Your Options in Mobile Wireless Internet Access

Published Saturday January 28 2012

Do you have a web-enabled cell phone?  Perhaps you have a laptop or a netbook that you take with you when you travel.  Regardless of what type of wireless device you own, you are probably pretty familiar with the process of trying to get online outside the range of your home network.  While your cell phone might be able to connect to the Internet through your cell provider, this method is very slow and clunky.  If you want real broadband speeds, you have to find a business that offers a wireless hotspot.  This might mean sitting for hours at a coffee shop while you finish a school report, or hunting endlessly through a strange city for a place to connect.

However, you have several other options out there that can help you connect without the need for a wired connection.  What are your choices on the market?  How can you get online? Actually, a number of options can offer you significant benefits here.

Your Cell Provider ' No matter what cell phone provider you have, if you have a contract, then you can get online with your cell phone (so long as your phone is capable of connecting to the Internet).  However, you can also tether your phone to your netbook or laptop and connect through your computer's browser.  That said, this is probably not the best option in the world.  There are several reasons that this is not a great choice.

First, cell phone companies love to charge through the nose for the ability to connect with their service.  Therefore, if you choose to tether your phone to a computer, you can expect to pay a hefty sum for the privilege.  One well-known company charges a minimum of $30 per month for this type of access, no matter how much you use it.  Therefore, you'll pay that $30 if you only need to use the Internet a couple of days each week.

Another problem is signal strength.  While many companies have 3G signal within heavily developed urban areas, that signal fades the farther from the city's heart you go.  Even just a mile into the suburbs, you can find yourself back on a 2G network.  This doesn't exactly lend itself to a fun surfing experience.  Short of heading back to the house, though, what are your options?

You can actually get a better mobile wireless Internet connection with some of the newer companies now coming online.  You will find that this signal is still dependent on cell phone towers, but it offers you much better connection speeds ' it can rival the best DSL and cable connections in most cases.  In addition, you can use this type of Internet connection at home, as well as on the road, so you can take a single Internet connection with you wherever you might go.  That sure beats having to pay for a tethering plan that you might need only once in a blue moon and it beats using 2G technology, as well!

Laura Williamson

Rate this Article: