WiFi hotspots are by no means a new piece of technology. They have been around for a while but didn’t really become popular until cell phones started making that a standard feature. Prior to this, hotspots were just a frivolous piece of technology that the hyper-business moguls NEEDED because they had important work to get down in the middle of a bus stop… you know… success waits for nobody.
Now WiFi hotspots are much more common, and frankly becoming more and more powerful. Don’t get fooled by the idea that your cell phone is going to function like a fully equipped hotspot. Your cellphone is many things… it is your alarm, it is your diary, it is your photo holder, it is your prime source of communication, but it really shouldn’t be your go to wireless router… it’s just not properly equipped for that. So what is? That’s what I’m here for. I shall fill you in on all the features you should probably look for in a WiFi Hotspot.
There is a range of hotspots you can get. You could probably find a pretty inexpensive version at Target or any of your cell phone providers, OR you could go to a dedicated device from a company like skyroam that JUST makes hotspots. Your needs, as with everything else, dictate what you should get.
The Number of Connections – This is a feature that is a rather big differentiator in WiFi hotspots. Some hotspots will only grant you 2 or 3 separate devices connected at one time, and some offer as many as 10. Depending on your needs, you may not need that many connections, so this is an easy feature to limit if the price is an issue.
External Battery – Some hotspots offer external battery power as a feature. This can come in very handy if you are traveling with some gear and might need to charge a phone or a camera at some point. Always good to have some extra juice.
External Storage – This one might be a little less obvious, but some HotSpots will also offer you some extra memory. This feature is particularly designed to declutter what you have to bring with you when you travel. You might be dumping photos onto an external hard drive on the move, well now you suddenly don’t need the hard drive anymore! That could be really useful for the particularly intrepid travelers.
Size of the Unit – Get something small, you don’t want to have a whole new enormous bulge in your backpack or pants pocket. Go for something, slim, it’s out there!
Connectivity and Plan details – Most of the time when you are purchasing a hotspot you are buying it on some sort of internet plan. Really take the time to read the reviews and look through their coverage details. Make sure the places you’ll be are on that map!
That ought to get you started on your search, you’re going to find some that are encrypted, and some that have smart assistants, and some that have built in camera and bluetooth. Just remember, you are buying it for the internet, so make sure that is your prime focus!