of your mobile broadband.  It should be noted that some of the benefits of the MiFi dongle will be linked to the mobile broadband connection you are on and the overage you receive.

A bit about mobile broadband

Before you can look at the benefits of the MiFi dongle, you have to know more about the broadband it is connected to.  Mobile broadband has increased, not only in use, but in reach over the years.  Now 99% of the country is able to get a 3G connection.  More and more towns and areas are being added to the 4G coverage network.  There are also more providers offering 4G to their customers following rollout after the Ofcom 4G Spectrum auction.

The main problem people have with mobile broadband is the speed and stability of the connection.  The speed is being improved with the 4G network, so you can get speeds of up to 40MB per second.  The 3G connection speeds still sits at max 7MB per second, and average about 0.7MB, but this is fine for most light users.  The stability of the 3G and 4G connections are better now that the coverage range has increased.  You will still need to make sure you are within your provider’s coverage zone, but you should be able to get some form of connection most place; sufficient for at least browsing.

The mobile broadband dongle

Before the advent of the MiFi dongle, the mobile broadband dongle was the only way to connect to 3G on the computer.  This dongle connected to the device through the USB port and often needed software to be downloaded so you could use it.  There are some limitations to this device that have been improved on through the use of MiFi dongles.  The main problem is that you can only connect one device to the internet at any time. 

The mobile broadband dongle is still the device that comes with most mobile broadband deals.  You can get this for free with most fixed term contracts, but you will have to pay for it with a "pay as you go" connection.

The MiFi Dongle

Before you can see all of the benefits of the MiFi dongle, you should find out what it is.  The MiFi dongle is basically a mobile wireless connection to mobile broadband.  The dongle will connect to the 3G and 4G broadband connections and then send out a small cloud of wireless signals.  These wireless signals allow up to five devices to be connected to the mobile broadband. 

The benefits of MiFi

There are a number of benefits that you should be looking at when you consider this dongle.

·         Does not need to be connected to the computer.  Unlike the standard mobile broadband dongle, this one does not need to be connected to the USB port of a computer.  The dongle works on its own to get the broadband connection and then send it to the different devices. 

·         There is no software.  You do not have to download any software in order to work off the broadband signal.  This is a problem that many people have with the normal dongle. 

·         You can connect more than one device at a time.  Most people in the UK use two devices to connect to the internet at the same time.  If you are one of these people, MiFi allows you to use a single broadband connection for all of your devices.  It should be noted that you are only able to have five devices connected at any time.  The connectivity of this dongle also makes it ideal for groups.  If you are all working on a project, and need to get online, you can share the MiFi connection.

·         The speed of the broadband is quite high.  Research done into the speeds offered by MiFi have shown that 3G connections can each up to 21MB in certain areas.  If you are connecting to 4G, you should be able to get up to five times the speed of 3G.  An exact amount cannot be provided as there have not been sufficient tests into this speed.

·         If there is no power, you can still get onto the internet.  Unlike wireless home networks, if the power goes you will still be able to get online.  The dongle runs off battery power, so as long as there is power in the dongle and your device, you can surf the web. 

·         You can store data on the dongle.  Like the standard mobile broadband dongle, you can store data on MiFi.  In fact, MiFi takes this data storage a step further: you are able to insert a micro SD card into the dongle.  Of course, not all MiFi dongles have this ability so you need to see before you try this.

A few drawbacks

While the benefits of the MiFi dongle are great, it is important that you also know some of the limitations and drawbacks of the dongle.  There are three points that you should pay particular attention to when you look at this. 

·         You can only connect five devices.  If you have more people who need to use the connection, you will have to rotate who uses the connection.

·         The range of the wireless cloud.  The range of the wireless cloud at the moment is only 10M.  While this is ideal for when you are out and about, if you are working at home you will find it a problem.  Most rooms are not within this distance and the signal will become weaker the further you go.

·         The device is locked to a single signal type.  Like most dongles, the MiFi can only connect to one type of mobile broadband connection.  If you have a 4G dongle, you may not be able to connect to the 3G network. 

 

Sam Jones was interested in MiFi dongle deals.  He saw how easy the search service on sites such as uSwitch really is and she got a great deal in no time.