A portable WiFi is an excellent choice for anyone who constantly needs to use the internet. With the urge to constantly rely on the internet, nobody wants to stay offline for longer than necessary. With pocket WiFi, you can stay online wherever there is coverage without worrying about wired installations and the other inconveniences of home networks.
This mobile WiFi device can help you stay connected at all times. Interested to learn how does portable WiFi work? Keep reading.
How Does Portable WiFi Work
A portable WiFi device works by receiving a signal from a service provider and broadcasting it to the connected devices. This way, it converts telecommunication signals into private WiFi signals.
Portable WiFi devices use a SIM card operating on 3G, 4G, or 5G networks to provide internet connectivity. After receiving the signals within their reach, portable WiFi devices emit WiFi signals within a specific range, serving a varying number of clients, depending on the device.
How to Use Portable WiFi Devices
Luckily, portable WiFi devices are incredibly straightforward to use. Unlike home routers that often come with an elaborate installation and many cables, mobile WiFi devices are pretty much plug-and-play.
Using portable WiFi, you’ll only need to charge the device and insert a SIM card with a suitable internet plan. With the device fully charged and connected to a service provider, you can connect it to several devices simultaneously and surf the internet without any problem.
Portable WiFi and SIM Cards
If you’re interested in purchasing a portable WiFi device, you should pay attention to SIM cards.
Note that some pocket WiFi devices are locked by the manufacturer, meaning you can only use the device with the specific manufacturer’s SIM card. Although purchasing a portable WiFi and a SIM card in a bundle may sound more convenient, it might be more expensive when traveling abroad.
Therefore, it is best to use unlocked pocket WiFi. That way, you will be able to switch between service providers as you travel and make the most out of your portable WiFi device at a lower cost.
So, what type of SIM card will you need for your portable WiFi? A hotspot SIM card is undoubtedly the best option. You can search the internet or visit Amazon to find the best deals on hotspot SIM cards to find an internet plan that’ll work best for you.
The Difference Between Portable WiFi and Mobile Hotspot
A portable WiFi device can be pretty much any device that can connect to a service provider and broadcast a WiFi signal. That means that modern smartphones also qualify as portable WiFi devices.
However, portable WiFi has many advantages over hotspots emitted by smartphones.
A separate device will allow you to have uninterrupted internet regardless of your smartphone. When using a smartphone’s hotspot, your phone’s battery can drain fairly quickly due to the already frequent rate with which we use our smartphones. Therefore, a pocket WiFi device will provide you with internet access for much longer. Since these devices have no other function than to broadcast WiFi signals, they can stay online much longer than your smartphone.
Additionally, portable WiFi devices also have a greater capacity for use, meaning they can serve a significantly larger number of users without difficulties.
Read more: How Does Fiber-Optic Internet Work
The Difference Between Portable WiFi and Home WiFi
Now that you have a better idea how portable WiFi works, you’re probably interested in whether it is a better alternative for your household than a regular WiFi router.
Portable WiFi devices and home WiFi routers have their separate advantages and downsides. Therefore, each of them is better suitable for different situations. If you’re looking for 24/7 internet connectivity, a home WiFi router is a much better option, but if you need WiFi on the go, a portable WiFi is what you should be looking into.
The main difference between a portable WiFi and a home WiFi router is the processing power. To be easily accessible on the go, portable WiFi is a small-scale device. Although portable WiFi can offer great functionality, it is significantly less powerful than a home WiFi network. The device has less processing power, meaning that to deliver more flexibility, these devices compromise on capacity.
Advanced Functionality of Portable WiFi Devices
Over the past few years, many reliable options for portable WiFi devices have been released to the market. That contributed to significantly diversified functionality. Although all mobile WiFi devices work similarly, at their core they all connect to a service provider to broadcast a WiFi signal, some pocket WiFi devices work slightly differently.
In addition to the basic functionality of broadcasting a wireless internet network, some portable WiFi devices feature some great extra features. The Huawei E5855, for instance, also serves as a power bank for charging mobile devices and can be used for sending and receiving SMS.
Who Should Use Portable WiFi?
A portable WiFi device is a good idea, whether working on the go or looking for a stable internet connection so you can surf the web carelessly. Therefore, business people, freelancers, students, professors, and even social media addicts can benefit from using pocket WiFi.
Living in the digital era, almost every person should consider using portable WiFi. It makes browsing the internet for any given reason a much simpler task, without the need to deal with tangled wires or draining your smartphone’s battery while broadcasting mobile data to your laptop.
Does Portable WiFi Work Everywhere?
You can take a portable WiFi device literally everywhere, and it will work great as long as its SIM card is getting reception.
That way, you can use your pocket WiFi device when traveling abroad and get uninterrupted internet access. All you need to do is make sure that your SIM card is configured to function in the specific zones you’re traveling to. If your SIM card allows internet roaming, you’ll have no problems getting a stable internet connection wherever you get mobile reception.
Also read: How Does a Wireless Router Work
Conclusion
Now that you know how does portable WiFi work and how to use it, you can pack your bags without worrying about connectivity, whether you’re going to work, to a different city, or even to a foreign country or continent. With this article, you can decide exactly what your internet needs are and pick a portable Wifi according to them.